Rider Essentials: Mark Tempany & Alison Hams

Nearly twenty years ago Mark Tempany and Alison Hams were front-and-centre in Australia's Independent Country Music scene. They'd been Star Maker Grand Finalists, were charting with multiple album releases and regularly appearing on National Television. They'd just married in 2005 and completed a highly successful 2006 National Tour Support gig for UK superstar Charlie Landsborough – then they seemed to vanish from mainstream view.

In reality, Mark and Alison had settled onto the edge of the South Australian Outback where they've been busier than ever mentoring young people in music ever since – and from all accounts, it's been quite a journey! With the COVID pandemic came some rare spare time to renew their own original music inspiration – and now they're back with an exciting new album production titled Out Into The Blue, with the lead single Lullaby released on May 22. Notably, Out Into The Blue is currently ‘Album Of The Week’ on Good Morning Country on National Community Radio Network.

We caught up with Mark Tempany and Alison Hams to find out the things they always take on the road with them for this week’s Rider Essentials.

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Alison

1. Mobile Phone

As artists who started out in the early 1990's (there were no mobile phones then!), it's phenomenal what a positive difference our devices have made to our lives, and to our business as singers and songwriters. Whether we're on the road or at a gig, we can write notes, demo new songs, record a phone interview and interact on our social media platforms virtually anywhere we go. Plus, we can so easily capture a comprehensive photographic record of our music journey, which was never really possible before!

2. Spare Pillows!

Sometimes you’re lucky enough to be accommodated on-the-road at a flash hotel, but usually we musicians end up staying somewhere much less comfy. When you add in the crazy hours, we all keep – getting a few hours’ sleep between packing out of a venue before heading off to the next destination – an extra pillow or two (especially a proven road-worn one!) often makes the difference between insomnia and having enough energy to keep moving!

3. Quiet Zones!

Every performer loves the noise and excitement of gigging but often what we really need backstage is a quiet zone where we can warm up voices, tune instruments and just “centre and chill” until we’re intro’ed and on-stage giving it our all. It’s surprising how many times a venue doesn’t have such a space and you find yourself outside the stage door or in a corridor trying to achieve this peace to “get ready” for what’s about to happen.

Mark

1. Cameras

Wherever you go in Australia you're constantly presented with amazing photo opportunities and these days it's so easy to capture those magic moments with device cameras, and on video. Wherever we’re going, we nearly always drive and with that comes incredible sunrises, sunsets and an infinite range of possibilities – we're always on the lookout to capture for our scrapbook. These days it’s much easier to grab footage that might even end up in future album artwork, or PR – or even as music video content.

2. Merchandise Case

Our best calling card is a signed CD copy of our music. Since Out Into The Blue launched, we’re enjoying “old” fans reconnecting with us, saying how they’ve continued to listen to our music from albums they purchased ages ago. One of the most important parts of our job is spending time after a performance talking to fans, and hearing about their own life and times. Those stories often inspire us, and it’s a bit sad that digital culls this vital relationship between audience and artist.

3. Guitar

It’s an obvious one but every song starts from something you feel, or see, or hear. I clearly remember as an eight-year-old the day mum bought me my first guitar and there honestly hasn’t been a day since when it hasn’t played a major part in my life. As a songwriter you can’t predict when an emotion or a concept will strike but when the guitar’s there you can sometimes turn that fleeting moment into something tangible like a new song!

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Keep up to date with Mark Tempany and Alison Hams on their Facebook page here.