Musicadium Blog

This week Musicadium is proud to feature Australian Folk Music legend Judy Small. Her empowering and provocative lyrics have ensured that Judy has remained a seminal figure in the folk world for over 30 years. Managing to juggle her love of music with a career in law, Judy has many stories to share. So as you read on, imagine you are rugged up next to a flickering fire with a group of grubby but cheery folk festival folk, a roasting marshmallow on a stick and an acoustic guitar strumming in the background as you read about an interesting career, musician and woman.

Judy, you have been in the Australian music industry for over 30 years. Do you think that the Australian Folk scene is still going strong?

Well, you only have to look at the folk festivals like Woodford, Port Fairy, Fairbridge or the National to see that the folk scene is not only going strong but attracting performers and audience who will take this music into the future. There’s also a thriving acoustic and folk scene in the pubs in Melbourne and probably other cities as well. The flavour is different than when I started singing in folk clubs in Sydney in 1973, but the music is still there and so are the audiences. It just doesn’t get played on the radio (except for community stations and the ABC) so the general public don’t know about it.

You have travelled extensively with your music and have performed in many different locations. Do you have a favourite place to perform? Have you ever played in any unorthodox venues?

I have several favourite places to play: there’s a converted barn on a heritage-listed property called Taabinga near Kingaroy that’s just gorgeous; I loved the Troubadour in Fitzroy in Melbourne and there’s a church in Waterloo Ontario in Canada and a club in Berkeley California called Freight & Salvage that are great places to play. I think the most unorthodox places I’ve played would be the gun turret on the headland in Darwin – the best natural acoustics I’ve ever played in; and a bunker also on a headland in Auckland which was very cosy and a bit claustrophobic, but lots of fun and a fabulous audience; and then there was the old barge moored to a dock in Brighton UK – that was kind of interesting! I prefer to smaller intimate venues but it’s also a buzz playing to a full concert hall.

You have such an interesting background apart from your musical career (Judy works as a lawyer for legal aid in Victoria) and you have managed to juggle them both. How important has your interest in politics and the law been to your music?

My interest in politics and social justice has been vital to my music – it has shaped my songwriting from the beginning and I’ve never lost my passion for songs that have something to say. My interest in the law is just another corner of that same field. People tell me it’s a strange combination – law and folk music – but I see them as being absolutely connected. Both are about power and connections between people and those are the things that interest me politically.

If you could collaborate with any musician (living or dead), who would it be?

Well, I’ve actually had the enormous privilege of performing with Holly Near, with Ronnie Gilbert, with Margret Roadknight and with Frankie Armstrong – all of whom were idols of mine in the 1970s. They are women who sing songs that say powerful things, particularly about women and our place in the world. Of those I haven’t had the chance to collaborate with, apart from Johann Sebastian Bach (!), I think it would be fascinating to write a few songs with someone like Paul Kelly or Missy Higgins.

What made you fall in love with folk music? What musicians did you grow up listening to?

I always say that the reason I’m a folkie rather than a rock ‘n’ roller is historical – “Go Tell it on the Mountain” means a lot more to a ten year-old than “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction”! I just loved the sound of folk music – the harmonies, the fact that the songs told stories and I could understand the words. The singers and bands I grew up with were The Seekers, Peter Paul & Mary, Joan Baez, Judy Collins, Joni Mitchell, Tina Lawton, Glen Tomasetti, Bob Dylan etc. I also listened to the Beatles and the Rolling Stones and Herman’s Hermits but I didn’t identify with that music the way I did with folk.

And finally, if you could give any advice to aspiring folk musicians out there, what would it be?

I’d say take no notice of old folksingers who think they know it all! But then I’d say that it’s important to be true to yourself and what feels right to you. You can choose to sing music you think will make you rich or you can sing what you love – not that those two are necessarily mutually exclusive! I would also say that success in the music scene is a combination of talent, practice, good luck and good management. But never forget that you started out playing music for fun.
Thanks so much Judy!

If you want to read more about Judy Small, head to http://www.judysmall.com.au/
You can purchase her music at the itunes store

This entry was posted on Friday, July 11th, 2008 at 12:37 pm and is filed under Featured Artist. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.