Music wanted Me – Here I Am
It’s 1977. I’m 4 and I’m on the upper deck of the Civic Theatre in Newcastle, rockin out to Sherbet, bouncing on my Aunty’s knee, belting out every word of Magazine Madonna. My Aunty and her nursing friends are enthralled (more at me than the band – sorry Daryl). It was apparent that the music was in me.
I was always musical, but sport would take up my time. I’d always sing, always move easily to the beat, always good with words - it was natural. There was the time in 1984, walking from the old St Joseph’s to the new, singing hymns along the ridge of Excelsior Parade. Being taken somewhere the first time I heard Crowded House’s self-titled debut album in 1986. Then, fast forward to 1997, a classic New Year’s Eve at the Linga Longa in Gundy as front man of the mighty Smead’s. Music would do things to me. The tunes would just flow. It was all so much fun. But I didn’t pursue it.
It pursued me though, seeking more than companionship. It wanted something from me, something of me. Not in a demanding way but in the way of love at its best. Brought to my knees and gazing back. All I had to give was the truest thing I had – my story. My music leans towards the wounds I carry. The melody arrives naturally, while the lyrics require a hunt – a search driven by a desire to wrap the words into a satisfying form. What’s really going on is a naming and healing. What I recognise now and am claiming more and more, is that my songwriting is my way of revealing the exquisite preciousness of life and of choosing to practice truth-telling. In the writing and the performing, I see the same patterns of the yogi and the ebb and flow of a spirituality grounded in patience, desire and love – always love.
My voice has found and continues to find a way to name things I had hidden. Beyond the repair, I’m also discovering things I never knew. Beyond this consecration, I hope that light reaches other darknesses too.
So now, it’s 2024. Thanks to the muse and to wise guides along the way, I’m making my own music, marked with grace and love. In it I hope you hear influences of my great musical loves – Crowded House, Neil Finn, Pearl Jam, The Beach Boys, The Beatles mixed in with a growing connection to soulful vibes from artists such as Phoebe Bridges, Leif Vollebekk, Black Pumas, Nadia Reid, CVC and Frazey Ford.
‘Only Me’ – my first single release is out on Friday 21 June, 2024. Pre-save it here.
