In the Tiki Bar of despair.. David Garnham and The Reasons To Live.

As they wend their way down south on tour, The Reasons To Live are eagerly putting the notion of ‘living’ to the test…

The band – including frontman and Darwin musical iconoclast David Garnham – are ‘sampling’ as many (un)savoury dim sims on the road, in every equally (un)savoury roadhouse bain marie they come across.

Formed in 2011 after his previous band The Moving Targets ‘called it a day’, The Reasons To Live is David Garnham’s new musical mission.

After a second crack at the Telstra Road To Discovery national talent competition, he won the ‘Songwriter’ category in January 2011, dazzling the judges with his poetic songwriting ability (with a voice to match).

A subsequent and trip to Nashville followed, where he was encouraged tout his wares and collaborate with other songwriters. Afterwards David returned to his long-time home of Darwin, to kick start his own songwriting, a new band and, a new album.

Many of the last 12 months were spent recording and producing it in both Darwin and Melbourne, with seminal Melbourne musician Charles Jenkins on board as one of the producers.

The first single ‘Here We Go’ was launched at the Darwin Railway Club on April 28, 2012. Now The Reasons To Live have announced a tour and hit the road to try on their ‘country blues lament’ further afield, including Adelaide, Melbourne regional NT and beyond.

Dim sims and junk food aside, MusicNT asked David some questions about what’s on the sprawling horizon ahead of him, and about his new-found ‘Reasons To Live’…

Coober Pedy.. Pic: David Garnham

Music NT: When how and why did your band The Reasons To Live form? And what inspired the name?

David Garnham: It started as a duo thing…

Myself and Toby Robinson scored a bit of a residency at ‘The Cav’ (Cavanagh Jotel, Darwin). Straightaway I loved playing with Tobes – he is such a soulful player, he knows when to play (and just as important, when not to play), and has a great voice himself.

We kept playing shows really just for fun and a bit of cash.

It was fairly evident at the start though – with our ‘penchant’ for foodstuffs that are made from pigs, and ‘Dirty Dutch Martinis’ – that we were starting to foster a long-term musical partnership.

That was about 4 years ago.. And with my old band throwing it in at the end of 2010 (The Moving Targets), the last year-and-a half has really been all about this new ‘beast’.

After years of me saying I’d never have my own name in a band title, I succumbed to pressure from a lot of people I respect too much in the industry to ignore.

‘The Reasons To Live’ just popped into my head one day – probably from somehting I was reading – and I really liked the imagery.

Also, It’s pretty funny, seeing as how a large part of our catalogue is made up of miserable country tunes.

a'Here we go..' David & MArk on stage at the Railway Club. Pic: Nico Liengme

MuNT: What is the name of the debut album?

DG: We’re tossing around a few names. At the moment it’s ‘Standing Up To Step Down’, but I’m thinking about a last, second change…

MuNT: Who is in TRTL and what do they each play? And how do you know each band member?

DG: Well obviously Toby – up until the current line-up, the act did really feel like a recording project between the two of us.

Last year for the recording of the album we were lucky enough to have Alex Brindell (ex-member of my old band The Moving Targets) come up from Brissy on a break from Uni, where he did a phenomenal job at laying down the drums [on the album] in two days.

We were then joined by Dan Davies (double bass) and we were lucky to have guitar virtuoso Glen Forner come and do a guest spot on a couple of tracks.

Thankfully we were able to hold onto the busiest man in Darwin, Mr Dan Davies, to stay as a part of the ‘live’ band, along with Mark ‘T-Bone’ Gray on drums and Mark ‘Hungry Fingers’ Bleakley jumping between keys and trumpet.

MuNT: Your album – how many tracks will be on it. And who did you record it with and where?

DG: There are 10 tracks on the album – we recorded it at the Subsonic studio here in Darwin.

It was then mixed down at Hot House in Melbourne, and mastered with Jack the Bear.

We had Charles Jenkins and Justin Rudge as producers and there was a fantastic dynamic between the two – Justin having produced Chuck’s last two albums.. Having one creatively-minded fella (Charles)  and one technically-minded fella (Justin), worked a treat.

'Not' The Beards.. David Garnham & the Reasons To Live. Pic: Nico Liengme

MuNT: Please tell us about the single launch – how was it?

DG: We had a great night down at ‘The Rails’ [Darwin Railway Club] – we were very excited to debut as a band, and share the night with two of our fave acts (Green Stone Garden and Aaron Isaak).

MuNT: You are going on tour to promote it – when is that happening and where will you go?

DG: We’re actually just starting it – we’ve done Katherine, Tennant Creek and we are in the middle of a few Alice shows, before heading to Adelaide, the Penola Arts Festival, some shows in Melbourne and a couple more regionals.

MuNT: What inspired the songs for this album?

DG: The songs are still mainly revolving around the same things I have always written about – booze and women.  It is just the context, the story, the characters that change.  There’s the odd song about religion and torment, but really, I just write love songs – unashamedly I might add too.

MuNT: Can you give us a bit of an insight into the writing process for the songs? Was it just you, or does the band contribute equally?

DG: I write the words and the general chord structure (always alone, darkened room, covered by silk), and then the band make it sound good, writing their own parts and making suggestions to key/feel/chords.

For the album, Justin and Charles made a few chordal adjustments, and I must admit, much to my uneasiness, some changes to lyrics.

Write, sing, record, play. David Garnham. Pic: Nico Liengme.

MuNT: How would you describe the sound of the new album?

DG: Good enough to buy  - one for myself and then one for every other human I know!

MuNT: What was Nashville like for you; do you think it has had a tangible effect on your songwriting and therefore the quality of music/writing on this album?

DG: Not really – Nashville was a great experience, but not one that changed me creatively.

I’m really stubborn about my writing and don’t like the idea of writing something just to be a hit, which is the objective of much of the scene over there.

I have no problem with co-writes, but will only do them if I know the other writer personally.

MuNT: How are audiences responding to The Reasons To Live gigs?

DG: Thus far, good.

But let’s face it, most people are too polite to say that they think you’re band is shit to your face (thankfully).

MuNT: You have some pretty talented crew in your band.. How do you feel about working with them?

DG: I am so spoiled in terms of the people I currently play with – and have previously played with.

I think I’ve blown enough smoke up Toby for the next year or so, so will now spread it amongst the fellas: Bleakley is easily one of the NT’s best musos, that man plays like a mother-f&*ker, and again, knows where/what to play.

Dan Davies fits the bill perfectly in terms of demeanour, style and sound, and T-Bone is a bit of eye candy for the ladies (sorry girls, he’s taken… “If you liked it you should have put a ring on it”). He is compellingly attractive despite having a resemblance to an abnormally tall chimpanzee.

And what I am appreciating more than ever, is that we have a great time together – without sounding like too much of a douche – the fact that I’m surrounded by some amazing musos is great; but I’m more grateful that I’m surrounded by some great humans too.

MuNT: I feel the need to talk ‘hair’ with you.. You have moved on from, may I say,  a dramatic mullet, to the Ned Kelly beard. What is your relationship to your hair Dave? We have to know!

DG: I get bored very easily, and thus change my appearance accordingly.  I have had some horrible haircuts over the years, but now think I’m resigning to short hair with the beard.  I’m getting older, a bit thinner on top, a bit more cynical.  I think now is time to start looking like that angry drunk guy down at the club.

MuNT: Do you prefer ‘Dave’ or ‘David’, and why?

DG: I prefer ‘David’, as ‘Dave’ is a bit of a prick when he’s drunk…

Too many dim sims.. David & Toby.

MuNT: What will your next tattoo be?

DG: Haha, no plans as yet, think I’m done on that front.  I think I’m too hairy a man to be covered in tatts.

