Husky Gawenda joins Dan Kelly, Alma Zygier and more to play you the folk anthems that defined a generation.
If you’ve ever been asked, “Which period in history would you most like to visit?” Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles, in the mid-1960s into the ’70s is a good answer.
The rent was cheap, and you would have been hanging around with the likes of Joni Mitchell, Frank Zappa, Jim Morrison, Carole King, and more.
Laurel Canyon was the place where some of the finest folk-rock artists in history wrote the soundtrack to counterculture, with songs that still matter a great deal, all these many years later.
“It’s some of the best songs ever written and some of the best singers and musicians ever playing them; they’re timeless,” explains Husky Gawenda, who is once again hitting the road with Songs from the Canyon.
The show features songs from Joni Mitchell, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, The Beach Boys, Carole King, The Doors, The Byrds, The Mamas and the Papas, and more, performed by Husky, along with Dan Kelly, Charm of Finches, Alma Zygier, Stephen Grady and Dan Challis.
Songs from the Canyon with Husky Gawenda
- Fri 16 Oct – Hamer Hall, Melbourne — Tickets
- Fri 23 Oct – The Playhouse, Geelong — Tickets
- Fri 30 Oct – Lighthouse Theatre, Warrnambool — Tickets
- Sat 31 Oct – Her Majesty’s, Ballarat — Tickets
- Fri 06 Nov – Ulumbarra Theatre, Bendigo — Tickets
- Sat 07 Nov – Gippsland Performing Arts Centre, Traralgon — Tickets
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Songs from the Canyon made its first run in 2022 and has been a yearly staple ever since, with sold-out performances across the country.
“We’ve pulled together some of Australia’s best folk singers and musicians, and we do our very best to honour the songs and stay true to the originals,” explains Gawenda.
“A lot of the audience was around at that time, and you can’t really hear this music live anymore by the artists who wrote the songs.”
While the songs aren’t overtly political, war and other issues dominated the headlines when the music was created, much like now, making the concert a trip into the past that feels strangely relevant.
“It was perhaps the first time that young people, and musicians and artists, started to really say something about everything that was happening.
“It taps into the mood and the feelings of young people in a sort of scary, complicated world. It was a safe place for people to come and feel the things they were feeling; it was a big collective hug that people could participate in, and I think we’re bringing that back to these audiences.
“When I go out to say hello or sell merchandise, I can just see the looks on people’s faces; there’s a peacefulness in their smiles.”
Along with the Melbourne Songs of the Canyon show on October 16, fans of Husky, Gawenda’s main act, can see the band at Memo Music Hall on October 10 for a special 15th anniversary gig celebrating the band’s debut album, Forever So.
“It’s crazy to think about. We’re playing some of these songs for the first time in almost 15 years. It’s almost like playing the songs of another person, another life.”
Reminiscing on the band’s beginnings, Gawenda adds, “We basically had no money and no gear; we built a little studio in my bungalow in my backyard in Northcote and recorded the album mostly on our own.
“It took us about a year as we were working other jobs to get by.
“We didn’t think it was going to be picked up or heard by that many people; we just wanted to make a great album that would be loved.
“Then came Triple J, the gateway that pole-vaulted us into record deals and overseas touring.”
Husky’s fifteen-year journey since the debut includes five albums, with a sixth very nearly ready for release, which will be the band’s focus for the immediate future.
“All the lyrics came from poems that I wrote, sort of mystical nature poems,” explains Gawenda.
“The music maybe goes back more to our roots; there’s a hint of Nick Drake, a hint of Led Zeppelin, and maybe a touch of Leonard Cohen. It’s probably the happiest album I’ve ever made. Maybe I wouldn’t call it happy, but it’s certainly a little bit lighter for Husky.”
Catch Songs from the Canyon on 16 October at Hamer Hall, Melbourne.
For more information, head here.
This article was made in partnership with Songs from the Canyon.
