2019
31/12/2019
I am writing this at 12:40 AM on the last day of 2019.
Just a little bit earlier, on the 30th, I did my last gig of the year at the Royal Mail Hotel in Mulwala.
When it comes to 2019, I don’t even know where to start. It was a very busy year. Going into VCE, I’m not even surprised. They always warn you, but you never really know until you’re living it.
I did a lot of performances and gigs again this year. I have been lucky enough to work with a lot of other local musicians. It’s amazing collaborating with other creative people, it opens new opportunities. One example of this for me is creating a band with some of the members of my music class. When I perform solo, I am always stuck behind a guitar. The chance to work with an amazing band allows me to come up to the front of the band and hold the microphone, developing my performance skills.
As a part of this band, I also started playing bass more than I did. I knew how to play bass, but I never performed with it or would call myself a bass player, until I found myself in a band that needed someone on bass.
When it comes to working with other people, it can be brief, but so much can be learnt from other musicians. So, thank you to all of the people who collaborated with me and inspired me over this past year. Even if we did one performance, or if we don’t perform together any more, you have bettered me as a performer and inspired me.
This year I took a lot of steps forward in relation to theatre. I have always been involved in community theatre and all the school productions I can do. But this year I was a part of some bigger shows and got a lead role in my school production.
The school production in question is Grease. I love Grease (as all theatre kids are legally obliged). When we had the cast meeting and I read that I had the lead role I did have to pinch myself. But it was real.
It was amazing. All of the backstage stress and quick change panic aside, it was a great experience. And quick changes are fun when they go right.
(One night was a little less than smooth. I have so much respect for the actors who waited on stage. Maybe improv isn’t useless)
Outside of simply being in shows, I developed my theatrical skills and knowledge by doing some short courses with NIDA.
My short NIDA course was taught by the actor Tina Jackson. She has travelled many times for her career. She even spent two years living in the UK and performing on the West End. It was an amazing experience. In that short week, I learnt so much about the fundamentals of acting, and why we are told to do some of the tasks we do in drama classes.
The other substantial show I was in was Travelling North. It was directed by a local director/theatre fan/good person Steve Thornycroft. It was a wonderful experience working with Steve as a director.
I also got the chance to act alongside some other amazing actors. I am so grateful that I had the chance to act with and build relationships with some phenomenal people. There are so many people in my community I have looked up to for years; the fact that I can now go to those same people I looked at starry-eyed and ask for advice absolutely blows me away.
Travelling North is a beautiful show which I probably never would have got to experience if it weren’t for me being in the show. I originally wasn’t going to audition. But, I was walking past the theatre and was told the auditions were happening. I’m so happy I decided to take that chance.
My character, Joan, was definitely a very different character to Sandy from Grease.
This year I went to so many new venues and found some, in particular, I kept returning to. Being asked to come back is one of the biggest compliments a performer can get.
One of the most exciting moments for me of 2019 was releasing Bad Thing. It was released on the 7th of December. It’s always exciting and nervewracking releasing a new project. My production has come from literally no knowledge to where I am now over the last year and I’m excited as to where it goes next year and all of the years following. I hope you’re excited too.
I appreciate all of the support from friends, family, and everyone who listens to my music. Thank you for enjoying what I do.
Here’s to an awesome 2020.
Releasing ‘Bad Thing’
7/12/2019
I always wanted to learn how to produce music myself. But in 2019 I took the leap and bought Ableton.
I have been producing since January, and have made many songs, some good, and some which will never see the light of day (and for good reason). But all of that is a part of progress.
Releasing ‘Bad Thing’ was a scary step. Any time a song or project is released to the world, it feels like a part of your soul is being given to whoever cares to listen for them to tear apart.
All that being said, I am happy that this part of my soul has been given to the internet, and I hope the internet appreciates it when I give them more of my soul.
Bad Thing Available now:
Spotify: tiny.cc/l39bhz
Itunes/Apple Music: tiny.cc/f29bhz
Bandcamp: tiny.cc/em1chz
Youtube: tiny.cc/f89bhz
2018, a review
2018 has been an absolutely crazy year, and probably the biggest year of my life so far. I know that I end up saying that every year, but I mean it. This year has held so many milestones that I wanted a chance to reflect. I’m not sure if this will become a simple blog post no one will read, or a full video not many will watch. This is a chance for me to reflect.