MuNT: And please finish this sentence: “In five years’ time ‘Dave Garnham and The Reasons To Live’ will be…”

DG: … Writing songs, recording them, playing shows, writing songs, recording them, playing shows, writing songs, recording them, playing shows, writing songs, recording them, playing shows, writing songs, recording them, playing shows…

• Visit The Reasons To Live on Facebook
• Read more about David Garnham on the Music NT website and Music NT Forum.
• Visit David’s website.

Words: Megan Spencer. Thanks to Dave Garnham for the very fun interview.. : )

The judges for the inaugural NT Song Of The Year Awards have been announced!

They are…

Arnold Frollows – DIG Radio

Stuart Matchett – DIG Radio

Clive Hodson – Perfect Pitch Publishing

Jess Beston – Tiny Monster

Tim Ritchie – ‘Sound Quality’ presenter,  Radio National

Andrew Phillips – Local Radio Manager, 105.7 ABC Darwin

Presented by MusicNT, the NT Song Of The Year Awards are about recognising and celebrating songwriting talent within the NT.

They will be held on Friday June 15, 2012 in the Amphitheatre of the Museum & Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT) in Fannie Bay, Darwin.

The NT Song Of The Year Awards night is the key event of the Original Recipe Music Festival, which takes place in Darwin from June 15-17.

MusicNT has assembled judges from across the country – and the NT – to provide peer assessment for the competition.

This serves to both recognise that the winning songs have been selected by a national panel, and to expose the breadth of NT songwriting talent to the rest of the country – including some of the biggest names in the business!

The Awards encompass the categories: Rock, Pop, Folk, Urban/Hip Hop, Blues & Roots, Country, Heavy and Dance & Electronic, plus ‘Peoples Choice‘.

Each winner will receive a cash prize of $500 and a trophy – as judged by the industry members above – with the ‘Overall Song Of The Year’ winner receiving a prize package worth over $2000.

We are also pleased to announce the Genre Category Sponsors confirmed so far for the NT Song Of The Year Awards:

• ‘Blues & Roots’ – TIS Music & Events
• ‘Country’ – CHUGG Entertainment
• ‘Rock’ – Cool Bananas Music
• ‘Peoples Choice’ – APRA/AMCOS
  
• Stay tuned for more Sponsor Announcements on the way soon!
  

MusicNT also gratefully acknowledges event supporters the NT Government, the Australian Government and Australia Council, APRA/AMCOS, Charles Darwin University, 105.7 ABC Darwin and Southern Cross Television.

MusicNT is very excited about this program and looks forward to celebrating the the inaugural Awards night with you at MAGNT on June 15!

• Read more about the NT Song of the Year Awards here.
• One day enter to your song into the Awards! Visit this link now. Nominations close COB Friday May 18, 2012.
• Read more about Original Recipe here.

 Words: Megan Spencer. Source: Mark Smith/Music NT.

Alice Springs musician and songwriter Ben Allen (Yellow Streetlight/Broadwing) has won a competition on triple j Unearthed to attend the annual Song Summit Music Conference in Sydney!

Ben will represent the Northern Territory, and won his place along with 7 other songwriters from around Australia, to attend the 2012 Song Summit, May 26-28. He also will participate in an “exclusive songwriting workshop with two of Australia’s most gifted and successful songwriters – Gotye AND Adalita”.

It comes on the back of winning the APRA Tropscore Competition at the 2012 Tropfest Short Film Festival, held in Sydney in February, and subsequently receiving a commission to scoring a commercial for Jeep ‘Grand Cherokee’.

Song Summit is “a three day festival in Sydney and is a major creative, business development, and networking expo for the music industry”. It is part of Vivid Sydney, the annual “Festival of Music Light and Ideas”.

triple j Unearthed and Song Summit have again partnered to fly one singer/songwriter from every state and territory, to attend the annual Summit, and the special songwriting workshop.

The Conference features “workshops, showcases, panels and guest speakers including Neil Finn, Paul Kelly, Urthboy, Josh Pyke, and a cross-section of the music industry including managers, publishers, agents, and labels”.

In 2010 Darwin singer David Garnham also won a place to attend the Song Summit through the triple j unearthed competition.

Congratulations Ben!

• Read more on triple j Unearthed.
• Read more about Ben Allen here.
• Read an interview with Ben on the Music NT website.
• Visit Song Summit 2012.

Words: Megan Spencer. Sources: Ben Allen, triple j Unearthed website.

The stars align… East Journey will perform at the 2012 NIMAs. Pic: Peter Eve

MusicNT is proud to announce that triple j and the National Indigenous Music Awards (NIMAs) have aligned to ‘unearth’ a new Indigenous act! Plus, The Medics, Yabu Band & East Journey will perform at the NIMAs 2012!

Now in their second year of ‘going national’ – and held annually under the stars at the Gardens Amphitheatre in Darwin – the National Indigenous Music Awards are a celebration of Indigenous music that honours contemporary and traditional artists.

The NIMAs are presented annually by MusicNT, the Northern Territory’s peak music industry body.

Busby Marou and The Medics came together on May 16 – along with rising hip-hop reggae act Dubmarine – at a special launch at the Brisbane Powerhouse, to give a shout-out for the triple j Unearthed National Indigenous Music Awards competition. MusicNT Manager Mark Smith also spoke at the launch. (View photo gallery here.)

The aim of the competition is “to unearth the best unsigned Indigenous act in the country”.

Busby Marou performed at the launch in Sydney.

One act will be selected, and flown to perform at the Awards ceremony.

Unsigned Indigenous acts can now upload their tracks to triplejunearthed.com. One outstanding act – to be selected by the triple j team – will win the opportunity to perform at the National Indigenous Music Awards – aka the ‘NIMAs’ – in Darwin on August 11, 2012.

To be in the running Indigenous artists need to have 2 tracks uploaded on the Unearthed site before midnight Sunday July 1st, 2012.

Over the years, triple j has played a significant role in breaking Indigenous acts into the mainstream music landscape. triple j Unearthed Executive Producer Steph Carrick said, “we are thrilled to be partnering with the NIMAs to encourage Indigenous acts to upload their music to the site. “

“Not only could they find themselves playing at the NIMAs, but by being part of Unearthed all artists will have the possibility of airplay on our digital radio station and on triple j. We can’t wait to see what great new talent we’ll find!”

triple j Weekends Presenter Maggie Collins added, “this initiative between triple j Unearthed and the National Indigenous Music Awards will unearth talent from every corner of the country. We hope to find some hidden gems out there just on the cusp of breaking through!”

MusicNT Manager Mark Smith said, “this is a significant moment in Indigenous music and I’d like to thank triple j for getting involved.”

“Importantly I cannot thank enough, all the Indigenous radio stations and media in general who have tirelessly supported and promoted Indigenous artists for decades, giving them airtime, accolades and importantly, recognition and encouragement.”

He added, “without this support we would not be here today. This initiative is a pivotal point in the journey of Indigenous music”.

The winner of the NIMAs triple j Unearthed competition will be flown from anywhere in Australia, and given two nights accommodation in Darwin, as well as promotion on triple j Unearthed digital radio and on triple j.

They will also attend the 2012 iNTune Music Conference in Darwin.

While the rest of the NIMAs line up is still under wraps for the moment (the full line up will be released in June!), The Medics (Qld) and multi-award winning Yabu Band (WA) have been announced for this year’s NIMAs concert.

Also joining them will be Northern Territory rising star Rrawun Maymuru, winner of the 2011 ‘New Talent of the Year’ NIMA Award, who will perform for the first time on the NIMAs stage with his band, East Journey.

Promising a showcase of emerging and established acts, the NIMAs will bring together contemporary Indigenous artists from all music genres. Nominations are now open for the National Indigenous Music Awards, online at nima.musicnt.com.au, closing COB June 29, 2012.

