ONE OF the region's most celebrated young musicians has made an impassioned plea for public help after thieves made off with nearly a decade's worth of work.
Chris Colonna, an emerging producer and the brains behind world-recognised electronic cut-and-paste group The Bumblebeez, said he was visiting the family farm at nearby Mongarlowe when thieves hit his Braidwood studio between 11am and 3pm last Sunday.
Among the stolen loot was recording equipment, instruments and, most important to the artist, computer hard drives containing all of his and other musicians' work.
Colonna puts the cost of equipment and loss of potential income at anywhere up to $500,000.
''That's the worst thing,'' Colonna said. ''Equipment's equipment, but it's the actual songs. That's my currency. That's how you get your album advance, songs for TV, publishing, production work. It's hard to cop.''
The theft has put a sour note on The Bumblebeez' long-anticipated Canberra return at the University of Canberra's Stonefest on Friday night, the group's first on-stage appearance in the capital since shooting to national attention in 2002.
Colonna was studying at the ANU's School of Art when radio station Triple J plucked the loose collective of Braidwood mates from obscurity as the winners of the Canberra leg of its Unearthed competition.
After a wild ride that included being signed and later dropped by US music label Geffen, supporting international heavyweights such as Radiohead, and various excursions to the United States, Europe and Asia, The Bumblebeez released its debut album Prince Umberto & The Sister Of Ill last year on the hip Modular label to critical acclaim.
Colonna is only just back from another jaunt to the United States, where he was DJ alongside hip hop legend Grandmaster Flash and fellow Australian act Midnight Juggernauts.
The theft couldn't have come at a worse time. Colonna has been working on a new project, to be called 30/30, in which he is planning to upload a new song to his website every day during the month of November. He is also about to start work on a new album.
''It's a bit of a bitch,'' he said. ''I've just got to keep going. Like I can stop and whinge about it ... I just want the hard drive back. I'm not the type to get super pissed off, so unless I get it back, I will have to let it go, I guess.''
A NSW Police spokesman in Queanbeyan said police were investigating and urged any one with information or who was offered musical equipment to contact Braidwood Police Station or Crime Stoppers.