SONG TRAILS SOUTH Tour: Monday 25 July : Murgon – Murgon Town Hall Tuesday 26 July : Mundubbera – Mundubbera Community Hall Wednesday 27 July : Gladstone – Gladstone Entertainment Centre Thursday 28 July : Maryborough – Gatakers Art Space Friday 29 July : Gatton – (Recovery Concert) Sunday 31 July : Brisbane – The Brisbane Powerhouse (Finale Concert) Time: Workshops 5.30pm – 9.30pm Recovery Concert – 7.30 – 9.30pm (TBC local act/s to open) Finale Concert – 3.30pm – 5.15pm Artists: Clare Bowditch, Kev Carmody, Stephen Cummings, Dave Faulkner PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND BACKGROUND Song Trails is a highly original and inclusive concept. Teams of renowned Australian artists of the highest calibre embark on journeys across Queensland to engage and excite regional singer-songwriters in free collaborative song writing workshops. A diverse range of amateur and emerging artists of all ages are attracted to these workshops as they provide unique educational and networking opportunities rarely offered outside major centres. Song Trails is enthusiastically assessed by the local participants, with 100% rating the workshop as a ‘fantastic experience’ (see recent participant survey page 3). Song Trails 2011 builds on the highly successful regional Queensland tours of the 2007 and 2009 festivals. Each council will host an exceptional line up of artists made up of Clare Bowditch, Kev Carmody, Stephen Cummings (The Sports), and Dave Faulkner (Hoodoo Gurus). Singer-songwriter Clare Bowditch 1 The workshop format creates an informal learning space where individuals from all walks of life can hone their talents under the tutelage of the best musicians in the business. Participants have the opportunity to write songs in groups led by the artists, present their own work for assessment and assistance by the team of experts, as well as learn tips for successful song writing from the artistic team. A wealth of skill and enthusiasm is unearthed, with participants performing their own material, providing a further opportunity to showcase local talent. The extended workshop format will include: learning about the song writing process from nationally renowned professional artists; receiving tips on developing chord progressions, rhythm base, etc. for songs; hands-on experience in writing a song in a group setting. Most workshops produce a new song written collaboratively by participants and group leaders the opportunity to network with community members who share similar interests; and the opportunity for local musicians to showcase talents/material to community peers and professional artists. The Song Trails South tour provides a palette upon which the Song Trailers will combine their talents and compose new songs showcasing their experience within each region visited. These new compositions, together with the best of the songs composed during the workshops, will be premiered at the finale concert, where both the North and South Song Trails teams join together for a heart-warming free public performance at the Brisbane Powerhouse. This event brings together musical stories from all over the state and is a fitting and spectacular finale for the entire Song Trails 2011 project. Song Trails Finale Concert, Brisbane Powerhouse, August 2009 2 SONG TRAILS PARTICIPANT FEEDBACK What participants said: “Inspirational, guys!!” “We were so impressed with how down to earth, friendly and helpful the four presenters were – they really inspired everyone to keep writing and performing original works.” “Please, please come back!” “I enjoyed yesterday immensely and drew from comments the delegates made during and after the event. Thanks for an awesome day.” Recent participant feedback from a 2010 Song Trails Workshop in Kingaroy: 100% of participants rated the Song Trails workshop as a ‘fantastic experience’, with 94% saying that it had exceeded or fully met their expectations; 94% of participants said that the workshop had increased the likelihood of the community coming together through music, arts and culture; 83% of participants agreed that they had learned new skills and 81% said they had gained confidence; and 97% said the workshop had showcased local talent and 80% felt it had increased community pride. The Song Trails 2011 workshops will provide an excellent opportunity for community members to network, develop skills and confidence, and interact with nationally acclaimed musicians. Song Trails Workshop in Kingaroy 2010 3 ARTISTIC DIRECTOR – DEBORAH CONWAY Deborah Conway’s diverse career encompasses recording, performing, composing and acting. Her trademark entrepreneurial spirit has forged innovative collaborations of variety and depth. Deborah has been serving as the Artistic Director of Queensland Music Festival since 2008. She has been a prominent member of the Australian music scene ever since her first band Do Re Mi topped the charts in 1985 with the single Man Overboard and album, Domestic Harmony . Deborah’s first solo album String of Pearls (1991), reached platinum sales, the second, Bitch Epic (1993), achieved gold sales. This was her debut collaboration with Willy Zygier . They went on to make Ultrasound (1995) a band project with the late Paul Hester of Crowded House; My Third Husband (1997) written and recorded in London; Exquisite Stereo (2000) featuring a duet with Neil Finn ; PC – The Songs Of Patsy Cline (2001), Only The Bones (best of, 2002) and Summertown (2006). Deborah has also made high profile screen and stage detours along the way: director Peter Greenaway (Draughtsman's Contract ) cast her in his film Prospero's Books as the goddess Juno, singing the score by Michael Nyman ; Pete Townshend of The Who cast her in his musical, The Iron Man, alongside Nina Simone and John Lee Hooker ; and Geoffrey Rush directed her in his Belvoir Street theatre production of Aristophanes Frogs alongside Toni Collette . In 2001, Deborah starred as the title role in Always… Patsy Cline , touring nationally to rave reviews. In 2005 Deborah produced Broad , a stage show exploring the extraordinary talents of Australia’s key female singer– songwriters such as Katie Noonan, Clare Bowditch, Sara Storer and Ruby Hunter. Broad became part of the national musical calendar, with annual sell out shows across the country. The last few years have seen an increase in the scope of her collaborative work, from writing with classical composer George Dreyfus , to recording with Brisbane band george ; from appearing with Paul Grabowsky and the Australian Art Orchestra to reinterpreting Paul Kelly for the Women At The Well compilation. In May 2010, Conway & Zygier launched their 9 th studio album Half Man Half Woman , recorded in Melbourne with producer James Black. It is another passionate and accomplished singer-songwriter album that chronicles love in the middle ages, life in the 21 st century and the human condition of now, then and what will be. It’s an album that gives equal weight to an eight-minute rant, a ninety second instrumental miniature and a song sung by their three young daughters and marks the next chapter of the half man half woman Conway Zygier project. 4 SONG TRAILS ARTIST BIOS CLARE BOWDITCH Clare Bowditch and her band The New Slang have now Singer-songwriter Clare completed the recording of Bowditch came to prominence their fourth album, Modern Day in 2005 with the release of her Addiction , at the legendary second album What was Left . Hansa studios in Berlin. It was The album rose to public and co-produced by the legendary critical acclaim, and helped her Mick Harvey (Nick Cave and win the award for Best Female the Bad Seeds). Artist at the 2006 ARIAs. On May 31, 2010 Clare Bowditch has released three appeared on the ABC albums so far on Capital television program Q&A. She Records (EMI) in Australia. In provided her view on many 2007 Clare released the Moon political issues within Australia. Looked On which Rolling Stone At the conclusion of the gave 4 stars and called it “One program, Tony Jones invited of the Albums of the Year”. Clare and her "Lady Garden" Her track “Peccadilloes” was to make Q&A history and runner up in the International perform their song Bigger Than Songwriting Competition in the The Money . singer/songwriter category judged by Tom Waits, Robert Smith and Jerry Lee Lewis. as "a musician" in the way that regularly tours Australian most popular musicians see goals where he plays to the themselves. Still the influences Aboriginal inmates and has upon him were powerful and worked with street kids as profound. part of a community education program at Logan Carmody's initial inspiration City on the Gold Coast. He came from a truly rural, oral has also been involved with tradition. Both his Irish father Feral Arts in Brisbane, an and Murri mother came from organisation which provides powerful oral traditions. underprivileged kids with Carmody still talks about the videos, games and electronic stories and songs he was told music. and taught by his Murri KEV CARMODY grandparents and his extended In 2008, Kev was awarded an Murri family of uncles, aunts Honorary Doctorate by the Kev’s career in music started and cousins. University of Southern while he was at University. Queensland, and in 2009, he Today Kev Carmody lives out His lecturers would let him was inducted into the ARIA the life of a modern bring his guitar in as a means Hall of Fame, and named a troubadour. He is a travelling of implementing oral history Queensland Great by the Qld singer/songwriter with a base and his background and State Government. expressing what we wanted to in southern Queensland and say in tutorials. He did not, an itinerary which finds him and still does not see himself touring the world. He 5 Listens to the Radio?" Never Stephen has now released 21 completely comfortable with albums, consisting fifteen the rigours of touring with a studio albums, two 'best of' band, it was not surprising for compilations, a live disc, two him to embark on a solo albums of acoustic re- career after their demise.