Carly Robertson is fast emerging as a multi skilled musician hollering from the Bellarine area.
She holds down the rhythm and drive in the band Cool Dad, acting as their drummer, lends her hand to her family band The Von Robertson’s and has her own solo project where she records and performs under the name Carly Jorja.
For a woman so young she is making her mark on the Victorian music scene, but it was through her involvement in the family band The Von Robertsons that Robertson became acquainted with the world of performing. She started out singing backing vocals for the songs her mother had written, but that soon transitioned into having an instrumental input too.
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“Well, my introduction to the music industry came through being my mum’s support,” says Robertson. “I would come up for a few songs to sing along with her, whilst my brother played guitar and my dad played drums. Eventually we did a gig as the Robertson family band. Someone in Ocean Grove was like oh, you’re the Von Robertsons. And so, we kept the name.”
And from this introduction into performing Robertson has gradually branched into multi-instrumentalism, as well as experimenting with different styles and genres of music.
“I eventually learned bass and got to play that instrument in the band as well,” she says. “Which meant I wasn’t just singing anymore. We’ve done a lot of Blues train gigs, but the music we play is mostly originals that my mum has written. There is a mixture in there too though, some originals written by Heath, mum and me as well.”
It was this initial exposure to blues music through the Von Robertsons that leant in Robertson’s emergence as a solo artist.
“Earlier on when I started out the project Carly Jorja, my music was very much blues oriented, cause that’s what the Von Robertsons were playing at most of our gigs. But each of my band members have offered their own input and styles and that has really affected my own songwriting.
“I’ve ended up going into more of a soul, rock, punk blues hybrid type of sound. It’s hard to categorise it though because it’s just a big mixture of a bunch of genres that vary from track to track.”
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And Robertson will have the opportunity to showcase the complexity and dynamic of her project Carly Jorja at the upcoming Bellarine On The Rise festival. A festival her mum has played a vital role in organising, and a festival that Robertson is immensely proud to be a part of as a representative for female artists, as well as young and upcoming artists.
“My mum’s been organising it [Bellarine On The Rise],” she says. “She wanted to have a couple of bands led by females on the lineup. I don’t know if you would have noticed but, there’s been a massive drop off in female led bands in the Geelong scene.
My mum wanted to make sure that females were represented at the festival, so she got Brunette Red Dress and my band to play. There’s also the band Parakeet who have a female bassist on the bill too.”
Having these two young female-led bands on the lineup is a colourful example of how community plays a vital role in events like this and in the music scene of Geelong and its surrounds. Robertson attended school with the woman behind Brunette Red Dress.
“I went to school with Maddie. She’s closer to my brother’s age, but we partook in the Blues boot camp together, which was an event hosted in the summer holidays where heaps of kids could come and play music together which finished with a performance.”
And it is through community connections, particularly that where people of all ages are welcome and granted equitable opportunities that truly showcase what a community can be. Bellarine On The Rise has consciously become an all ages event. For Robertson being a young musician, this is very important.
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“I find that all ages gigs are my favourite gigs to play. All the kids just want to dance and have fun. It isn’t so much about alcohol. Growing up, I couldn’t go the heaps of the over 18 gigs unless I was playing at them, so it’s great to be able to play shows that are inclusive of young people.”
Bellarine On The Rise is set to be a great festival and the perfect opportunity to catch Carly Jorja perform. But there are also bigger things brewing for Robertson. The future looks bright for this young star.
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