The Australian Songwriter Issue 84, April 2012 First published 1979 The Magazine of The Australian Songwriters Association Inc. In this edition: Editor’s Message 2012 Australian Songwriting Contest now open for entries 2011 Australian Songwriting Contest Category Winners 2011 Rudy Brandsma Award Nominees 2011 National Songwriting Awards Night 2011 Songwriters Hall Of Fame Inductee: Steve Kilbey (The Church) 2011 Australian Songwriter Of The Year: Brian Chapman 2011 Rudy Brandsma Award Winner: Katie Hardyman Beccy Cole performs at the 2011 National Songwriting Awards Night The Sydney University Choir sings at the 2011 National Awards Night 2011 In Memorium About Us: o Aims of the ASA o History of the Association o Contact Us o Patron o Life Members o Directors o Regional Co-Ordinators Editor’s Message Welcome ASA members and friends. It is great to have The Australian Songwriter back again after a break of several years. This time the magazine is in an easy-to-read e-format which will be emailed to ASA members and friends at least six times per year and will also appear in the Members Section of the ASA website. The big news in this edition is the opening of the 2012 Australian Songwriting Contest. Now in its 32 nd year, the contest is Australia’s premier songwriting contest for unsigned songwriters. We are expecting another great contest this year and are also looking forward to being able to listen to all of the entries once judging commences in June. Also in this edition we look back at the success of the 2011 Australian Songwriting Contest and the 2011 National Songwriting Awards Night last year. We profile the 2011 Australian Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee Steve Kilbey from The Church, the 2011 Australian Songwriter of the Year Brian Chapman, the Rudy Brandsma Award Winner Katie Hardyman and last year’s Special Guest Artist at the National Songwriting Awards Night, Beccy Cole. In forthcoming editions of the magazine, we will be featuring interviews with all of the 2011 Award Winners. Photos from the 2011 National Songwriters Awards Night are now available for viewing in the Members Area of the ASA website. If you have any photos that you would like included, please contact the Editor at the email address above. Video from the Awards Night is currently being edited and will be placed on the ASA website as soon as it is available. The Australian Songwriter would also welcome written contributions from readers of the magazine. If you have anything that you would like to say about yourself, other songwriters/musicians/artists or upcoming events, simply send your contributions via email to the Editor at [email protected] . Cheers, Alan Gilmour Editor 2012 Australian Songwriting Contest Is Now Open For Entries Entries are now open for the 2012 Australian Songwriting Contest. Further details can be found on the ASA website at www.asai.org.au . Once again there will be 13 categories in which to submit entries: Australia Ballad Contemporary Pop/Dance Country Folk/Acoustic Instrumental International Lyrics Open Rock/Indie Songs For Children Spiritual Youth The contest will close at the end of May 2012, so please submit your entries as soon as you can. The contest offers $30,000 in prizes. APRA/AMCOS is the major sponsor, and provides prize money of $3,000 to the Songwriter of the Year. Maton Guitars also provides a guitar to the value of $1,500 to the winner of the Rudy Brandsma Award. The title of 2012 Songwriter of the Year will be presented to a songwriter chosen by the ASA Directors from the category winners. The ASA Directors will also select one song, which is not a category winner but which exhibits excellence in songwriting, as the winner of the Rudy Brandsma Award for Songwriting Excellence for 2012. Entries may be submitted through the online platforms at www.sonicbids.com/ASA and asa.songcentral.net as well as by the manual entry form. Good luck to all this years entrants. 2011 Australian Songwriting Contest Category Winners Photo: Youth Category winner Madeline Perrone with Mum and Dad Angela & Gino. Congratulations to the Category Winners in the 2011 Australian Songwriting Contest: Australia: Christopher Pye QLD Ballad: Dani Karis NSW Contemporary Pop/Dance: James Hampton VIC Country: Craig Morrison NSW Folk/Acoustic: The Lamplights QLD Instrumental: Arabesk NSW International: Michael McGee & Jeff Oxford USA Lyrics: Simon Self NSW Open: Brian Chapman VIC Rock/Indie: Carly Van & Steve Lymburn VIC Songs For Children: The Lamplights QLD Spiritual: Kylie Kain SA Youth: Madeline Perrone VIC Once again, the judges were very impressed with the overall quality of the entries in the 2011 songwriting contest. The category winners were chosen from the thousands of entries received and it is a great credit to their songwriting skills to have taken top positions in their respective categories. The winning songs can be heard on the music players on the ASA website. 