Singer-songwriter Flynn Gurry, 18, is launching his self titled EP at Mozart Hall on Friday 16 November. The talented Warrnambool musician will perform tracks from the new album, including the songs that recently won him the Blues Award and third overall at the Australian National Busking Championships. “It is basically a busking EP, me at my simplest and rawest,” Gurry said. “It’s really stripped back and acoustic.” Promising an energetic show, Gurry describes his music as a blues and roots style, with “folk singer-songwriter style to break it up”. “I’ll be playing all of the songs I have been playing over the last year and a half, plus some new songs,” Gurry said. Gurry is excited about Friday’s performance.“It will be somewhere for me to share just me. Just my show, not supporting another act,” he said. The recent trip to Cooma for the National Busking Championships has opened doors for Gurry. “The trip has been really good for exposure, really good for experience,” he said. Invitations to perform have come from the Cooma Hotel, the Canberra Blues Society, plus a number of smaller folk festivals after his success at the event. Gurry won his place at the Cooma event after competing at a regional heat in Ballarat. “I saw the event advertised on Facebook,” he said. After two days of busking around Cooma in both pubs and on the street, Gurry was selected to perform in the top-three play off. While he finished in third place, he was also awarded the blues award after a performance in the Cooma Hotel Busking Blues Bar.
Warrnambool Standard October 6th 2017
EMERGING Warrnambool musician Flynn Gurry is proving true the old adage of the more you practice, the luckier you get. The 16-year-old singer-songwriter-guitarist admits to a healthy obsession. “I just love playing, I’m addicted to it at the moment,” Gurry said. “I play every night and day, any spare minute I get really.” Gurry’s passion has seen the quality of his music and his public profile advance at a rapid rate. In a busy 2017, Gurry has taken part in the The Push Start FReeZA Battle of the Bands competition. He won the Corangamite section before finishing runner-up to Tiosav Joy in the regional final in Port Fairy late last month. Gurry has also played shows at Highline and The Loft in Warrnambool. This hectic schedule of live performances has come as a pleasant surprise for Gurry. “It’s been unbelievable really,” he said.“It’s not that long ago I was just playing guitar in my room. Things have happened pretty quick, it’s been great fun and it has given me a lot more confidence when it comes to performing.”The progression is even more impressive given Gurry, a year 10 student at Warrnambool College, only started playing guitar three years ago.He attributed some local factors as inspiration to try his hand at the guitar.“When I was a little kid I played drums,” he said.“I started going to the Port Fairy Folk Festival and watching guitarists there. I also knew Tom Richardson and he was great, he really encouraged me to play guitar.” Gurry said joining Richardson as his music influences were John Butler, Xavier Rudd, Kim Churchill and Daniel Champagne.The roots, blues and folk characteristics of those artists blend into Gurry’s music to create a fresh, new sound. Gurry has already written nine original songs and has set a goal to expand on that body of work and go into the recording studio. *Flynn Gurry’s next live show will be at the Winged Warriors event on October 21 2017 at the Old Collegians Football Netball Clubrooms.
