House Concderts

Dawn Barrington > House Concderts

2022 Where did you go?

October 29, 2022 0 Comments

Recent Shenanigans in Melbourne

It’s coming up to that time of year again when we all start to get into a mad panic about the holiday season and the pending New Year and I haven’t event updated my blog on my month in Melbourne. Not through lack of trying though, I have just been busy as usual and feeling like I am not really getting much done. I had the best time in Melbourne back in August which started with a house concert at my very good friends home in Parkville. Cate Taylor joined me and we played solo sets to an incredibly appreciative audience. My friends Jo and Dave lavished us with the most delicious food and drinks too which was so generous. Just about one hour before the house concert Jon Von Goes from 3RRR fm Melbourne called me to talk about my Melbourne gigs and my latest release “Pledge my Soul” and he also wanted to know more about my involvement with the refugees that were sent to Manus and Nauru in 2013. We had a great chat and he also asked me about my amazing mentor Angie Hart. 

Me and Angie at Open Studio

A couple of days later I played at Open Studio in Northcote, it’s a beautiful intimate venue and some people who heard me on the radio came which was amazing. I played a solo gig for two full sets which was actually quite confronting, it’s been a while since I played for that long to an attentive audience. But I had the most beautiful surprise when Angie Hart and her sister Rebecca Hart showed up to watch me play. I actually even felt a bit nervous and found myself working hard to maintain my cool…..oh the life of overthinking and worrying about what others may think. I knew all along that Angie would never in anyway judge and would be sending nothing but good vibes my way. It was an amazing night and so nice to catch up with friends who came too. 

A few days later I went onto 3CR Community Radio to talk to Aine McAllister about about a few things music and issues that inspire my songwriting like, Ned Kelly who is an Iranian refugee still locked up in Perth Immigration Detention Centre and about other refugees still waiting for a permanent pathway. I also played a song live in the studio.

My last gig was at The Lomond Hotel where I played as part of the Writers Block evening. Three artists get up on stage and play a song each and so we go round again three times. It’s a very special evening organised by Barb Waters. Barb mentioned that there would be a Viola player there and that I should ask him to play with me. So I asked him if he was interested and he was. It was quite scary though because I had never met him before and I was playing original songs that he had never heard before. It takes an  extremely skilled musician to be able to accompany someone that they have never heard before. Anyway I took the plunge and wow he was amazing, he played beautifully and came in on each song and just played perfectly with me. I found out after that he was Jason Bunn who is an amazing viola player that plays for Orchestra Victoria which was a total OMG moment!!! On my arrival back from Melbourne the months of Sept and Oct have been quiet but a few weeks ago I was invited to play at the Garden Party for St Paul’s Beaconsfield which was a lovely last gig in WA for a while.

What’s Next?

I am at a turning point and since covid started I haven’t not gone back to my usual format of the previous 8 yrs. I  had quite a system going where I would write songs, record and release them and then tour those songs. It has been so much more difficult to plan in the past few years and much of the music industry has taken a hit for the worst. But there are signs of life again and I am seeking out new options. So I am going to Melbourne for an extended period, I am not sure for how long yet. I want to play music and I am hoping to make some music connections and maybe be inspired to write some new material, but who knows what is going to happen. I have not made any plans except that my flight is tomorrow and my car is already on a truck going across the Nullabor. So watch this space folks. I am going to leave you with a pic of me and my son that I took yesterday when I left.

 

Activism, Airplay, Gigs, House Concderts, Melbourne, Photos, Refugees, Touring

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Melbourne Awaits!

July 18, 2022 0 Comments

I hope you are all well and thriving or at the very least surviving the current ever changing times that we are in. Yeah I know it really is challenging but I guess we have to find ways to see what we DO have. For example I have a roof over my head, running clean water, power, food and am safe and I can still afford wine and chocolate on a Friday night which puts me in the top 5% on the planet, so in that context I am thriving :O).  However, if I jump into the context of not being able to travel as easily and the difficulty booking gigs, the decimation of the live music industry, well that’s a whole different story…..it’s not quite the end of the world but it’s getting close 😁. Yeah ok that was a bit dramatic but some days it feels like that so that is when I have to go back to my lucky to be in the top 5% posi. 

