Nik Hamby

There wasn't much marching in March. There were lots of medical appointments as the Doc is taking some time off.  Six months of my stuff has been crammed into two months. I also had some skin cancer issues and more work trauma. Music creation dropped off but I have focused on revisiting some favourites from the 70s and 80s. Playing these older songs is refreshing and I even played one at Banshees. During the past couple of months I’ve dropped a few of my songs with some online radio stations. My latest songs “In Your Arms",  "Till It’s Gone and "You Always Said I Love You” have been regulars over that time and seemed to be regulars in a couple of their shows.  I'm looking at doing some production through April ...

Back in January I had an idea for a project.  I wanted to create a video of me actually writing a song - showing my writing process.  (An example of one process for one song, because I use lots of different processes when writing). I started recording on 16 January.  At that stage I had two chords and not much else.  A few days later, when walking my dog, I flipped those two chords.  The chord change was a key pivot point.  A totally different song started to emerge. A few more days passed.  I was sitting in a carpark, waiting for my wife to have her chiro appointment, and a line came to me. That line was "fall in fantasy" even though there's nothing special about the carpark! Nearly a week later, I played the song during an online critique session.  I received great feedback.  There were suggestions of the bridge needing work though, which was a feeling I'd also had. I continued writing. The song was finished on 2 Februar...

I attended the Ipswich Art Awards in November and was inspired by the musical band playing. The music downstairs and the art displayed upstairs were so separated though - and felt at odds to each other.  After that night, I suggested that I could do some music for the opening of ArtsConnect's "Off the Wall" exhibition in the Ipswich Community Gallery.  "Off the Wall" ran from 12 to 21 December.  Over 40 local Ipswich-based artists and craftspeople showcased their work. The exhibition included paintings, woodwork, glass artworks, photography, mixed-media and craft works. Almost all artworks were for sale, including work by award winning artists. I put together some music that I thought would be in sync with the art. I chose some easy jazz/blues/funk backing tracks that I could improvise around, using my guitar playing to change the dynamics of the music during the opening event. The attendees were very encouraging and the project was a great afternoon.  I subsequ...

Photo Credit:  Naomi Nichols Back in August I took part in a master-class for the Brisbane Lord Mayor's Seniors Spectacular cabaret - and was then chosen to perform at a showcase event in September.  I'd played "The Magician" for the master class, expecting to select a different song for the actual performance but that's not how things worked out. We were up early on the day to get to the venue for pre-show sound checks. There's a lot going on at the moment, so I was a bit concerned I'd struggle doing the performance but all went off quite well - and I received some excellent feedback afterwards (for the song and my outfit)! What else has been happening? I wrote a love song in August, which I released on 29 September.  Have a listen at the link below - it's getting some good engagement. There's fantastic news to finish off the month.  I entered eight songs in the Australian Songwriting Competition earlier this year. I woke to lots of emails yesterd...

Photo Credit:   I Heart Songwriting Club (used with permission) July began just like many other months but a change was coming. I did a couple of open mics at Banshees, where there was an easy feel through my songs and a new level of encouragement. Highlight of the month was being accepted to attend the I Heart Songwriting Club / Wild Mountain Songs Retreat, held on the edge of the Border Ranges National Park .  What an amazing experience!  I was one of nine songwriters in attendance.  During the weekend I collaborated with six of those other attendees, writing five different full songs.  I threw myself into the projects - supporting the other writers with music and lyrics.  We created some awesome songs together.  It was a special way to celebrate another birthday and such a beautiful space to spend time.  There was a koala outside my window one night, glow worms beside the road each evening ... and I saw a mini glider.  All the food ...

It was pretty hectic through June, with lots happening behind the scenes.  It's been good.   I've been working on a few songs - and had an opportunity to put one of my older songs ( "Song Dreaming" from 2020 ) in a US playlist.  As a result of that inclusion, I've had 850 more listeners than what I'd normally have!  It's a fair whack of new people listening to my music!   The entry deadline for the Australian Songwriting Contest was extended.  I entered six songs before the original May deadline and decided to submit an extra two for the new deadline.  The two additions were "Song Dreaming" (contemporary) and "Going Home" (open).