Everyone is encouraged to nominate in the four national categories of ‘Act’, ‘Album’, ‘Song’ and ‘New Talent Of The Year’. Dates to remember…

• May 16 – Unsigned Indigenous acts can upload their tracks to triplejunearthed.com
• June 27 – Full NIMAs line up announced
• June 29 – National Indigenous Music Awards nominations close
• July 1 – triple j Unearthed competition closes
• July 5 – triple j/NIMAs Unearthed Winner announced
• August 11 – NIMAs Ceremony & Concert, Darwin Amphitheatre, Northern Territory.

Plus…

• View the full gallery of photos from the Competition launch in Brisbane here.
  
• Read more about the NIMAS here.
• Read more about the Competition at triple j Music News.
  
• Visit the official NIMAs website and Facebook page.
• Visit triple j Unearthed.

Words/Sources: AUM, triple j music news, NIMAs website. Additional: Megan Spencer, MusicNT.

Splendour in the grass.. Emma Rowe & The Two Other Guys.

By Territory standards, Darwin singer Emma Rowe has had a meteoric rise as a professional musician and singer.

Although she has been studying music most of her life, Emma didn’t really gig with a band until she formed her own in 2011, Emma Rowe & The Two Other Guys, with Steve Lees & Jay Wright (both ex-ZEDMAJOR). Just out of high school she enrolled as an undergrad in the CDU Bachelor of Creative Studies, to study music.

She was also one of the competitors in the 2011 Darwin heat of the Telstra Road To Discovery, a nationally recognised competition charged with discovering unsung performers and songwriters all over Australia. She got to perform on the same stage as local talents Yuliana Pascoe, Jillaine Jones and previous winner of the TRTD Songwriting Award, David Garnham (another long-time Darwin transplant).

Not long after a handful of gigs at Darwin artist-run venues Happy Yess and The Chippo, Emma and her band were booked to support profile acts, Big Scary from Melbourne and English punk-folk legend, Frank Turner.

Then soon after that (!), they were selected as one of the four local bands to open Darwin’s major annual music festival, BASSINTHEGRASS 2012 (alongside Skarlett, and the NT ‘Battle of the School Bands’ winners N.E.A.L. Boys and Elcah Rane).

Emma Rowe & The Two Other Guys are also one of seventeen local acts who will be showcasing to a local and national audience, in town for Music NT’s Original Recipe Music Festival in June 2012. Not bad for a musician barely out of her teens and who hated having music lessons as a kid!

Determination, and the open-mindedness of some local young promoters, have played a part in Emma’s rise so far, as has her aim to get out to the public an ambitious demo CD recording come June. Emma is also looking forward to learning more from her experiences on stage.

Emma Rowe found time to speak to MusicNT in what is becoming a very busy music schedule…

On the bill for BASS.

Music NT: Can you please tell us a bit about how you and “The Two Other Guys” – came to be?

Emma Rowe: We began gigging in late 2011. I knew both Steve (bassist) and Jay (drummer) from ZEDMAJOR.

We began jamming and soon enough we were doing gigs at The Chippo and Happy Yess! Then we were fortunate enough to score the support spot for Big Scary, Frank Turner and more recently BASSINTHEGRASS!

MuNT: And your own background as a musician?

ER: I’ve been singing and playing guitar for approximately 6 years. I started lessons at Amadeus Music School which – funnily enough – I was reluctant to attend as my mother forced me to get lessons.

But I grew to enjoy them very quickly so I continued to study music up to Year 12 at Darwin High School. I am currently in my final year studying the Bachelor of Creative Arts and Industries (Music) at CDU.

MuNT: On your bio it says that you are a “a nationally recognized songwriter” – can you fill in the details for us about that?

ER: I have competed in the Telstra Road to Discovery and I have done a few gigs in South Australia.

MuNT: Did you have any particular music mentors or teachers growing up?

ER: All of my teachers and mentors along the course of my musical ‘career’ have been huge influences on me. And the music I’ve made – and continue to make – to this day, is a reflection of what I have learned from each and every one of them. That and my mum!

MuNT: Musically, who would you say has been your biggest influence – and why?

ER: Initially, I was influenced to play by Missy Higgins. She’s amazing. She made me want to write.

My music taste is very eclectic: throughout the years artists like Lily Allen, Kate Nash, Duffy, Tracy Chapman, Regina Spektor, PJ Harvey, Paramore, Sandi Thom and Vanessa Amorosi have also heavily influenced me.

Currently I am being very influenced by Florence and The Machine, Adele, Kimbra, Bluejuice and Lana Del Rey – just to name a few!

MuNT: And who are some of your favorite NT artists?

ER: I love seeing local gigs. The Darwin music scene is bursting at the seams with talent, which makes me really proud to be a part of it.

Some of my favourites include Sietta, Dave Garnham, Green Stone Garden, Jasmine Revolution, Abbey Rose, Black Can Clan, Skarlett and Room 1.05.

2012 Australia Day gig..

MuNT: What do you learn about yourself when you go out on a stage and perform live?

ER: That I crave structure – I can’t improvise! So I’ve recently gotten into the habit of writing what I ‘m going to say and when I’m going to say it as part of the set list.

MuNT: And you’re studying at the CDU Music course – how has that been for you?

ER: It’s absolutely fantastic and I would (and do!) recommend it for all musicians who want to study at university.

It’s been a really great stepping stone for me – and it’s in the comfort of my own home! After this year, I will have a Bachelor, degree which will be a great tool for me to use in the future; possibly for applying to university elsewhere.

MuNT: What have you learned most from it?

ER: As part of my degree I’m specializing in vocals. So the most I have learned certainly involves my singing. My voice has improved immensely and will continue to improve as long as I keep singing! The vocal lecturer at CDU (Paolo Fabris) is amazing and I will always be appreciative of what he’s done for me, not only vocally but also for my confidence.

BASSPLAYERINTHEGRASS

MuNT: Where are you from ?

ER: I was born in Adelaide; my whole family is from there. We moved up here when I was 10 years old and we never left! I think it’s safe to say now that I’m a Territorian…

MuNT: When did you have your first gig – and can you tell us about it? Was it terrifying, exciting – or both?!

ER: My first gig was absolutely traumatizing, but whose isn’t?!

It was at the Nightcliff Markets for Amadeus Music School. I was 15. I played the cheap $70 classical guitar my mum had bought me, and I played/sang an original song. I am proud to say I’ve been playing originals ever since my first gig. I was so nervous before that gig; I literally didn’t speak to anyone all morning.

MuNT: What do you love about playing music?

ER: It has a great culture, and you meet great people. Music is (arguably) the most universal art form. It brings people together and it has incredible power over people. A lot of musicians find it to be really therapeutic and it’s a healthy way to express yourself.

MuNT: How would you describe your sound and what do you write songs about?

ER: Whenever people ask me to describe my sound, I say, “You tell me!” because the fact is, I don’t listen to my music, I just play it.

But I suppose you could say it’s a little bit blues, a little bit rock, a little bit indie and a little bit of pop!

I write songs about everything and nothing. Mostly phenomena from my imagination.

MuNT: You’ve not been playing as a band that long, but you have supported some pretty big names so far – Frank Turner, Big Scary – how did those gigs come about?

ER: My bass player Steve and I manage the band, and via the gigs we have done over the past few months we have connected with musicians, bands and promoters. There has been a big rise in interstate and international acts through Darwin and a lot more promoters in town bringing good music to the community. NOOK Events have been amazing, they have continued to grow it by brining up acts like Big Scary (Melbourne), Husky (Melb), The Beez (Germany) which has given local bands a chance to support and play these huge shows.