Me getting the admin done

After a 6 mths break from doing gigs I have now started booking again. I am keen to get out there playing again, although I say this as the latest reports are showing surges in COVID cases across the country.  Gigs don’t just pop up out of the blue, there is a lot of work to do behind the scenes, unless you are well known of course. For the sea of singer songwriters out there such as myself, there is a lot of chasing up to do and more…… It’s a very competitive area to work and even more so if you are female but I am not going to go there today, because if I use that as my excuse I will never get things happening. I won’t deny that being a woman in this industry has it set backs but I am changing tact today. I am going to look for the benefits and forge my way forwards. It’s important because there aren’t many of us and I have an opportunity to offer something to the up and coming young female musicians. They CAN NOT BE what they CAN NOT SEE.❤️

There is a huge amount that goes on behind the scenes for musicians and artists and the picture above is to show you that I do spend a lot of time on my laptop. Yeah OK it’s not that bad but I was short of photos for this blog post so I felt an up and close of me doing the not so glamorous work would fit the bill 😁.  It’s Monday lunchtime and I am still in my PJs getting all those emails and promo’s done.😁

So what is it that we have to do?

Phone venues to ask for gigs (it’s so hard!), then write emails with our bio, attach links to our work. You have to have examples of live performance to share and your social media pages. We have to keep our social media pages active and updated all the time. I have recently been calling venues in Melbourne to play a few gigs there so I need to make sure that they can see that I do have “something to offer”. It’s not easy to promote yourself and your creative work, most artists are not comfortable with this aspect of life as a creative but we have to do it. I then make contact with radio shows that play my genre of music and send them my latest releases and sometimes I get an interview or get asked to go into the studio to play a few tunes.

I have a long bio and a short bio that I send depending on what’s needed. Just one bio isn’t enough though because there are always variations depending on the venue. Recently I have been applying for Festivals which need to be done at least 6 to 10 months in advance. You have to put your expected fees which could be the make or break of getting the gig. Many musicians who really want to play may undercut themselves which undervalues the work of all musicians. However, I am not going to be too critical of this because I really don’t know what the answer is. Many people will say we love what we do and don’t mind playing for free which is not true of course, yes we love what we do but it doesn’t mean we can afford to not get paid or to be grossly underpaid. The arts is undervalued across the board and the whole culture of this country and of how important art is viewed and received needs to to change.

Anyway how did I get here?

I am supposed to be telling you about my upcoming gigs in Melbourne but first I want to thank Michael Crichton from 94.1 fm 3WBC radio Melbourne for playing my recent releases “Pledge my Soul” and “He’s My Brother” on two of his shows this week. I say recent releases because in these COVID times it has been much more difficult to release tracks due to the lack of opportunities to perform so I am going keep these as “recent” to make up for the lost time. 😁

Upcoming gigs

As stated in the heading of this post I am heading to Melbourne again, just for a couple of weeks but I do have some gigs booked in. The first one is a House Concert on Sunday August 7th. I will be sharing the evening with the lovely Cate Taylor who is an Indi folk singer songwriter, we are going to be doing an intimate concert at a friends house,  Jo & Dave’s, who are wonderful hosts living in Parkville. There are very limited seats s if you would like to join us please email me dawnbarringtonmusic@gmail.com. The tickets are $20 (supper and drinks are provided).

Tuesday 9th I will be playing at Open Studio for a dinner and music evening from 6.30pm – 8.30pm. It is going to be a bonus Tuesday free event, get your tickets from Eventbright to book a spot at this dedicated music venue in Northcote. Here is the facebook event.

Then on Thursday 18th August I will be playing for the Writers Block at the The Lomond Hotel which I am also really looking forward too.

