24 FRONTIER NEWS FEATURE SUNDAY JUNE 14 2015

HEN the former were jamming by that afternoon.” Warumpi Band lead Australian rock and roll changed forever when Once a denim-clad man from the singer lay dying, in the north came into the equation – George – and terminal stages of bone three blackfellas and one whitefella joined Sammy’s brother Gordon was roped in to hit and lung cancers, he skins, history was forged. kept repeating: “I been a forces in a remote Territory community... The Warumpi Band was formed. really bad person”. story MATT GARRICK What would ensue was one of the most The gangly saltwater man, -born energetic, unheard-of explosions on to the George Rrurrambu – now George Burar- Australian music scene – a crushing together of rwanga for cultural reasons – passed away in cultures, a proud embrace of aboriginality, the W2007, aged 50. desert, sea and the crunch of guitars. It was the end of a monumental rollercoast- er, not just for George, but for the many who HESE days, due to the vast geographical had surrounded him. expanse separating the homes of Butcher Warumpi Band had been something of a Tand Murray, performances as a pair are fairly wild beast – they appeared screaming from the rare. obscure periphery of society, Papunya, a small Still, they have proved as one of the enduring community in Central Australia in the mid- relationships in Australian music. 1980s, and launched into the nation’s rock and Just last weekend, the duo appeared at the roll psyche. Barunga Festival, under the moniker of Tjun- They introduced something new to the gukutu, meaning ‘Coming Together’. world, and with it came teething problems. But it hasn’t always been smooth sailing. Touring the country relentlessly as a four- Butcher’s connection to family and home- piece combo – three cultural men from the land often conflicted with Murray’s aspirations remote , one whitefella to be out on the road, or recording in big city Victorian – had its strains. studios, with Warumpi Band. Cracks appeared early. Gigs were missed. Both Butcher brothers were often reluctant Punches thrown. to be coerced out of Papunya. But the work they did was valid, pivotal, for They were infamous for pulling out of gigs at the nation to learn something about itself. the 11th hour, even after months of preparation Today, eight years down the dirt track from behind the scenes. George’s death and 30 years since their debut Lisa Watts, producer of the 2013 film about album Big Name, No Blanket first appeared, the band, Big Name, No Blanket is married to founding Warumpi members Sammy Butcher Sammy’s younger brother Brian. and Neil Murray continue to wield their instru- At the time, she reflected, the brothers were ments and carry on the footprints they forged both torn. into Australia’s cultural landscape. “They were torn because they had the re- Whatever George may have thought about sponsibilities of their family, and to be present himself, even up until the sorrowful end, he did for their children,” she says. good things – big things. The Butchers’ reluctance cost the band one And for Murray and Butcher, the work isn’t of their biggest chances to shine in the spot- done yet, not by a long shot. light – a tour with US megastars Dire Straits. This squandered opportunity left Murray he flies are doing their damndest to “devastated”. aggravate the emotions of the 15 or so “I think it’s affected him for the rest of his Tpeople in the room. life,” Watts says. Black hands flail around like windscreen “Some things … take a long, long time to get wipers, swatting the insects to and fro. over. Members of Papunya’s local authority have “(There were) many opportunities they could been summonsed for a meeting, to talk about have had, that they couldn’t accept because it several issues of concern raised in their com- was reliant upon Sammy and Gordon to accept munity. those offers.” One of these members is Butcher – who After a sustained period of refusals to play as well as being a giant of indigenous music, further afield, Murray was forced to either rejig plays a leadership role for his region, holding the line-up, or face his hard work in getting the high positions in the local authority and on the band established disintegrating. Central Land Council. Here, his arms are folded, big brown eyes EW Yorker and drummer Allen Murphy fixed on the speaker, brow creased in conster- had not long been in Australia when he nation. Nreceived a letter from Murray – an emergency The man talking is a frazzled Kiwi bloke, try- request for a stand-in following a last-minute ing to push a message about the importance of discovery Gordon had failed to board a plane keeping the Territory tidy. from to Sydney. Butcher is concerned. It was a prestigious gig – they couldn’t blow He is worried this man is going to try to it – a slot on the Ray Martin Show. disturb his hobby of fixing cars by making him “That was the first Warumpi gig I ever did, remove spare parts from his yard. playing Blackfella/Whitefella with the guys on He makes sure the Kiwi is aware of his George Burarrwanga with the Warumpi band back in their heyday the Ray Martin Show,” Murphy says. concerns, by consistently interrupting his spiel “And I believe I met them that day – we to voice them. He chuckles when asked about Butcher’s munity where the language was still strong. didn’t really rehearse, we just kind of did it. Growing increasingly agitated at the misun- fascination with fixing cars. “So I heard there was a job going on an “That was my first introduction to the guys.” derstanding, “no, it doesn’t mean you have to “When I first saw Bush Mechanics, I didn’t outstation, driving the store truck in Papunya, In lieu of Gordon, over the next years Mur- stop fixing your cars, it’s just, ahhh…” the Kiwi laugh,” Murray says. and I ended up getting it.” phy would be Warumpi’s drum-thumping life blunders on. “I thought it was a documentary.” During his first weeks, before his own raft, playing with the band on and off from the Butcher keeps his eyes upon him, unblinking, Murray spent many of his formative years accommodation had been sorted, Murray mid-1980s into the early 1990s. not really getting it. living in the desert – slogging it out undertak- bunkered in the spare room of a whitefella “There have been certain jobs that have been The meeting has the potential to drag on for ing laborious jobs on outstations, then turning colleague. game changers for me, and I guess Warumpi hours. his hand to teaching kids at remote schools in One morning there was a knock at the door. Band was definitely one of those,” Murphy, who and around Papunya, which was an equally “There was this handsome chap, pretty cool has now called Darwin home for 20 years, says. N the other side of the country, in laborious slog. lookin’ dude,” Murray says. “There wasn’t a typical Warumpi Band gig. a separate universe, songwriter Neil He also, most notably, clapped eyes on a The visitor was Sammy Butcher, asking if he The thing that drew me to it the most was that OMurray is packing his bag to leave Lake Bolac, young Butcher, with whom he would discover a could have a peek at Murray’s guitar. Neil and George had great songs that were re- his home under the moody skies of western magical and lasting musical rapport. “He’d heard I was in town and knew I had a ally about country. Victoria. “I was looking for work with Aboriginal guitar with me,” he says. “Which for me, I didn’t know anything The plan is to drive to Melbourne and catch people,” Murray says. “So I said ‘yeah sure’… I gave him my guitar, about. That was my real introduction to indig- a plane for a solo gig on the Gold Coast. “And I particularly wanted to go to a com- and I could tell he could play straight away. We enous issues and culture, and Black Australia.”

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