Tag Archive: passion

Dawn Barrington > passion

WELL THAT WAS FUN!!

December 11, 2024 0 Comments

Photo credit: Adrian Athans


“What you may ask, there’s been nothing posted here for 18 mths”.  “I know I can’t believe it too”. I did my last proper gig in March of 2024, 6 months after I arrived in Melbourne, then didn’t book another. I am not quite sure why but I think I just needed a break to recapture myself.
I also needed to settle into my new home. July of this year I started writing a blog entry because I had decided to get back into it all but after a few open mics the fizz fizzled away. 

So, after taking time to withdraw, consolidate and recuperate I have started to get my mojo back. I heard that Leonard Cohen retired to a Buddhist Monastery for 9 yrs then came back with great gusto. I didn’t quite do the monastery thing lol, quite the contrary actually. I have spent the past 18 months, enjoying Melbourne and all it has to offer, including great friends, places to visit and the list goes on and on. I also have been back to Perth to visit my daughter twice a year and then there was my overseas trip to visit family in the UK and Sweden, so not exactly doing nothing.

So I have started to get into songwriting again and I have played at a few open mics and recently I did a couple of songs at a songwriters night at the Nighthawk Bar in Collingwood. It was a great night and really good to get on a stage with great sound and a listening audience. Here’s a clip of me singing a new song “Home”

https://www.youtube.com/@dawnbarringtonmusic/shorts

Back in July I played at a bar called the Ringo Barr, in Brunswick, Melbourne. it was a great vibe and we had a lot of fun there. Here’s a few shorts of me singing “In My Name“

The other news is that I have found a bass player which is very exciting. He’s motivated, loves playing my originals and plays brilliantly, can sing and is really easy to get along with and we have a lot fun. We will be getting a set together over the next few months to go out and perform which is very exciting. Well thats it from me for now but there is going to be a lot more to come in the new year. So wishing you all an amazing festive season and New Year folks!

Gigs, Melbourne, Photos, Song writing, Videos

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It’s February 2023!!!

February 9, 2023 0 Comments

I know it’s crazy but we are already into the 2nd month of the year and still the sun hides behind the clouds here in downtown Melbourne 😅 and the thermometer is stuck in the mid 20º section. I am sure that will change but I have been told “you’re in Melbourne now” 🥳 ….. yeah they almost have a smile of glee when of reminding me of that point.🤪 But guess what? I LOVE IT ❤️ all of it.

MOE

I have been so busy since arriving late September last year. Moe RSL was great fun. The lovely Alan Edwards from the Musicial Australiana show on  Gippsland FM was kind enough to organise a radio interview then a gig at the Moe RSL. It was the end of year Christmas gig so it went down a real treat. I even won the raffle which was a washing basket filled to the brim with Christmas goodies that I am still ploughing through. 😍

CERES

Sunday 14th January I had a lovely surprise at the CERES Organic Market and Bakery, what an amazing little hub of activity. It was lovely to see so many familiar faces too. I played 2 hours of original songs about all the things closest to my heart and what an amazing attentive audience. ❤️

Here’s a little clip of me singing one of my favourite songs Women of War.

BAR 303

Then last week I was invited by Peter Vadiveloo, Cate Taylor and Phil Hudson and the Grand Kompanions to play a few songs at their gig at Bar 303 in Northcote. It was such a great night of original music and so lovely to share it with other great musicians who are passionate about the same things as I am.

Hopefully I will be able to do more gigs like that in the future. There are so many more opportunities here in Melbourne to connect with like minded people who are seeking the same in their musical and artistic adventures.

 

 

 

Upcoming!

 

HUMPH HALL IS NEXT!

I am really excited about this one! The last time I was at Humph Hall was February 2017 which was before I even started writing songs that reflected my 6 years of involvement in refugee advocacy and activism. It was even before my first trip to Manus. I am incredibly excited also because Susie Bishop, who is an extremely talented violinist amongst other things, is going to join me. I connected with Susie through the advocacy network, she too was doing all she could to support the refugees who had been medivaced here and locked up in hotels and detention centres across Australia for years. From the first time we spoke on the phone I knew she was from my tribe and even better still she is a musician too. The Sunloungers will also be playing on that evening, I played with them the last time I was there and we had a lot of fun. We will probably play a few songs together at the end of the evening like last time which was a huge amount of fun.