If you would like to purchase any of my tracks please download them from Bandcamp and please also subscribe to my Youtube page where you can be updated on any new videos or play the ones already uploaded. Last but not least you can also follow my music page on Facebook where I will always keep you updated where I am playing or you can go to “Upcoming gigs” on this site.❤️

Airplay, Gigs, House Concderts, Melbourne, Photos, Song writing, Touring

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The Big Move

September 14, 2020 7 Comments

Ready for the drive to Perth

The big smoke was beckoning and it was time to leave my home in this idyllic little town in the Great Southern of  WA. It really was a big move and I hadn’t anticipated how much of an effort it would be on my own. But with a bit of help from my son and his father it all went smoothly. After securing a small unit in Hamilton Hill near Fremantle I got very busy packing and sorting through a life time of “stuff”. So much “stuff” and so many difficult decisions so make but I had to scale my life down to a 2 bed unit with no shed or garden. Now that I am here in Hamilton Hill I can see it was a good decision. I can see that I will be able to get much more happening with my music, that is meet other musicians and get some gigs happening. I can also do so much more with regards to raising awareness for refugee justice and I have already started to make a few waves. 

“MUSIC TALKS EVENT” – FREMANTLE

July 19th I came up to Fremantle to do a music talks event. A wonderful lady Kris Holman who has been supporting my advocacy hosted a “Music Talks” event. She booked the Hamilton Hub community centre and we had a great turn out. July 19th commemorated the 7th year since the offshore policy was legislated. So in solidarity with the Refugee Solidarity group in Brisbane and with the refugees detained at the Kangaroo Point hotel we sat in silence for 7 mins after the first few songs and an introduction to the audience. It was powerful and sobering. 

The HUB, Hamilton Hill

Once again I told the stories of 2 refugees and of my trips to Manus Island where I witnessed the horrific conditions of 100s of refugees under Australia’s care.

People were in disbelief and horrified at what they heard and once again the Q & A opened up a space for important conversations and more people keen to take action.

I also had a couple of radio interviews both with Fremantle Radio 107.9fm. Bill Hale invited me to join him and his offsider Frank on their Monday evening “Folkin around” show and they literally gave me the floor. I was very appreciative of their support for what I am doing with regards to the refugees being detained. I got to play a number of songs and talk lots….two of my favourite things lol.

The second interview was a pre recorded one with Kavi Guppta where we talked about me as an artist using my songs to raise awareness about the social issues that I am passionate about. It was a stimulating conversation and I look forward to followup interviews with both Bill and Kavi once I have got myself established more up here.

In the meantime I am going to unwind and get myself familiar with my new surrounds. Dream about the day when I can go back on tour which could be a while away yet. We live in very strange times and who knows what the future holds but hopefully new creative ideas will come into fruition and I will find ways to play my songs and talk about the things that matter to me.

Stay safe everyone

 

Activism, Airplay, Gigs, House Concderts, Photos, Recording, Refugees

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Finishing off the Year and bring in 2018

December 20, 2017 0 Comments

Well it’s that time of year again and what a year it has been.  I spend way too much time each day thinking that I am not doing enough in one way or another and yet when I look back on the past 12 months I can see that I’ve done more than enough to fill anyone’s calendar.

This year started with the production of my 2nd album, how could I forget that memorable 10 days? Toby came down from Perth to set up his studio in my music room and a bunch of amazing artists and friends came and put down their tracks. Tony King my teacher and mentor and Toby should get the most credit because they work so well together and I just love what they come up with everytime. While Toby finished the mixing off I went to Sydney for another tour where I got to play at some amazing places and meet some wonderful people.  It was a huge sense of achievement too because it’s not easy to go off on your own to play at venues that you’ve never played before, because you never know what reception you’re going to get.  However, had a fantastic time and I got to meet some lovely friends there including fellow musician friends who came to see me play.  

