In the NT music scene you often come across people who work ‘in the background’; individuals or  a collective, who work tirelessly, laying foundations for some kind of a community, making opportunities happen for others without asking for a great deal in return.

They do it for the love, not the money – or the ego. Without them, Territory would be a pretty barren place.Thankfully that’s not the case.

Kevin McCarthy is one such individual. Although technically classified as one of the of the Territory’s infamous ‘blow ins’, he’s a music veteran who became involved in the NT folk scene as soon as he arrived in 2008.

Known as “Macca” in the folk community, Kevin is a musician and an organiser of Campfire Music, a weekly singalong and jam night for Darwin musicians. He also helps run the annual Top Half Folk Festival at Mary River (it turned 40 this year), weekly music sessions at Darwin Hospice, and writes and edits not one but two e-newsletters: the monthly Celtic culture Blarney Bulletin, which at its peak had over 8000 subscribers nationally (it’s currently in recess but will be relaunched next year); and also Campfire News – “a list of events that local musicans can participate in”, boasting 900 subscribers NT-wide.

At the moment Kevin is also helping to run a regular music night at the beautiful Nightcliff Foreshore in Darwin, called Sunset Music, and on any given Sunday during the Dry you’ll find him at Darwin’s newly renovated Railway Club, at the Top End Folk Club ‘Sunday Sessions’ jam afternoons. He’s a regular performer at the Darwin City Council’s weekly library music gigs, plus a lot more to boot – he nary has a spare moment from the sound of things.

While folk music is a difficult term to define – and one he prefers to shy away from – it’s a genre which Kevin understands implicitly. Simply put, it’s in his bones. Kevin is all about the music – and supporting others to join in, with Darwin a fitting place for folkies wherever they come from and whoever they be..

Kevin McCarthy spoke with Music NT as November ushered in its famous rainy season.

Music NT: What is your NT story – as in, how did you come to Darwin, and begin to play music here?

Kevin McCarthy: Megan, I’m afraid it’s a story told all too often … We (my wife and I Kerry) came for a couple of months and we’re still here! In our case, we had been grey nomads for a few years, working and travelling up and down the East Coast, and timing our travels to fit in with festivals like Port Fairy, National Celtic Festival in Geelong, Frances Folk Gathering, National Folk Festival in Canberra, Woodford, Tamworth, and many more.

Kerry’s Dad lives here in Darwin and has had some serious health issues. We had been up here for a few weeks in 2007 for the birth of a grandson and he asked us to come up and help him out a bit. We arrived back here in April 2008 and we’re still here.

Musically I was used to playing music at least a couple of times a week in sesions and the like, and found that a bit difficult in Darwin. I joined the Folk Club and the Country Music Club almost straight away, and still participate in their events. I found I wanted a bit more music so I ended up starting a few low-key  grassroots events myself.

MuNT: What are your main music projects in the NT?

KM: Currently, myself and “Ambon John” Pattiselanno run regular Sunset Music evenings down on the Nightcliff foreshore on a Sunday … usually twice a month. It attracts between 6 and 20 musicians and it’s just a great place to gather and play music. I also run a monthly music morning at the Darwin Hospice and another at the Juninga Centre. I had a Campfire Music night going at the Darwin North RSL, but that’s gone into recess for the Wet. I also go down and perform at the monthly music night at the Grove Hill Heritage Hotel … although that has also gone into recess for the Wet.

I have also been running a songwriting competition for the past 6 years, called the Rebel Yelp Songwriters Award … for songwriters with a social conscience. And for the first time, there has been a couple of NT entries this year. The Award usually involves a Rebel Songwriters Forum and Concert at the National Folk Festival in Canberra over Easter.

MuNT: How would you describe the music you play?

KM: Well I’d simply describe it as Aussie music – although at the folk club they reckon it’s ‘country music’, and at the Country Music Club they reckon it’s ‘folk music’!

I like to play songs by people like Shane Howard, Neil Murray, Kev Carmody, Eric Bogle, John Williamson, Pigram Brothers, and by local musicians like Mark Hunter and Kathy Mills. Of course I write a few songs myself and particularly like parodies.

I also play a bit of Irish music as my parents were both Irish and it’s the music I grew up with, and I guess it’s where I developed a love of songs that tell a story … ballads I suppose you’d call them.

MuNT: Can you give us some of your personal music background?

KM: I guess you could say I come from a musical family. My father taught himself to play jigs and reels on a button accordion, and most of my uncles, aunties, cousins etc in Ireland play music or sing. There was always music in the home – like the Clancy Brothers and the Dubliners, with a definite rebel slant to it.

I began playing a bodhran (Irish drum). I was at the Port Fairy Folk Festival and good way through a bottle of Jameson Irish Whiskey when I found myself haggling with some bloke over the price of a bodhran he was selling … the next thing I remember was waking up next morning with the drum. So I guess you could say I won the argument (although many would dispute that). I still don’t know what I paid for it.

