Event and Ticketing Details
Dates & Times
Friday 19 February
8:30 PM - 10:30 PM
With heartfelt musical performances alongside the tales behind the tunes, you'll hear powerful and honest narratives connecting country, community, family and more. Uncover pitch-perfect musical perspectives – from the poignant to the playful – in this most sweet-sounding of literary parties.
Featuring James Henry and Monica Weightman, with special guest Kutcha Edwards. Hosted by Tammy Anderson.
Presented by the Wheeler Centre in collaboration with Songlines.
Featuring
Kutcha Edwards
Multi-award winner Kutcha Edwards uses his mesmeric music to create connections across cultures, generations, and spaces. His charismatic stage presentations deepen our understanding of Australia’s first people.
Kutcha is a proud Mutti Mutti, Yorta Yorta, Nari Nari man, is a strong advocate for Aboriginal people, and is dedicated to the continuum of his traditional Songline.
He has been prolifically combining songwriting and activism since 1991, when he joined Koori group Watbalimba and began the remarkable journey that has taken him from the tiny Riverina town of Balranald to tours, events, and festivals of Australia and the world. It is his experiences as a survivor of the Stolen Generations and his proud heritage that has shaped his diverse creative output and his successful solo career today.
View Profile
Monica Weightman
Monica Weightman is a musician and Murri woman. She grew up in Townsville, influenced by her Islander father Ray but with the musical genes of her Scottish-English-Italian mother. Although she never really associated with the large Torres Strait Islander community in Townsville, she said she had more recently been seeking out more of the heritage that so clearly shaped her songs.
Weightman came to Melbourne in her 20s and studied jazz for a while before joining an all-girl trio. Monica Weightman walked away from beckoning fame and fortune, along the way writing songs with inmates from the Deer Park women’s prison. ‘It’s a journey of love: I don’t think you essentially get into it for the money,’ she said.
When Weightman released her second CD, Lost Generation, she said it was equally important to give back to and learn from younger musicians and the disadvantaged members of the community.
‘To know where you are from gives you a sense of pride and purpose, a sense of place in the world, I understand that now.’ Nicknamed “Monstar” by her fans, Weightman will capture you with her strong lyrics, groove you with her catchy melodies and inspire and impress you with her guitar licks.
James Henry
James Henry is a singer/songwriter, musician and recording engineer, and the grandson of Jimmy Little. His music spans country rock, reggae and hip hop and addresses issues such as Aboriginal identity and society’s rules and expectations. Henry is also a much-sought after photographer.
Tammy Anderson
Tammy Anderson is an award winning actor and playwright. Winning recipient of the Uncle Jack Charles Award and the Uncle Bob Maza Award she is a proud Palawa woman from Tasmania. Tammy has just graduated from the University of Melbourne’s Master of Writing for Performance.