Hailing from West Australia, Darren Hume is a bit of a wild boy and jack of all trades, well in keeping with the Aussie tradition of adventure and high jinks. He grew up surrounded by a musically driven family; both of Darren's sisters played the keyboard, one of his brothers played electric guitar and the other played drums, as the family moved from the little town of Albany to Sydney to Melbourne to its current home in Mirrabooka, a suburb of Perth.
Darren's musical popularity down under is remarkable, especially considering the unsuccessful start to his singing career. "I was in a school choir," he explains, "and was told not to sing so loud...even not sing at all! (laughs) I think I was tone deaf back then." Later, after a few singing lessons, he was highly commended at a Music Eisteddfod competition, which spurred him on to compete at other events and win many talent quests in rock, country and dance/pop styles.
Being able to reinvent himself through different musical styles, Darren continues to be a unique artiste in his own right as expressed through the Oz-only release of two albums including WIND AND FIRE and the new LIGHTNING WOMAN, plus two DVDs entitled CROCODILE MAN and WIZARD'S DRUM. His passion and drive always underlie his words, the emotion and feelings running deep. Each of Darren's songs tells a story, evoking hidden emotions with different themes, combining a mixture of fantasy and reality. In fact, his reality often reads like fantasy!
For example, in 2003, Darren flew to America to record two DVD clips. One was the dance track "Wizards Drum" off his upcoming WIND AND FIRE album, filmed on the Hudson River in New York City, where Darren spent most of the day perched on the edge of a boat, beating a drum while singing and trying not to fall over into the water.
The other was the country-inflected rock track, "Crocodile Man," off the new LIGHTNING WOMAN album. Filmed offshore of Long Island, Darren almost ended up in jail, as the guy in the seaplane didn't report that they were filming there, and four Coast Guard patrol boats surrounded the plane to arrest them because people onshore thought Darren and the crew were drug runners! After a lot of shouting and explaining, the intrepid crew ended up filming the last sequence on a jetty outside a water front restaurant, but this was not without its own adventure.
Three girls dressed only in bikinis wrestled Darren to the ground to the horror of the onlookers, who thought a porn movie was being filmed when the frisky girls attempted to tear poor Darren's clothes off (Darren hung onto his pants for grim death!). These DVD clips can be viewed on Darren's website (http://www.darrenhume.com).
Darren has also tried his hand at acting, appearing as an alien (with shaved hair and eyebrows!) in the 1998 American sci-fi cult classic film, Dark City (starring Rufus Sewell, Kiefer Sutherland, Jennifer Connelly, and William Hurt). Darren was also in the last few episodes of the hit Aussie TV series, General Practice.
He currently works as a DJ and resurfaces the ice at Skaters on Ice in Mirrabooka, Perth, Australia.
Lightning Woman
This is Darren's second album, the first to be available outside of Oz. Songs were recorded at Brian Drago's studio in New Jersey, USA, as well as Blaam Studios in Perth, Australia. His yearning tenor and unusual vocal phrasing (reminiscent of Nilsson) unite a disparate collection of story songs penned from a unique perspective that even Randy Newman would appreciate.
On LIGHTNING WOMAN, Darren brings to life stories from the red rock country including the titular aboriginal dreamtime myth, Lightning Woman, who causes terrifying fires as she throws lightning to the ground. From tales of the outback (the deceitful "Rattlesnake Rose" and quirky "Pink Saloon") to the more intimate "Cactus Garden," you can expect clever lyrics, bouncy rhythms, searing guitar solos, lavish keyboard orchestrations and an emotive singing style characterizing each of these 11 tunes. "These songs can be enjoyed down at the local pub or relaxing in the comfort of your own home with a beer and some barbie," Darren explains. "It is good time music."
"Crocodile Man," which closes off the new LIGHTNING WOMAN album, is a fun homage in honour of Oz's most famous export - Steve Irwin, film and television's Crocodile Hunter - who is always in some croc infested creek trying to save the wildlife, and almost getting himself offed in the process! An Australian icon of international proportions, Crocodile Man evokes all that is most wild, weird and wonderful about living down under...a bit like Darren Hume's LIGHTNING WOMAN. Mmmmmm...if Lightning Woman and Crocodile Man had a child, would he be Darren Hume? Inquiring minds want to know...
Darren is available for interview; electronic art files are available on request.
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