By JOLENE OGLE
A BURLY Australian man meets a wee Irish woman in a bar – it’s not the start of a bad joke, it’s the start of one of Australia’s best folk and blues duos.
Hat Fitz, an Australian guitar master, met Cara Robinson, while touring with his former drummer, Itchy, in Ireland back in 2008.
The pair hit it off immediately and have been making sweet music ever since, much to the benefit of anyone who happens to catch one of their live shows.
Hat Fitz and Cara are on their way to Noosa to perform at The J in November to celebrate the launch of their new album, Do Tell, which will be released in Australia tomorrow.
Do Tell follows on from their 2012 album, Wiley Ways, which Cara described as a more authentic album musically but said fans could enjoy a more solid sound with the new album, which incorporates more bass playing and a richer sound.
The blending of Hat’s unique, Australian, blues style with Cara’s hasn’t always been smooth, according to Cara. But the end result is like an Australian-Irish roller-coaster, taking you on rocking highs to deep-blue lows within the space of an album.
Cara says the duo continue to evolve as they play, write and perform music together, often bringing out new styles in each other.
“When we got together, Hat said ‘Oh, I thought because you were Irish you would really love traditional Irish folk music’. And I do, I really do, but I’m also really into motown and soul,” she said.
“But, Hat really brought the traditional Irish music out from within me. If we hadn’t have met, I wouldn’t have gone down that road. And, he is moving a little toward motown and soul.”
Cara said the duo had found themselves embracing story-telling in both their lyrics and on stage during live shows.
“It is where we get the ideas from and there are more stories behind (our lyrics). We can write from experience and that is evolving quite a bit,” she said.
The pair play a multitude of instruments throughout their live shows and albums, but the strongest instrument of the lot is the voice.
Hat delivers a deep, gravelly sound that was made for blues and folk singing, while Cara’s voice is the epitome of soul; rustic, sultry and raw.
But this singer/songwriter is anything but vain, admitting she often works hard to perfect her art.
“I didn’t know I could sing for years. I have gotten a little more confident now, but there are still times I think I haven’t gotten it right and I need to go back to the drawing board and practice and approach things differently,” she said.
“I was very young when I started to sing and I loved the feeling it would give me.”
Cara laughs as she recalls her early love of singing, which often required the participation of her schoolmates.
“I remember when I was about nine or 10, I was very much into harmony, and on the 45-minute bus ride to school, I would organise my friends in their seats … into like a little choir and I would make them sing,” she said.
Hat Fitz and Cara will perform at The J on 7 November, from 7.30pm. Tickets are $25 for an adult or $20 for concession. Drop into The J, 60 Noosa Drive, Noosa Heads, or visit www.thej.com.au for tickets.
