It supports musicians in the regions of Geelong, Barwon South West and the Bellarine Peninsula early in their career, and who are chosen because their careers can sustain past the funding period.
Young Indigenous musician Yirrmal Marika gets $5000 for a mentoring project with at least five established musicians. Two of these, Neil Murray and Shane Howard, were chosen because of their deep roots to indigenous culture and how they can tap into his songs about the Yolngu people and their land. At least six songs are expected to emerge from the sessions. These will allow Marika to do a full live set, and make an album. This will be sold at his gigs, and online through the Marrma’ Rom – Two Worlds Foundation website. The album will be produced by Craig Pilkington, who is currently mastering Marika’s debut single Sunset Dreaming which was recorded by Carlo Santone of Blue King Brown.
Surf Coast blues boogie band The Murlocs get $4,000 towards finishing off their debut album. The project had to be stopped due to lack of funds although they finished a single in April with producer Paul Maybury (Rocket Science) at A Secret Location Sound Recorders in Fairfield. The reignited sessions will be in a portable studio at Ambrose Kenny-Smith’s family home in Ocean Grove with fellow local musician Stu Mackenzie of King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. It will be mixed and mastered by Mikey Young (Eddy Current Suppression Ring, Total Control) at his Melbourne recording studio and pressed on 12” vinyl in the Czech Republic.
$1,000 funding goes to The Sweethearts. 25 teenage girls who are part of the emerging Melbourne nu-soul movement. They are the subject of a the ABC for a 13-part documentary Heart And Soul which follows them through a year including an European tour which saw them play the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland for the fifth time. The QMF funding will be used towards making a self-written album with the helps of mentors Liam McGorry (Saskwatch) and Jarad Brown (Eagle and the Worm), with the new songs used in the second series of Heart And Soul.
