Ever since he started busking on the main street of Bathurst as an eight-year-old, music has been Luke Furbank's core passion.
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And the Bathurst High Campus graduate has been rewarded for his diligence and dedication to music with a nomination for Encore, an annual showcase highlighting the best Higher School Certificate music performances in NSW.
"I'm psyched, it wasn't something I overly expected," Furbank said.
"I went into the exam with confidence that I'd give a good performance, but the Encore nomination is certainly icing on the cake."
Furbank secured his nomination on the back of four guitar and vocal pieces, including an arrangement of the Stevie Wonder classic 'Superstition' inspired by the Stevie Ray Vaughan cover.
He said he chose Stevie Ray Vaughan's arrangement to really challenge himself, with 'SRV' considered one of the greatest guitarists of all time.
"I'd heard Stevie Ray Vaughan's cover of the song as he's a huge influence of mine, and felt it would add plenty of character to the setlist," Furbank said.
"The Encore nomination has given me confidence that I'll achieve a good mark for my HSC music exam."
Furbank's other pieces honour three further idols: Jimi Hendrix ['Voodoo Child'], John Mayer ['Helpless'] and Cold Chisel's Ian Moss ['When the War Is Over'].
With school now complete, Furbank is planning to take a gap year to gig around the Central West before commencing study at JMC Academy in Sydney in 2022.
"I can't expect myself to succeed in Sydney without first gaining further experience here in the Central West," he said.
"With the outlook next year looking brighter for live music, I hope to spend as much time as I can performing and learning in order to ready myself for the future."
Furbank is a former member of local rock band Crimson Royale, and continues to gig solo and occasionally with his band, The Shaccs.
Bathurst High Campus principal Ken Barwick said the school is very proud of Luke's achievements and wishes him well in the future.
"Luke's an exceptional performer and we're incredibly glad that he came to our school," Mr Barwick said.
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Sam Bolt
"I'm not in the business of telling people what to do. I'm much more in the business of describing things, situations and stuff like that and leaving them out there, and you can make up your minds about them." -Nick Cave
"I'm not in the business of telling people what to do. I'm much more in the business of describing things, situations and stuff like that and leaving them out there, and you can make up your minds about them." -Nick Cave
