102 King St, Newcastle
02 4925 3532

Local Songwriters. Local Stories

Our Backyard

What is “Our Backyard”?

Our Backyard is an opportunity for local songwriters to tell stories about their ‘backyard’ – their local landscape, culture, people, history etc – developing their craft, gaining exposure and lifting their profile within their local community.

Funded through the Federal Government’s Contemporary Music Touring Program, Our Backyard is an initiative of Chloe Hall – a successful songwriter, and experienced touring musician – to promote songwriting as a form of expression, encourage local songwriters and discover each region’s local voice.

Where Did The Idea Come From?

Last year, Chloe played a 40-date theatre tour of the UK, launching her fourth album, Outside. As part of that tour, she teamed up with local BBC stations to run a talent search to discover unsigned artists from each area. It was such a rewarding experience, that she has brought the idea home – this time focussing on local songwriters and their stories.

How Does It Work? And What Does The Local Songwriter Receive?

Local songwriters will be invited to submit a song they have written about their ‘backyard’ – their town, their community, their life – via the Our Backyard website, for the chance to receive:

• Airplay and/or a live-to-air interview on their local ABC

• A songwriting workshop with Chloe Hall

• The opportunity to play the opening set at their local Chloe & Silas show

 Our Backyard is a chance for local songwriters to develop their craft, perform their own original material in front of a listening audience, meet and learn from professional touring musicians and tell their story – gaining media exposure and lifting their profile within the local community.

 Our Backyard is a grass-roots, community-focussed project to help local songwriters get their stories heard.