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It’s only raining outside

July 8, 2021 0 Comments

I am so enjoying winter up here in the big smoke……I hear Perth folks complaining about the cold weather and after 10 years in Denmark WA I am grateful for the very mild conditions and the extended hours of sunlight shinning into my little unit in Hamilton Hill.

It’s been incredibly busy the past few months and I can’t believe that almost 2 months has passed since my last update. I am not sure who has set the time on “fast” but it sure is getting difficult with keep up with everything. My main focus has been doing my “Music Talks” events although I have done a couple of regular gigs too. COVID has put all touring plans on hold for the moment but that’s OK I am quite enjoying hanging out here in the West.

The Victoria Park Farmers Markets was almost a normal gig in that it was a 3 hr gig. I parked myself right next to the stall “manned” by Betty McGeever. Betty has been a very active campaigner for refugee rights for a long time now and she had a table filled with all things “refugee”. It was a surprisingly mild Perth day and it was great to such a receptive audience.

Another standout event was the “Music Talks” gig that I did at St Pauls Beaconsfield. Celia asked me to come back and do one of my music events to her church group. We had a fantastic turn out and lots of very engaged people. Jalal Mahamede (Poet & Artist – Ahwaz Refugee) spoke to the people via audio on facebook messenger, he gave an incredibly moving speech which I will add at the end of this post. At time of writing this, Jalal still remains locked up in a detention centre in Brisbane.….I am not religious but I pray everyday that he and the others will be released soon. I can’t stand what what is happening to these guys it’s and unbelievable form of modern day torture by the Australian Government.

Another really lovely evening was spent at the Leederville Songwriters club. I did a set of original songs to the most attentive of audiences and it was another opportunity to talk about refugees with it being “Refugee Week”. I took full advantage to make my whole set all about the issue. 

“Crossing New Borders” was released at Nannup Music Festival March of this year and a few weeks ago I managed to get a video together for it. I got some great photos from a photo stock company online and Danny Reardon (Photographer) gave me permission to use a few of his photos from a recent protest in Perth. It was a bit of a problem to upload it to Facebook because they claimed that there was unacceptable material in it, after some investigation it seems that my words in the middle of the video upset them. 

I would like to finish this post with Jalal’s speech, it was very moving and it’s really important that I give you the opportunity to read it. I also want to make sure that it stays on the record of time because one day he will be free and this will be an important piece of historical context of the harsh conditions experienced by all those that arrived on our shores seeking safety in 2013.

Jalal’s Speech

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to talk about my problems. Thank you for taking the time to listen to
I have spent eight years of my life in Australian detention، This is because I fled from my country to save my life and I asked Australia to help and save me ,
The Australian Government says your only fault is that you came by boat،
I would like to say that if I could travel to Australia by plane, why did I choose the ocean way.
Why should I put my life in a small boat and the dangerous ocean?
I certainly had no choice, so I had to take this path.
From these eight years, I was living in a tent without fan and air con in Nauru island at 2013 to 2019
For the first and a half year , we only had 3 minutes to take shower in a day.
Many problems occurred that couldn’t be explained in a few minutes.
Women, men, and children harmed themselves . because they were tired of that hell.
More than twenty young people died on the island،
because of difficult conditions Women had abortions in the toilet, The situation was so horrible that everyone was suffering from mental and physical problems.
And I’m the last survivor of them, I’m still alive please feel me a minute.
I want someone to hear my voice and tell me what’s my crime that I should be in detention for eight years.
I need someone to hear my voice and tell me what is my crime that after eight years nobody telling me when I’ll be free.
And how long i have to stay in detention?
Four people are living in a small room in detention now
The mental and physical pressure on us are so huge that I can’t even think for a moment about it, because it will drive me crazy.
We say we are human, and we should love each other. They treated me worse than a wild animal,
Am I not human or are they? Please Someone explain to me.
We need your help, We need your help like human needs oxygen, like children need parents, like plants need soil
Thank you and God bless you.

