Australian Music Is Bloody Great: The Quokkas

Where do you hear great new Australian music these days? Community radio is one crucial outlet and Amrap – the Australian Music Radio Airplay Project - offers Australian musicians a pathway to airplay from the hundreds of community stations to a weekly listenership of nearly 6,000,000 people. Go to amrap.org.au to get your music to thousands of presenters using the site each month to find new Australian music. If you haven’t got your music on Amrap, what are you waiting for? Community radio uses Amrap to source Australian music for airplay. You can discover all the great Australian music championed by community radio on the Community Radio Plus App, featuring the diverse range of community radio stations nationwide in one handy spot!

Amrap’s national radio show Australian Music Is Bloody Great features Australian artists presenting their favourite recent Australian music. Australian Music Is Bloody Great’s previous hosts range from Dune Rats to Sampa The Great to Phil Jameison.

We’re proud to team up with Amrap to bring you Australian Music Is Bloody Great as a Pilerats feature!
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This article originally appeared on amrap.org.au
Written by Joshua Kreusler

Time to Quok on! The Quokkas are a dynamic children's music act consisting of an ex-AFL player, a reality show singer, and the niece of music royalty Christine Anu. With the diversity of each member's experience, the band is on a mission to guide the next generation of Australian children through exploration. Their catchy tunes deliver meaningful messages, encouraging kids to sing, dance and navigate the changing world. Their recent release is Songs For Everyone. The Quokkas share some of their fave Australian music on Australian Music Is Bloody Great!

Teeny Tiny Stevies - I Ate A Rainbow

Nick (the blue Quokka): We're a kids' band that aims to create music that makes a difference by encouraging Aussie kids to accept differences and be more inclusive, both through our music and the amazing members in our group—who come from different backgrounds and abilities. None of this would be possible without bands like Teeny Tiny Stevies, who have paved the way in this space for years. I Ate A Rainbow is not only catchy as heck, but it also simultaneously teaches kids about colors while making it fun for them to eat healthily.

Jack Botts - Angel In Disguise

Jess (the pink Quokka): I fell in love with this song around the same time I fell in love with my partner. The song and the lyrics will always hold a special place in my big old romantic heart. I love how easy listening Jack Bott's music is and how reflective his lyrics are. He posted a video on Instagram playing this song and noted in the caption that he usually gets pretty nervous playing a new song live for the first time, but for some reason he just didn't with this one. There's something very familiar and comforting about it and it feels like a nice warm hug in song form.

The Cat Empire - Thunder Rumbles

Matt (the yellow Quokka): One of my favorite bands of all time is The Cat Empire. I'm a piano player myself and grew up playing classical piano. By the time I was about 16 or 17, I was getting a bit bored. However, when I heard the first album brought out by The Cat Empire back in the day, it blew my mind. With Ollie (McGill) on the keys, it's something else. It taught me that I could play all kinds of different styles of music. So, instead of going to my year 12 formal, I ditched that and went to see The Cat Empire live and my piano playing has never been the same. I adore the way they have changed over time. Their sound has evolved, their playing styles have evolved, but it is still wholeheartedly Cat Empire and I could picture it at any of their gigs. It has such a great party vibe - the keys parts are fantastic, the Latin vibes on the piano, not to mention the horns. I love it so much.

Angie Who - Catch A Falling Star

Pam (the purple Quokka): I love [this song] because her vocals are so soothing and relaxing. Her harmonies are on point. As soon as we heard this song, we just knew we had to do a collaboration with her. We were lucky enough to create a song together called To Your Dreams.

Katrina Burgoyne - Hubby In A Honky Tonk

Komiti (the orange Quokka): This artist is a friend of mine who used to live in Newcastle. She then moved to the country music capital of the world, Nashville, to chase her dreams. This is a fun track with some Shania Twain influences, featuring a striking opening with fiddles and blending her stunning voice. It's a track you can listen to on a road trip, so turn it up!

The Quokkas - All Bodies Are Good Bodies

This is one of our favorite tunes. Not only does it have a huge singalong chorus, but it's also based on a book by Charlotte Barkla. The song celebrates all the shapes, sizes and abilities that bodies can have.