THE folk-music duo Fred Smith and Liz Frencham will perform in Uralla on Sunday as part of an Australian tour marking the 10th anniversary of their acclaimed album Into My Room.
Smith is one of Australia’s most interesting songwriters.
He was the subject of the film Bougainville Sky, based on his time in the war-torn Pacific Islands where his work as a musician and radio broadcaster contributed to the success of the Australian peace-keeping effort.
In 2009 he was posted as an Australian diplomat to Uruzgan in Afghanistan, and wrote a powerful collection of songs about the realities of life there for both soldiers and civilians.
These songs are featured on his album Dust of Uruzgan.
His collaboration with Frencham began in 2002. Smith had written some songs for a woman’s voice that expressed what he felt was the “combination of courage and vulnerability” characteristic of women’s lives.
He found the perfectly matched voice in Frencham. Into My Room was the Frencham-Smith duo’s first album. Their second, Lovethongs, won the ScreenSound Australia award for Best New Release.
Frencham studied jazz bass at Sydney Conservatorium and is perhaps best known through her work on double bass – and as a vocalist – with the Sydney trio Jigzag.
Her career, however, has taken her into the heart of the folk-music world, with her voice expressing both sensitivity and courage.
Their concert in Uralla on Sunday will be in McCrossin’s Mill at 3pm.
Tickets are $22 and $19 and are available online at www.trybooking.com/DYNA and can also be purchased at the door.
The Frencham-Smith duo’s performance in Uralla has been organised by Uralla Arts.
