JMC to Explore the Future of Australian Songwriting at Re:Write

JMC Academy is hosting its annual songwriting conference, Re:Write, at its Melbourne campus this weekend. Musicians and songwriters at all levels of career success are encouraged to attend the two-day event, which is happening on the evening of Friday, 14th April and all day Saturday, 15th April.

Re:Write will feature presentations from established musicians such as indie-rock singer-songwriter Jen Cloher, DJ, producer and label head Nina Las Vegas, Indigenous hip hop artist and broadcaster DRMNGNOW, Darling James‘ James O’Brien, and Telenova’s Angeline Armstrong and Joshua Moriarty.

JMC Academy Melbourne Presents Re:Write

JMC Academy regards Re:Write as the premiere songwriting event for local songwriters. The conference aims to equip Australian-based songwriters with the tools to experiment with new methodologies and reimagine ways in which their work could find a place in the Australian music industry.

There’ll be masterclasses, panels, and interactive discussions, as well as live performances from rising acts Amy Flight, Charlie Needs Braces, and Olivia Meg.

Jen Cloher will deliver the opening address at 6pm on Friday evening. Cloher’s career stretches back more than two decades. Their debut album, Dead Wood Falls, featuring backing band the Endless Sea, came out in 2006. Cloher’s most recent releases, 2012’s In Blood Memory, 2017’s Jen Cloher and this year’s I Am the River, the River Is Me, have all been released through Milk! Records, the label they run with Courtney Barnett.

Saturday is the busiest day of Re:Write 2023. It begins with a session co-presented by Music Victoria and featuring industry insiders, Hazel Gordon of Concord Music Publishing and Zii Nzira of Multicultural Arts Victoria and Black Music Alliance Australia.

Darling James, an indie-pop artist based in Melbourne, will present a songwriting masterclass just after midday on Saturday, following which APRA/AMCOS will facilitate a panel featuring two-thirds of Telenova, vocalist Angeline Armstrong and guitarist/producer Joshua Moriarty.

Nina Las Vegas will refer to her dozen-plus years of industry experience during her Saturday afternoon session. An established DJ and radio presenter, Nina Las Vegas spearheaded the music industry non-profit Heaps Decent and now runs the label, NLV Records, whose signees include Anna Lunoe, Big Skeez and Ninajirachi.

Yorta Yorta man Neil Morris (aka DRMNGNOW) will provide insight into his tenaciously progressive hip hop songwriting, which campaigns for a complete reevaluation of white Australia’s relationship with the land’s First Peoples.

There be ample occasions to network throughout Re:Write, with songwriters and industry personnel encouraged to share details of their experiences working in the industry, either in a creative, administrative or managerial capacity.