On Thursday under a full moon in Carrington, two forces will team up to produce unforgettable sights, sounds and footage aboard the MV Steve Irwin ship, previously a defender of ocean conservation, captained by Sea Shepherd founder Paul Watson.
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"Music People and Heart Open are choosing to honour this great vessel by hosting an exclusive episode on board ... kind of like a way to give thanks and celebrate The Steve for the remarkable work protecting our oceans," says Music People executive producer Matt Field.
Supported by City of Newcastle, Music People began in 2020 as a TV show about Music People made by Music People for Music People.
Supported by the Hunter Writers Centre, Heart Open is a female-focused creative event that has been producing events with various collaborators since 2017 in Newcastle.
The night will feature six artists, mostly local and many with a passion for activism. The acts are recent ARIA winner William Crighton with his wife Jules Crighton, environmental activist and singer songwriter Su Morley, disabilities rights advocate and flautist The Emerald Ruby, Port Stephens-based first nations electronic artist Djanaba, and Melbourne-based musician Didirri.
Crighton won the ARIA for his 2022 album Water and Dust. Lyrics from the title song begin with: We are the children, Water and dust, We belong to the mother, She don't belong to us.
Playing on the Steve Irwin is right where Crighton belongs. In an interview with Jim Kellar upon the launch of Water and Dust, he said: "We have a tendency to live as if we are separate from nature. But we are nature. We are expressions of nature. You can't escape that. We are the wild. We are that."
All acts will perform a few songs live to a select audience in the evening after filming songs and interviews during the day.
Kerrie Goodall is the woman behind Ship4Good, and she is excited to have the unique crew on board. She lets people enjoy the space and the ship tells a bigger story.
"We want the ship to motivate and inspire people to learn more about what they can do," Goodall says. "They don't have to go to the Antarctica and ram Japanese sailing ships. Our mantra is inspiration and education for ocean conservation."
