within the music

Meet The Real Songwriter's Of Melbourne 

On cold and wet Sunday afternoon, struggling to find parking due to a dog show, I made my way to Fitzroy's The Workers Club for a great musical cause. I had been invited by my new friend Jena Marino to attend her event with the intention that I would write about it. This opportunity I couldn't miss, even taking work off to be present. I have been following Jena's initiative 'The Real Songwriters Of Melbourne' (RSOM) for sometime now and absolutely love the work they are doing. Described by  its Founder and Editor Jena as “a Melbourne music initiative designed to give artists the opportunity to share their story and their music. Whether it be a feature profile on our website, an episode on our web series Real Songwriters TV, or in one of our live shows called Real Songwriters Live, RSOM always puts the best interests of the musicians at heart.”

Melbourne is a musical city, with music gigs running every night. Giving a backbone to the countless new acts trying to share their music to the masses. We are basically spoilt for choice. However those not selling out venues such as Festival Hall or Margaret Court Arena, have to try to convince crowds to leave Netflix and come down to support live music. This is the one of the biggest challenge that independent acts can have. But with the support of such initiative as  RSOM, acts can have a platform to showcase their talents and touch a wider audience that embraces music at it's core. Platforms like this help spread the word that there is so much music out there to be discovered if you can be bothered to look for it. RSOM shares the same main goals that I try to portray with this blog. It is so important that we support our local music scene, go out to the little pubs and bars, and experience the untapped talent.

So on this semi stormy afternoon at The Workers Club, I was out in full music mode. I was excited that I would be on the door list and was ready to take it all in. I had listened to a few songs of each of the 3 bands playing, so I had a vibe already. But an act can be so different live, so had my ears peeled. The turn out was minimal, as a Sunday arvo is a hard time to sell and the weather didn't help.The Workers Club isn't exactly Wembley Stadium, so there was enough of a supportive crowd to give the acts some loving. It was nice actually, it had a chilled atmosphere. The idea of the night was to be a showcase, featuring acts that have worked with RSOM. They were all different in their styles, so there was plenty of variety.

Photo by Andy Matsinos

Mo Louie was first to take the stage with her fiery red locks. A big voice, which is evenly matched by her big personality. She reminded me of Adele, not the voice or looks, but the way she sings all proper and serious but between songs is kinda awkward and playful. To the point of missing her cue, due to forgetting the words to her own song that she wrote all the lyrics to. For me it just adds to the experience, you get to be wowed by the voice and get a free giggle here and there. Mo Louie smashes out a range of Jazz/Soul pop songs with lots of power, a real treat. Her cover of Chet Faker's 'To Me' was a nice touch and gave me a chance to sing along, as I didn't know the words to her other beauties. She finished her set off with a tribute to someone she was close to, who had just past away overseas. Making all my hairs stand up. I love Mo Louie's style, going in and out of classic styles but still keeping it current. I only wish she had a full band to build her songs up, giving it more power

Photo by Thomas Overend (Worth A Shot Productions) 

New to Melbourne, Connor Ross brought his guitar and loop pedal to the stage and a presence that was graceful. Starting off with a few soft folky songs with a blues twist, Ross then used his loop to create a new edge to his music. Stating that if he taps his guitar, making a drum sound and loops it, he doesn't have to pay for a drummer. Ross's voice is strong and his songwriting is clever. Singing about moving to new cities and his time back home by the country and ocean. I love  Connor Ross's style, he is warm and inviting, offering his stories   with a influences of Jazz and Blues. Perfect for a rainy day to warm your soul.

Photo by Bri Hammond 

And just when you thought it couldn't get any better, on came Napier with so much sass! Bringing back that 60's rock n roll groove, Napier brought it home with plenty of energy and the crowd ate it all up.  The  lead singers style and swag reminded me of Johnny Cash, so when they did a Cash cover I thought I was teleported back in time. But his voice was a stand out, similar to Jordi Davidson's voice from San Cisco but with an added growl and guts when he needed to shout it out. As a band they work really well together and you can tell they love preforming live, bringing so much rock n roll to the table but still creating catchy radio ready songs. I was really impressed with these lads and can't wait to see where they go in the future.

Jena and her team should be extremely proud of their work with promoting local bands. They are giving them a platform where they can get discovered by music lovers that they might not be able to reach from their own social media platforms. RSOM cares about their work and I hope that they keep going with their amazing work, as it's so important. Look forward to seeing where each band and RSOM go in the future.