Alesa Lajana

Every so often an artist comes along with a novel idea for a record, which at the outset may seem insurmountably too grand, but with the benefit of hindsight is a masterstroke in creativity. One such artist is Alesa Lajana, who channeled her inner “humanitarian streak” to create an album which tackles the issues of “social justice and race in Australia” with her new record Frontier Lullaby.

In order to fully grasp the extent of the issues she wanted to explore, Lajana set out on an eight year journey throughout the country, researching and getting to know many of the colourful characters our nation has to offer.

“I did a lot of research into Australian history, which involved reading old books that I found in various places, [speaking with] some pre-existing contacts, as well as chasing up new contacts in the community. It was pretty fascinating and involved a lot of travelling and meeting new people,” explained Lajana.

For Lajana, the passion to explore alternative perspectives was sparked in the latter part of her high school years. “I met a couple of people who, because of the colour of their skin, had a very different upbringing to me,” she reflected. “They had really different experiences, for instance interacting with the Queensland Police, and I was amazed that people who had grown up so close to each other could have such different experiences and perspectives on our country.”

Obviously with a project that was so ambitious, doubts crept in along the way: “It can be really challenging, wondering whether it’s worth it or whether you’re good enough. Plus [when] dealing with this thematic material, the people you meet aren’t always the easiest to interact with.”

In the end the experience was one which Lajana said was “really positive, life affirming and really inspired me to keep going”.

Before heading out on the road again Lajana has spent a few weeks at home with her husband recharging and working on their “horsemanship, cattlemanship and agricultural skills”, so she is certainly “ready to go again.” In terms of what the audience can expect from the show at Django Bar, she says “it’s a fairly simple format with storytelling of adventures from the road and behind the scenes, but hopefully it’s one that helps people engage emotionally with our history.”

Oct 16, 6pm. Django Bar, 19 Marrickville Rd, Marrickville. $22.90-$27.90. Tickets & info: www.camelotlounge.com/django-bar

Follow Jamie Apps on Twitter @Appsy_JAM