March 5th I will be playing at the Thornbury local solo. It’s a venue that supports original music so looking forward to playing a heap of my own songs there. I also have a new side project. 🤪 I have joined a band and we are playing a bunch of fun covers and I am having such a blast! More of that to come next time folks. Enjoy what life has to offer and see you soon. ❤️

Spotify    Bandcamp   Youtube

Activism, Gigs, Melbourne, Photos, Refugees, Song writing, Sydney

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Final words for 2022

December 14, 2022 0 Comments

Upcoming Gigs!

I hope you are all well and enjoying the final few weeks of the year. I have well and truly got myself settled into life in Melbourne and I love it!! It’s December 15th 9am in the morning and the temperature is 13C outside with much rain falling from the sky …..no no I am not complaining but ….does the sun actually ever come out here 😂 😂 😂 

Jokes aside the gigs are starting to happen with the first one being just over a week away at the Moe RSL which is a town in the Latrobe Valley just an hour and half South East of Melbourne. This gig was secured by radio presenter friend Alan Edwards from the Music Australiana show at Gippsland fm 104.7. who has been a playing my tracks on his show for a number of years now. So it was a lovely surprise when he asked if I would come on the show and then play at the RSL that week too. There are so many more places to play here and even though I have been slow of the block I am starting to find the venues that are most suited to my style of music. I will be playing at the CERES Organic Markets & Bakery on Sunday 14th January which I am very excited about. 10.30 am is the start time so please come down for a coffee, cake and some groceries. I am assuming it’s going to be a bit warmer by then 😂 😂 😂 although not counting on it 😂

Me at Humph Hall in 2017

My next stop is Sydney in February I will be playing at Humph Hall in Allambie Heights. The last time I played there was April 2017!! I can’t believe that much time has passed already!!  Then March is when I will be playing a 2 hour set at The Thornbury Local on Sunday, March 5th and you can see all the times and dates on my “upcoming gigs” page right here or just follow me on Facebook or instagram. I am currently spending my time getting familiar with Melbourne and checking out that venues that support original live music.  I am keen to find a few band members to form a duo or trio while here in Melbourne so if you have any friends who you think will be interested please send them to me. I am in Parkville currently but looking to secure accommodation in Brunswick long term. 

Wishing you all the best for the holiday season and the New Year and I look forward to sharing more shenanigans in the New Year. 

 

 

Airplay, Gigs, Melbourne, Photos

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NEW RELEASE “He’s My Brother”

December 13, 2021 4 Comments

It’s here my new release “He’s My Brother” recorded at Soundbaker studio by Rob Agostini. I am absolutely delighted with the results and you can download it from Bandcamp or stream it on spotify. Also please subscribe to my Youtube page.

It’s my first release since moving up to the big smoke last year. I have been a bit reticent about going through the recording process since moving to Perth because I wanted to find the right person for the job. I was spoilt in Denmark for 9 years where I had the privilege of working with Tony King and other amazing local musicians in my home studio. Al Smith from Bergerk studio would come down to Denmark WA for the weekend and we would spend the whole time recording, it was fluid, spontaneous and so much fun. When you step into the studio you need to be with people that you can trust with your creation. However, us creatives who fall into the category of musician and songwriters all have our own ideas about what we want to achieve and of course there is the ego to deal with too. I always found my time in the studio, supportive, inspiring and extremely productive so of course I wanted to find the same for my new work. I was fortunate to find Rob Agostini who is an incredible musician, technician and producer and all round nice guy who really does know how to listen.

