Giving Courage a Voice
by Tamara Heath
Moreland Leader
Deborah Hocking's sound has been labelled gothic folk by some musical enthusiasts.
But the singer songwriter would prefer to describe her songs as stories from the "shadow side" of life.
The 30-year-old bases many of her lyrics on people she met while working in fields such as mental health and drug and alcohol addiction. She said she saw her songs as a chance to "give faces to their struggle and courage."
"I think they call it gothic folk because of the dark lyrics... but I think they're songs about people, really brave stories... about the human condition," she said.
However you choose to describe her music, Hocking is fast becoming a familiar face on the pub and festival scene after deciding to try music as a full-time career last year.
She has played at venues such as the Evelyn Hotel in Fitzroy and the Corner Hotel in Richmond and has been on the bill at many festivals including Pascoe Vale, Niddrie and Boroondara.
But Hocking said that after many years as the lone performer on stage, she was turning her attention from her solo career to her new band -- the Deborah Hocking Band. Hocking said the three-piece band was performing her own work and had recently won an Arts Victoria grant to record a five-track EP.
Hocking has also released two solo CDs -- Stage and D-Day -- both available at Moreland's libraries.
Moreland's residents will have a chance to hear Hocking performing solo at Live In The Library 2 at the Brunswick Library this Wednesday. Other performers this year include musicians Kim Salmon, Jane McCracken, and James Lee, high school rappers Jama and Ben and Greek music band Musical Odyssey.
Live In The Library 2 is being held at the Brunswick Library, corner of Glenlyon and Sydney Roads, Wednesday, April 30, at 7.30pm.