August 2016
Musicians for Hearing 2016 gig with Davey Lane and Leah Senior
Last Saturday, Musicians for Hearing (M4H) held its second Hearing Awareness Week gig, this time at the No Vacancy Gallery space in the heart of the Melbourne CBD with featured acts Davey Lane (You Am I) and Leah Senior.
The yellow lamps, fairy lights and flickering floor shadows created an intimate setting and welcoming space at No Vacancy where the early birds to the gig could enjoy a selection of beautiful photos by Kate Disher-Quill that depict the diversity of Australians with hearing loss and the situation they experience as part of her Right Here, Right Now exhibition.
The first act to the stage was Leah Senior who’s melodic voice, heartfelt lyrics, and her unique sounding, vintage German guitar provided minimal folk musings reminiscent of Joni Mitchell to a delighted audience.
After some serious slam poetry Auslan-style by Walter Kadiki, You Am I guitarist Davey Laney and his mod-style trio kicked off their set. Unlike his recent releases on the Field Recordings, Davey’s set was unplugged but still upbeat. The minimal set up coupled with the quality mix that came from the PA allowed Davey’s raw talent as a songwriter to shine brightly among a small crowd. As part of his performance, Davey was more than happy to share his thoughts and experiences behind his songs.
Thanks to all who attended the Auslan-interpreted night to enjoy some of Melbourne’s best music al talent for such a worthy cause during Hearing Awareness Week. Money raised via door sales and the HearService-sponsored raffle to win a set of custom made musician earplugs will go to M4H’s Chuffed project that is helping their friends at Himalayan Hearing and Health build their first hearing clinic in Southern Nepal.
M4H is a non-for-profit organisation comprised of musicians and music lovers that are using their love of music to raise awareness of hearing loss, promote Deaf inclusion in music and help fund better hearing healthcare in the developing world. HEARsmart was proud to be a gold sponsor of the event to help raise awareness of hearing health in the music industry including sound-induced hearing loss, tinnitus and how to prevent it.