2011 Rudy Brandsma Award Nominees Photo: The 2011 Rudy Brandsma Award nominees on stage at the 2011 National Songwriting Awards Night. The camera has captured the moment that the winner was announced. The Rudy Brandsma Award is presented each year by the Board of Directors of the Australian Songwriters Association Inc. in recognition of songwriting excellence by an ASA member during the course of that year’s Australian Songwriting Contest. The award honours the memory of the late Rudy Brandsma, one of the founders of the ASA in 1979. Each year the Award is sponsored by Maton Guitars who provide one of their wonderful acoustic guitars as a prize. Congratulations to all of the 2011 Rudy Brandsma Award Nominees: The Duchess and the Crown Dom Gannon NSW Try To Understand Katie Hardyman NSW Drifting Away From The Sun Samantha Mooney QLD OMFG Daniel Maguire ACT Closer Brad Gandy WA You Should’ve Said Kathleen Coleman NSW Crosses at the Gate Magdalena MacDonald VIC Nothing 2 Something Bob Corbett NSW The 2011 winner was Katie Hardyman for her song Try To Understand. 2011 National Songwriting Awards Night Photo: One of the tables of attendees at the 2011 National Songwriting Awards Night. The 2011 National Songwriting Awards Night was held on 30 November 2011. We would like to thank our friends at The Wests Ashfield Club in Sydney for once again hosting the event. We would also like to thank media personality and Wests Ashfield Leagues Chairman Mike Bailey who compered the evening. All of the 13 category winners in the 2011 Australian Songwriting Contest came along to receive their trophies and prizes and to perform their winning songs to the appreciative audience. Steve Kilbey, the 2011 inductee into the Australian Songwriters Hall of Fame, was inducted by Glenn A Baker and later performed some of his most memorable songs to the backing of a string quartet from The Sydney Symphony Orchestra led by guitarist and orchestra conductor George Ellis. The 2011 Australian Songwriter of the Year Brian Chapman received his prize and trophy as did the 2011 Rudy Brandsma Award winner Katie Hardyman. Country music star Beccy Cole appeared as Special Guest Artist and was interviewed by music writer Bernie Howlett. She later performed her hit song Waitress. Thank you to all of the attendees. It was another great Awards Night. Songwriters Hall Of Fame Inductee 2011: Steve Kilbey (The Church) Photo: Steve Kilbey and Glenn A Baker with the Australian Songwriters Hall of Fame trophies. The Australian Songwriters Hall of Fame was established in 2004 to commemorate the lifetime achievements of some of Australia’s greatest songwriters. The Award is presented annually at the ASA Awards Night by our friend and Patron Glenn A Baker. In 2011, Steve Kilbey joined the long line of songwriters to be presented with the award. Steve was born in England in 1954 and moved to Australia when he was three years old. He bought his first bass guitar at the age of 16 and joined his first band at the age of 18. In 1980 he formed The Church with Peter Koppes, Nick Ward and Marty Willson- Piper. The Church’s debut album Of Skins and Heart in 1981 delivered their first radio hit The Unguarded Moment. They were signed to major record labels in Australia, Europe and the USA. However, the US label was dissatisfied with their second album and dropped the band without releasing it. This put a dent in their international success, but they returned to the charts in 1988 with their album Starfish and the US Top 40 hit Under The Milky Way. Subsequent commercial success proved elusive, however the band weathered several line-up changes in the early 1990s. The last decade has seen them settle on their current line-up. In 2010, The Church was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in Sydney. Australian Songwriter Of The Year 2011: Brian Chapman Photo: Brian Chapman during rehearsals for the 2011 National Songwriters Awards Night Brian Chapman is the 2011 Australian Songwriter of the Year for his song Across The Line. He also won the Open Category of the Australian Songwriting Contest with the same song and achieved several other places with other songs. Discovering his passion for music at the age of 15, Brian spent his first few years playing at various pubs, clubs and events around the Sunraysia region of Victoria. “Performing, playing music and getting on stage in general has always been an interest of mine.” He said. “I remember writing my first song at the age of 15, and I’ve been hooked ever since.” Brian said that while he was still reeling from the win, focus would now turn back to the future of his original band Black Tea House.