Singer-songwriter and self-taught musician, Chris Tamwoy will be heading back to Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island) to perform at Island Vibe Festival next month.
Music has come naturally to Chris. “The first instrument I ever played was the drums. I mastered that by the age of nine, and by ten I was playing in the church band,” he says.
He has come a long way since and is perhaps most well-known for his unique, self-taught, guitar playing style. Chris attributes his motivation for learning musical instruments to the way he was raised. “I grew up with my grandparents, we were kind of forced into the learning by listening and not speaking.
“I was taught to follow instructions and take notice of things with my eyes. That mentality has stuck with me up until now, a life tool my grandparents have instilled in me,” he says.
“Growing up on the island, we never had iPads or technology. I just fell in love with music, I really connected with all forms of it,” he says about his childhood.
“There was this one song I loved as a kid, ‘Other Song’ – a Torres Strait Island song. I fell in love with that song and I played it over and over on the drums. But my uncle played it on the guitar, and that was the song that I learned how to play on the guitar by the age of about 12.”
First gracing the Island Vibe stage back in 2014, Chris says he is stoked to be playing this year. “I’m over the moon. I first played Island Vibe in 2014 and it was amazing,” he says.
“This year is going to be a little bit harder for me though, it will be a dedication to an uncle of mine who passed away earlier this year. It’s going to be the first time I’ll be playing on the island without him in attendance.”
Chris, who has been extremely busy over the last couple of years touring the US and Australia as well as releasing an EP, says this performance is one for fans to get excited for. “Returning this year is even better because I have my own material, I have merch, I have a set list.
“This time I’m coming prepared with the full set and a few special guests. I’m excited to be back onstage with my two guitars and the audience."
When asked if he could give any hints as to who might be joining him onstage, Chris played it coy. “All I can say is, it’s all acoustic vibes but we will be dropping some hip hop vibes. We’re going to pop a big surprise and just jam and deliver a surprising performance for the crowd."
An album is in the works, but Chris says he doesn’t want to rush it. “I’m definitely going to release my album, we’re looking at 2019. It’s my first album, so I really want to take my time with it so I can understand what I want and why I want it,” he says.
“I want to be able to record it all and then reflect back on it to understand it from my perspective."
