by Siân Williams.
Local singer songwriter David Robinson and musical partner Ken Stewart are off on a journey. It is a journey that has been years in the making, and they are keen to get on the road to promote their album Very Together, as well as the EP – Shining Light, written earlier in 2011. The friendship struck a chord in the early 80’s when their bands traversed the same venues; The Union, Cremorne and The Alma Hotels. Late night beers and a mutual appreciation for each other’s musical taste meant that they forged a strong bond.
Stewart left Adelaide to move to Sydney in the ‘80s to play with Urban Guerrillas. Meanwhile, Robinson enjoyed a successful solo career in Adelaide, before the pair eventually met up again in the mid ‘90s. Despite the long distance of living in different states, these two friends still enjoy the camaraderie today. As Robinson notes, “we enjoy the challenge of distance to maintain our musical relationship and it always feels as though not a day has passed when we catch up.
“We are really in tune with each other in terms of how we play; naturally we spend rehearsal time when we are back in the same state, but aside from that it is great – it is as if we are around each other all the time. Ken and I have a similar style and really understand each other musically. We also have a similar outlook, and an intellectual and emotional understanding of how we relate in the world and with the people around us.”
The duo is currently on the road, performing 23 shows in 27 days. After their main rehearsal time they hit the road, travelling through many different parts of two states, including regional areas such as Roxby Downs, Coober Pedy and Leigh Creek. Luckily for Adelaide, there is the opportunity to see them perform at the Grace Emily Hotel they head off to travel through Broken Hill through to Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney.
“We are looking forward to the diversity of our shows, as we get the best of both worlds; small regional towns where the locals are always keen to join in with a travelling outfit, and then having the opportunity to play some bigger gigs in the big smoke,” Robinson says. “We will have been on the road for over 3 weeks by the time we reach the cities, so we will be very musically tight after playing so much.
“The smaller communities are always such great gigs,” he adds. “It is actually International Year of the Family Farm, so people really come together and it is great to be included in regional activities. The people always bend over backwards to make sure you have everything you need, and you can really get up close and personal with the punters.”
Yours Truly encapsulate everything that makes you feel right at home, a broad mix of originals – of which they both write a great deal of – and party favourites should the crowd want something even more familiar.
Click here to follow their tour schedule and find a Yours Truly gig near you.
Yours Truly perform two Adelaide shows as part of their Shining Light Tour at Grace Emily Hotel on Wed Aug 27 and Whitmore Hotel on Sun Sep 14.
