Originally from Bendigo Georgia Delves (lead singer of Georgia State Line) is heading back into the regional territory of Ballarat for an upcoming show after making the big move to Melbourne. We had a chat to the singer about the show, her “unofficial” EP and the big smoke.
Hey Georgia, thanks for catching up for a chat with us, please introduce yourself to Forte’s fine readers.
Hello! My name is Georgia Delves and I’m a folky singersongwriter residing in Melbourne.
You originally hail from Bendigo, tell us what life is like out there for a musician?
These days it’s a great town for singer-songwriters to play in. It has always been somewhat of an arty town, however I think the original music/song writing scene has come along in leaps and bounds with the Bendigo Blues and Roots Festival happening yearly – drawing in heaps of musicians from far and wide.
However, like any regional town it poses the limitations of few venues and the inconsistency of performing opportunities. Since moving to Melbourne three years ago now, I definitely feel lucky to be a part of such a thriving music scene.
You are the lead singer in ‘Georgia State Line’, tell us a little bit about the band?
It’s a group of semiqualified music students sporting our own brand of folk/country music.
How was the move to Melbourne and adapting to Melbourne life? You played the Brunswick Music festival it doesn’t get much more Melbourne than that!
It was a great move and I felt at home fairly quickly – met some wonderful people that quickly took me under their wing. A certain aspect of the Melbourne music scene really is a strong community.
And the Brunswick Music Festival in 2014 was great. I played there with another band I play with and it was just nice to be included in a line up with some other wonderful musicians.
You also studied music whilst in Melbourne, where did you take up your studies and did you enjoy studying music?
I studied a Bachelor of Arts (Music) at Collarts here in Melbourne. I met some amazing people through the course and some great mentors. The teachers and staff just want the students to achieve their goals and make the most of their course, teaching and supporting free of ego. Some of these wonderful people I met here, indeed became my band members! From performing with them throughout the course for two years I didn’t want it to end, and so I formed the band at the completion of the course. Couldn’t let it go, so it would seem.
Amongst everything else you have going on, you have also recently released an EP, ‘Waiting’. Take us through that process in making that EP.
So this EP, ‘Waiting’, is more of an unofficial release. I recorded and produced the EP with fellow band member Patrick Wilson, initially for the purpose of my final Collarts assignment. It was recorded between the two of us. Alongside the song writing, I sang and played acoustic guitar, whilst Pat recorded and played all other instrumentation on the EP. He was a wiz to work with! The end product was something I was quite proud of so decided to follow through with those songs and perform them with the band.
You are hitting the road soon to play at Babushka in Ballarat, how are preparations going for the live show?
Yeah, really excited to be heading down to Babushka on the 22nd April in a couple of weeks. Our bass player is originally from Ballarat so it’ll be nice to be in his home town, all the while playing at such a great venue. We’ve been preparing a few new songs which will be great to put out into the world. Bit of slide-guitar here and there and the odd drum solo. We’re ready!
What are your plans over the next 12 months?
More song writing, more gigging and hopefully playing a festival here and there. Towards the end of the year/ beginning of 2017 we plan to record and release an EP, so keep your eyes and ears peeled!
When & Where: Babushka Lounge, Ballarat – April 22
