Welcome to this week’s edition of Musical Musings.
Travis Collins
Since first bursting on to the scene in 2005, Travis Collins has become one of Australian country music’s leading charges, and Shepparton will get to witness his musical magic first-hand at the Goulburn Valley Country Music Festival on April 1, 2023.
“We’ll create as much fun as we can … a few laughs, a couple of loud sing-alongs, but maybe also a lump in your throat and a teary eye to catch you off guard,” Collins explained to me last week when asked what audiences could expect from his upcoming performance.
“I'm about trying to make people feel things and connect to the songs — more importantly, the emotions the songs came from.
“Most of my show is feel-good party vibes, lots of the songs are community and family focused, or about simple life in the country. Most are just a bit of fun, but a couple hit a bit harder at some bigger emotions.
“Songs aside, the band and I are all best of mates — that comes through, and I think people feel that too.”
Collins has been a frequent visitor to our region over the years and considers it one of his favourites.
“There's a real ‘work hard and play harder’ feel to the country fans in this part of Australia,” he says.
“It's ground zero to the crowd I play music for, and about — the clapped-out utes, lifted 4WDs, hunting, fishing and camping crowd that don't dare waste a weekend giving any less than the full send.”
Collins’ songs tend to celebrate Australiana and country Australia, and with him having come from a rural centre, I asked whether it played a part in why his music spoke with a genuine authenticity, and whether if he had come from the city, the songs would have had a lesser connection with country audiences.
“I can't really speak to whether or not living in the country makes my music any more connectible than an artist from a city,” he says.
“Maybe it comes through in certain lingo, or mannerism, but I don't know.
“I try not to think too much about that stuff and just focus on whether or not my songs are speaking for themselves and being a true reflection of what they're meant to be reflecting.”
Hush
A few columns back in my Fun Fact, I mentioned 70s glam rockers Hush having performed a show in Shepparton during the group’s halcyon days of the 1970s. Hush were regulars to our region back then, and I recently tracked down Hush guitarist Les Gock, who nowadays performs with his Get Rocked group, which also includes Hush bassist Rick Lum, to share some memories of those Shepparton tours.
Gock affirmed the iconic Australian TV show Countdown was largely responsible for opening the opportunities for Australian artists to tour regional centres.
“One of the benefits of Countdown being on the ABC was that it went everywhere, right throughout the country and particularly in country towns,” he says.
“And because of that, we got to play to people who probably hadn't seen a rock band for quite a while.
“What Countdown did was open for us and others to be able to go to regional centres and put on big shows.
“It was a wonderful time for everybody, especially for the audience to be able to see all these bands coming through.
“In fact, bands like ourselves and Sherbet were the early pioneers of touring country areas and that was quickly followed by others soon after.
“One of my main memories of Shepparton was that we did this radio interview and the DJ at the time was a guy called Ian Grace who went on to rule the world in radio.
“He was involved in the start-up of the Triple Ms and that whole thing and was a big supporter of us and still friends of ours.
“And he started his career in Shepparton!”
Having achieved his rock star dreams, what advice would Gock offer a young musician today?
“Firstly, learn to play your instrument,” he says.
“We had to learn everything we had to learn on the road, every night playing in front of people and just honing whatever skills we had.
“There is no fast and easy way around it.
“Play all the time, play in front as many people as you possibly can, and if you get any good at all, you will be discovered, there is no doubt about it.”
Fun Fact
Did you know legendary singer Roy Orbison performed his only ever shows in Shepparton in the early 1970s at the GV Hotel's Cabaret Room? Orbison performed two shows; a lunch time show and an evening show. Local band Kevin Walsh and the Trend Sect were the support act for the early show and recall Orbison turning up in a Rolls-Royce, walking straight on to the stage, performing an 18-song set, then walking off and back into his Rolls — and he never spoke a single word to anyone during the whole time!
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Until next time, keep rockin’!