Could anyone ever say there was a lack of reception when they spoke to the charming Damien Leith? Of course not! The only kind of lack of reception I had when speaking to Damien recently was all due to him being out of mobile range. Damien kindly called me back and we chatted about his Tasmanian upcoming ‘Evening with Damien Leith’ concerts.
Damien explains to me that of recent times he has been juggling a variety of shows, to keep things fresh and interesting, these include, his tribute to Roy Orbison, his Elvis gospel show, his play, ‘The Parting Glance’, and his evening with Damien Leith. The latter is an entertaining reminiscence through Damien’s career from the beginning on Australian Idol to where he is now, an established recording artist and concert performer.
The word ‘musician’, however, doesn’t define Damien. He always surprises as he pushes the boundaries, and never more so than in his acting role in the film ‘Target’, A movie about the sensitive subject of bullying. Damien, surprisingly plays the bully! When I spoke to director Giovanni Mercuri she echoed what all of Damien’s fans would agree, he is just too nice to imagine him playing a bully. Damien is so nice in fact, he had to take lessons on being tough from a friend who schooled him on how to take ‘no nonsense’ from anyone, among other skills. Damien tells me he actually enjoyed, not being a bully but stretching his acting skills, most definitely outside his comfort zone.
The other new move for Damien has been re-locating from Sydney to the Hunter Valley where he is fulfilling another dream, that of working on radio, in this case Power FM, Damien says he is loving the change and gradually getting accustomed and settling in to the 4 o’clock starts.
Presently, Damien is working on a new album of original songs set for release in May next year and so far, to those he has shared the songs with, the response has been good. He’s enjoying the process of creating without meeting urgent deadlines.
When it comes to writing new material Damien gets keeps all of his fledgling songs as he believes if he can’t get them working for him perhaps they will eventually work for someone else. Of course there have been songs in Damien’s past that did work for him, like ‘Lilac Tree’ by Jeff Buckley but they have over time dropped off the edge of his playlist. The Evenings with Damien Leith concert will seek to showcase these past precious gems again.
Considering the season you may even get a Christmas song from Damien if you should request it. It might even be One of Damien’s favourites ‘When a child is born’.
You can see Damien accompanied by his piano, guitar and a face familiar to those who have been regular attendees at Damien’s concerts, good mate Eric, on the following dates and venues …
Friday 16 November 2018 Launceston Country Club
Saturday 17 November 2018 Hobart, Wrest Point Casino