We worked in the studio for  2 half days and here are the results:

“He’s My Brother” was written quite spontaneously, while spending time observing the daily suffering of one of the refugees who stayed with me for a short time. He was detained on Manus Island Papua New Guinea for 6 years and then medivaced here to Australia where he was locked up for a further 2 years in a hotel in Brisbane with 120 others. He came to stay with me to gain his feet and get some support to live in the world again. I was shocked at the suffering that he had personally experienced and at that he had witnessed, all in the hands of the Australian Government. The Government that I put faith in each day to live a “free” and “democratic life” and to do the right by us and others.  The grace and gratitude that he showed me was humbling and I felt compelled to document that experience hence the creation of “He’s My Brother” (Thank you Ahmad).

What’s Next?

What is next? Well I do have another single to release early next year and I am currently writing a grant to record an EP next year. Grants are a long process and it takes a huge amount of energy to find the right information to put forward. It’s kind of a creative process because you have to think outside the box and come up with creative ideas but it’s also very left brain, logical, sequential jumping through hoops kind of pull your hair out stuff to. It doesn’t seem fair that we have to go through such a process and I always think about those who maybe have an incredible amount of creativity and enthusiasm but just don’t have the grant writing acumen. Anyway I will do my best and let’s see what happens. I want to go back to Soundbaker studio and I have a couple of amazing musicians friends lined up to join me and some great ideas brewing so I will keep you posted on that.

Next Year!

Next year I am hoping to start touring again but I am not sure when but I will definitely keep you all posted. It might be later in the year but I might do a quick visit in the first quarter. It’s all dependent on whether or not I get the grant. If I don’t get it I will organise a tour earlier but if I do it will probably be later. I am so keen to get back over East to play music again but it’s all a bit difficult at the moment and almost impossible to plan anything so a little more patience is required.

I am keeping this update short and sweet this time so wishing you all an amazing seasonal break and lots of beautiful moments with family and friends and keep safe. See you in the NEW YEAR!

 

Activism, Airplay, Recording, Refugees, Song writing, Streaming, Videos

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2021 Final Quarter

October 9, 2021 2 Comments

Women in Music Mentee and Mentorship announced

Hi there folks I hope you are all going well wherever you may be located across the planet. I have been incredibly busy as usual and I have made a lot of headway into making new connections up here in the big smoke for future musical endeavours.

I mentioned to you last month about the incredible opportunity that I had been offered by Australian Independent Record Label with their Women in Music mentor mentee program. Last month my mentor was revealed to me and we have already had our first Skype meeting. Angie Hart was selected to be my mentor for 6 months, which was so exciting to hear. Angie’s band Frente had a huge amount of success in the early 90s, but Angie didn’t stop there she has since released 3 albums and is currently working on her fourth. For me it was important to be connected to a female artist because I wanted to be able to identify with her journey as a woman in the Music Industry.

The whole purpose of the program is to empower women in the music industry. It’s a great program and I really enjoyed our first meeting. We talked about music, and about being a woman in the industry and many other aspects of being in an industry that is at times not the easiest to navigate. However, Angie also expressed how far we had come since she started out so that was good to hear too.

Recording

I have almost finished the song that I was recording with David Hyams and I am very happy with the results so far. Just a few more tweaks here and there then I can work on a release date.

However, I have also been recording with Rob Agostini at SoundBaker Studio. I had another song that needed to be recorded and with David being such a busy man I sought out another option.

I am super happy to have found Rob and his set up is amazing. The song is called “He’s My Brother” and it’s a very special song and quite different to my usual format but I am soooo excited about it and can’t wait to release it. 

We spent two full four hour sessions in the studio to lay down the tracks. Rob was an absolute pleasure to work with, he got a great sense of what I was trying to achieve  and came up with some awesome ideas.

I am going to work on a video and the release date will be announced very soon.

I have also been busy going out and meeting other muso’s and doing a few open mics. I have a few gigs lined this month, one with the Jackadders Music Club where I will be playing a set alongside Jim McGuire and the other one is at a CARAD fundraising event at the Wesley Church in Perth city. I will be doing a short set and there will be some other great acts playing like The West Australian Charity Orchestra (WACO Players).  See all details below and please come along if you are in Perth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gigs

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