Another promoter who has done a lot for the community is Nico Liegme; he has supported us as a band and the scene, and is always there to give opportunities for new bands.

MuNT: And how did you feel when you got selected to play this year’s BASSINTHEGRASS? What are you hoping to get from the experience?

ER: We were ecstatic. It’s going to be an awesome experience! We are hoping to gain exposure, experience and to spark some kind of conversation with the interstate acts!

MuNT: And do you feel well-supported as a musician in Darwin?

ER: Culturally, I feel very well supported because the Darwin music scene is a community, not a competition.

All along the watchtower..

MuNT: You have recorded a demo – what kind of songs are on it? And what do you plan to do next as far as recordings go – turning that into an album on the cards?

ER: I honestly haven’t thought that far ahead. The songs that are on it are most of the songs we play live.

It was a magnificent recording experience and we’re really excited for the CD launch on the June 8 at the Railway Club. (We’ll be supported by Jasmine Revolution, Room 1.05 and Dave Garnham).

MuNT: Please finish this sentence: “In five years time Emma Rowe will be…”

ER: 25..!

• Emma Rowe & The Two Other Guys play BASSINTHEGRASS on Saturday May 26 and launch their demo CD on June 8 at Darwin Railway Club.
• Visit Emma Rowe & The Two Other Guys on Facebook.
• Read more about Emma Rowe in the NT News.

Words: Megan Spencer. Thanks to Emma Rowe for the interview!

MusicNT is delighted to make the first announcement of speakers, for the 2012 Darwin iNTune Music Conference!

Lars Brandle – Billboard Magazine, The Music Network

Heath Johns – Director of A’nR, Universal Music Publishing

Stephanie Carrick – triple j unearthed

Leigh Treweek – Street Press Australia

Nick O’Byrne – AIR (Australian Independent Record Labels Association)

Jaddan Comerford – Staple Group

Graham Ashton – Footstomp Music, Big Sound

iNTune Music Conference Darwin is now in its fourth year, and will take place August 10-11, 2012. (iNTune is also held annually in Alice Springs, later in September).

iNTune is the most important music industry event held in the Northern Territory, with some of the biggest names in the Australian music business attending as speakers, and to scope out local Territory music talent.

In 2011 over 20 interstate guests – including Michael Chugg, Urthboy, John Watson and music writer Iain Sheddon – spoke at the three-day event in Darwin, which in 2012 will again be held at the Medina Vibe Hotel & Conference Centre at Darwin Waterfront.

With a rising national profile, iNTune is rapidly becoming one of Australia’s most well-regarded and enjoyable music industry conferences.

The event also features practical workshops for musicians, music showcases – known as ‘The Darwin Showbag’ – vital industry speaker sessions, listening sessions, round tables and ‘one-on-ones’.

It also coincides with the annual National Indigenous Music Awards (to be held this year on August 11 at Darwin Amphitheatre), fast-becoming one of Australia’s biggest nights in Indigenous music!

Registration for iNTune Darwin is available NOW online with early-bird discount rates applicable until June 30.

Registration allows entry to all iNTune Conference Sessions and Music Showcase events. The Individual early-bird rate is $50, and for Bands (up to 4 members, early-bird rate), $120.

Be the first to register! This is an exciting opportunity to hear and meet some of the most dynamic and connected members of the national music industry.

But be warned – iNTune Darwin sells out! So don’t miss out! Visit this link to register now.

And stay iNTuned to the Music NT website as further speaker announcements are made!

• Register for iNTune Darwin 2012 here. Early-bird discount rates until June 30.
  
• Read more about iNTune here.
• Read more about iNTune Darwin 2011 here and here.
• See photos from iNTune Darwin 2011 here.

Words: Megan Spencer

The Territory bands and artists for the Original Recipe Music Festival performer showcases have been announced!

They are: Room 105, Burrfoot, Abbey Rose, Underbelle, Tracey Bunn, Kris Keogh, Green Stone Garden, The Bloody Marys, Jasmine Revolution, Leah Flanagan, Skarlett, Sex In The Desert, Emma Rowe & The Two Other Guys, Colin Lille, The Wicked Garden, Mark Hilton and Black Can Clan.

The seventeen acts were selected via a submission process, and will perform as part of music showcases across the weekend of the Original Recipe Music Festival, June 15 – 17, at two Darwin venues, Happy Yess and Darwin Railway Club.

Presented by MusicNT, Original Recipe is
 
three-day 
festival
 of
 live 
music,
 awards, practical workshops and 
professional 
development 
opportunities.

Local and interstate audiences will be able to see some of the Territory’s most exciting and progressive music acts as part of the Festival program.

Original Recipe also features the inaugural NT Song Of The Year Awards, which supports, acknowledges and celebrates the work of local musicians, and provides a platform for Territory songwriters to promote their skills and songs. The artists chosen to perform as part of the Original Recipe program (listed above), will receive access to the NT Song Of The Year Awards – held on June 15 at the NT Museum & Art Gallery (MAGNT) – and tickets to any Original Recipe festival event produced by Music NT.

Music NT Manager Mark Smith  says Original Recipe is “a key event – a great opportunity designed to to give Northern Territory music acts the national and local exposure to audiences and industry they deserve.”

An added benefit of the program is that it provides further career and developmental opportunities, within the local and national music industries.

MusicNT would also like to gratefully acknowledge Original Recipe sponsors and supporters, the Northern Territory Government, the Australian Government and Australia Council, 105.7 ABC Darwin, APRA/AMCOS, Charles Darwin University and Southern Cross Television.

• There’s still time to nominate for the NT Song Of The Year Awards too – entries close May 18! Hit this link to get started!
• Read more about Original Recipe here.

Words: Megan Spencer. Source: Music NT.

Sensurround.. Lulu Madill.

Inspired by the sea and the enduring spirit of Territory timelessness, ‘Syren’ is the artist and producer name for Lulu Madill.

If you’ve been anywhere near NT music over the past five years, likelihood is that Lulu is someone you have come across…

Either as a musician (in The Ten Thousand Things project), an audio engineer (recording bands like The NEO and projects for Artback NT), in theatre and film, and/or as a key player in a ton of music and cultural workshops in communities all over the NT.

Lulu is a hardworking woman. And passionate. Her music, sound and artistic projects have also taken her beyond Territory borders to Melbourne (where she studied and set up her own studio), and to Asia, where she and partner Tim Parish (Darwin filmmaker and VJ), recorded sounds and visuals for the new Syren EP, Sensurround.

A Syren album will also be released in June with a tour to follow. Fresh back from the 2012 Wide Open Space festival – where she and her full 7-piece band wowed the desert audience at sunset with their debut gig – Lulu’s story is one about space, connection, and reflecting back to audiences what makes the Territory so unique.. And the perfect place to make music should you be so inclined.

Lucky for us, she is. Lulu Madill was happy to fill in Music NT on the big year that lays ahead…

Lulu Madill

Music NT: Please tell us your Territory music story, and how your new music project ‘Syren’ came to be..

Lulu Madill: I’ve worked as an audio engineer for years here in Darwin and in Melbourne. ‘Syren’ is the name of this musical project we are just about to launch, and the EP is called Sensurround.

In 2011 Tim and I were writing a script for a theatre/dance performance piece called ‘Water Spirits’, to be set in Darwin Botanical Gardens around the water fountain. It was based on a post-climate change world where the oceans had risen and the world had evolved into a series of islands.

We researched a great deal of stories about ‘nature spirits’ associated with water and came upon the ancient Greek mythology of the sirens, mythical women whose song was supposed to be so powerful it inspired sailors to jump ship.

We were developing a character and re-writing the siren story into a new myth as an elemental being of sound.

