Sparks Fly
Author: CBOnline | Source: CBOnline | Date: 05-02-02
Have a Go is the catch cry of Australian community radio. When it comes to fostering new musical talent or finding a fresh new sound community radio is where it happens first.
By day Paul McQueen is a signals communications technician at Hornsby station, ensuring the safety of 100,000 commuters every day. Paul’s other life is making recordings of music - blues/rock is his passion but he’ll record any artful sounds.
What Paul finds satisfying about recording music is getting the performance out of the artist. His first love is finding young bands and musicians in the local community and helping them out.
Paul brims with enthusiasm as he describes how it feels to send off young and hopeful bands with their first recording of their music.
Helping young musicians create something tangible, like a demo tape, with which to further communicate their artistic expression is fulfilling but then what?
Paul knows the frustration of trying to get noticed by recording labels and mainstream media. It’s hard not to give up and think you’re not good enough because the band hasn't secured a recording contract. This is where community radio comes to the rescue.
“The Have a Go Show” is Paul’s contribution to community radio station 2HHH in Hornsby, New South Wales. The programme is designed to showcase the diverse range of local bands from the local community, catalogued by Paul’s passion for recording music over the past ten years.
A year has passed since Paul discovered community radio and he has already laid plans to expand his efforts to help bands in his local community.
His next project will see Paul record a live set of four bands and preview each band on community radio.