The year started off with quite a bang when the 14th of January came, it was when I released my first album, ‘In My Shoes’. That release was when I started to really promote my music by talking to a few radio stations, and sharing using online mediums such as Spotify. The fact that my album was released only a year ago makes me have a reality check because it feels like forever ago
On the 26th of January, I had one of my album promo interviews. This one took place on a show called ‘the mixed lolly bag’. Out of some of the different interviews I did, this one has stood out to me as a lot of fun. Some other places I had awesome interviews at were with ABC radio and OAK FM.
An album release is followed by an album release concert. That was
Thank you.
3 months later came another milestone for me. Since I don’t live in a big place, my first performance in Melbourne was an exciting thing. It started with getting a 45 minute set at the village green hotel in Mulgrave. While we were in the area we made our way to the nearby Ellwood Lounge open mic. Through that open mic, prizes were given out, with the first prize being a gig the following Sunday. I got that gig. Thus, my first gig in a big city. By this point, I started to focus on learning how to use a loop pedal with an acoustic guitar. Over this year it has become an important part of my performances.
I have done quite a few other minor performances during the year. Such as the school talent quest, the school production, and the Mulwala Ski Club talent quest. I got through to the final round of the Mulwala talent show and got an award. I am looking forward to going back next year to take it on again.
A Holiday
July was when I had one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I love to travel, so much. One of the places that has been a dream to see for many years has been New York. I found a journal entry from the 11th of January this year saying, ‘I’ve had my heart set on going to New York for so long’. So when it happened, it was amazing! The whole trip was so action-packed and only took place over 21 days. The first day was a loooong flight to Ohio with a layover in LA. We took our 10 hours in LA and decided we would become tourists. Walking Hollywood Boulevard, and seeing the sign were things to tick off the bucket list. We just had to make sure we caught the plane! As we flew out of LA I remember being blown away by how such an iconic, famous city can be summarized into a handful of lights.
Finally getting to Ohio, it was beautiful. So much green grass and lovely people. Oh yeah, and there was a good bagel place. The main reason we made our way to Columbus Ohio was to catch Taylor Swift’s Reputation tour while she was there. Our family has made it a little of a tradition to go to a board game café before we see concerts. We also did this when seeing Ed Sheeran earlier in the year. The place we went for board games was lovely and they had their own specialty sodas, which was a great selling point for me. Then we made our way to Ohio Stadium. Despite the excitement to see Taylor, Camila and Charlie XCX were fantastic openers, then time for Taylor! She was amazing, but she’s Taylor Swift, so of course, she was. The first concert I went to was Taylor Swift when she was touring 1989 3 years ago. Seeing her live again took me back.
Getting on the plane leaving Ohio was an amazing feeling. I knew that my next stop was New York, the place I had dreamed about for years. The first impression I had was wonderful. We got an Uber to where we were staying. The cab driver was chatty and we said we were tourists and we got his life story. He talked about how he immigrated to New York when he was really young, then he moved away, but he was drawn back to the city. I know that seems like a small thing, but I really feel that the chatty cab driver giving you his life story captures the essence of what New York holds so perfectly.
The Air
10th of July 2018. The day that I went to the statue of Liberty and saw Hamilton. This is a day I can never forget. We took a ferry out of Battery Park to the statue of Liberty and took a lot of photos. There was a gift shop there, which is where I got my pencil case of the 10 dollar bill (Alexander Hamilton); and the notebook that I have used as my holiday scrapbook, covered in American currency. This is the day we also went to the 9/11 memorial and the empire state building.
My breath was taken away as I saw Richard Rodgers theatre dressed to the nines in Hamilton imagery. I remember the amazing feeling being only 3 rows from the stage, close enough to see the sweat on the actor’s forehead. I knew that as my dreams were coming true watching the show, the dreams of the actors were being lived performing it. Which is why I love theatre so much. I got photos with 2 of the lead actors, Michael Luwoye, and James Monroe Iglehart. When I got the chance to talk to Michael I told him that the show was the first proper Broadway show I watched, and it set a very high bar for others. I made a point to say that, as I imagine what it would be like to hear that.
The following day was my (kinda) performance in New York. It was an open mic in Brooklyn at a pub called the Branded Saloon. I know it’s a little bit of a stretch being just a few songs, I want to count it as a performance. There was someone who was watching who had an egg shaker who made the beat to one of the songs, and I got people to clap along to her. It was such a fun people moment.
The last day in New York was emotional, and I knew I was right in my dream city but I had to leave. We made it a big day. The morning started by exploring Central Park. We didn’t get to see it all, as it really is huge. Some of the main things we saw were literary park, the main lake, and the Hamilton statue. Next in the schedule was the make our way to Bryant Park. They have a Broadway in the park event, where some of the Broadway actors perform main songs from their show. Some of the ones we saw were Waitress and the SpongeBob musical. The performance of a simple sponge was a standout. Then to the Books Atkinson theatre, for Waitress. It was an amazing show, and I am so happy I got to see it, Waitress has such a charm to it.