I’d been playing the bodhran and singing a few songs for a while – locally known as the locksmith, as I’d never start a song in the same key twice. When I was about to sing, all the guitarists would dive into their cases for a capo! I knew I had to do something about it, so when a bloke walked into a session one night with two guitars and asked if anyone wanted one, I put my hand up (one was a 12 string Maton, and the other a nylon string Suzuki – and I don’t have to tell you which one he gave me!).

While there were no specific music teachers and many musical influences, I guess the person who had the biggest influence on the type of music I now play and write is Shane Howard.  We used to have a friend who lived near Warrnambool and played drums in a Country Music band. We used to go down and stay with him and his partner for a weekend – walk across the road to the pub, play pool, get pissed, stagger home, put on some music and play along (badly) on his drum kit.

Anyway, one night he pulled out an album he said a bloke in Warrnambool had produced himself in his garage. It was ‘Clan’ by Shane Howard, and it really blew me away. I went back to Geelong next day and bought a copy for myself (no CD burning facilities in those days) and I must have played it 1000 times. At the time I didn’t even know Shane was the fella behind Goanna.

Anyway, over the years I got to know Shane pretty well, got involved in some of his actions, and would often call into his Killarney home for a chat and watch him at work in his studio.

MuNT: Is your family also involved in music?

KM: My wife Kerry comes along to many of the things I’m involved with, and she sings a bit. A couple of the kids have dabbled a bit as well, but they haven’t really taken the plunge … yet!

MuNT: How do you define folk music, especially now?

KM: I don’t really want to go there…

MuNT: And what do you make of the recent new ‘alt-folk’ movement – especially the popularity in Darwin and the broader NT?

KM: I used to live in Geelong, and the folk scene in Victoria, South Australia and Queensland (the states I’m most familiar with) is very much alive and booming with fabulous young talent. The folk clubs and organisations have fostered young musicians through opportunities at festivals, club events like open mics and concerts, equipment hire, mentoring, promotion, and youth awards. For example, at the Lake School of Celtic Music Song and Dance in Koroit, they hold auditions each October a form a youth band for one year ( The Paddy O’Neill Award). The band is put together, coached and mentored, produce a CD, and are given a gig at major festivals like Port Fairy, the National Celtic Festival and Maldon.

Unfortunately I don’t see that happening here … yet.  The music of the likes of Leah Flanagan, many of the singer/songwriters who perform at Happy Yess and the Railway Club, and many local Indigenous musicians, would be performing and developing through the Folk scene down south. Up here they are doing it independently … or perhaps the likes of Happy Yess and the Railway Club are doing what folk organisations are doing down South.

MuNT: When you look around the music culture in the NT, what do you see?

KM: Well it’s certainly very strong and diverse, and there’s certainly a lot of musicians given the relatively small size of Darwin (compared to say Melbourne). The organisation and promotion side through organisations like MusicNT and Arts NT is outstanding, and venues like the Railway Club, Happy Yess, Browns Mart, Nirvana and The Groove Café are just great.

However there does seem to be a bit of ‘colour divide’ in the local music scene that wasn’t here in the 70s. For example, other than a collaboration with Ali Mills, I can’t remember any Indigenous musicians performing at the Folk Club, and there have only been one or two at the Country Music Club… Maybe it just reflects the local community today..?

MuNT: Can you tell us about your involvement in the Top End Folk Club and the Top Half Folk Festival? And also Campfire Songs?

KM: I joined the Folk Club when I first arrived in Darwin, and started going to their Sunday sessions – originally at the Virginia Tavern, and now at the Railway Club. I’m not a committee member, but I joined the working party (headed by Jayne Nankivell in Katherine) to run the Top Half Folk Festival at the Mary River Resort in June … and I must say it was a huge success. My role was in promoting the event, and I also ran a songwriters forum at the festival, a campfire singalong each evening, and took part in a concert titled Songs Of the Top End (I think I sang one of my own songs, ‘Darwin Town’, a Neil Murray song, ‘Long Grass Band’, and a Mark Hunter song, ‘Wallaby Leg’).

I have been running a Campfire Music Night at the Darwin North RSL for almost 2 years (recently gone into recess for the Wet). I guess the Folk Club Sunday session focussed a lot on playing tunes, and there wasn’t many other opportunities to gather and sing songs. So a few of us would gather at the RSL once a month.

In May I was invited to run a Campfire Music event along the Nightcliff foreshore as part of the Seabreeze Festival. “Ambon John” Pattiselanno came along and it worked so well that we have continued them, usually a couple each month, ever since. The foreshore is just a magic place to gather on a Sunday evening and play music.

MuNT: And your involvement in Darwin Hospice – what do the musicians do there, and who do they pay to? How did that project come about?

KM: The Hospice is a very special place, and a real privilege to play at. There are only 12 rooms, and it is not always full. The people there are terminally ill of course, but the pain management regime is very good, so they are not in pain, and often love to talk about their lives and times. While most are middle aged, they can range from teenagers right through to the elderly.

There is usually between 3-6 musicians and we play acoustically in the lounge, which is located in the middle of the building, and allows the music to waft into the rooms. Some patients come out if they are able (occasionally there will be a musician there who will join in),  while others remain in their room. Often relatives, friends, and the staff will join us as well.

