Nik Hamby

February.  What a month, so far!  I started with the night at Kingston Butter Factory, then did another two open mic events at Banshees, which is closer to home.  There was opportunity to do a longer set on the first of those nights - and I sang nine of my songs, including a new one "You Draw Blood".  It's a great song and I had a very positive response to it, so that will be on my release radar very soon - and you'll be able to hear it, too! I decided to enter the Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition this year, for the first time.  It's described as "... one of the world's most prestigious songwriting competitions" with a combined prize pool of AUD$70,000.  The judging panel is comprised of high-profile industry professionals and winners are expected to be announced around the end of June.  Fingers crossed! Over the weekend, I attended an APRA AMCOS (music rights management organisation) seminar, at the QUT campus in Brisbane. There were...

Kingston Butter Factory in Logan runs open mic nights as part of their Arts Development program.  I went along for the first time in February and played a few of my songs.  Rebecca came with me and took some footage of me playing. Clips of those are on my FB page, if you want to have a look. It was a good night with quite a few people taking part, many playing originals.  There was a lot of encouragement.  The audience was very attentive and it always feels good for people to really listen to your songs.  It looks like there is opportunity to put in for more work in that area, in terms of longer sets/proper gigs as well as more open mic nights.  (I'll miss the March open mic but should be able to attend in April).     Steve T from Radio Logan 101FM played a couple of songs and we chatted afterwards.  As a follow-on from that meeting, I'll soon be in contact with a program director to tee up a live-interview and play some songs on-air....

Well, January came and went - quite quickly!  A fair bit happened.  There was no trip to Tamworth but Giving Gigs had a song-writing challenge.  "What matters" was the prompt and I threw in a song, which is up on their FaceBook page if you'd like to have a listen. What's Giving Gigs?  It's a "... wordwide vitural venue with Centre Stage for all to showcase their music ..."  They have live-streaming performances, with member artists doing half-hour (and occasionally one-hour) sets.  I took part in two of their events last May and did another two in January - from my new studio.  (I'll probably post of my DIY studio build soon, cos it's come together really well). I post a link on my Facebook page when I'm going to take part in one of these online gigs.  Of course you can follow Giving Gigs directly and check out lots of other independent artists.  There are recordings of past performances up on YouTube, also.  Enjoy!

I released four singles this year, was a Top 30 finalist in the Australian Song-writing Competition (for “A Dog’s Sadness”) - and had three paid gigs, playing two-hour sets of my originals!  My contract with Musicians for World Peace (for “All We Need to Do is Care”) was renewed for a further three years - and this time Rebecca gets credit as graphic artist (for use of her photo).  I did an interview for a local radio station and might get a write-up in the Ipswich newspaper also. It’s all happening!  Recently I was invited to join a group of professional song-writers. That led to a song being reviewed by an industry rep, who gave encouraging feedback.  I’ve played quite a few open mic events (in Melbourne, Sydney, Dalby as well as locally and online). All good fun!  Now we are home-owners, I’ve been busy building a proper studio downstairs. I’m looking forward to more professional production next year - free of traffic noise and bird calls!  The Tamw...

I recently went down to Sydney for a 40-year high school reunion (the first time I'd attended).  A friend co-ordinates Songs on Stage, providing performance opportunities for songwriters and other musicians. I regularly join the online version of these nights and Russ suggested I get involved in some live events while in Sydney.   We arrived in Hurstville on a Wednesday night and left for Surry Hills soon after. There was an Open Mic night at the Fat Angel and I performed a few songs there. I felt the audience really engage when I spoke about writing "No Place to Go".  It was an awesome night and I thoroughly enjoyed it. In funny co-incidence the Hurstville pub where we stayed was one I used to drink at and I even played there once! On Thursday I was at the Captain Cook Hotel in the Rocks, another Songs on Stage event. This one had a different feel to the Fat Angel. There were a few people accompanying the artists. Timing was an issue because they didn’t know my song...

The TSA-SONGWRITING AWARDS (Australia’s National Country Songwriting Contest) closed at the end of September.  I was encouraged to enter when I read a flyer forwarded to me by email.  There were a number of categories for entries, including a new songwriter section and one for songs about local heroes. Have you written a song with the main subject/theme being to honour some person or Fire Fighters, Ambo, Nurse, Soldier, Volunteers, Drover, Explorer, another songwriter? Then enter that song on the Local Heroes Section. TSA donates half the entry fees of this section to Legacy. When I saw The Local Heroes Section, I thought of "The Greater Prize" song that I wrote earlier this year.  (this one is not yet released but I've played it a few times at Platform 5 and had lots of positive response when I've shared it with online audiences also). I decided to enter a few songs in the TSA Contest. I entered the categories of Local Hero, Country Ballad, and New Songwriter Award...

What an amazing start to the month. I played a double header at Platform 5 on Saturday the 3rd - 12 to 2 pm and then 6 to 8 pm. The lunch-time sets saw all sorts of people rolling in to have a listen.   Even had a walk-by stay for a while.   He was from Townsville and was very complimentary of the songs I played and my performance.  The evening was quieter due to The RiverFire festival in Brisbane. There were still a few listeners enjoying the music and soaking up the atmosphere.  Playing all original works and focussing on melodies and lyrics engages the listeners. So very different to the contemporary music scene.   There are many who try to categorise music but I feel my shows go beyond genre. There is a depth in music when it contains a piece of the writer. It takes on the complexities of the person.  Looking forward to working the magic again when I return to Platform 5 in November!