Manuel Rohrl has been brewing something special in the courtyard of his Newcastle East share house for nearly five years now.
Under the clever moniker, Killah Whale Duets, Rohrl has been slowly, but very deliberately, recording duets (mostly acoustic) with more than a hundred musicians from Newcastle and further afield.
The sessions, pretty much done in a single take, are posted weekly on social media platforms under the Killah Whale Duets name.
The vibe is absolutely coastal chill, recorded outside in a funky courtyard with a painted brick wall backdrop, cozy rugs underneath, with quality sound and video. Mostly acoustic, mostly original, always with Rohrl in support on his trusty Fender Jazz bass guitar.
The performers include stars, like Kim Churchill, and a parade of a new generation of Newcastle talent and familiar faces. To name a few: Noah Church, Maicey, Bodie, Chain Daisy, James Thomson, Adam Newling, Georgie Winchester, Dave Wells, Adam Miller, Amy Vee, Piper Butcher, Lachlan Edwards, Sam Buckingham, William John Jr, Jono Smith, Cormac Grant, Mark Crotti, The McCredie Brothers.
Rohrl, who was raised in Bellingen, always wanted to be a musician. His first band, Fish on Fire, gave it a burl but the flame did not last for the then-teenagers.
He moved to Newcastle seven years ago, studying music at the University of Newcastle. The bass guitar became his go-to instrument - he bought the long-neck Fender Jazz from his instructor Peter Gray and has never looked back.
"I found my bass," he says. "I love this bass. I love it."
Rohrl settled in Newcastle East, and makes a living playing bass three or four times a week with various bands and musicians.
But his passion is his side hustle - Killah Whale Duets.
"I think this is going to get me where I want to be," he says.
"I feel like playing gigs is who I am in terms of a musician. But at the same, the 'duets' are the one project I have any say over. I have direction and vision with "Duets". It's great to have an outlet."
He started by recording mates on his iPhone "because that's the only people that would want to do it," he says. "But as it's grown I've been able to hit up artists I've never met before and meet them on the day and play the song."
There is no restriction on the choice of song, or the length of the song. There are some instrumentals, some jazz as well as folk and ballads. The first song was a jazzy instrumental duet with Rohrl and Yev Kassem. And some lovely vocal solos, like Nina Samson (#154). And the unforgettable Jack Davies Bunning Gift Card ballad (#216).
Since the Stag & Hunter Hotel came on as a sponsor (no strings attached), Rohrl has upgraded both the audio (with Noah Church) and the filming (Wanagi Zable-Andrews). Performers can link to their performance and get their own copy of the final product.
Killah Whale Duets has found its strongest audience on Instagram (10,000 followers), but is also posted on YouTube, Facebook and TikTok.
Surprisingly, Rohrl gets a lot of knockbacks or no response when he approaches touring musicians to take part when they are in Newcastle. But, on the positive side, it's also helped him get more work as a musician.
Among others, Rohrl plays with Sonsoli and Owen Campbell.
