Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
Lead singer for Mudgee band McGee, Jess Holland has made the finals of the Australia’s premier country music talent search, Toyota Starmaker 2011 at the Tamworth Country Music Festival.
Ms Holland had thought about entering Starmaker for a number of years but was always “too chicken” to go ahead until this year.
“I decided this year that it would be now or never that I throw my hat into the ring for Starmaker,” she said.
“I am very happy but shocked to be chosen, especially when I look at the honour roll of past winners like Keith Urban, Gina Jeffreys and Lee Kernaghan.”
Miss Holland now can’t wait for this Sunday at 12.30 when the top 20 Starmaker finalists for 2011 play their heart out for a place in the final five on Sunday night at 7.30pm at Tamworth Regional Entertainment Centre.
She will sing two songs at the 12.30pm session and has chosen the poem Test For A Cowboy, which was written by Mudgee poet Kevin Pye, as her first.
Miss Holland, at the request of Mr Pye, put music to the words and sang it at his poetry launch.
Her second choice is the Janis Joplin standard Me And Bobby McGee.
If she plays her way into the final five she said she will perform the Cold Chisel’s Bow River.
“I am really happy that the members of McGee are coming to Tamworth on Sunday for support,” she said.
Miss Holland said her career started when she started to play piano by ear even before she went to school.
“There was always music in our home (her parents are Max and Betty Holland). I grew up with music,” she said.
“I first started performing publicly when I was in years 11 and 12 at Mudgee High School.
“I was then part of an all girl band, Rusty Halos.
“After school that evolved into McGee and it was a career highlight for me when we opened up the Day on the Green concert at Craigmoor in October 2008.”
While Miss Holland waits for that lucky break to launch into a full time music career, she works as an agronomist at Mungindi on the New South Wales/Queensland border north west of Moree.
She returns to Mudgee regularly to play gigs with McGee and the band also play at venues in Moree.
When not playing with McGee, Jess Holland plays as many solo gigs she can get in the north west of the State.
Winning Starmaker could make her dream come true, as one of the prizes is a recording contract.
Starmaker is organised by Rural Press Events.
- Mudgee Guardian
Discography
Singles with McGee:
Southern Comfort
Witness to Babylon
Piece of my Heart
Solo Singles (can be seen on YouTube)
Where I'm From
Ain't Much Better
Photos
Bio
Jess was born and bred in Mudgee, NSW and it was soon evident that music was in her blood. Her parent’s musical influence was apparent from a very young age, exposing her to a wide variety of artists.
However, country music was always a prominent genre, with her grandfather starting a local bush band, The Stringybark Band; famous for writing songs like The Mudgee Waltz.
The very first instrument learnt by Jess was the piano, teaching herself by ear at the age of three. From there, any instrument that was set in her path was experimented on. By the age of nine, she was participating in musical groups, plays and Jess would learn whatever instrument she could lay her hands on.
It was during her later school years that Jess started taking music seriously. She started a band in 2003, playing regularly at Wine bars and pubs in the area. From here, this group evolved into the current band Jess is involved in, McGee – for which she is lead singer as well as plays mandolin, keyboard and the acoustic guitar.
2008 was crammed with appearances, writing and recording for Jess. McGee released their self titled EP, which was released at ‘Day on the Green’ at Craigmoor Winery, Mudgee. This proved to be a personal highlight for Jess, supporting great Australian acts such as The Angels, Dragon, Operator Please and The Hoodoo Gurus. Her unique voice and laidback attitude had her audiences wanting more, being labelled ‘one of the best vocalists in the central west’.
While Jess regularly gigs with McGee she has got back to her roots, branching out to pursue a country music solo career.
Jess is currently in the process of writing and recording a solo album, with influences such as Janis Joplin, Johnny Cash, Slim Dusty, Corb Lund Band and the Zac Brown Band.
In 2011, Jess entered the Toyota Star Maker competition and was successfully chosen in the Top 20 finalists from Australia to perform in Tamworth, which was a huge achievement.
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