The Gracemakers are a Melbourne duo who are about to release a self-titled EP, with the launch later this month. I was able to speak to them recently about their music, I hope you enjoy their answers as much as I did.
How did you get together to form The Gracemakers?
We had been writing, recording and performing with other artists for a while and it just seemed like a natural progression to work together on our own music. Once we started we found an instant connection.
What inspired the choice of name?
The ideas of grace, the beauty of true grace and exploring what grace is in its many forms. In ancient Greek grace can refer to the “pleasing” or “charming” appearance of a fertile field or garden, which we liked the idea of. Jeff Buckley’s album Grace was also an inspiration as was the Hindu concept of grace as the ultimate key required for spiritual self-realization.
How would you describe your music?
A country tinged folk rock experience for those who prefer to stop and smell the flowers and scratch beneath the surface.
You recently performed at St Kilda Festival’s Yalukit Willam Ngaree (YWN), can you tell us a little about the experience?
We’ve always loved going to the Yalukit Willam Ngargee festival and have seen many fantastic artists play there over the years.
As a descendant of the Barkindji people of north western NSW it was very special for Kent to be representing his people and Tiff brought her Maori heritage to the festival. Sharing our songs and stories was a very emotional experience.
This is a festival I was not aware of, can you tell us a little about it?
Yalukit Willam Ngargee (People Place Gathering in the Boonwurrung language) is Victoria biggest Indigenous celebration. In its 7th year the Yalukit Willam Ngargee Festival celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander music, arts and culture.
Kent’s involvement in the festival this year also included curating the Confined exhibition, which showcases the art of Indigenous prisoners and playing in the Blak Icons band which celebrated Coloured Stone’s album Koonibba rock.
What is the furthest you have travelled for a gig?
Coolum, a beautiful beachside spot north of Brisbane.
Can you tell us a little about the highlight of your career up to this point?
It’s hard to choose between seeing the video clip for our single Blanket on Rage for the first time and playing at the Yalukit Willam Ngargee festival.
What can you share with us about your self-titled EP The Gracemakers?
The songs on the EP speak of friendships, love and relationships. We wrote, recorded and produced the EP ourselves, as we wanted the songs to directly express our observations, thoughts and emotion.
Where does the song-writing inspiration come from?
Our songs come from very personal experiences. Sometimes there are feelings that are difficult to express in every day life; music gives us the freedom to share and explore these feelings. We do not want to make music that is unpleasant for the ears or soul. We want to connect with people deeply, uplift and inspire. One of the hardest tasks, as a musician, is to dare yourself to be vulnerable and bare your soul. There is certain beauty in vulnerability and we like to play with that notion and explore it.
What’s next for the Gracemakers?
We will be launching our self-titled EP The Gracemakers at the Wesley Anne on Saturday 26th of May and then returning to the studio to record material for our next release.
And Tiffany, this one’s for you, what does being a woman mean to you?
For me, being a woman is about sister hood. I love to share my life experiences with other women and express what has helped me be strong and face the challenges that life has thrown at me. As women we need to understand that the feminine energy is soft but also powerful. It is not about what you have but how one appreciates life everyday.
I devour books, vampires and supernatural creatures are my genre of choice but over the past couple of years, I have broadened my horizons considerably. In a nutshell – I love to write! I love interacting with a diverse range of artists to bring you interviews. Perhaps we were perfect before – I LOVE WORDS!