Jeff McLaughlin (L) with NT musician Rob Collins, at the Alice Desert Festival, 2010. Pic: Megan Spencer
Barkly region music producer Jeff McLaughlin is working in Borroloola, producing music events for the Winanjjikari Art Development Outreach Program (WADOP) and NAIDOC Week.
Working on the “second leg” of WADOP, the Music NT Board member has also started a blog, documenting the people and events involved.
He has taken some great pictures, giving first-hand updates and insight into the process, and community involvement.
Supported by “The Sidney Myer Fund, Barkly Regional Arts, Winanjjikari Music, Waralungku Arts”, WADOP aims to “build capacity with traditional and contemporary musicians in the Borroloola Region by ensuring the artists gain access to music related activities, events, music industry training, mentoring, live recording and cultural maintenance activities”.
Jeff is also producing live music events at the Boonu Boonu Festival, also held in Borroloola. Sandridge Band and the Lonely Boys will join other local acts, performing in the community on July 7.
View from Jeff's "office" in Borroloola. Pic: Jeff McLaughlin
Clearly inspired by his time in Borroloola, Jeff posted on his Facebook on July 6:
“We just performed the new Brolga Song for the first time. We made old ladies cry with tears of joy, people dancing like birds. Singing in Gurrawa, Yanula and English”.
“Just after a day of watching my Gulf grandmothers singing and teaching the young ones to dance and perform”.
Jeff has had a very busy music-making year, producing Unbroken Expanse’s debut album ‘Jeg Rock‘ in Tennant Creek and making music of his own with his “one man multi-instrumental show”.
Earlier this year, Music NT reported that Jeff was heading to Borroloola for 3 months, to produce a new album with Sandridge Band, “with funding from the Sidney Myer Foundation”.
Jeff is there now with mobile recording equipment, to “record the band for 4 weeks”.
About WADOP he says, “the Program is put together to teach the fellas how to take their music to the next level, to develop new ways of mixing their music to language, make film clips, marketing, setting up business practices and I
Jeff (second from left) with The Tableland Drifters.
hope that we will be able to take the guys somewhere with all of this”.
“The whole program will involve myself and Joe Davey (the Tableland Drifters, making a documentary) and other Winanjjikari Music Centre crew working in Borroloola for 12 weeks over the year and about another 12 weeks assisting them remotely”.
Visit the WADOP blog for more updates, and the Winanjjikari Music Centre blog.
Words: Megan Spencer Source: WADOP blog, Jeff McLaughlin.
