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- Amanda is now
going under the name Amanda O'Bryan!!
- Scroll down to first story
and read "Tamworth Experience "how Amanda (a novice entertainer)
got started into Country
Music.
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- Amanda and Musician Peter Kinch.
Amanda
Johnson is a singer/songwriter who earlier this year wrote about her
experience of Tamworth in 2003. This is an update of what Amanda has
been
doing since then and what her plans are for Tamworth 2004.
It is almost one year down the road from Tamworth 2003, and the road
has had
many twists and turns.
Immediately after Tamworth 2003 I came away knowing that if I was
going to
embark on a long time career in Australian country music, I had
better
decide that a half hearted approach was not going to cut it. There are
so
many talented artist in Australian country music and they would be the
first
to tell you that one trip to Tamworth will not make you a star or
blaze a
career for you in country music.
I went to Tamworth in 2003 to figure out where I might fit in country
music.
It all looked pretty risky but I have decided that it is worth the
risk
because I love it - all of the time. My career is still so young, I
have so
much to learn. Someday's it looks like a long hard road and other days
I
could leap out of my skin with excitement - I have learnt that I have
gotta
take the good with the bad and have no expectations. That's the
hardest
thing, because if you are like me, than you will want it to happen
right
now.
So what have I actually been up to? Pretty much the week I got back
from
Tamworth I was straight back into songwriting, my guitar tuition and
later
singing tuition and I started looking for opportunities to practice,
to
perform, to do anything to be out there so somebody could hear my
songs. I
started going out of my way to look for opportunities and telling
everybody
what I was doing. I met other musicians, artists and people who knew
people.
I started jamming with a Irish band every couple of weeks, entering
more
TQ's and performing locally where there was maybe even a hint of a
possible
gig. (Most of these gigs where unpaid, the experience is the value)
It was
at one of these gigs that I got my first bite at the cherry.
A local charity called Communities for Communities (C4C) caught me
doing a
set at one of these gigs. We got talking about the charity - I was
really
inspired by what they where doing and was asked if I would be
interested in
writing a song about it. The song is called 'Brand New Day' and all
the
proceeds go to the charity.
(read all about it at
http://www.communitiesforcommunites.com.au/amandajohnson
Since January I have joined songwriting associations, been to open mic
nights, done gigs for Communities for Communities, been a finalist in
the
Australian Talent Seekers Quest, done radio interviews and received
airplay
for the song 'Brand New Day'. I attended the AustralAsianMusic
Business
Conference where I learnt so much about the music industry and met
heaps
of great people and most recently I was a finalist in the Telstra
'Road to
Tamworth'.
This year my road to Tamworth will be about hearing as much great
country
music as possible, hopefully getting a few gigs, meeting as many
people as
possible and enjoying Tamworth for what it is - a fantastic showcase
of
Australian country music with the thousands of fans that make it
happen each
year.
In the meantime I reckon the best thing I can do for my career is keep
going, keep developing my skills as a songwriter, singer and performer
and
keep looking for opportunities that will have all the roads lead to
Tamworth.
See you at in Tamworth 2004 - have a great one!
Cheers
Amanda
PS. I would love to hear what other's are up to.
Email me at amandaj.johnson@bigpond.com
PSS.If it's your first time at Tamworth and you want to enter a TQ,
the
CCMA run comps and get yourself a monthly copy of Country Music
Capital
News for all other comps and events and good luck!
Tamworth Experience 2003
Amanda Johnson is
a singer/songwriter just starting out in Country Music, this is her
experience of how she got started at Tamworth in 2003.
How do I get kick
started as a singer/songwriter in Country Music? I have no
idea but I do have a good analogy - throw your hat over the fence,
cause then you have to jump the fence to get it! So this is exactly
what I did at Tamworth 2003.
It had been a long
time since I had last performed in public so I entered into the CCMA
National Talent Quest and The Kmart Jazzer Talent Quest with one of my
original songs, then practiced like crazy till the big day.
Day one at the
Kmart Jazzer Talent Quest was a disaster! I was so
nervous, my fingers could not stop shaking and I had to finger pick my
song - bummer. I figured my performance could not get any worse
so anything from there was a bonus.
At my performance
at the CCMA Talent Quest I was still nervous but I just reminded
myself why I was there, and that was to have some fun, and have people
hear my song and they loved it - that was such a buzz.
Entering these
talent quests was a great way for me to start as a
singer/songwriter. The whole Tamworth vibe is inspirational and
very motivating. I came away from Tamworth with a
clear direction about what was next for me and that's where I am
headed. For now I am learning as much about the industry
as I can, I have joined songwriting associations, am checking out
gigs, working on my guitar practice and writing new songs.
I have a singing and performance coach and am about to start a demo
with the aim of booking some gigs. It's frustrating at times
because there is so much I want to do and am not yet ready for -
patience and practice - that's what I have to learn.
So it you are
thinking about starting in Country music just do it! Get out there and
have a go at it and keep checking out the Tamworth RagePage - its a
great thing!
Tamworth Ragepage
would like to wish Amanda all the best with her
career. Hopefully Amanda will keep us informed on
future developments.
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Tamworth
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