The Ups and Downs of Gigging!

Melbourne has a diverse and immensely talented music culture. You walk down the streets of Melbourne and you will witness musicians and artists from all over the world, contributing to the already multi-cultural city that we live in. You can walk into a local hotel, a pub or a club and experience a range of different music genres that will suit your musical tastes.

Gigging in Melbourne is not always easy however. I have been gigging around Melbourne for a few years now and its been such a wonderful experience, but it has also been a challenging one. Upon speaking to many different artists, they too have experienced the difficulties of gigging. A lot of the times, artists who gig would rarely get paid, and even when they do get paid, it is not much. I think it would be fair to say however, that local musicians do not do it for the money. It is purely the passion and enjoyment that they have for music and performing that keeps them going. It is the crowd and the people you meet that has the most satisfying rewards.

I think what the real difficulty is (for me anyway), is to consistently get numbers. Some gigs you may have 20-30 people rock up to your show, and on other occasions… none. This makes it hard to keep venues happy and could affect how often you are asked to play. I do remember the time when I serenaded 6 dudes at the Empress Hotel. They were such a great audience and responded well to all my love songs. 🙂 When we do have those numbers, it makes for such a memorable experience.

If there is anything I want to highlight in this blog, it would be this. SUPPORT LOCAL MUSIC. If you know of friends or friends of friends that are playing, go and support them. It would mean a lot to see familiar faces as well as strangers who come along to listen to our music. The more people there are, the more vibrant the atmosphere. I can guarantee you that you will witness some amazing talent that you would not find anywhere else in mainstream media. As musicians, there have been a lot of sacrifices that were made to get to where we are today. So I encourage everybody, find out what shows are happening around Melbourne, and keep Melbourne’s local music scene alive.

 

Craig David Concert!

So a couple of nights ago I went to the Craig David concert at the Melbourne Exhibition Center. My friend and I had a lovely dinner and set ourselves up for a night of awesome old school R&B music. Even though my night was not as eventful as the Jason Mraz concert (i.e. my car didn’t break down) it was another amazing night of great music and company.

The night opened up with a duo playing some R&B covers followed by a couple of hip hop dancers. Then, we had Nathaniel and his band embrace us with some sweet music. I have met Nathaniel a couple of times as he is a vocal coach at the David Jaanz School of Singing. He opened his set with “The Scientist” followed with “I Gotta Feeling“, songs that he sang on the TV show X-Factor. It came to a surprise when he started singing “Gangnam Style“. After about half an hour, we waited for some time before Craig David came on stage.

 

Craig David definitely brought back some nostalgia of what R&B music used to be. Opening up with “What’s Your Flava” and singing classic hits like “Walking Away” and “Rise and Fall” brought the crowd to their feet. The band was incredible, in particular the guitarist, Kwame Yeboah. Half way through the concert, the band took a break and Craig David started to DJ for us on stage. Starting out as a DJ before his music career, Craig David still DJ’s at house parties back in Miami and thought he would give us a bit of a taste. I did overhear after the concert that many did not enjoy this particular part of the concert but I didn’t mind it at all. Finishing off the concert with “Fill Me In” and “Seven Days” was a very satisfying end to an awesome night and I would recommend you go checking him if he is ever in town.

The Beautiful Sounds Of Melbourne Artists From Interstate!

 

I had the great pleasure of playing alongside some amazing local artists tonight. Both Mary Webb and Bernie Carson have the voices of angels, yet are so different and unique that you are taken to different places every time you hear them sing about their colourfully painted lives.

Mary is from Adelaide and has moved to Melbourne to focus on her music. Here is someone who has a passion and a dream, and has moved interstate to chase that dream. I found it quite amusing that her first album launch was held in a yoga studio, but hey, if you have a space then anything can happen right? Well it seems that she is moving forward in that dream as she is touring around the east coast of Australia with two other artists. So keep an eye out on this wonderfully talented girl named Mary as she might be playing in a town near you!

Bernie Carson has got to be the sweetest person I know. She has a personality of someone that you just look at and go…….. “Awww…. she is soooooooo cuuuute!” . Bernie is from Queensland and is fairly new to Melbourne. She writes the most beautifully constructed songs and when you mesh that with her hilarious personality you have an act that you cannot help but fall in love with. So if you are around Melbourne and happen to see the name Bernie Carson playing somewhere, I would totally recommend you pay some money and check her out. You will not regret it!

Its great to have the opportunity to meet these wonderful people, and I would really encourage everyone to support local bands and artists. We do this not for the money, but for the love of music. So if you know of musicians playing around your area, please go and support them. I can tell you that it would mean the world to them! Until next time, DARE TO DREAM BIG!

Gigging With Dave! (March)

I love gigging! I love performing. So if you are free on either of these dates, come down and check out some amazing talents around Melbourne!

A Brush With Fame!

 

These were taken at the DreamInc Workshop a few years ago! It was a workshop which ran over a few days to help musicians develop themselves as artists. I have been taking singing lessons at the David Jaanz School of Singing since 2009. There is no doubt that this school is the best singing school in Australia to provide such a wonderful event for students to attend, as well as developing dozens of artists that we hear on the radio today.

Loved Natalie Bassingthwaighte. What an amazing singer! I had absolutely no idea how beautiful and strong her vocals were. She is a beautiful person inside and out. It came to a great surprise to see that she was shorter than me! I had a bit of a crush on Brooke Fraser……………. Ever since I went to the Hillsong Conference and listened to her beautifully constructed songs, she is someone who uses music to communicate the Gospel of Jesus Christ in such a creative and relatable way.