Collaboration with Bob Brown and Monique Brumby released November 2020

On Steve’s new collaborative CD “Hidden Vale”, Bob Brown, Australia’s most loved environmentalist, reads 10 of his poems backed by stunning vocals from double Aria award winner Monique Brumby. Monique also produced, mixed and mastered the CD.

For 50 years Bob Brown’s voice has been like the pirate radio station in Dylan’s 2020 song, KeyWest (Philosopher Pirate), sending out love and inspiration that helped change conceptions of what the world is and can be. Rarely do we have the privilege of being allowed into the private thoughts and reflections of someone with such a visible public presence as we do on “Hidden Vale”.

In the Introduction to his book of these poems (“In Balfour Street”, NewPrint, 2010) Bob revealed that writing an occasional poem calmed his frustrations, and expressed his affinity with Nature and other people. He concluded, “I wanted to make sense of the world but couldn’t”. The listener will, respectfully, disagree. For the lucky few - given CV-19 restrictions - the CD launch at the Ferntree Tavern on the slopes of kunanyi / Mt Wellington in December is the perfect chance to show Bob Brown how much he is loved and why!

UNBROKEN BY STEVE CRUMP - NEW ALBUM OUT NOW!

Publicly recognised as “Hobart composer, pianist and environmentalist” (Cygnet Folk Festival Earth Celebration program, 12 Jan. 2020, p.4), Steve Crump has released his 3rd CD, “Unbroken”. Recorded on a vintage concert grand at “Mixmasters” studio in the Adelaide Hills with Mick Wordley the sound magician and Heath Cullen producing and double-tracking guitar, clap sticks, harmonium and piano over Steve’s playing. The title track was used as the soundtrack for a video for the Restore Pedder Campaign launched at Sidespace Gallery in Hobart at the end of 2019.

The theme running through “Unbroken” is of shadows as a way of acknowledging people who have shaped four of these songs. Respectfully, “Bapa” offers gentle shadows of acoustic guitar as if Gurrumul is playing too (which he is in Steve’s heart); the clap sticks given to Steve by Balang (Tom E Lewis) sound echoing shadows over “Barrumungu” that includes a section written for Tom; the harmonium on “Winter Night” hints at Bob Brown playing his pump organ in his house at Liffey, as in Bob’s poem that triggered this piece; and, the joyful shadow of the improvised duets Steve has with his 7 year old grandchild playfully appear in the high treble of “Heaven’s Rain”.

Steve’s CDs are stocked by leading independent outlets: Redeye Records Sydney, Basement Discs and Rocksteady Records Melbourne, Fullers Bookshop Hobart, The Avenue Records (formerly Mojo) Launceston and from this website.