I was lucky enough to catch up with Erin and Lachlan from Victorian folk duo Broken Creek when they were briefly in Canberra for a gig.
They've got a great complementary approach to songwriting - Erin writes the lyrics and Lachlan writes the music..... well it's not quite that straightforward! Erin's crafting of the lyrics suggests melody and rhythm ideas and Lachlan's instrumental skills inspire song ideas. Lachlan also digs right into the subject matter of songs and produces pages of research about the subject of a song and Erin filters the essence of the story into the song.
We discussed and played a recording of a wonderful song they wrote in this iterative way about the convict Mary Bryant who was transported with the first fleet and then led the first successful escape from the colony at Port Jackson..... in Governor Philip's stolen fishing boat!
Many of their songs tell the story of inspirational women from history who rarely have their stories told in the history books.
They are both impressive musicians and songwriters in their own right but together that synergy thing is working overtime! I hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as I did recording it!
To hear more of Erin and Lachlan's music: https://www.brokencreekband.com/