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Now approaching its fifth year, the annual Australian Music Week will return to the sunny shores of Cronulla this November (6th-10th), with 150+ acts and a horde of industry heavyweights poised to celebrate and dissect the Aussie music industry.
Boasting a five-day programme of live showcases, panels and masterclass workshops, Australian Music Week comes armed as a non-genre specific music event for music lovers and tastemakers alike, with this year's event also featuring a keynote from American music industry legend, podcast and author Bob Lefsetz who boasts followers including Steven Tyler, Drake and Deadmau5 as well as a passionate take on the music industry's state of play and current issues.
With over 150 acts from every corner of the musical realm lined up to take over Cronulla's local venues, there's something for everyone at this year's event. And in the lead-up to AMW kicking off, The Soundcheck's throwing down a little "getting to know you" feature with some of the incredible bands ready to rock and/or roll for the 2019 edition - and today we've got divine singersongwriter Katie Brianna talking Aussie music, goals and more...
WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO APPLY TO SHOWCASE AT AUSTRALIAN MUSIC WEEK? AND HOW KEEN ARE YOU TO JUMP ONSTAGE FOR THE SHOWCASES?
KATIE BRIANNA: It'll be fun. I was meant to play before but I think I was sick. I'm looking forward to playing a showcase with all my friends!
TELL US A BIT MORE ABOUT YOU/YOUR BAND – WHAT’S THE “TOO LONG, DIDN’T READ” VERSION OF HOW YOU STARTED PLAYING MUSIC?
KATIE: I used to be the dork who sang in the school choir and played clarinet in the band - I don't think it's dorky now of course. I wish I could still play the clarinet and I'd love to be in a choir! Anyway, two things kinda happened at once.. actually 3. I started high school and in class we were learning the guitar. There was a girl called Faith who could play and sing like a bird, I wanted to do that too. Then my sister brought home an album by Kasey Chambers and I was introduced to this whole new genre of music and became pretty obsessed. The other was that I was a moody tween writing sad poetry, it was easy to move onto songwriting from there. The rest they say…
FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE, WHY ARE EVENTS LIKE AUSTRALIAN MUSIC WEEK SO IMPORTANT TO THE AUSSIE MUSIC INDUSTRY?
KATIE: It’s great to get the family together. We can learn so much from each other, and it gives those people with a wealth of knowledge and experience a chance to share that on a larger scale with those of us who need it. Networking is funny word, but it is always nice to meet new people.
AND WHAT’S YOUR ULTIMATE GOAL FOR YOURSELF IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY? AND DO YOU FEEL LIKE THERE ARE ENOUGH OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE TO ACHIEVE THAT DREAM?
KATIE: Of course I want to be successful, and I know that success looks different for everyone. For me I think it would be having a sustainable career, and by that I mean being able to sustain both my career and my personal life financially. A girl can dream. It might mean spending quite a bit more time overseas, simply because we don’t have the population in this country to support the amount of talent we’re producing.
WILL YOU BE HITTING UP SOME OF THE CONFERENCES THIS YEAR AT AMW? WHICH ONE/ONES ARE YOU MOST KEEN FOR?
KATIE: I hope so! There’s always a lot to learn. I’m going to have to look at the schedule but I’m really hoping to get to the screening of my friend Jeremy Dylan’s doco about Tommy Emmanuel – The Endless Road.
WHO IS YOUR CURRENT FAVOURITE AUSTRALIAN BAND/ARTIST?
KATIE: Ben Leece. Come to our showcase to find out why.
AND FINALLY – WHAT’S ONE LITTLE KNOWN FACT ABOUT YOU OR YOUR BAND THAT YOU’RE WILLING TO SHARE WITH US TODAY?
KATIE: I’m not a tattletale.
KATIE BRIANNA WILL BE SHOWCASING AT THIS YEAR'S AUSTRALIAN MUSIC WEEK, MORE INFO BELOW:
KATIE BRIANNA - AUSTRALIAN MUSIC WEEK SHOWCASE
FRIDAY NOV 8 at Croydon Lane w/ Sam Shinazzi, Georgia State Line, Peta Caswell & The Lost Cause, Ben Leece & Left of the Dial, Lachlan Bryan & The Wildes and JD and The Hunger Men
BOOTS (KATIE BRIANNA)
FOR MORE KATIE BRIANNA INFO HEAD HERE,
AND FOR ALL THINGS AUSTRALIAN MUSIC WEEK, HEAD HERE.
BY TIANA SPETER