On my recent travels through the UK and Ireland for Streets of Your Town, I was amazed to find how strong the cross pollination between Australian and Indigenous music and Gaelic traditions were, and how it continues to evolve.

While I was in Glasgow, I was lucky enough to meet Graham Mackenzie from award winning instrumental folk trio Assynt. Sitting in his Glasgow living room, his fiddle sits between us, never far from his thoughts, as we chat about the band's recent Australian tour.

The band launched in 2018, and had long held aspirations to play in Australia. Even the pandemic - while delaying their plans - couldn’t hold them back for long, and last year they came to the Woodford Folk Festival to perform and do workshops. The trio also toured down the East Coast on a hectic trip for the Festival of Small Halls.

Inspired by the great piping, fiddle and Gaelic traditions of the Highlands where he grew up in Inverness, McKenzie’s self-penned melodies for Assynt have a contemporary edge while rooted in centuries-long musical traditions.

Graham tells us on Streets of Your Town how he is relieved to find their workshops and performances both in Scotland and Australia are now filled with young people embracing their fiddles and traditional Celtic instruments, and wanting to pick up tips. 

One of his favourite aspects of coming to Australia was hearing First Nations performers at Woodford Folk Festival, seeing it as a rare opportunity for two age-old cultures to learn from each other.

For more shownotes - please go to my substack for this episode at soyt.substack.com

For this episode of Streets of Your Town, wander with me Nance Haxton to County Kerry on Ireland's west coast, to discover how close Australian and Irish cultural traditions are beyond the musical sphere.

Tim Hanafin has lived in Kerry all of his 85 years, in a tiny village called Inch. The town is still known by many as the location where the epic Oscar-winning movie Ryan’s Daughter was filmed, putting County Kerry on the tourist trail in the 1970s.

Tim is known throughout the Dingle Peninsula as the man who recites poetry from a deep well of decades of learning, with a poem appropriate for every event, whether it be wedding, funeral or spontaneous celebration.

When I speak to him in front of a cosy fire at Foley’s Bar overlooking the miles of sand dunes constantly evolving on Inch Beach, it doesn’t take long for the Australian influence on this far-flung county to appear from his extensive back catalogue of poetry.

Tim tells us how he thinks the affinity the Irish have with Australians goes back to the days of British rule, and continues to be expressed to this day.

and for more shownotes please go to my substack for this episode at soyt.substack.com

It’s not often that we get to watch a musical star on the rise. A performer whose passion and talent has enabled them to rise from tentative beginnings to starring in one of the world’s most beloved musicals.

Here on Streets of Your Town, we’ve been lucky enough to watch Vidya Makan’s singing and writing prowess be recognised over a few short years.

We first met her in the pivotal role of Catherine Parr in the juggernaut Australian production of Six, then as the creator, writer and performer in her musical The Lucky Country at Hayes Theatre in Sydney, and now we catch up with her again in one of the most competitive and sought after roles around the world - as Eliza Hamilton in Hamilton.

And for those who can’t get to Sydney for this run, make sure you watch ABC TV on December 20 at 730pm or the digital broadcast on Iview, to see Vidya’s part in A Very Musical Christmas, recorded in Sydney and with all proceeds going to mental health charity Beyond Blue. 

Her greatest joy is watching her fellow performers shine. Sit back and enjoy our chat on Streets of Your Town, with Vidya Makan.

and for more shownotes please go to my substack for this episode at https://soyt.substack.com/p/makan-creamer-mcgrady

If you thought that a play about post-apocolyptic zombies couldn’t be compatible with meaningful and hilarious social commentary and analysis of colonial occupation, then you haven’t heard of the radical new production Eat, Slay Zombie.

Emerging First Nations playwright Alinta McGrady tells us on this episode of Streets of Your Town how she took her idea born in covid lockdown and created this fast-paced action packed show that is about to open in one of Brisbane’s most prestigious theatres.

This is just the start for this talented Aboriginal woman who has been storytelling in various forms her entire life.

Eat Slay Zombie shines a spotlight on modern Blak and queer experiences through a horror/comedy lens, with a fresh take on the hero narrative that places historically marginalised characters at the forefront of a dangerous world.

Will our Blak women heroes survive this nightmare, and navigate a world that is actively trying to kill them?