This year I have clocked up a pile of gigs too and Peter Caron joined me for  many of them which was lots of fun. It’s always good to share the stage and have a good laugh on the way home at all the things that happened throughout the night.  Thanks Peter for such a great year of musical shenanigans.  We also played at the Denmark Festival of Voice where I launched my Album “When did it change?“.

This year was also my year of House Concerts, I did more house concerts this year than I have ever done and it’s such a great experience.  I met a lot of lovely people and learnt a lot about myself and how I want to present my act.  What do I want to share with the audience? How do I do that in a way that is complementary to my music and staying true to who I am as an artist?  They are questions I ask myself everyday.  I guess I’m just working it all out as I go along.  I did house concerts in Denmark, Sydney, Kalgoorlie, Manjimup, Kendenup, Northam and Warnbro and I’m looking forward to doing my first one for 2018 in Mandurah in March.

One of the biggest things that happened for me this year was that my son Andrew went on a school trip to New York and he’s only 15 years old.  He was so excited and so were we but I was so anxious too. It was his first time away from home for such a long time and he was going to NEW YORK….I mean isn’t that the place where all sorts of terrible things happen…yeah I know I’m being a bit pathetic, but the most ridiculous things go through your head when your only child is leaving the country for a few weeks without you.  He had the time of his life and came back a new young man glowing with confidence and self esteem that no school lesson or other experience could have offered.

Finally this year was my year of many radio interviews too, I am very grateful to all the lovely presenters who invited me into their studio to talk about me and my music and especially to those who offered me an opportunity to play a song too. Not to forget the phone interviews too. They include John Regan from Northside Radio 99.3 fm, John Tonks from Voice of the Avon 101.3 fm , James Monte from Monte Famous Mondays,  John Maddison and David Sims from Albany Community Radio 109.3 fm, Chris Spencer from Australian Sporgasbord ORC fm,  ABC Kalgoorlie fm  and ABC Albany. It’s fantastic to have the opportunity to play and put your music out there.  I would like to make a special thank you you Pete Williams from Sunbury fm 99.3 fm’s “Made in the Shade” for the fantastic review of my recently released album “When did it Change?”.  It was incredibly exciting to receive such a wonderful review which I have pinned at the top of my facebook page and it’s also become a wonderful resource that I can use when applying for gigs, festivals and other events. I want to thank all the presenters who continue to play my music too, it’s only because of you guys that independent artists can get heard by a larger audience.  I would just like to thank a lovely presenter that is all the way across the states in Tasmania who plays my tracks Dave Anger from WNCM100.3 fm .  Thanks Dave and I look forward to coming in for an interview when I come to Tasmania next year.

Wishing you all a fantastic Summer break (or winter if you’re in the northern hemisphere) and I look forward to many more musical shenanigans and surprises for in 2018 including an opportunity to play at a big festival over east. More to come on that soon.  Also I will be recording my next album too…..I’ll keep you posted on that one too.

Bye for now xox

 

 

 

Albany Gigs, Denmark Gigs, Gigs, House Concderts, Sydney

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More musical shenanigans!

October 27, 2017 0 Comments

It feel’s like it was only a few days ago that I was posting to my webpage and here I am again. I never know how to start my blog posts and I’m always trying to find different ways to get the conversation going, well, not quite conversation because it’s just me talking to my computer but I think you know what I mean.

It was great to play at the Albany Boatshed Markets at the beginning of the month because we got to play on the big stage in the far corner which has a fantastic mural on the wall. A couple of people I knew were there and they were kind enough to take some pictures of us playing. The Albany Boatshed Markets has been going for 10 years now and they have supported live music by booking a couple of acts every Sunday and paying them to play.  We also get some fruit and vegi’s, free coffee and a few other treats depending on who’s there. The same day Peter and I played at the Earl of Spencer Historic Inn and Restaurant so it was a full on day.  I was worried about losing my voice after 4 hours of singing but that was fine, however, my fingers were very sore by the end of the evening. There’s things that I had never anticipated that I would have to think about before I started this musical journey.