Music at the Hospice began about two years ago and is the brainchild of Martin Goreing, secretary of the Top End Folk Club, who works at the Royal Darwin Hospital. While Martin is a busy fella these days, he stills pops in occasionally.

The music morning at the Juninga Centre works in a similar fashion. Juninga is an Indigenous facility for the elderly, and they like both kinds of music there – Country and Western. A couple of the residents are fine musicians – like Frankie Baird and David Mills, and they will join us if they are available.

MuNT: Who are some of the NT musicians or figures in music that you admire and why?

KM: Well, Ted Egan has been around for a long long time and did a lot to focus national attention on the Territory through his music. I think the Wurumpi Band did the same for local Indigenous music. That national attention has been maintained through the likes of Yothu Yindi and more recently, Gurrumul Yunupingu. They really open a door of opportunity for other Territory musicians.

At a grassroots level, I’d prefer not to name names, but I really admire those musicians who welcome aspiring musicians and quietly pass on their knowledge and experience. Some people forget that they were learners at one stage.

MuNT: You also travelled to the National Folk Festival in Canberra this year – can you give us an idea how that experience for you?

KM: Of all the festivals I’ve been to, the National Folk Festival in Canberra over Easter is a favourite – probably because it is so inclusive. I reckon just about everyone who attends takes part in something or other over the 5 days – plays music in sessions, performs at open mics, participates in workshops, dances, recites etc. You just feel like you are part of the festival rather than just part of the audience.

A friend of mine came up with the idea of renting out empty instrument cases to the few people who don’t participate, so they can at least look like the rest! I’ve been fortunate enough to facilitate a Rebel Songwriters Forum and Concert at the last three festivals … and hope to do it again in 2011.

MuNT: Who are some of your music heroes? And favourite NT artists – and why?

KM: I don’t really like to pick winners like this, as you always leave out people who deserve to be included. But if I had to choose a few…

In Australia I’d have to say Shane Howard – someone who not only talks the talk, but walks the walk. Just a great story teller and music producer.

From Ireland, I’m a big fan of Christy Moore – another great story teller.

From America, the likes of Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash.

From the NT, Ted Egan in the 70s & 80s, and the Wurumpi Band – both groundbreaking in their own way.

MuNT: You’ve helped organise some performances in the NT, by some high-profile folk musicians.. Can you tell us about one or two of the best gigs you’ve seen?

KM: I did help with the organisation of the Top Half Folk Festival this year, but I don’t know about  “high profile folk musicians”.  Most of the stuff I’m involved with is very low-key, at a grassroots level. I guess it’s the Irish traditional thing – where the session is at the heart of the music … a palce where musicians and singers gather to enjoy the music by participating in it. It’s not a concert, it’s not commercial … just a celebration of the music you love.

As far as the best gigs I’ve seen, I did go to Tex Perkins at The Amphitheatre a month or so ago and was impressed. I actually won a couple of tickets from the ABC by rewriting the words of a Johnny Cash song. So I went along not expecting too much, but I must say Tex did a fantastic job.

Before that, I’d have to say the Black Arm Band at the Amphitheatre. I’d been hearing and reading a bit about the Black Arm Band and they were every bit as good as I’d heard. The idea of showcasing the best Indigenous music to a broad national and international audience is a great one. I actually ran into Shane Howard and Dave Arden at the Port Fairy Folk Festival a few years ago, and they were very excited about a project they were working on … they wouldn’t say what it was, only that it would be “big”, and they were right.

MuNT: What would your life be without music?

KM: That’s hard to imagine really, probably much too serious and pretty boring. I reckon music sort of puts the rest of the things you do into perspective.

MuNT: Could you tell us a bit more about the Top End Folk Club’s involvement at the Railway Club? Especially now after the renovations – is it a good home for your regular gigs?

KM: I guess the connection between the Top End Folk Club and the Railway Club is Martin Goreing, who is on the committee of both. The Folk Club holds a regular Sunday session at the Railway Club from 2pm, and welcomes musicians to come along and join in.

The Railway Club is just a great music venue, probably because it’s run by musicians. It has a warm and welcoming “Darwin” feel about it, where musicians and their music are appreciated. The renovations have enhanced that feel, as has the improvements to the gardens. I think Kane and Anna have done a fantastic job.

MuNT: What do you love the most about being an NT musician? And what do you find the most challenging?

KM: I guess the weather and the laid back lifestyle lends itself to having a go at something new, and if it doesn’t work out well who really gives a bugger!

I suppose the biggest challenge up here is the distance from anywhere else – I still remember being able to just jump into the car and head off to a festival for the weekend … and you could do that almost any weekend.

MuNT: What plans do you have on the horizon?

KM: I’m trying to get a couple of informal songwriting forums happening over the Wet Season, and perhaps a music camp down at Grove Hill in the Dry. I’m off to the Lake Music School for a week in January, and plan to go to the National Folk Festival in Canberra over Easter, and maybe the Top Half Festival in Alice in June.

Beyond that, it’s pretty much an open book…

Visit the Top End Folk Club website. More about Campfire Music here. Contact Kevin at the Blarney Bulletin.

Words: Megan Spencer. Thanks to Kevin McCarthy for the interview.