Hat Fitz and Cara have a huge list of festival appearances ahead of them, including Mojo Burning (Brisbane), The Gum Ball (Hunter Valley) and Blues On Broadbeach (Gold Coast).
“Last week we got back from Kansas City for the Folk Alliance International Showcase, and we were representing Australia and New Zealand with artists like Liz Stringer and William Crighton,” Cara Robinson says.
“It was crazy mad. Imagine in a hotel, three floors are all filled with people playing music. And they play for 15 minutes and then you move into the next room. It was crazy, but wonderful, because you get filled to the brim with music.”
Hat Fitz and Cara are no strangers to festivals. “At a festival, the energy and volume has to reach a lot more of the masses. With a smaller show it's definitely more intimate and you get more of a personal connection.”
At Blues On Broadbeach (a free blues festival staged on the Gold Coast), Hat Fitz and Cara will be joined by the Brisbane City Gospel Choir. “We were introduced by Jeff Chandler,” Cara says.
“We have worked with various choirs around the east coast with our first album launch. We've always wanted to have our music played with a gospel choir, because it really lent itself towards that style.”
In addition to making music, Hat Fitz and Cara Robinson are also a married couple. “There's pros and cons, but I have to say there's more pros than cons. Or else I don't think we would have lasted ten years together, musically or romantically.
“I think you have to have a really strong, working partnership, and we're both proactive in what we do and very hands-on and passionate about our music and music in general.
“And sometimes when it doesn’t work, it's when one's really under pressure and the other isn’t getting that or realising.
"Fitzy decided that it would be really funny to wind me up before a show because he felt that when I was angry I played with more force. He did it a few times, but then he decided it wasn't worth it.”
Hat Fitz and Cara often travel overseas to perform. “Our next tour is starting in Canada in July, then we fly to the UK. And then from the 31st [July] we fly down to Denmark, and then make our way down to France, Germany and Belgium and then home.
“There's a lot coming up for us at the moment, but I think June is our month of somewhat rest. June may be the time that we get to record in Italy. We got an email through this morning asking if we'd like to record our album in a place called The Cave Studios, which is in a cave.
“We have a single that we're playing live at the moment called 'Hold On', so there'll be a single release of that. And then beginning of next year, is when we have to release a new album.”
Hat Fitz and Cara Tour Dates
Sat 14 Apr - Mojo Burning (Brisbane)Wed 25 Apr - 5 Church Street (Bellingen)
Thu 26 Apr - Camelot Lounge (Sydney)
Fri 27 Apr - Heritage Hotel (Wollongong)
Sat 28 Apr - The Gum Ball Festival (Hunter Valley)
Sun 29 Apr - Tacking Point Tavern (Port Macquarie)
Thu 3 May - Skylark Room (Melbourne)
Sat 5 May - Northcote Social Club (Melbourne)
Sun 6 May - Way Out West Roots Music Club @ Newport Bowls Club (Melbourne)
Fri 11 May - Burradise Festival (Culburra, NSW)
Sat 12 May - Wine, Women and Song @ Tallagandra Hill Winery (Gundaroo, NSW)
17-18 May - Blues On Broadbeach (Gold Coast)
Fri 8 Jun - National Celtic Folk Festival (Port Arlington)
