Ex-Gunnedah musican Dan Murphy is bent on raising spirits at the Tamworth Country Music Festival.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
With the ongoing drought and the threat of fires looming, the singer-songwriter come firefighter says it's "my job" to help people destress.
"That's my goal, that's my motivation ... to entertain people to the point that they do forget about their troubles for a couple of hours," Murphy said.
"I'm there to make them laugh and cry and go through the full range of emotions and hopefully leave with a smile on their face and forget about the stresses of life for two or three hours.
"[The festival] will definitely boost spirits. It's inevitable."
Read also:
Murphy says while the crowds may be smaller this year because of the fires raging around the state, he's still "pumped" for the festival.
"I'm really excited about playing with the band at the gigs. It all just feeds into a lot of fun," he said.
"I've put in an order for a big rain event before the festival."
Murphy is once again booked up for the duration of the music fiesta
"This year the spots are just delicious. They're the cream. I'm so thrilled," he said.
"I prefer to play at these venues ... I stick to my word, I always turn up, I put on a show. I haven't been asked for a refund yet."
Murphy will be backed by Tamworth guitarist Anthony Walmsley, his mate on bass, and a drummer from Sydney.
Murphy will arrive in Tamworth on the day of his first gig - January 16 - and said he planned to perform more originals this year.
"The venues lead into that. [The people there], they want to listen, they want to hear the stories behind songs, and let the songs tell the story.
"I know my grandpa's song, they say, 'Oh you could have written that about my grandfather' or [you could have written that] about me. I'm the grandparent."
Stage fright is never an issue for Murphy who has been gigging at the festival for close to 15 years.
"A lot of people ask me if I get nervous, but my answer is always the same - I don't get nervous because it's not about me. It's about the fans and the people in the crowd; I'm there for them," Murphy said.
