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Writers In The Lounge - October 16
Writers in the Lounge is an intimate night of songs, stories and the craft behind them. Join songwriters Bill Chambers, Mitchell Steele and Marcus Cassells as they take the stage with nothing but their guitars and the songs they’ve written. Hear the stories and inspiration behind the music, watch them teach each other how to play their songs, and experience the songs in a completely different way. It’s part performance, part conversation, and a rare chance to get inside the songs and the minds of the writers who created them.
Date: Friday October 16
Show starts: 7:30pm
Bar Toto is open from 3pm.
About the artists:
Bill Chambers:
Bill decided at 7 yrs of age he would be a musician one day. ‘I had dreams of touring the world playing music. That dream has taken me to Europe, UK, Norway, Sweden, Africa, USA and all over Australia, either performing solo or playing guitar in my daughter Kasey’s band.’ These days Bill tours with his young son Tyler on Acoustic and Electric guitar. They play anything from house concerts, bars, coffee houses and festivals, sharing their unique style of folk/rock/blues/country music to audiences of all ages. ‘When I’m not on the road’ Bill said, ‘I’m usually in my recording studio writing new songs or producing music for other artists, but touring and playing live is definitely what I love best.’
Mitchell Steele:
Mitchell Steele spent his youth chasing cattle through the outback, breaking in horses by day and writing songs by firelight. Long before he stepped into a studio, he was living the life most country singers just write about.
At 15, he left school with a saddle, guitar, and swag - spending years working on cattle stations across Australia. At 18, he landed a role in the Australian Outback Spectacular, performing for 1,000 people a night across six years and three productions. “I traded fencing pliers for a microphone.”
In Tamworth, he caught the ear of Kasey Chambers. “His incredible voice, honest songwriting, and dazzling personality- all within just one song,” she says. Together they began co-writing and crafting Mitchell’s sound.
Blending '90s and ‘00s country with a contemporary twist, Mitchell’s music showcases emotional storytelling, and a soaring voice. His look - stylish yet grounded, flamboyant but rugged.
Mitchell’s debut single ‘Worn Out West’ - produced by Kasey alongside Brandon Dodd - lands August 29.
Marcus Cassells:
Marcus Cassells is a genre-blurring singer-songwriter whose sound sits somewhere between
country grit and grunge soul. With influences like Willie Nelson, Chris Christofferson, Eddie Vedder,
and Australian legend Bill Chambers, his music is raw, real, and grounded in lived experience.
His songwriting began as a way to capture the momentum and messiness of life, quickly revealing a
voice with weight and texture - as real as the stories he was compelled to tell. A voice equal parts
gravel and gold, it carries through every performance.
His stripped-back style and deep, rasped vocals bring honesty to every performance. Real, rough,
and resolute, Marcus delivers songs that hit where life hurts and heals.
Marcus has shared stages with artists such as Bill Chambers, Eric Bogle, Gallie, and Fiona Boyes, and
supported 1927 on their 2026 Anyone Everyone tour.
Writers in the Lounge is an intimate night of songs, stories and the craft behind them. Join songwriters Bill Chambers, Mitchell Steele and Marcus Cassells as they take the stage with nothing but their guitars and the songs they’ve written. Hear the stories and inspiration behind the music, watch them teach each other how to play their songs, and experience the songs in a completely different way. It’s part performance, part conversation, and a rare chance to get inside the songs and the minds of the writers who created them.
Date: Friday October 16
Show starts: 7:30pm
Bar Toto is open from 3pm.
About the artists:
Bill Chambers:
Bill decided at 7 yrs of age he would be a musician one day. ‘I had dreams of touring the world playing music. That dream has taken me to Europe, UK, Norway, Sweden, Africa, USA and all over Australia, either performing solo or playing guitar in my daughter Kasey’s band.’ These days Bill tours with his young son Tyler on Acoustic and Electric guitar. They play anything from house concerts, bars, coffee houses and festivals, sharing their unique style of folk/rock/blues/country music to audiences of all ages. ‘When I’m not on the road’ Bill said, ‘I’m usually in my recording studio writing new songs or producing music for other artists, but touring and playing live is definitely what I love best.’
Mitchell Steele:
Mitchell Steele spent his youth chasing cattle through the outback, breaking in horses by day and writing songs by firelight. Long before he stepped into a studio, he was living the life most country singers just write about.
At 15, he left school with a saddle, guitar, and swag - spending years working on cattle stations across Australia. At 18, he landed a role in the Australian Outback Spectacular, performing for 1,000 people a night across six years and three productions. “I traded fencing pliers for a microphone.”
In Tamworth, he caught the ear of Kasey Chambers. “His incredible voice, honest songwriting, and dazzling personality- all within just one song,” she says. Together they began co-writing and crafting Mitchell’s sound.
Blending '90s and ‘00s country with a contemporary twist, Mitchell’s music showcases emotional storytelling, and a soaring voice. His look - stylish yet grounded, flamboyant but rugged.
Mitchell’s debut single ‘Worn Out West’ - produced by Kasey alongside Brandon Dodd - lands August 29.
Marcus Cassells:
Marcus Cassells is a genre-blurring singer-songwriter whose sound sits somewhere between
country grit and grunge soul. With influences like Willie Nelson, Chris Christofferson, Eddie Vedder,
and Australian legend Bill Chambers, his music is raw, real, and grounded in lived experience.
His songwriting began as a way to capture the momentum and messiness of life, quickly revealing a
voice with weight and texture - as real as the stories he was compelled to tell. A voice equal parts
gravel and gold, it carries through every performance.
His stripped-back style and deep, rasped vocals bring honesty to every performance. Real, rough,
and resolute, Marcus delivers songs that hit where life hurts and heals.
Marcus has shared stages with artists such as Bill Chambers, Eric Bogle, Gallie, and Fiona Boyes, and
supported 1927 on their 2026 Anyone Everyone tour.