I was in Byron at the time, working on the production for my EP and living next to the ocean, and the story began to really connect with me. One night at a singing ceremony there, it just clicked; I realised that when I was talking to a friend. She asked me what my artist name was and it literally ‘swam’ out of my mouth: ‘Syren’.

MuNT: When did you live in Darwin, and how often – and why? – do you return here?

LM: I’ve been living and working in the Territory since 2008, when I first came here to work as an audio engineer on an Artback workshop project in Yirrkala, recording local bands with the artists from The Neo.

The following dry season we worked for three months on a series of workshops with Corrugated Iron Youth Arts in four different communities doing more audio and video workshops.

Then in 2010 – after travelling overseas to attend and perform at the Burning Man Festival – we (Tim and I) decided to move back here permanently.

We are still living between Darwin and Melbourne at the moment, working on a range of projects. My partner Tim Parish grew up here too so he introduced me to the local Darwin culture and lifestyle, which I fell in love with.

MuNT: Have you made music elsewhere in the NT?

LM: Since that first project I have worked all over the Territory, in Katherine, Jabiru, Maningrida, Wadeye, Gupuwiyak, Minyerri and Timber Creek I have produced and recorded music with others in workshops.

I’m working with Yolngu Radio doing their audio production and sound mastering. We are currently in the middle of a series of workshops with the young people in Daly River thanks to a grant from NAPCAN, and help from Catholic Education.

Lulu with her VET class in 2009.

MuNT: What originally brought you to the NT?

LM: I met Jack Tinapple from The Neo when I was running my recording studio in Melbourne. He invited me to work as the sound engineer for The Neo, and on a series of music workshops through Artback NT, and a regional tour in June 2008.

We travelled through Arnhem Land communities recording and  mixing bands demos.

We set up a studio at Yirakala School for a week and The Neo and I set up the music gear so local bands could come in and use it to record demos.

We recorded an 11-track demo for the Garrangali Band that evolved into their first album. We also used the Youth Yindi studios to demo The Neo’s new album. Tim documented the tour, and made a short film.

MuNT: Is the NT a great place to make music? Why? 

LM: I wrote a lot of the Sensurround album while living in Mandorah when we first moved here.

It’s one of my favourite places to go and have quiet time to sit and meditate and write new material.

I wrote some beautiful lyrics while I was working in Jabiru last year. I felt I could reflect on my life and observe it, and write songs about my experiences like a fairytale – the writing always flows.

I also love Alice Springs; to sit and write in the desert  far way from buildings and people.. I feel my mind expanding further when I can see the horizons.

Sensurround is deeply inspired by my time living in the Territory and being surrounded by it’s vast natural environment. It expands your senses. I found myself lost in the city and totally distant from nature and felt scared of the bush. It was a strange feeling so I felt I took myself on an adventure to re-connect.

Each song I composed possesses a certain space and energy that I have experienced, like the feeling of hearing thunder when it circles you and the powerful sounds of a storm.

I recorded the sound of me splashing water for the main rhythms in ‘Lacuna Water’, like she [Syren] is playing with the water spirits.

I have written my best songs here in the NT. I think it’s the stillness of being alone on a beach and listening to my senses come alive. That’s where I wrote my first single ‘Feather To The Sea’. Syren is singing to the land from the ocean to harmonise the listener with the earth.

I also love the  experiences I have had on communities and learning the stories from the elders and the power of respecting the land.

MuNT: What are some the highlight music projects and gigs that you have been involved in, in the NT/Darwin? There are many!

LM: I’ve had an amazing range of experiences while living in the Northern Territory and feel blessed to have had so many opportunities to contribute to the local culture as well as work with so many talented artists.

Some of the highlights were the ‘This Story’ project with Corrugated Iron Youth Arts where we were invited to work in four communities across the Top End working on media literacy and circus.

The ‘orgs’ I have worked with range from Music NT at Gapuwiyk Outstation, creating music videos with children about how to cook healthy food, to Formation Studios at Minyerri near  Katherine doing workshops in music production and making video clips with developing musicians.

I worked with the Northern Land Council recording elders at the Jutburra National Park, Corrugated Iron Youth Arts  teaching digital storytelling at Wadeye, Timber Creek and Maningrida -  a crossover of film, music and circus. They were telling their stories – from the children and elders – to bring strength through the arts.

I have also been working at Kakadu Youth Centre and the Mahbilil Festival for the past two years teaching the kids how to write their own music and make short films.

Last year I also recorded Yolngu Radio’s first Yolngu language radio play which was an amazing project.

Also, Corrugated Iron Youth Arts, Darwin Dance Collective, Yolngu Radio, through to Melaleuca working with refugees at the Airport Lodge, and lately, Ten Thousand Things!

MuNT: And you also worked as a sound engineer in Darwin too?

LM: In Darwin I’ve worked in many different areas in sound production, from recording the Darwin Symphony Orchestra with Matt Cunliffe to mixing at Darwin High School for the VET students’ album in 2008.

I have mixed for The Groupie Funkers, The Neo and The 10,000 Things. As well as working for Darwin High School and Casuarina Senior College and Verb Studios.

MuNT: And some of the best gigs you’ve seen in the NT?

LM: Although you might not know it from the scene on Mitchell Street, there’s an amazing original music culture here in Darwin and I’ve seen some incredible gigs over the years.

There are so many highlights I don’t know where to begin!  The Yirrkala concert we held with The Neo was one of the wildest gigs I’ve been involved in. And when the bands played [surf instrumental classic] ‘Wipe Out’ the children went wild! It was such an amazing night to experience to see the kids dance and celebrate…

Some others that come to mind are the Sietta gig at the Darwin Festival, Wide Open Space Festival is my favourite music festival with incredible independent artists from all over Australia and the Territory.

Two Cats One Hat at the Isotopia Festival in Litchfield 2009, as well as The Bloody Marys and Jigsaw at the Winter Solstice Party at Mandorahwith hundreds of people dancing underneath a banyan tree by the beach under the moon.

It was pretty amazing to see Gurrumul reunited with his old group Saltwater Band at the National Indigenous Music Awards in 2010, when the Chooky Dancers surprised everyone and took to the stage.

Leah Flanagan at the Top End Sustainable Living Festival was such a lovely setting in the Darwin Botanical Gardens last year – she’s an incredible artist.

I think that one of my most powerful experiences in Darwin was a Shellie Morris gig. I saw her at the ‘old’ Happy Yess just before it moved to the new venue at Brown’s Mart. It was such a special, intimate and personal gig where shellie shared her life’s journey with the crowd, in between her soaring songs. I’ll never forget that gig.

MuNT: How did you get involved in music – do you come from a musical family?

LM: My mother has worked with a number of music festivals like The Country Music Muster, Woodford Folk Festival and Tamworth Country Music Festival since I was a young child, so I was always surrounded by musicians and the festival culture.

I love all kinds of folk music, but didn’t really get into country and was more inspired by contemporary music genres.

I’ve learned music since I was a child, singing in bands at high school and so on, but I found my love for the synthesizer and a drum machine when I was living in Scotland in 2002, where all of my friends were producers and DJs.

In 2004 I came back to Australia to study audio engineering at SAE in Melbourne. I did 6 months and then decided I would invest the rest of my money in all the gear I needed to set up a studio. Then I started to really get creative.

MuNT: And the genesis of your latest project, ‘Syren’. Can you tell us how and why it came about, and perhaps the sound of your music now?

LM: I’ve been working on the Sensurround project for a few years, beginning the first compositions in my recording studio in Melbourne in 2007, and then continuing to write while living and working across the Territory.

The tracks have evolved a lot over that time, and I have recorded a lot of artists from around Darwin on the album including Steven Smith (Terracotta Pigeons), Dan Davies (Jigsaw Collective), Robbie Hoad (Barry Brown) and Gaia Osbourne (The Bloody Marys).

