Kane Slater (The music of) : Ron experiences some unmistakable Australian music in the Adelaide City region of South Australia
In the Billy Hyde Recording Studio in the backstreets of Adelaide, Kane Slater works up his organic mix of lap steel guitar, stomp box and didgeridoo. It's an earthy heartfelt sound, drawing on a myriad of musical styles - but with an unmistakable Australian quality.
Kane Slater, Musician: "I suppose everything I do is natural. The instrumentals are natural and the environment I work in is I suppose a natural environment and I suppose that helps influence my music."
Dig deep into the lyrics and it soon becomes apparent that this Cummins born farm boy and self taught musician has a profound message for us all. But get to know this doyen of the didge and you soon realise a love of nature infuses all his work and it comes from a day-to-day appreciation of some of South Australia's most spectacular and pristine marine environments.
We first caught up with Kane on board The Southern Ranger, the Fisheries Department's multi-million dollar flagship patrolling South Australian waters. The five blokes on board swap roles from taking the wheel to powering through its wake on board the tender as they check on craft up and down our coastline.
The Southern Ranger will cover about 18,000 kilometres of coastline in any given year. Since its commissioning Kane and the rest of the Fisheries crew have boarded about 2,000 fishing craft - checking to see that recreational and professional boaties are doing the right thing.
From the towering cliffs on the north coast of Kangaroo Island to a remote wilderness like Pearson Island in the Great Australian Bight - natural settings like these and the vast array of creatures who live in them provide endless inspiration and some images linger long in the memory.
Kane Slater: "I've got to pinch myself sometimes because we see some of these things regularly and we're so lucky to see them. Seeing great white sharks down at Neptune Island was a highlight."
Kane backs his passion not only with his original compositions but also with part of the proceeds they make. A percentage of all sales of his most recent CD… "Small Drops Make Rivers Flood" goes to the Nature Conservation Society of South Australia.
Kane Slater: "It's another way to express myself about the way I feel and to look after the coast. It's a passion that I have."
Kane's latest CD - "Small Drops Make Rivers Flood" is available from his website. The Southern Ranger regularly drops into visit schools around the State. If you want to the Southern Ranger's crew to drop in on your school contact 8347 6100. And if you want to explore the spectacular North Coast of KI then contact Gavin Solly from Kangaroo Island Fishing Adventures on 8559 3232. If you have any further questions please email then to info@postcards-sa.com.au
Kane Slater
CD - "Small Drops Make Rivers Flood"Southern Ranger
For school visits contact 8347 6100Kangaroo Island Fishing Adventures
Contact Gavin Solly on 8559 3232Published 24th July 2010
