Stories and Songs set to bring Aussie icons

Anthea Edmunds and Russell Smith
Anthea Edmunds and Russell Smith

STORIES and Songs was one of the highlights of the entertainment calendar on Tamborine Mountain last year and this year it’s set to return even bigger.

The event, launched by Russell Smith and his wife Anthea Edmunds, brought iconic Australian singer Shane Howard, frontman of Goanna, as well as local favourites, Haystack Mountain Hermits and the Inadequates to sing songs and share the background behind them.

“As Archie Roach said, ‘everyone has one song’, my goal is to bring the story behind each one of those songs to life and tell that story,” Russell said.

“I felt like I needed to do a house concert, and the library was a perfect space for that. People could close their eyes, have a drink and listen.”

“Music brings the community together.”

Stories and Songs was held at the Tamborine Mountain Library thanks to funding from a range of agencies including the Scenic Rim Regional Council and NAIDOC.

“For me it was important to bring different artists from the mountain. There are so many untapped artists here, and to bring one iconic Australian artist is a really important thing,” Russell said.

Russell hopes the next series will start in the first half of the year.

“This year it will be about finding different artists and attracting a major act to do acoustic shows,” he said.

This year he’s hoping to entice Mark Seymour from Hunters and Collectors to share his stories behind Australian classics like Throw Your Arms Around Me and Holy Grail.

Another big name he’s looking at is Queenslander Troy Cassar Daly.

Russell said they are still in the process of talking to locals, but bringing back the Haystack Mountain Hermits and the Inadequates would be a priority.

“The Inadequates star is rising and we should be supporting that,” he stated.

“The mountain, from an Aboriginal point of view, is a very special place. There’s so much energy here and it’s ideal as a place where we can sing and talk about stories.”

He said having a venue like the Cauldron Distillery to host big artists outside of Stories and Songs was a key drawcard too.

Russell explained that without the behind the scenes work put in by Anthea to secure grants, Stories and Songs would not be possible.