A glass of wine and a humourous jest is all it took for O'Connell musician Kris Schubert to kick-start production on an album of original Christmas songs showcasing the Central West's eclectic music scene.
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The album, entitled Dreaming of a Green Christmas, is set for release on Friday, November 1, and will feature 18 tracks performed by 34 musicians; including solo artists, duos and bands; from the Central West.
Schubert launched an online crowd-funding campaign on Tuesday to raise $5800 [the total cost of producing the album] for Lifeline Central West in order to help support the less fortunate during Christmas.
In addition, the profits from all CD and download sales will go towards the charity, who specialises in providing 24/7 crisis support and suicide prevention services.
Artists to feature on Dreaming of a Green Christmas:
"Christmas is a really hard time of year for many people, and the number of sad songs on the album highlights the fact that the festive season isn't necessarily 'festive' for everyone," Schubert said.
"We started this project without much of a purpose as to what we wanted to achieve with it, and everyone unanimously decided Lifeline Central West would be an ideal benefactor from this album."
The idea behind the album came from a Christmas-themed music event hosted by local duo Smith & Jones at The Hub in late 2017.
Schubert performed at the event alongside the likes of Gabbi Bolt, Andy Nelson and Genni Kane, and said the volume of songwriters in the one room inspired him to pursue the project.
"While the idea first came about two years ago, the album has largely come together over the last six months, and I felt it would be a fantastic outlet to showcase the songwriting talents of local artists," he said.
"The abundance of genres on this album [blues, pop, rock, soul, folk, country etc.] ensure there's enough variety to cater for numerous music tastes."
Schubert said the album's title was inspired by the ongoing drought affecting much of the country, with each song reflecting Australian ideals around Christmas.
"There's a few songs on the record that reference Bing Crosby's 'I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas,' and we changed the word to 'green' to reflect our current climate," he said.
"A lot of songs reference prawns and white wine, which reflect traditions that have become synonymous with the way Australians celebrate Christmas."
Each song was recorded at The Boatshed, Schubert's home studio, and is the first record to feature such a consortium of the Central West's music scene.
"The music scene here has blown me away and although I've lived here for five years now, I'm still meeting musicians regularly," he said.
To donate to Schubert's crowd-funding campaign, click here.
DREAMING OF A GREEN CHRISTMAS TRACKLIST:
- Gabbi Bolt- Christmas Eve [Gremlins]
- The Safety of Life at Sea- Christmas is Here
- Emily Butler- Christmas This Year
- Abby Smith- A Call From Home
- Amy Viola- At Christmas Time
- Peter Sadler- Christmas In July
- Andy Nelson- Now You're Here
- Cindy Fox- Between
- Sweet Revenge- It's Alright
- Madi Hodder- This Time of Year
- Genni Kane- That's Enough
- Cameron Love- Very Merry Berries
- Claire Wright- It Starts With a Star
- Sophie Jones- Tamworth for Christmas
- Yanhadarrambal Jade Flynn- White Wine and a Warning
- Matt Williamson- The Wollemi
- Fat Wombat- Three Wishes
- Smith & Jones- Christmas is Round the Bend