Blue Lucy are, from left, Madie Drew, Charlie Jones and Krista Low.
WHEN Charlie Jones first heard late Hawaiian musician Israel Kamakwiwo’ole’s cover of Judy Garland’s signature song Somewhere Over the Rainbow, a little stringed instrument stole her heart.
Kamakawiwo’ole – whose ukulele medley of the classic ballad helped re-popularise the instrument in 2003 – captivated Jones, who grew up tinkling the ivories of the family piano in her hometown of Kalgoorlie, before picking up the guitar, and eventually ukulele, on moving to Perth to attend boarding school.
“My first exposure to ukulele was Israel’s song; I’ve loved the ukulele ever since and my mum got me one for my birthday last year,” Jones gushed.
It now takes pride of place in Blue Lucy, an emerging all-girl Perth band comprising UWA environmental science and arts student Jones (20), on ukulele, guitar and harmony vocals, Curtin University design student and Bicton resident Madie Drew (19, lead vocals, guitar) and Attadale resident Krista Low (19, cello, auxiliary percussion), who is studying music at UWA.
The self-declared “barefooted trio of folk popsters” formed in 2009 after the trio met in high school music productions.
“I finished school and Madie asked me to be her maths tutor and then she got offered a gig and didn’t want to do it herself, so asked me to play guitar with her,” Jones explained.
“It was a one-off thing but we just kept doing it. We knew Krista from school too and we thought it would be nice to have cello for another gig so we just kept her around.”
The likeable lasses – who last year won mentoring and recording sessions with veteran David Hyams as part of the City of Fremantle Hidden Treasures music series – cite influences such as WA’s own The Waifs, Brit it-girl Laura Marling and beared Texan Iron & Wine (aka Samuel Beam).
“Between the three of us, it’s all a bit different," she said.
"My early influence was American country courtesy of my dad and more recently, nu-wave folk, whereas Madie is more pop and earlier soul R&B and Krista is more classical.
“If we were to draw a venn diagram, it would probably overlap at The Beatles, as well as Simon and Garfunkel and Regina Spektor.”
Blue Lucy / WAMi Festival 2012
What: WAMi Sunday Live, featuring music and outdoor artisan market
Where: Perth Cultural Centre Wetlands Stage
When: May 27 at 12noon
Visit: wam.asn.au/wamifestival