On October 14th I had my first house concert in Northam to look forward to.  Tonks is a lovely guy from Voice of the Avon 101.3FM community radio station who has been playing my tracks for the past 12 months after I submitted them to Amrap/Airit. Amrap Airit is a not for profit organisation that promotes and supports Australian Independent artists.  Each time an artist produces an album or EP they can submit a maximum of 3 tracks to Amrap Airit where they are then distributed to Community Radio stations across Australia. It’s a fantastic service and I have had a lot of airplay through this great initiative. I have had many radio interviews and I’ve been invited to many shows to play live, with the presenters that I have built relationships with. Many of them are passionate about music and and love to find new music to play on their shows so in effect their passion supports us to do what we are passionate about. It’s a win win for everyone involved!

Anyway I’ll get back to the House Concert in Northam.  Tonks was my host and we did the concert at his friend’s house Brett and Julie.  Gracie B is an up and coming local artist so she was my support act for the night.  She did a fantastic job and we played a few tunes together too, which was a lot of fun. She’s a lovely young lady only 13 years old and is a great musician. We had a great audience who thoroughly enjoyed themselves and Tonks wrote me a beautiful review for the House Concerts Australia Network page.

Here’s a glowing review from Tonks
“On the 14th October 2017, I hosted a house concert in Northam W.A. My choice of artist for this event was @Dawn Barrington – singer/songwriter from Denmark in WA. At Dawns suggestion I also engaged a young lass from York WA – Gracie B. Gracie is an up and coming singer/songwriter who is just starting out on her musical journey.  Gracie B started proceedings with a twenty minute set and then Dawn performed a forty minute set. We then had a feed (bbq) and both artists did another set each – and a jam session.

Dawn is a consummate musical professional, great entertainer and very nice person to boot. I could not have made a better choice for my first concert. Dawn enthralled the audience during the concert with original music and some covers – and had the audience singing along with her.  Gracie B showed why is she is an up and coming talent with her unique cover versions.  Both Dawn and Gracie met for the first time immediately prior to the concert – but you would not have known that if you were to judge by their jam session!.

This was the first house concert in Northam, but will not be the last. It was a very successful concert.” Allen Tonkin, Voice of the Avon 101.3 fm

I came home on Sunday to a house full of great friends which was very exciting because we catch up around 2 times per year and we met through music which is the most exciting part. I was so looking forward to catching up with these guys we always have the best time together and the best jams. On Sunday night we had the best jam in the history of humankind, I’m biased of course lol ;O)  The guys all play in a band and they brought some friends with them this time which made it all the more fun.

Then on Saturday October 21st Peter and I joined Luke Tulloch to play some tunes at the Bahá‘u‘lláh   200th anniversary Baha u allah shares the beautiful message of hope and enlightenment to all across the planet. It was a great afternoon at Mahsa Anderson’s home in Denmark WA.

This Sunday we will be doing a house concert in Warnbro at a private home. House concerts are really starting to take off here in Australia and House Concerts Australia is where you can sign up as a host or an artist.  It’s free to sign up as a host and you can invite artists from all across Australia to play in your home. It’s a great way to meet the artist and have an affordable fun evening for you and your family and friends.  In the next few months I have some local gigs and a few out of the box gigs and then it’s Xmas!!

Upcoming Eastern States tour
Yep I’m doing it again folks!  This will be my third solo Eastern States tour in the past 18 months and this time I’m going to take the road north of Sydney although I haven’t decided how far yet or whether to do a U turn once I get to Upper Landsdowne and go southwardss. I have some bookings in Upper Landsdowne, Newcastle, Gosford and Sydney so far. I will keep you posted on the rest of the bookings when I get them.

Well that’s it from me for this month and I’ll be back next month with more shenanigans.  Over and out Folks!

Albany Gigs, Gigs, House Concderts, Photos

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