 

 

Gigs

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Nothing is something worth doing

May 26, 2021 0 Comments

The above very wise words were written on the dunny wall of my Denmark WA home by a member of one of my favourite bands Kallidad (Thanks Tom Raven). I love it because it gives me permission to do nothing and feel ok about it…..for me it is also acknowledging that time spent “doing nothing” is important time, time for consolidation of ideas and time to recharge for the next venture. Why am I opening with this paragraph? Well because I feel like I haven’t done much in the past few months and needed to feel ok about it….not that I need an excuse of course…or do I? It’s the ongoing mind chatter when you are an artist…”I really should be doing more….but I am stuck……now I’m giving myself a hard time….but I need time to ……NO ACTUALLY IT’S SPACE I need” and so the conversation goes on and on. 

Sydney

Now that’s out the way let’s take a look at what has been happening the past few months. I went to Sydney for a couple of weeks break to catch up with a friend and it was my first post COVID trip so it was great to get on a plane again and head over to the East Coast. I went with one of the refugees who had been staying with me for a few months. He was offered a job opportunity in Sydney and a place to live with his friend from Manus which was fantastic! While I was there I met with another of the refugees (who had recently been released) it was amazing to meet him and to be able to support him to take some of his first steps on the outside after 8 years of incarceration.

“Music Talks” and gigs coming up

I have also been organising more “Music Talks” events for the next few months. I have been very engaged in raising awareness about the refugees that are locked up and those on temporary visas. MUSIC has become a very valuable tool to engage with the people about the issue. My most recent one was at St Pauls in Beaconsfield where we had a small but very engaged audience. Every event I do has exactly the same response……the people are horrified and can’t believe what they are hearing and want to do more to change the situation. If only I could do more of these events and to a bigger audience…….then we could really make a difference. I will continue to do these for as long as people ask and hopefully we can make a dent in the ongoing fight for change to the way this country treats refugees.

Saturday 29th May I have another event with the Nuhra Life Enrichment Centre thanks to Letitia for organising that one. I will then be doing Victoria Park Farmer’s markets on June Sunday June 6th which is just a regular booked spot so it will be nice to get out there and do a 3hr gig which I haven’t done for a long time albeit starting at 8.30 am in the morning weather pending of course….lol 

On May 14th I will be at Glyde In in East Fremantle for another “Music Talks” event. It’s a ticketed event and you can get your tickets at Glyde in.  Just go to the event called “Offshore Processing”  to book. There are only 3 tickets left so you’ll need to jump in if you want to attend.

June 22nd I am at the Leederville Songwriters club which is held at the 21st Amendment bar which is a great location in Leederville. Please get down there if you are in Perth, it’s a great live event to support. 4 songwriters showcase their creations in a beautiful intimate setting. Then Wednesday 23rd I will be catching up with Stacey Harding on Fremantle radio 107.9fm to talk about all things refugees during REFUGEE WEEK. Well I think that’s a wrap for now…..I guess there has been a bit going on in the past few months without me even realising it….lol :O)

 

Gigs

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“Music Talks” and Nannup Festival

March 25, 2021 0 Comments


Music Talks

This past few months has been a continuation of one event or talk after another with Nannup Music Festival thrown in for good measure. I am little behind with my update but I do have a very good excuse with so many events booked. I started with St Luke’s Anglican Church late January then mid February things started to get much more hectic with radio interviews, school talks and “Music Talks” events until now. Thanks to Stacey Harding at Fremantle Radio 107.9 fm for giving me a whole hour of your show to talk about Refugees and for playing my tracks “Can’t let Go” and “Crossing New Borders”.  “Crossing New Borders” is a song that I wrote in response to my desire to see an end to the disgusting narrative that has been created around people seeking asylum and refugees in Australia. For me it’s about highlighting the tragic story of people seeking asylum and my observations of the many people across Australia who are doing all that they can to stand up and speak out against the disgusting policy that keeps 1000’s of refugees in limbo. At the heart of this song is my own inability to rest until everyone is free because while they suffer we suffer too. We are not free until they are free, spiritually, emotionally and mentally because as Moz says “we are all the same”.

Fremantle Soroptimists "Music Talks" Event at DADAA“Crossing New Borders”  was released at Nannup and is now available on Bandcamp. 

In the photos you can see the lovely women of Fremantle Soroptimists Club and their friends. They put on a real feast and were an incredibly receptive audience. What I find the most exciting about doing these events is the response that I get. The people attending always tell me how inspired they are to take action and that’s brilliant and in my opinion “mission accomplished”.

