The Central Coast Acoustic Songwriter Sessions will return to The Entrance Lake House this year with the first event to take place on February 23.
The session will feature Kylie Gale, Jane Germain and Luke Wilton (known as Mighty Thin Stew) in an intimate singer/songwriter night highlighting local artists.
Songwriter sessions are curated by Michelle Murrell and Meagan Jane, two local musicians passionate about showcasing the wealth of talent on the Central Coast and in surrounding areas, and feature original compositions and the narratives that inspired them.
“We’re thrilled to bring back the Central Coast Acoustic Songwriter Sessions,” Murrell said.
“It’s a chance for our local musicians to shine and for the community to come together and enjoy live, original music.”
Jane said there was something truly special about hearing songwriters share their stories through music.
“We invite everyone to join us for an unforgettable night of talent and connection,” she said.
Kylie Gale began singing as a teenager and released her debut single Push Back in August 2019.
It reached number three on the Country iTunes charts and number one on the AMRAP regional chart and she has released two more singles – the most recent, Upside Down, was released in February 2021 and reached number one on the AMRAP regional chart.
Now married with four children, Gale said country music was always her chosen genre, stemming from growing up in Coonamble in regional NSW and being raised on a healthy diet of Slim Dusty, Tex Morton and other country classics.
“Dad used to play his tapes and I like all sorts of music, but I feel like country is where I sit,” she said.
Graduating from the 2019 CMAA Academy of Country Music senior course in Tamworth and attending the prestigious DAG Songwriters Retreat the same year spurred the Lake Macquarie singer-songwriter on to record her debut single followed by her debut EP in July 2021.
“I’d been writing for about six years, but never thought I’d record the songs,” she said.
“I always wanted to, but I never had the confidence or know-how to do it.
“I now feel like I have more of an opportunity to talk to people and reach out through my music.”
Jane Germain’s musical journey has taken her from her hometown Sydney to Western Australia, Tasmania and all the way back to her Chinese heritage.
She’s played everything from folk to funk, blues to bluegrass, rock to roots in a career that’s seen her win five WA Music Awards and one Tasmanian Songwriting Award.
She participated in WA Arts-funded headline tours of regional WA, was awarded a residency in Beijing by the Australia–China Council and was invited to represent Australia at the 2010 World Expo in China.
Germain has recorded six albums and is in high demand as a session player on other projects.
She plays guitar and clawhammer banjo, swapping instruments for different songs.
Her song Listen to What You Know won the Tasmanian Composers Festival Song of the Year award, and her latest album, Home on the Hill, was named Independent Album of the Year at the Western Australian Music Awards in 2018.
Germain also covers a wide variety of artists and now lives on the Central Coast.
Luke Wilton of Toukley, and a member of Mighty Thin Stew, is a multifaceted instrumentalist who hails from Bellingen.
With his mastery of the harmonica, slide guitar and 12-string guitar, he weaves together a tapestry of sounds.
Drawing inspiration from his surroundings and life experiences, he crafts poetic and relatable lyrics that delve into themes ranging from environmental consciousness to personal introspection with a diverse range of musical styles from environmental folk to new folk, blues, and ballads.
Central Coast Acoustic Songwriter Sessions will take place at The Entrance Lake House on Friday, February 23 at 6.30pm.
Book via The Entrance Lake House Eventbrite website.