Sync The Music - Official Launch

Presented by Grow The Music, Alt Collective and Archive Mid North Coast

The Official launch of Sync The Music – a social enterprise featuring Australia’s largest library of tracks from Musicians from regional & remote Australia, & Artists from disadvantaged communities. The Event will feature Performances and Q&A with some of the countries most recognised Artists & Musicians including…

• Jack Thompson AM is a key figure of the 1970s Australian film renaissance, known for roles in classics like Sunday Too Far Away, The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith, and Breaker Morant, for which he won an AFI and a Cannes award. An ambassador for Sync The Music Jack has been a goodwill ambassador for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and supports First Nations building programs in East Arnhem Land.

• Bart Willoughby is a pioneering Pitjantjantjara and Mirning singer-songwriter. Known for fusing reggae with traditional Indigenous influences, Bart founded Australia’s first Indigenous rock band, No Fixed Address, in 1978. Their protest song "We Have Survived" is an enduring classic. Willoughby was the first Indigenous artist to score a feature film and was the inaugural recipient of the Indigenous ARIA Australian Lifetime Achievement Award in 1993. Bart has drummed with the likes of Yothu Yindi, & he currently fronts The Bart Willoughby Band.

• Shane Howard is an acclaimed Australian singer-songwriter and storyteller, best known as the founder of the band Goanna. In 1982, his song "Solid Rock" became an iconic Australian anthem, significant for its early focus on Aboriginal rights. Howard has championed numerous social justice and environmental causes, including the campaign to save the Franklin River. He has produced albums for artists like Archie Roach and is a founding member of The Black Arm Band.

• Emma Donovan is a celebrated Aboriginal Australian singer-songwriter from the renowned Donovan musical family, with Gumbaynggirr/Danggali and Naaguja/Yamatji heritage. Known for her powerful voice, she co-founded the trio Stiff Gins and is acclaimed for her work with soul band The Putbacks. Their music blends classic American soul with Australian Indigenous influences, often featuring songs in Gumbaynggirr language. She has also toured with The Black Arm Band and artists like Archie Roach and Paul Kelly.

• The Docker River Band (DRB) hails from the remote community of Kaltukatjara (Docker River) near the NT/WA border. Led by Anangu man Roy Jugadai, the five-piece band performs in a dynamic desert reggae style, singing original songs in the Pitjantjatjara language and English. Their music draws inspiration from their Central Desert home, with themes of family, land, longing, and pride. Their performances are known for lifting spirits and getting people moving.

About GROW THE MUSIC;

Over the past 13-Years Grow The Music have spent over 10,000 hours in their professional Studio & travelled over 200,000km with their Mobile Studio recording On Country. They have recorded nearly 20,000 tracks including 75% First Nations content – 15% CALD content – quality music from disadvantaged communities – music that carries powerful stories. Grow The Music have established Music Rooms & Recording Studios in 10 Remote Communities over the years…they’ve supported numerous Artists from Remote Communities to Tour the Country…& they’ve donated over 1,000 instruments to those from disadvantaged communities who could not otherwise afford an instrument.