Peppertown Jam- Lyn Bowtell

The fortnightly Peppertown Jam was on again and this time it was jam-packed with talent. Lyn Bowtell, who hosted the night, bought in so many talented musicians it was almost unfair that the whole night was free admission. Due to the popularity, each artist only got to sing two songs each.

Lyn, a former The Voice contestant, kicked off the night with a beautifully haunting rendition of Fields of Gold. Her voice utterly captivated the audience and prepared them for the magical night ahead. She then proceeded to sing Fools Game and Love of Mine. Love of Mine was a single that Lyn released with Felicity Urquhart and Kevin Bennett last year.

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Lyn then tossed the stage over to Lani, who was debuting at Peppertown. Lani sang Learn to Fly by the Foo Fighters, followed by the Twenty One Pilots smash Heathens. Her nerves calmed quickly and her talent began to shine through.

Elyssa Faith is a young country singer/songwriter who is proving her talent across New South Wales. Her original song Think is written well beyond her years. Elyssa is a class act who has a bright future ahead of her.

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Following Elyssa was Connor Wink, a blind musician. He played two original songs on the ukulele alongside Shawn OFriel. Connor shows that blindness isn’t a boundary when it comes to music. His track Best Friends made me think about all those who mean so to me and made me feel something amazing. This is where music should take a person. It is fantastic seeing somebody who may be disadvantaged by sight doing something that he loves and absolutely nail it.

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Todd Haywood is just a teenager but his talent is something of extraordinary. His guitar skills combined with the unique tone of his voice made for an enjoyable performance. Todd will go far in his career.

Roger Corbett, a Peppertown Jam regular graced the stage next. Roger has had decades of experience in the music industry so it’s great he still loves attending the open mic night. Roger writes about life and those things that we all love. One of his songs was aptly called Good Old Days. It took the audience back to a time where things were much simpler. Or for someone my age, made us wish we were alive at that time.

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Peppertown regular Trinity Woodhouse bought chills down everybody’s spine with her rendition of House of the Rising Sun. She followed this up with her original track Me and Sandy, a song she wrote for a friend of hers who had a special relationship with a horse. At only 14, Trinity is writing some amazing songs and is sure to have an amazing writing career ahead.

Country/Folk singer Marcus Greene was up next, wowing the crowd with Ben Hall on his guitar. He said that the buzz and the atmosphere of the audience and the night left him buzzing.

Lili Crane followed Marcus, showcasing two new songs. Freshly back from Tamworth, Lili revealed that Tamworth had inspired her to write these new songs. The first song Feels Like You’re the One is of course about a boy. The 17 year-old then told the audience that her other song Back Roads Home was written in a mere 90-minutes. That’s a record for her.

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Another Peppertown Jam favourite Piper Butcher took to the stage. The talented 13 year-old began with Honky Tonk Heart, accompanied by Roger Corbett on the harmonica. She followed with Ain’t No Little Girl. Piper has just returned from the Junior Country Music Academy in Tamworth. Her performances just keep getting stronger and her talent continues to grow.

Colin Donnelly was up next. The New Zealand born singer/songwriter played some original tracks for the audience. One of the songs he performed was a song he had written and performed for his wife at their wedding. He was very entertaining and we will hopefully see much more of him at Peppertown in the future.

Lucy Parle was up next. She performed Drops of Jupiter by Train as well as an original track Sky High. The 15-year-old from the Central Coast shows talent beyond her years. She absolutely captivated the crowd and is a talent to watch in the future.

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Simon Stewart performed next. Simon has had many years experience playing the music scene in Newcastle so it’s no surprise he was involved in such an amazing night at Peppertown. He sang a cover of Fire and Rain by James Taylor before singing his original track Gambling With My Life,a song he says was written during his time studying at Stockholm University. He quit Uni and decided to pursue music full time. And now here he is performing at Peppertown.

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Ross Benton was a first-timer at Peppertown on Wednesday night. He brought experience and classic Australian music to the night.

The penultimate performer of the evening was another Peppertown regular Alexandria. She brought her electric guitar, adding something different to the atmosphere of the night. Alexandria performed two original tracks Quiet Places and Sleepless, rocking the Stag and Hunter. She will also feature in an article next month talking about her life as a musician so far.

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The grand finale of the solo performances of the night was Chris Lee, who also played the electric. He sang two original songs First Impression and Breathing. Chris has also performed at Peppertown a number of times. He brings a different, but great, dimension to the night with his talent as a songwriter and performer.

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To finish things off, it was an all-round affair with Lyn taking the stage one last time. She was joined by Natalie Henry, Piper, Roger and Suz Dorahy performing The Speed of the Sound of Loneliness. It was a terrific way to end what was a fantastic night.

Peppertown is a great avenue for many singers to gain exposure. It’s so good that there is an open mic night like this, and the audience is very welcoming to original songs. I for one would prefer to hear an artist’s original song instead of the same run-of-the mill covers. Covers are great of course but original songs are even better.

Peppertown Jam is on fortnightly at the Stag and Hunter hotel in Mayfield.

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