MuNT: Splitting your time between Darwin and Melbourne, how is it different for you making music there? Is your music influenced by the different places you live in?

LM: I get very inspired by my surroundings when writing music and lyrics. Melbourne is an amazing city, with an incredibly active music scene, and it’s inspiring for a whole other range of reasons.

It’s also a very ‘urban’ scene, so the music I’m inspired to write there has a lot more of that energy. Darwin’s tropical environment – from the wet season’s pregnant skies to the dry season’s fires, national parks and traditional culture – have all been major influences on my work since living here.

MuNT: Tell us a bit about The 10,000 Things, for which you were the lead songwriter/singer. 

LM: The 10,000 Things is an experimental audiovisual project which evolved very organically from a series of freeform live jams with electronic beats, visual projections and spoken word.

It was very much a collective songwriting process where each member of the band contributed ideas and we were constantly experimenting with different instruments and genres.

We held a series of gigs in and around Darwin last year (2011) where we tried to really experiment with locations and original performance ideas.

One of our most unique performances was at the Winter Solstice on 21st June when we set up our sound system in the natural amphitheatre of the Dripstone Cliffs at Casuarina Beach.  While we played, the Darwin Dance Collective improvised a performance as the sun went down – then the fire twirlers joined in. It was a really magical evening!

MuNT: Is music your day job – or your ‘night’ job? As in, are you able to make a living from it yet?

LM: Music and audio is my passion and work, and I work night and day on both. I have been making a living from my business Buttons Touching Productions since 2006 and it has been a wonderful journey of learning and gaining experience in this industry. I work on film soundtracks, theatre and radio – but it’s a lot harder to make a living performing your own original music. I see it all as part of my overall practice.

MuNT: What do you hope for your new CD and also the new band..?

LM: My band Syren has just performed our first live gig at the Wide Open Spaces Festival, and we plan to launch the new album in the middle of the year and start touring the Sensurround EP around Australia throughout 2012. This will include the Eclipse Festival in Cairns in November and hopefully also the Darwin Festival which we’ve applied for.

Wide Open Spaces was a great opportunity to test out all of the songs in a live space for the first time. The whole 7-piece band was involved and we rehearsed at Red House Studios in the lead up to it – and it came together beautifully. We performed at sunset in the 6.30 Saturday night timeslot.

I rehearsed with members of The 10,000 Things – Gaia Osbourne on violin, Leigh Bramall and Robbie Hoad on guitar; my producer Benjamin Last came up from Byron Bay and Tim tailored visuals to each song as our VJ.

MuNT: Darwin filmmaker Tim Parish – can you tell us more about your collaboration and his involvement in Syren?

LM: Tim and I have collaborated for years on a range of projects, including short films, documentaries and performing together in The Ten Thousand Things.

For Syren, we’re creating a series of different video clips for each song that will combine to tell a longer narrative journey.

In January, Tim and I travelled to the breathtaking Halong Bay in Vietnam to film my first video clip for the song ‘Feather to the Sea’. For that project Tim designed a costume with arm length wings which we had made in Bangkok on the way.

We’ll be launching that video in June with the album, and then releasing one for each song over the year.

The series of videos will combine into one long journey about reconnecting to the earth through the spirit of sound – which is our interpretation of the ‘siren song’. It is about a woman’s initiation deeper into the visionary dimensions of life by travelling to the depths of her soul, confronting her shadows and reconnecting to the spirit world.

Lulu Madill.

MuNT: Do you feel as a musician (and person!) living and working in Darwin changes you somehow? Why do you keep returning to the NT? Wouldn’t it be easier just to make music down south or in a bigger city?

LM: Absolutely! Sometimes I feel like I can’t seem to write as well in the city, that’s why I moved here in the first place – to get space.

I think once you really immerse yourself into the Territory it gets into your blood.

I have experienced a massive change in myself from living in the NT. not just Darwin. I feel I have a deeper connection and understanding of Australia and the diversity of culture and environment here.

Aboriginal culture is so strong in Northern Territory and their connection to the land is a lesson to us all about why the earth is sacred and it is important to know and respect our environment.

These are all lessons I have worked hard to channel into my songs.

MuNT: And have you seen changes over time in the music scene in Darwin? How would you describe it now?

LM: Since moving here, Happy Yess has moved into Brown’s Mart, which is a much more comfortable venue, which is also a great plus for the community.

And, since it has been rebuilt, ‘The Rails’ [Darwin Railway Club] has become an incredible venue in which to see local and interstate bands.

Artists like Gurrumul, Leah Flanagan and Sietta have also had a lot of national success which has opened up the rest of the country to the talent in the Top End.

LM: Sensurround is very much a concept album, in that each song has been crafted to take the listener deeper into the journey. I wanted to created an aural journey through landscape, culture and consciousness, back to our inner nature. Utilising a lot of atmospheric sounds mixed with electronic and live instruments, I wanted to create a deeply immersive experience.

Musically it’s somewhere between the slow, driving breaks of tripstep and the undulating baselines of dubstep. So we have decided to define it as ‘tripstep’ when people ask us what it is.

MuNT:  Please finish this sentence: “In five year’s time Lulu Madill will be…”

LM: “… Touring Europe and the US  with a full band and visuals show with the Syren project. Will have produced two full-length albums and she will be writing and developing her songwriting. Lulu will be travelling the word with partner Tim Parish and crew creating music and film projects, sharing stories and discovering new music and sounds…”

• Visit Syren at the Buttons Touching website
• Sample the Sensurround EP on Soundcloud

Words: Megan Spencer. Thanks to Lulu Madill for the interview!

Love will get you in the end... Ilona Harker.

Earlier this year, musician Ilona Harker spent some time in her hometown of Darwin, a place she hadn’t visited for a very long time.

Spirited off to NSW when she was a nipper, recently she came back to re-connect with the place she calls home, to kick-start research for a musical theatre piece based on her early years in the NT (which she hopes will make it into the 2012 Darwin Festival program), and… To make some music.

She left an impression on the locals, who caught her cabaret-style, uke-loving shows at Happy Yess music club, Darwin Railway Club and Darwin Ski Club, in March/April.

Inspired by the musicians she met – and rekindling her love for the north – Ilona has taken much back with her to Byron Bay, where she is recording a double album. She’s also just released a new music video, ‘I’ll Pick You Up’.

She certainly wasn’t out of place amongst the ‘wild-child’, uke-loving alt.throng at Happy Yess, one of the Northern Territory’s few original live music clubs that actively fosters the development of free-spirited experimentation and unbridled musical FUN. The crowd didn’t mind either, happy to embrace this fallen Darwinian back into the fold when she performed, supported by two much-loved, long-term Territory transplants, Dave Garnham & Emma Stocker.

Having been “born and bred in the far Northern Territory”, Ilona says her music “reflects the depths and wilds of this frontier landscape.” Certainly her twang-tinged crooning wouldn’t be out of place on one of Darwin’s sweaty, steamy stages during the build up, nor for that matter on the soundtrack of a David Lynch nightmare movie (think Wild At Heart). No wonder she likes to describe her music as “Folk-Noir”, or “Border Sounds”.

Sometime country grrrl, Ilona Harker.

On her travels through music (with hip hop outfit Butterfingers, all-grrl country band Sugartown), and overseas (where she met Nouvelle Vague producer Marc Collin), Ilona is finally finding her own voice, a seductive, smokey one at that.

It’s a voice which Tom Waits might be proud of too, an artist to whom she’s been compared.

Inspired, Ilona’s aim is to keep the reconnection with Darwin going, and to come back home when recording and life commitments don’t get in the way.

(Like, gigs at the Big Day Out, Byron BluesFest and Mullum Music Festival where she had “crowds jumping”… Or, living up to the demands of voracious alter-ego, ‘Mae Wilde’. More on that later..)