I also did a talk at Southern River College for Helen Rozendaal who is my very good friend. I haven’t done many school talks but they are always very rewarding and extremely important. St Cuthbert’s Anglican Fr Chris Bedding also hosted an event which was so well received. The audience were very moved to hear from one of the refugees from Manus himself. After 6 yrs on Manus, 12 months in a hotel in Melbourne and 6 mths in Melbourne Immigration Transfer Accommodation he was given freedom last month. There was a lot of emotion in the room and a huge amount of support for my friend who spent 8 yrs in detention.

Amnesty also hosted a joint meeting between the Perth and Fremantle group and once again I talked and shared the stories and horrors of offshore and onshore detention. That same week I did a “Music Talks” event at  St John’s Anglican Church in Fremantle. We had a small intimate audience on the eve of the election but every person there was deeply moved by what they saw and heard. I was able to also show some bits of the documentary and my friend from Manus also joined us and spoke to those present. It was very moving and the overriding reaction is shock and disbelief. People want to know “how did this happen”, “why didn’t we know” etc. I know many of you will say well they should know there is enough information. However, I actually believe that there has been a very clever cover up by the government (both parties) to make sure the people of Australia don’t get to know the full truth of what we have done to people in detention. So my journey continues to raise awareness to the best of my ability because………”I can’t close my eyes to the pain”……

Each time I do a church event I can’t help but wonder where they have been on this issue. I know that churches don’t want to get involved in politics but they have a level of responsibility to hold those in charge accountable and this is about human rights and it’s about doing “what is right”. What would Jesus have done? I am not even religious but I am pretty sure he would have stormed the buildings with much anger and demand to know why were they not choosing the way of the lord. There are many verses in the bible that talk about welcoming the stranger, yet we have gotten caught up thinking we will loose something if we welcome “too many” to the beautiful place we call home which is not even ours to give. This is just my observation and I am not just talking about churches when I make that comment. I could go on and on but I am pretty sure that all those who read this will be thinking along the same lines which gives me a level of hope.  We have to all speak out more though and do more for those who don’t have a voice especially if we come from the privileged group (white Anglo Saxon) because we have benefited from all those who don’t hold the same privilege that we have enjoyed for so long now.

Nannup

Nannup was a beautiful weekend and unfortunately I didn’t get any photos but I do have the screen shots from the program just to as evidence that I was there lol…. Although I went on my own I did bump into a few friends when I was there and Bill who lives in Nannup took this little snippet of me at playing. https://www.facebook.com/100017903255822/videos/783414752265293. As always it was amazing to be involved in such an incredible hub of music and incredible artists. 

I did 2 gigs and a workshop. The workshop was based on one of my “Music Talks” events and it was great to do one in the Festival environment.

Thanks to Phaedra Watts and her incredible team who always do an amazing job of bringing the whole festival together every year. This year had extra complications with all the COVID safe requirements but they did it again in their usual professional manner.

I have a few weeks off now and I am off to Sydney for a week on 4th April…just for fun. Adios folks !!

 

 

 

Gigs

Wecome 2021

January 7, 2021 0 Comments

Phew!! At last the New Year is here !!

Wow! What a year it was and in all honesty I really don’t know what the next 12 mths holds for me personally and musically. However, I do know that I will continue to make music, play music, sing my songs and fight for human rights. They are all one…..creativity is what gives me purpose and asking the difficult questions is what I do best, and I guess I thrive on the challenges that all of that brings.

Musical Shenanigans

The past few weeks I have been playing at a variety of venues and the most recent gig was at Gypsy Tapas House in Fremantle. It’s a great venue and they have delicious food there and they are passionate about original music. So they tick all the boxes but there is a downside and that is that they don’t pay their musicians. You do get a meal and free drinks and the PA is supplied but playing music for 2 hours and not getting paid is quite a big downer. I am not sure what is going to happen in the music industry and I do remember being warned on many occasions that getting paid in Perth was not easy. I haven’t approached enough venues yet to see if that is true but I have played at a few recently and the top dollar so far was $150 for 2 hours which is still below the recommended rate of $100 per hour of playing time. If you have spent years learning songs and are practising most days and you turn up an hour early to set up it turns out to be not a huge amount of money per gig. However, I won’t let little problems like that get in the way of things lol.