Let’s sit down for a chat with Alina to get some insight into her creative process….

and for more shownotes on Alinta please go to my substack on this episode at https://soyt.substack.com/p/makan-creamer-mcgrady

On this episode of Streets of Your Town, we feature someone I’ve wanted you to meet on this podcast for years. I’ve written about him for national media outlets such as The New Daily and National Indigenous Radio Service, about his achievements acting as a Barrister on some of the most challenging human rights class actions across Australia. 

Joshua Creamer is a proud Waanyi and Kalkadoon man, who still sees himself as the boy from Mt Isa. But his role now is Chair of the Truth-telling and Healing Inquiry in Queensland - which has been gathering the history of the state since July 1 this year.

He tells us how significant this Inquiry is for Queensland and Australia, and what a privilege it is for him to lead this once in a generation investigation to give Indigenous people a voice in Queensland’s history.

and for more show notes on Joshua please go to my shownotes at https://soyt.substack.com/p/makan-creamer-mcgrady

Just before I head overseas to the land of my ancestors in Scotland and Ireland, I was lucky enough to stumble into an Irish music session in Brisbane.

The Irish accents flew thick and fast, to the accompaniment of the bodran, Eilean pipes, tin whistle and fiddle.

Jack O’Leary is one of the musicians who makes this weekly quest to reconnect with his homeland.

He tells us on Streets of Your Town, how Irish music and Australian culture have intertwined, to the degree that you can find a similar Irish music session, at most cities and towns throughout Australia.

Contact Streets of Your Town host Nance Haxton AKA The Wandering Journo and find socials links HERE

Get the full story, and join The Wandering Journo tribe at substack.soyt.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s not often we get an Australian jazz singer legend on Streets of Your Town, but we are lucky enough to enjoy that on today’s episode. 

Vince Jones is well known not only in this country but throughout the world as one of Australia’s most renowned jazz musicians. 

He tells us how the love of his craft started young, in the lively jazz surrounds of Scotland.

And after half a century of performing, and a lifetime of loving music, Vince is gladly still on the road, performing and creating his distinctly Australian take on jazz music.

Contact Streets of Your Town host Nance Haxton AKA The Wandering Journo and find socials links HERE

Get the full story, and join The Wandering Journo tribe at substack.soyt.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For Paralympian athlete Gerrard Gosens, taking on the challenge of swimming across the English Channel is more than just a physical one.

It’s also mental, as the blind swimmer confronts the elements and conditions of the day and then figures out how to overcome them. 

Gerrard tells us on Streets of Your Town podcast how he is well into an intense training regimen preparing for his attempted channel crossing in August - swimming from the UK to France in his quest to become the first blind person to do so. 

It’s a big leap from his previous sport of running - having represented Australia in long distance running in three Paralympic Games and three IPC World Athletic Championships from 1996 to 2011, as well as the Paratriathlon at Tokyo 2022.

Contact Streets of Your Town host Nance Haxton AKA The Wandering Journo and find socials links HERE

Get the full story, and join The Wandering Journo tribe at substack.soyt.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some people when they visit Australia, simply can’t stop themselves from coming back time and time again.

So it is for Irish performer Ciaran Olohan, who is bringing his show The World of Musicals in Concert back to Australia for the fourth time.

And he’s not just taking it on the well worn route to the capital cities, Ciaran and his crew are doing the big lap of Australia, taking their show that has graced stages across the globe to some of Australia’s most off the beaten track locations as well.

Ciaran tells us on Streets of Your Town, how music has always been a part of his life from his childhood in County Wicklow to today with a career taking him to the US, Canada, Germany, Norway, Spain and China. And he ponders how much Irish music and Australian musical traditions have in common.

Contact Streets of Your Town host Nance Haxton AKA The Wandering Journo and find socials links HERE

Get the full story, and join The Wandering Journo tribe at substack.soyt.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Streets of Your Town Elise McCann gives us insights into her creative process, particularly of late in the musical adaptation of Groundhog Day which had a season in Melbourne. 

Elise admits that despite her success as a musicals performer, like anyone, there are days that get the better of her, and that’s how she decided to create the stress and motivation app Hey Lemonade.

Together with her fellow performer friend Lucy Durack they hope to turn around people’s woes with the Hey Lemonade app that they designed and built.

As Elise explains, the app offers three-minute talks on various topics, written by a team of writers and psychologists, and delivered by a diverse range of well known voices from the entertainment industry. A bit like a portable pick me up in your pocket.

Contact Streets of Your Town host Nance Haxton AKA The Wandering Journo and find socials links HERE

Get the full story, and join The Wandering Journo tribe at substack.soyt.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.