For now at least, we’re claiming her. Here is Ilona Harker’s NT music story.

Music NT: “Born and bred in Darwin” – can you please fill us in?

Ilona Harker:I was born in the Darwin at Darwin Base Hospital.

My Dad was a firey and my mum was an artist and clothing designer. I had two older sisters and I went to Marrara Christian School then to Jingli Primary when the school was deemed a little ‘too nutty’ – even for my family!

When I was 10 I left Darwin for Armidale in NSW. That year there was a massive snowstorm there, and I froze. I still don’t like the cold even now.

MuNT: When did you first pick up a musical instrument? And who taught you?

IH: Due to my parents being really good at making babies, by the time I was starting to learn an instrument I had two younger siblings as well. So being the middle child I didn’t get any musical training except for the recorder – which by the way, I think should be banned under the Geneva Convention!

So I am self-taught, on guitar and ukeule.

MuNT: When did you first start making music ‘publicly’?

IH: I just used to sing songs to my family and in the garden. My first song was called ‘Beautiful Sunday’, with the line repeated over and over, ‘Beautiful Sunday, I love you noooooowwww’ ad nauseum…

MuNT: What instruments do you play? And what do you love about the uke?

IH: I play guitar and uke. I love how transportable the uke is. You can take it anywhere and people always smile (except perhaps a heavy metal convention..) Now there’s a thought; a ‘heavy metal uke off’!

MuNT: Who are some of the other NT musicians that you have worked with/collaborated with?

IH: Okay, so I was too young when I was living in Darwin to work with others (I was 10),  but I did really enjoy working with Emma Stocker and Dave Garnham whilst I was home in March/April of this year.

MuNT: How would you describe the music you make now? And has it changed much from when you first started out?

IH: The music I make now is ever-evolving as I see/feel/hear different things as I get older.

I’m really enjoying a more driven guitar sound with my last few songs, which is a break from the lyric-based dark folk-noir tunes I have been doing.

My music has changed greatly from ‘Beautiful Sunday’ when I was five, to hip-hop in my 20s, to the country-folk feel I  have now.

Darwin bound.. Ilona Harker.

MuNT: Who are some of your favorite NT artists?

IH: I think Emma Stocker and Dave Garnham are national treasures. Emma has a playfulness and a unique writing style that melds beautifully with her bass, and Dave’s lyrics blow me away – “she was colder than a spring in Armidale” was one amazing line, if I remember correctly.

Oh – and also Leah Flanagan.

MuNT: You have a pretty eclectic music background which includes country, folk and hip hop.. Are you a musical adventurer?

IH: Yes; intrepid and foolish all at once.

MuNT: How do you think living in Darwin has influenced the sound of your music – and spirit?

IH: I honestly couldn’t have answered that until I revisited for the first time in 25 years in March/April but I now I know that the north does things to your soul.

It grounds you and earths you. There is a genuineness that I so admire in music that I see in everyday folk in Darwin.

I think part of my wild nature is because I am a child of Darwin. It smacked me like a train as soon as I walked off the plane. I knew this was my home.

MuNT: What recordings have you done so far?

IH: I have played on a few Butterfingers albums and I have recorded a CD called That Which Lasts.

MuNT: You’re working on a show about ‘coming home’ to the NT, your childhood, and some of the ‘issues’ you dealt with then.. Can you tell us a bit about it, and where we will be able to see the show? Is it theatre, does it have music..?

IH: All of the above! It’s basically a musical theatre show dealing with my childhood, as my Dad was mentally ill and quite violent. And because he was a police officer no-one did anything.

So all these years later I am telling my story about how I turned a traumatic childhood into a creative vibrant adulthood!

There will be action, suspense, love, tears, songs, puppetry, archival footage – everything but dancing!

Bascically, it’s about the journey of forgiveness and redemption. My dad has given me permission to write his story as he understands that this is part of my healing.

I am writing it for Darwin Festival (I haven’t been approved yet), and for Adelaide Fringe and finally Edinburgh.  It will be premiered at the Byron Community Centre.

Wild at heart.. Illona Harker.

MuNT: What are your impressions of making music in Darwin?

IH: It’s a beautiful supportive artistic scene with acceptance and a big booming heart.

There aren’t enough original live music venues and musicians should be paid more for original music not cover bands.

I guess for me, it’s the beginning of a beautiful friendship so I will be dipping in and out of like an oasis spa on a hot day.

New album commitment may override my wish to spend more time there for now, but I intend to go there whenever I can as I feel really connected with the place and the people.

MuNT: What’s next for you recording-wise? And any tours or upcoming gigs you can let us know about?

IH: Oh it’s so exciting… A new double album! And I will tour Australia – including the NT – after this.

MuNT: Finally.. who is Mae Wilde?!

IH: She is the love child of Mae West’s and Oscar Wilde. She is an ‘alter ego’ I created for cabaret and Emceeing.

She is also a bit of a hussy and should be kept at arms-length from your single male friends and the liquor cabinet…

• Stay up-to-date with news about Ilona’s show ‘Coming Home’ on her official website.
• Watch Ilona’s music video, ‘I’ll Pick You Up’.
• Listen to Ilona’s music on Unearthed.

Words: Megan Spencer. Thanks to Ilona Harker for the interview!

Kitchen table collective.. Country Town Collective 'cooking' in the kitchen.

One of the things you notice a lot about Territory music is that it is full of quiet achievers. Those who go about their business – the business of music making – without too much of a fuss or fanfare.

When the mantra for any business – music or otherwise – is “do good things and talk about them”, this might sound foolhardy. For musicians to not make a big deal out of what they do best? It doesn’t sound particularly career-minded..

True, but that’s what makes it such an interesting place to make music. And we all know there’s more than one way to ‘skin’ a proverbial.. Living a long way from anywhere means you need to be resourceful, not bloody-minded. Sometimes, taking your boots off and going through the back door quietly is far more effective than kicking in the front door, jack boots on, with a bang loud enough to wake the dead.

Hands down, Alice Rae is one of Territory music’s most effective ‘quiet achievers’. Looking at her you’d never know that she, a) was in one of Darwin’s most-loved alt.folk bands, or b) had downed acoustic guitars for electric, in a recent quest for Dylan-esque ‘rock’ transformation…

Alice Rae on stage in Adelaide. Pic: Keith Bignall

Thoughtful, graceful and a self-confessed “academic”, without a sound Alice made one of the Territory’s biggest interstate music tours happen, twice (Long Way To The Top End to Fuse Festival, Adelaide, 2009 & 2011).

She also fronts of one of Darwin’s most musically astute outfits, Country Town Collective.

After seven years together in two cities (Adelaide, Darwin), and a number of member ‘re-configurations’, she and Country Town Collective will release their first album in October, Back When Never, with the first single launch in June.

Babies and busy-ness might have slowed down their ‘commercial trajectory’, but it didn’t prevent them from this year recording what is very likely to be their breakthrough CD, to a ‘DIG Radio demographic – a national one at that – happily supported by ABC Local Radio. (Single ‘Why Baby’ was a recent feature song.)

Between the Collective’s 6-10 members – some of the NT’s most talented musicians and songwriters too – they have managed to fashion an album recorded just the way they always wanted, in a luscious environment that did their songs justice, (and didn’t break the bank either). Through the back door as it were.

Theirs is a good story, about doing good things and making good music. Alice Rae spoke to Music NT about it…

Music NT: Please tell us about your new album, ‘Back When Never’; how and why did it come about?

Alice Rae: This is the album we’ve been wanting to make for a few years now. Our first CD – EP Houses which we released in 2009 – was a collection of recordings we made, some with the Adelaide version of CTC, some solo (me), and some with the Darwin CTC.