Leaving New York the next morning there was only one line on my lips, stolen from Hamilton. “I can’t wait to see you again, it’s only a matter of time.” Going to that city has been one of the few times anything actually lived up to my expectations and surpassed them. The trip hasn’t done anything to dishearten my fascination for the place. The plane was taking us off to Amsterdam.
My second time in Amsterdam, it just confirms how beautiful the water-bound city is. We weren’t staying for long, as we were going to Nijmegen for an event called the 4-day marches. We met up with some friends that we already had in the Netherlands, and I met up with a family my parents knew, and I became great friends with them. The Nijmegen 4 day marches is an event where thousands of people walk for 4 days… Over 47,000. There are 3 different event categories, 30km, 40km, or 50km per day. I did 30km a day.
Before the event started I was excited, but also nervous about walking so far each day. On the first, I didn’t know how much could take place over those 4 days. When we finished on the last day I was kind of sad it was ending. Not because I was excited to keep walking, but because the people we walked with were amazing. I spent most of the events walking with
It was an amazing experience indulging myself in another culture, and talking to the people I was walking with. It’s stunning how good the rest of the world is at speaking English as a second language.
The 23rd of July we had a relaxed awesome day in Amsterdam. We saw some landmark designs cycling through Amsterdam which was nice, and made a fool of ourselves on a kids playground. Asking a local, we found a place for dinner called Moeder’s which translates to mothers. It was a cute welcoming, homely restaurant. The food was very good, and humble which I like. Walking through the city, we saw a lineup for an ice cream parlour. There was an interest in what the fuss was for the place. So we joined the lineup. The ice cream was delicious. We ate our ice cream and reflected on the whole trip soon to be home.
The final plane home always has a bittersweet feeling. Knowing that you need to snap back into a normal life, but somewhat excited to get home. Personally, I was just looking forward to seeing my cats again
Everything mentioned about that holiday took place in only 21 days
Back to normal life
Getting back to normal life and school, it was September when I had my first taste in directing. It was an opportunity given by the school where year 10 students can volunteer to be the directors for the Junior production. I took that opportunity alongside some of my friends. There were quite a few frustrations with trying to get the other students to listen to what you request them to do, but it all paid off the next month on the show nights. It was very satisfying watching kids that were struggling to memorize lines, or who were nervous have a good time on stage. I am proud of my contribution to the show.
I also got the chance to take on interning at a talent management company in Melbourne for 2 days. I got to do quite a few big jobs I did not expect to be given. Such as, making large payments on the phone or online, creating promo posts for a current event they had coming up, and depositing checks in the bank. I had a wonderful time working there and I’d like to thank Mahalia Swinfield for giving me the opportunity to do that. It was interesting to look at the music industry in a different way than I previously had.
While I was in Melbourne I has another 45-minute performance set at the Village green hotel. It would be nice to have a full night show there at some point.
There was a music competition in my local area where you could win gigs in the area wherever there is live music. I ended up working with a few other girls and we got 3 gigs together for over the following months, 2 main ones in October. It was a lot of fun. We had one weekend where we had a show in Wagga and one the next day in Junee. I had to leave from school on that Friday night to get to Wagga. To get everything together, and get ready to perform I was going nonstop the whole time, which I enjoy. Always moving, changing, and travelling makes me happy. Road trips can last 2 hours and still be awesome, I just don’t want to stay in one place for too long.
One of the highlights for October was the 13th, seeing Panic! At the Disco. I met up with my aunt and had an amazing weekend. After seeing Panic! Live I can make the statement that Brendon has the best live vocals I have ever heard. I also met some other fans there that I am happy to now call friends, even if they live quite a while away.
Through November I mainly focused on my studies. Good news, I got through exams without falling apart! I even got the drama award for my year level. I will admit I am a little nervous for next year as I will be starting VCE, but I think I am ready to take it on!
Towards the end of the year, there were a few more solo gigs, such as at the Iron Bark Tavern in Chiltern for a town party, and a night at the Tungamah pub. Now I have a cool set up of audio and lighting equipment. It is quite a collection and I am proud, as I have spent the last 4 years collecting all of the equipment I now use in performances.
That takes me to where I am now, 2 days from the end of the year frantically trying to put together a review of a huge year in my life before the clock ticks over to a new year. 2018 has been amazing, but that’s the past now.
2019, here I come!