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GEELONG singer and songwriter Gavin Somers has won a national songwriting Competition.
He won the Indigenous category of the Australian Earthsong Competition for his song Say You're Green.
Gavin said he had been singing the song with his band, Jarrah, before he entered it in the competition.
"The competition was about environmental issues and I had written the song a couple of years ago tongue-in-cheek about people who say they care about Mother Earth but don't do anything about it," he said.
Gavin said the song has also had some major airplay on community radio stations and Koori stations in Queensland.
The songwriting competition was the first Gavin has entered and his success has had him "writing frantically" ever since.
His prize was $1000 and the opportunity to submit work for an Olympic Games compilation CD.
Gavin, who works as a Koori field officer for the Department of Education and Training, also plays in cover band St Kilda Vice which plays in Geelong and Melbourne.
He said music had always been an important part of his life.
"I was brought up with the country stuff and that seeps into my writing a little," he said.
"I guess you could describe my music now as acoustic rock."
As well as writing and singing, Gavin also plays guitar and "a bit of didgeridoo".
He is now preparing an entry for the Port Fairy Folk Festival songwriting competition. - Geelong News news article
Discography
Jarrah- Self titled album 1998
Jarrah - Down on the Mish 2009
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Bio
JARRAH's contemporary Koori music is a positive sharing of culture, love and life through song.
Over the last few years Gavin has won 8 song-writing awards for his works and continues to gain recognition country wide for his vocal and song-writing ability.
Since their early beginnings JARRAH have supported well known artists such as Archie Roach, Tiddas, Midnight Oil and Paul Kelly. Gavin and Jarrah have performing at intimate, community and corporate events all around Victoria
Some of Jarrahs� recent events include:
*The 2006 Commonwealth Games Festival
* Brunswick St Festival
* The Melbourne Show
* National NAIDOC Ball Melbourne
* Sorry Day
* The Port Fairy Folk Festival
* Tarerer festival, Warrnambool
* Melbourne Moomba Festival
Jarrah's new Cd "Down on the Mish was recently launched around the state . A polished recording of contemporary folk rock, a culmination of 5 years writing and recording.
The new album consists of 12 original tracks reflecting the bands strong acoustic rhythms and vocal harmonies.
This is the bands second independent Cd, Jarrah first self titled debut in 1998.
Since the release of their first album Gavin Somers and JARRAH have received regular airplay on Indigenous Radio across the nation. They have also performed live on air at Triple J, 3KND, 3CR, 3AW, 4AAA Murri Radio � Qld and SBS Radio national.
The JARRAH boys are now based in Melbourne but the bands Indigenous roots through musicians Gavin Somers and Lee Morgan are firmly at Cherbourg and Framlingham.
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