The quality was variable. We really wanted to make an album ‘as a band’, from start to finish.

MuNT: Who played on Back When Never  -and engineered/produced it?

AR: It’s been engineered and produced by my good friend Alex Carpenter, who was in the Adelaide CTC and who has been living in New York City for a few years now. He has done a simply amazing job, going well above and beyond the call of duty to find the sounds we wanted!

Who played on it? Kim Orchard and Robin Bugden on guitars, myself on electric bass, Melanie Reid on flute and Anja Tinapple and Adrian Riessen sharing duties on drums.

Anja, Mel and I all sing. Jack Tinapple also joined us for a few days to add some super-brilliant harp solos on several tracks!

Starry, starry night in Adelaide. Pic: Keith Bignall.

MuNT: Where did you record the album?

AR: Alex and I studied music together at Adelaide Uni – back in the 90s! – so we thought we’d ask Stephen Whittington, an amazing mentor to both of us, if we could record in the Electronic Music Unit (EMU) studios at the University.

It was just brilliant as we had access to some great recording gear, and we got to spend a week pretty much 24/7 in the studio (and when not in the studio, eating out in Adelaide’s best restaurants!)

MuNT: What inspired the songs? And who wrote them?

AR: For this album the band co-wrote 3 songs: ‘I Suppose’, ‘Uphill’ and ‘The Mill’. The other songs I wrote over the past few years and the band jammed until we came up with the present arrangements.

As to what inspired the songs – some are autobiographical, but quite a few are not, and that is new for me.

‘The Mill’ for example, is loosely inspired by a German fairytale called ‘Krabat’ by Ottfried Preussler (recently made into a film!) It’s very gothic.

‘Why Baby’ was inspired by hearing some friends play a Led Zepplin cover at the Governer Hindmarsh front bar Wednesday jam night… I can’t actually remember what song it was but I just thought “Hey, I want to write something loud and hollering like that!”

Making cookies; making music. Country Town Collective.

MuNT: Would you give us a bit of insight into the CTC’s songwriting process? Is it a group collaboration, or do one or two of you write?

AR: We have only recently started writing songs as a band and we are pretty happy with the results! We throw out some ideas, jam and see what happens. They might be musical ideas or conceptual. I usually get a grip on the lyrics over a few months after the music appears.

When I write songs by myself, I have to be inspired by something new, whether lyrical, musical or conceptual… Some quirky idea just grabs my imagination and I think, “it would be so cool to write a song with this…”

I try to make no two songs the same in terms of mood and structure – which keeps things interesting!

MuNT: Since you last recorded together as a group, what changes have taken place in your lives?

AR: There have been 3 ‘band babies’ born in the last 2 years – one in Adelaide and two in Darwin!! That has certainly changed the dynamic of rehearsals and gigs. For a while we were bringing bubs along to Happy Yess [music club].

MuNT: You’ve been together for a while now; why has it taken you so long to record a debut album?

AR: We all have really busy lives and we play music because we enjoy it, not as a career. We really believe in what we do artistically though, so we are just so happy to have finally found the time and resources to make this album. It’s something we’ve wanted to do for a while now!

MuNT: Can you tell us about the sound of the album – how would you describe it? And do you think your sound as a collective has changed over time?

AR: ‘Sweet meets rock meets gothic fairytale, with a bit of blues thrown in’ – make of that what you will!

We have always been a bit hard to pin down. To break it down; there are a couple of country songs, two blues tunes, a few rock tunes and some more folky stuff.

I guess the rocky stuff is where we’ve been going as a band, pretty much as soon as Robin and I switched instruments (me to bass, Robin to guitar), and then when we turned in the acoustic guitars for the electric.

MuNT: What was the experience for you like, making this album?

AR: It was a dream come true – a really fun time, hard work but so rewarding.

We just felt like everything was coming together, and after a lot of years playing together and planning and rehearsing, it felt like we were finally doing the songs justice.

Country Town Collective.

Some of these songs, we’ve recorded maybe 3 or 4 times already before, but we just didn’t feel like the versions we had, captured the essence of the song. Now we feel like we’ve got it.

MuNT: Who would you say are the band’s musical influences?

AR: Again – it varies! Speaking only for myself I would say The Beatles, PJ Harvey, Bjork, Janis Joplin, Gram Parsons, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Jeff Buckley…. These are the artists I have listened to over and over..

MuNT: ‘Why Baby’ was played as a feature song on ABC Darwin recently, and you’ve also had it and another song ‘Nothing Changes’ supported through Amrap’s online music catalogue for community radio, AirIt. That must have been rewarding for you?

AR: We were absolutely over the moon that ABC Darwin wanted to play the song, and so grateful for their support! We couldn’t have asked for a better start to getting the album out there…

I had a definite plan to apply to get stuff onto AirIt; we had a few tracks from our first CD released this way and a great response from community radio, played by about 30 stations around the country. It’s such a great program, I really recommend other NT artists to look at it!

MuNT: Do you think you are gaining a new audience, specially through digital avenues?

AR: I haven’t got much of an impression of this yet. I think our audience is actually more baby boomer generation, so maybe you’d be more likely to hear us through the radio and find us that way.

We do want to get the album on iTunes and make it available for digital download, so hopefully that will allow for a greater audience base.

MuNT: How will you distribute the album?

AR: Online through digital delivery; you will also be able to purchase a hard copy online and get it posted to you. And of course you will be able to buy it at gigs!

MuNT: What hopes do you have for the album? And do you have plans to tour/gig to support it?

AR: We really want to push the album to radio, as so many of the songs we feel are super-‘radio friendly’! That’s been our main goal this time around. We also plan to launch the album in Darwin and tour to at least a few major cities – Adelaide and Melbourne we hope – and then we’ll look at where else we can get to.

MuNT: What do you love about songwriting? And making music?

AR: For me, it’s just the pure creative process. Songwriting is a medium I feel really comfortable working in. In ‘music and words’ is pretty much how I think. These days I lean more towards the words side but back in the day I studied music composition at Uni and would literally just wander around the campus thinking in music.

Songs to me are like poems; they get something unconscious out of your head and transform that into something beautiful.

MuNT: What inspires the band as a whole?

AR: I think really, we just love the creative and social aspects of the band. We just enjoy playing music together and hanging out. If we didn’t, we wouldn’t do it!

MuNT: What do you like about making music in the Territory?

AR: There is just no pressure to make music as a commercial enterprise. It’s really nourishing for the soul to be surrounded by creative people who just want to create for the sake of making beautiful things.

Lounge Room Junkies... CTC recording & writing 'Back When Never'.

MuNT: What do you find ‘challenging’ about it..?!

AR: I used to think that the distance from other cities was challenging. I’m not sure, now, that I mind that so much. I feel like I have reached a really nice place these days, where the music we’re making is taking on a life of its own, and people are hearing it – but without any pressure for it to be more than it is.

MuNT: Do you thing the CTC is a product of the NT? As in, in other capital cities, do you think it would be possible to be in a band like the CTC, and keep it workable over time?

AR: It’s hard to say. Perhaps in other regional centres you could do something similar… I like to think that Countyr Town Collective has been able to flourish because of the unique factors of the NT..

And for me personally, meeting the people in the band has been the best part of it (it changed my life in fact!)

MuNT: Please finish this sentence: “In five year’s time the CTC will be…”

AR: … Reminiscing about how great 2012 was! : )

• Visit Country Town Collective on Facebook
• And their official website
• Back when Never will be available from October 2012.
• Single launch for ‘Why Baby’ is Friday June 1st at Darwin Railway Club. Event details here.
• Visit AirIt.

Words: Megan Spencer. Many thanks to Alice Rae for the fantastic interview!