Stumbled Upon #115: Serina Pech (Katherine, NT)

Serina Pech is a young singer songwriter based in the NT who is poised to make some serious waves outside the country’s north. The Katherine artist has been displaying some impressive writing chops; weaving heartfelt lyricism with some gorgeous folk acoustic musicality and a potential that is only just being tapped into.

“The scene is pretty small,” she says of the NT scene. “Darwin is a great place to get things started! There is a small but strong community of musicians and industry representatives throughout the NT. It’s a lot easier to network and collaborate, so as long as you’re willing to put in the effort and hard work.”

Embarking on her first national tour from the end of the month, Serina’s sound is set to be introduced to crowds at various venues around the country. We find out some more about this young talent and where she’s at creatively at the moment.

Name:
Serina Pech.

Genre:
Pop, Indie, Folk

Website / Social Media:

Facebook | Instagram | Snapchat (@flowers4frank)

Members & their roles:

Serina Pech (singer, songwriter) and James Mangohig (producer/manager). Signed to Perambulator Records (Mark Grose and Michael Hohnen).

What music or artists inspired you?

I’ve always been surrounded by lots of different kinds of music growing up, but a few bands and artists that have seemed to stick around in my life are: Fleetwood Mac, The Carpenters, Frank Sinatra, Paramore, The Strokes and now Drake. I love Drake, he’s so sensitive. I am constantly inspired by new music and every week spotify creates a random playlist for me to enjoy. I watched Courtney Barnett play recently at the Barunga Festival and her set was amazing, so you can be sure I’ll be adding her music to my playlists too.

How did you get started?

I’ve always loved to sing, even as early as five, but it’s kind of natural for five year olds to sing, I guess. I wrote my first few songs around 12-13 and started learning the guitar at that time too. The first ‘good’ song I wrote when I was 16 years old called “Wild Jealousy” and I performed it in Adelaide at a school dinner. I had the best singing teacher in Adelaide, love him to bits. Mr. Holmes taught me everything I know about my voice or at least brought a lot of it out of me.

I did my gap year back in my home town of Katherine and the first band I supported was David Spry and the Moral High Ground. After that, I attended more music workshops around Katherine and Darwin, got invited to play some more shows and eventually got picked up by the Perambulator Records label last year. They’re great, we’re like family!

How would you best describe your live show?

Random humour and dialogue about what goes on in my days and what gets me to write the songs that I have already. My songs are primarily about people, life, love or things that are just slightly fucked up. I’m sweet and a bit twisted, but in a way that really endears to an audience. I always try to make them as comfortable as I might seem to be. To give every person in that audience the same amount of attention I might give them if I were to have a conversation, that’s the challenge.

Often, my shows are quite intimate in this way and that’s really nice. I prefer to see the audience’s faces as their reactions shape the way I perform. I am a real, raw and honest musician and a face can mirror everything a person likes or dislikes about my songs; that’s the best descriptor I can give you.

What shows do you have coming up?

National tour dates through August!

July 30th | Desert Harmony Festival, TENNANT CREEK
July 31st | Epilogue Lounge, ALICE SPRINGS
August 2nd | Woolly Mammoth, BRISBANE
August 4th | The Milk Factory, BRISBANE
August 5th | The Newsagency, SYDNEY
August 6th | The Retreat, MELBOURNE
August 7th | The Bird, PERTH
August 12th | Katherine Regional Arts, KATHERINE
August 13th | Darwin Railway Club @ DARWIN FESTIVAL

Tell us about your latest release:

I wrote this song,“I Hope To See the Sun”, after I was fired from my first job after thirty minutes. Let’s just say I make a terrific singer but a terrible waitress and as a result, I write songs like this one. It got me pretty down, so this song was a way for me to lift my spirits back up.

It’s about giving everything in your life a good go and really being a part of this world we live in. In the broader sense, it’s also about life and death. Through acknowledging our own mortality we should learn to not be so timid in life or take it for granted.

Where can I get your music?

Purchase music through iTunes HERE.

 

Header Image: Claudia Sangiorgi Dallimore

Listen to ‘Stumbled Upon’ on AU Radio , Mondays at 8:30PM, Thursdays at 3PM and Sundays at 10AM (AEDT).

 

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