Fred Smith sounds a very Mr. Average moniker but in this case the moniker belies the fact it belongs to a more than average Fred.

Fred Smith is a mixture of minstrel and diplomat, the latter profession very natural to a young man who grew up with a dad who was in the Foreign Service. Fred spent his formative years in many different postings including India and Israel.  Like his father before him Fred found his niche in the diplomatic service.

His use of music to make comment on what is happening in the world is backed up with the knowledge and skill of a diplomat.

Fred has done the apprenticeship. He spent time in Bougainville as part of the Australian peace keeping force and during that time learnt to speak fluent Melanesian with security guards as his teachers. Fred has subsequently recorded in Melanesian.

Fred holds the distinction of being the first Australian diplomat posted into Southern Afghanistan. His job was to build relationships with tribal leaders and help them understand what the coalition was doing.

Fred has also spent three years in the US where he was inspired to write some songs tinged with humour like ‘Texas’. While in the US he took part in ‘house concerts’, a wonderful concept that gives music an intimacy not afforded it in a conventional performance setting. The performer is invited into a home, dines with the family, sets up equipment and then proceeds to entertain those in attendance comfortable and possibly shoeless.  During his American sojourn Fred reverted back to the name his parent’s gave him of Iain Campbell Smith, an equally innocuous moniker. So why has the ‘Fred’ persisted?

Fred is his choice of name. It’s a name he was christened with
during a stint in boarding school when he was about 11 years old and it is the one he prefers.

Fred Smith has previously performed at the Brookfield Vineyard and Bruny Island and will be making his way to Tasmania to perform in a number of different venues and even do a house concert!
Fred will be telling stories and showing projected images of his time in Afghanistan as part of his upcoming gigs.  While still a fractured and poor country Fred is cautiously optimistic about Afghanistan’s future.

The title track from his new album, called ‘Dust of Uruzgan’, has been tagged as including the best anti-war song since Eric Bogle’s ‘And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda’.

The title ‘dust of Uruzgan’ becomes almost a metaphor for the ‘spanner in the works’ the thing that to paraphrase Fred ‘foils every plan’.

Accompanying Fred on this tour will be his musical partner Liz Frenchman.

How these two accomplished people got together is fairytale stuff, like the Prince searching for the girl who would fit the shoe. Fred had written some songs particularly for a woman’s voice and was searching for the girl who would fit, in this case, the song. He found it in Liz Frenchman.

Fred and Liz will be doing a range of dates around Tassie.
Their dates are listed below and can also be accessed at:

http://www.fredsmith.com.au/pages/tour.html

Thur 21 July House Concert Launceston call 0407 994 902

Fri 22 July Gallery 9 Deloraine

Sat 23 July The Venue @ Salamanca Arts Centre

Sun 24 July Cygnet Town Hall Supper Room

TASMANIA tour with Liz Frencham

LAUNCESTON – Thursday 21 July
Lounge concert – enquiries and bookings contact Nella at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) 0407 994 902

DELORAINE – Friday 22 July
Gallery 9 Deloraine. 2 West Barrack St, Deloraine.
7.00pm for 730pm.  Tickets available at the door: $15, $12.

HOBART – Saturday 23 July
The Venue @ Salamanca Arts Centre
77 Salamanca Place, Hobart
$20, $15 Advance tickets available through http://www.trybooking.com/RUA and at the door if it doesn’t sell out.

CYGNET – Sunday 24 July
Cygnet Town Hall Supper Room
3:30pm for 4.00pm, Tickets available at the door: $15, $12.