Serina Pech NT's Barunga Festival Interview

Serina Pech NT's Barunga Festival Interview

There are just five weeks to go until NT's premiere music, sport and cultural festival, Barunga, opens its gates and welcomes people from all over the world.

Barunga Festival takes place annually on the Queen's Birthday long weekend at Barunga community, 70kms south-east of Katherine on the Central Arnhem Road, in the glorious Territory dry season. This year's event will kick off from 10am Friday 10th June, concluding midnight on Sunday 12th June 2016. The theme for the festival this year is Celebrating Women.

The 31st annual Barunga Festival will feature a strong line-up of events, activities and local and national performers to showcase the talented and unique women in all of our communities.

Heading up the 2016 performers is Wildflower band, an inspirational group of five young women from Mammadawerre, who perform pop music in Indigenous language. Courtney Barnett will perform each evening with acclaimed singer songwriter Jen Cloher. Best-selling children's singer, film and TV star, Justine Clarke, will thrill children with her two morning shows.

Barunga combines three very powerful drivers of community participation - Music, Sport and Culture - with a strong emphasis on cultural exchange and collaboration. It offers a unique opportunity for Indigenous and non-Indigenous people to come together and celebrate remote community life.

Festival-goers can camp under the stars, enjoy everything from Indigenous rock bands to a game of Australian Rules football, or join in a traditional dance ceremony. Barunga Festival is an alcohol and smoke free, family-focused event with a healthy food policy.

Importantly, Barunga Festival supports the development of micro businesses for local Indigenous people, as well as training and employment. Art stalls, tour guiding, didgeridoo making opportunities – the list of small business participation and development grows each year.

BARUNGA 2016: Confirmed performers
Wildflower (Arnhem Land)
Kardajala kirri-darra (Sand Hill Women) feat. Eleanor Dixon (Elliott)
B2M (Tiwi Islands)
Courtney Barnett and Jen Cloher
Justine Clarke
Serina Pech

Tickets on sale now via moshtix.com.au and at the gate during the festival
For more information on Barunga Festival 2016: www.barungafestival.com.au

Interview with Serina Pech

Question: What is the NT's Barunga Festival?

Serina Pech: It's a local meeting place/festival for all Indigenous people across the Northern Territory, to play sport and music against each other, and also an open community for non-indigenous people to mix, celebrate and enjoy the whole meet up culture.


Question: What inspired you to join the NT's Barunga Festival line up?

Serina Pech: I grew up in Katherine, very close to Barunga, so it makes my connection and feelings towards the festival a little more personal.


Question: What can we expect from your set at the NT's Barunga Festival?

Serina Pech: There's an APRA sponsored stage down by the small river there it's so beautiful day or night. The isolation is magical and the community spirit infectious. I love to breakdown the barrier that exists between audience and artist so expect a lot of comfortable weirdness.


Question: Who are you looking forward to seeing at NT's Barunga Festival?

Serina Pech: I want to see Wildflower because girl bands from Arnhem Land are a rarity. The Lonely Boys are so sick I absolutely love their vibe you can be sure to have everyone dancing when they get on stage, they can really work a crowd. Courtney Barnett is rad so I hope to see her play and hope she hears me.


Question: Are you looking forward to performing at an alcohol and smoke free event?
Serina Pech: Yes I actually prefer these kinds of festivals! I feel that sometimes alcohol and cigarettes can be barriers to the true connections that we make with other people particularly at a festival. Barunga is spreading a positive community health message and having a alcohol and smoke free event just fits the vibe. Everyone can have a good time!


Question: When writing music, where do you find inspiration?

Serina Pech: Experiences, love, observations, people-watching, feelings, life and existence. I could probably find inspiration in just about anything if I asked it enough questions. Sometimes the guitar speaks to me first, other times it is the onset of mindfulness in the car or shower that lends me some lyrics.


Question: What music/artists do you listen to when you are not playing your own?

Serina Pech: I used to listen to a lot of music from the 50's through to the 70's: The Mammas and the Papas, Frank Sinatra, Fleetwood Mac to name a few. But my music tastes much like my song-writing style often buffer or compliment my feelings. I have a bunch of playlists for this. You can be sure that if I fancy you I am more than likely to start listening to the music you listen to. I allow the songs to speak for me, regardless of whatever is going on in my head and the feelings that accompany them. Been loving Drake lately, the -Views' album and the -So Far Come' album. He is a very sensitive rapper.


Question: What's next? Tour/Album/Single?

Serina Pech: Single release for -I Hope To See The Sun' is just around the corner. The release date is June the 3rd and the track will be made available on iTunes. Currently working on my debut EP for release later this year also, it's all very exciting! Playing at Barunga festival and Darwin Festival in the months to come. There has been discussion of some possible touring options and collaborations around Australia and the Philippines.


Question: Do you prefer performing live or recording?

Serina Pech: Neither. They are both two completely different experiences. I love making connections with people and experimenting with other musicians or performance styles in a live setting. Every crowd is different and makes you a better performer and musician. When I am recording in the studio it really gives me an opportunity to be truly creative and put my vision and dreams into context. There are infinite possibilities in the studio and that is something really empowering having all of that creative control.

Question: What/who was your inspiration to go into the music industry

Serina Pech: I have just had amazing support from the scene up here in the Northern Territory. Looking back at all the gigs I have done in the past few years and the workshops I have attended, these opportunities I've had we're made because someone else believed in my music enough so that I could too. MusicNT and my little family at Perambulator Records who I'm currently signed to have been there to support me every step of the way. The beautiful thing about Darwin though is that it doesn't stop at the industry level there are also amazing people living here in the community that have believed and inspired me in just the same way. We have some amazing artists and some sounds very unique compared to anywhere else in Australia and that is really wonderful to be a part of.


Question: What is the biggest challenge you have faced along the way to your musical success?

Serina Pech: Many people think of music as just a hobby, to me it's a lifestyle and it becomes difficult when believers become skeptics and undermine success in that way by not believing it's possible.


Question: If you could collaborate with another artist, who would it be?

Serina Pech: You. Let's do it right now! I would happily collaborate with anyone it's fun to have more than one perspective. Even if you don't always get along well with everyone, at its worst you could create a beautiful mess and learn from it or you could create a beautiful success and share that gift with others!


Interview by Brooke Hunter