Recording

I decided to get back into recording and now that I am in Fremantle I have to find someone to record with. I was going to go through someone I know in Kalamunda which is a bit of a hike but then Tony King (who I usually record with) recommended David Hymans who lives just up the road, so it was perfect. He’s a great artist and has a recording studio and recently produced an album for Bernard Carney called Feathers and Tributes.  It’s not easy finding the right person because you need to feel comfortable with them and I need to also know that they are going to compliment what I do as a folk singer songwriter. There are many great producers around but it was nice to know that David was right here in Freo. We put down the first track a few weeks ago and we will have a go at getting the song finished next week. I will keep you posted on that one.

Denmark Arts Markets

January 23rd at 10am I am playing a the Denmark Arts Markets. I am so looking forward to going back down to my favourite place on earth. I love the big stage of the Denmark Arts Markets, the sound is always awesome and it’s such a buzz, although being ready for 10am could be a bit of challenge for me lol. Next up I will be preparing for Nannup!!

“Music Talks” Events

I have also decided to get stuck into more music talks events. The refugees that were medivaced here in 2019 are still stuck in hotels and detention centres. They are sick and it is very obvious now that the government is keeping them there out of spite, because they lost the medivac legislation that brought them here. It’s disgusting, punitive and arbitrary and I am ashamed to live in a nation that claims to be a member of the UN and yet carries out gross abuse of human rights on the most vulnerable people in the world. I have already phoned lots of community groups and churches and have a few bookings so looking forward to that in coming months.  Here is the bio that I have been sending to the groups to give them an understanding of what I have been doing the past 3 or so years. If you are in the Perth region or anywhere in WA for that matter and you want me to come to your community to do a “Music Talks” event please contact me dawnbarringtonmusic@gmail.com. I have had a fantastic response at every single event that I have done. I do it all voluntarily and it is purely to raise awareness through song and spoken word. 

 

Activism, Denmark Gigs, Festival, Gigs, Photos, Recording, Refugees, Song writing

Summer’s Here!

November 8, 2020 0 Comments

It’s been a while but I think I have good reason to be in “tools down”  mode recently. It was a big move  from Denmark to Fremantle but things are starting to get more settled now. 

I’ve been having a bit of fun busking and doing a few open mics and a couple of gigs too. I have found myself a music partner Jason Johns and we are now busy getting some songs together to go out and do regular cafe/event/pub style gigs. Jason sings and plays great guitar and also writes his own songs so we have a few plans to get originals on our set list too. If you are a musician that is staying in the same city for a period of time you have to do gigs that are mainly covers. There are some venues that do accept originals or even prefer original music, but on the whole, if you want to earn money to try and make a living you have to do mainly covers. I have been lucky enough in the past 6+ years to do a lot of original music performances and earn money but that is because I was touring, so I was able to seek out the venues that are happy to have original artists or actually prefer original music. 

Nannup Festival 2021

I am very pleased to announce that I will be playing at Nannup in Feb-Mar 2021.  This is is going to be great. We are not sure yet what format it will take but at present it is will be a COVID safe event with reduced numbers, however, that could change.  Watch this space. There might be an opening to sell more tickets soon, at present they are already sold out.

I will be doing a couple of “Manus Music talks” workshops at Nannup as well which I am very excited about.  It’s been a while since my last festival gig but they are my favourite because it’s a place where the whole weekend is music, music, music and meeting lots of other artists.

Two Up

Jason and I are Two Up and we did our first paid gig at the Carriage Coffee Shop in Fremantle today.  We have been busy doing open mics to get our songs practiced and we are working towards 2 and 3 hr sets for the summer time. I have not managed to get any recording done this year which is a bit disappointing but Covid had an impact on my best made plans and then finances became a problem too. However, I am keen to record again soon and I am sure I will get the opportunity . Thanks again everyone for following my journey and for your support in what I do. It really is amazing to have so many interested in my musical shenanigans, you are the ones that inspire me to keep going even when the chips are down sometimes.

Festival, Gigs, Photos, Recording

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