Three emerging song-writers from the Geelong region have won an opportunity to work with their music industry heroes to record a song and create a video clip.
Connecting Song is a City of Greater Geelong initiative to support unsigned acts by teaming them with mentors to write a song inspired by a place on the 80km Mountain to Mouth arts walk. Their songs will debut at the pop-up arts festival Geelong After Dark on May 5.
The mentors are Geelong’s best in the business: Adalita (of Magic Dirt fame), hip hop artist Trem One and highly respected musician Tim Neal.
Mentors were charged with the task of selecting an up and coming artist from the dozens of unsigned music acts who applied to be part of the project. All mentors found it incredibly difficult to choose just one, but after many sleepless nights, the winners have been announced...
Australian rock icon Adalita, who began as lead singer of one of the most successful indie rock bands to come from Geelong in the 90s, will mentor Ocean Grove contemporary pop singer and songwriter Jeff Harwood. They will create a song inspired by the coastal area of Ocean Grove.
Prolific blues and roots musician, producer and multi-instrumentalist music teacher Tim Neal will work with solo performer and community radio announcer Tex Miller to develop a song about the Point Lonsdale area.
Trem One of Lyrical Commission, one of the most reputable underground acts to emerge from Australia, will work with Shaun Fogarty, a Geelong born and bred hip hop performer who performs under the name Fatty Phew. Phew’s experiences and connection to the Central Geelong area will be the inspiration for his composition.
Connecting Song is part of the City of Greater Geelong’s Mountain to Mouth (M~M) project, which includes a biennial 80km Extreme Arts Walk featuring Geelong After Dark.
The next walk is in 2018, however in 2017 M~M activities continue with the new initiative Connecting Song contributing to the region’s contemporary songline.
Songlines have been used by indigenous cultures across Australia for thousands of years to navigate country. The paths of the songlines are recorded in traditional songs, stories, dance, and paintings.
City of Greater Geelong General Manager Investment and Attraction Brett Luxford said M~M was always envisaged to be about more than just visual artists.
“The Connecting Song initiative really builds on the idea of a contemporary songline,” he said.
“We’re thrilled to support the development of these artists from three very different genres of music. The artists have each chosen a Geelong locality along the (M~M) 80km walk and will write and record a song that reflects their experiences and understanding of place, as well as creating a film clip inspired by the location.
“Through their work, we will all gain a deeper understanding of their sense of place and connection to the land, while perhaps reflecting on our own experiences...and that’s what a contemporary songline is really all about.”
Connecting Song is supported by Creative Victoria through its Music Works program.
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