Adelaide musician and piano teacher, Deborah Brennan, is fighting the battle to keep good music from the past in young ears.
To do this, the singer/ pianist has produced her first show titled 'A Case Of You: The Music Of Joni Mitchell'. Joni Mitchell is one the most inspiring singer-songwriters of the 1970s' folk generation, with hits such as 'Big Yellow Taxi', 'Both Sides Now' and 'A Case Of You'.
Rewind a decade and Deborah was asked to sing at a family wedding, which brought about the initial spark that led her to become a massive fan of the iconic musician. “I was asked to sing three Joni Mitchell songs at [a family] wedding. I had no idea who she was so they gave me a Joni Mitchell song book, and lent me a CD of her greatest hits. I say lent in inverted comas because that was ten years ago, and I never gave it back.”
Deborah is currently employed at the University of Adelaide as a piano teacher and accompanist. When asked where her passion for the instrument stems from, her family was a major influence. "My Grandad was a piano teacher, and all my older brothers, sisters and cousins learnt piano when I was little.”
Deborah and her band (all Adelaide locals) will be performing 'A Case Of You: The Music Of Joni Mitchell' as part of Adelaide Fringe, an event she is very familiar with. “I've been performing for the past three years at Fringe Festival, as a hired pianist for other people's shows.“The festival is a big deal for Adelaide. The city has a reputation as being not as exciting as other, bigger capital cities in the country, and it's the one time of the year where there's a big, creative buzz and everyone's excited. It seems to keep getting bigger each year.”
Now Deborah is sitting in the production chair for the first time. “I am nervous and excited. I knew it wouldn't be easy, but being around other people and seeing how achievable the process was, is what inspired me to do it myself.”
This is a chance for Deborah to bring back Joni's music, which she feels is not being heard enough with the current generation. “About this time last year [Joni] got really sick, and I thought how bad it would be if she died and my generation didn't know who she is, or didn't know what she contributed to music.
“Everyone my age that I've spoken to about my show has answered 'who is Joni Mitchell? Didn't Counting Crows play 'Big Yellow Taxi'?'”
Written by Liam Steers
A Case Of You: The Music Of Joni Mitchell - Tour Dates
Wed 17 Feb - The Jade Monkey (Adelaide)Thu 18 Feb - The Singing Gallery (Adelaide)
Wed 24 Feb - The Jade Monkey (Adelaide)
