Musicians from the country are combining forces and travelling across NSW to perform in the towns they grew up in with the aim of inspiring the next generation of regional performers.
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Hometowns has brought together over 20 artists for the 10-date tour, including an all-ages gig near Bermagui, and is partly being organised by Cody Munro Moore, who grew up near Cobargo.
"The good thing is it explains itself in one word," he said.
Hometowns
- Featuring Big White, Greenwave Beth, Poison Abbey, Nick Griffith and Stella McMahon
- Saturday, November 16 from 6.30pm
- Murrah Hall
- Tickets $15
"So many other ideas get a little bit lost in the explanation of what they are!"
The line-up for the show at the Murrah near Bermagui includes the quasi-experimental pop electronic act Greenwave Beth, upbeat Italian disco Poison Abbey, 16-year-old local Stella McMahon, singer-songwriter Nick Griffith and new wave guitar pop band Big White.
At least one member of each of the bands has grown up in a regional area, including Big White which features Moore as a co-singer and guitarist as well as Far South Coast local Jack Wotton.
Moore said when they started to look for artists to fill the line-up for Hometowns they found a lot of people who participate in music and culture in Sydney were from rural areas themselves.
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"Maybe they've lived in Sydney for five years, but they have had experiences of growing up in rural areas, wanting to go to a show and knowing the difference going to shows can make on your life," the 28-year-old said.
"I wouldn't generalise, but to some degree a lot of the artists who have fresh, new ideas grew up outside Sydney.
"People put themselves out there a lot for their art to be seen.
"It's different to those who grew up in Sydney, who have their own struggles to go through, but it can be good to come from a different place as you have a different perspective."
The participating musicians will be running workshops at several schools while on tour, including at Narooma, to give teenagers interested in the music industry an idea of what to expect and to answer any of their questions.
"It means a lot, when you grew up in the country, to feel like people care about you," Moore said.
"We're going to connect with as many young people as possible so they can see musicians who normally wouldn't come to these areas."
As for Big White, life is good.
They have released a new EP titled Heaven's Unlikely and are hoping to begin recording their third album in a Thredbo farmhouse while on the Hometowns tour.
Hometowns will be on Saturday, November 16 from 6.30pm at the Murrah Hall, 2989 Tathra-Bermagui Rd, Murrah.
There will be food and DJs will be playing music between the musicians' sets to keep the vibe going through the night.
It is an all-ages event. Tickets are $15.
For more information and to buy tickets click here.