In December 2022 Stormfront began working with Port Augusta School Of The Air towards a
truly once in a lifetime project - the total re-writing & re-recording of PASOTA's historic School Song!
Every SOTA day begins with all students from across Regional & Remote Australia singing their own
School Song together - each SOTA across Australia has their own, unique School Song that identifies them!
And so it came to be that in 2023 Stormfront was charged with the intimidating
coordination & production of seeing this generational project completed -
it would be heard by every student past, present and future for decades to come!
The opening months of 2023 saw us drawing up preliminary plans whilst PASOTA sourced fundings
and began refining an outline for us to work towards in turning their existing Song - which has
remained unchanged since 1958 when it was originally written as a "Piano & Kids Choir" rendition -
into a modern "Country music-style" anthem fit for the 21st Century!
By mid-year we had a set of lyrics approved, and adapted from the Song's original wording.
By August we had demo's recorded and sent out to all students, staff & families to practise,
in preparation for a mammoth Recording week during SOTA's next face-to-face
meet-up in Port Augusta booked in at the end of September.
We were also flatstrap recording final sessions to track our Acoustic & Electric Guitars, Bass & Effect parts in Whyalla-
while our friends Pete Drummond & Adam Brice were working on Drums & Lead Electric Guitar parts in Melbourne.
Sunday 24th September saw our Stormfront Mobile Recording studio on the road to Port Augusta,
and setting up a temporary home in the PASOTA conference room and straight into a 6 straight hours
recording students & families as they began arriving from stations & farms as far away as the NT border!
Monday 25th September saw a marathon recording session from 7.30am thru 5.00pm to capture everything needed -
Mark superhumanly worked straight through without even a lunch break to get the vast job done!
Even crazier - we then had a Return Brisbane trip TUE-THU for Alison to attend (& WIN!) at the 2023 AWMA Awards -
for us then to be back at PASOTA on FRI morning to finish up the project work before the kids & their families headed home!
Amongst our usual 80 hour teaching weeks Mark was editing, mixing and finishing up the 2023 School Song as
October passed - with early November bringing final approvals from PASOTA and then final Mastering
courtesy of our amazing Aria Mastering service in Atlanta, Georgia USA!
A special add-on would be a second "Year 7 Mix" especially capturing all PASOTA's
Year 7 Class of 2023 who would leave the school at the end of this year.
Fittingly many Year 7 students took Lead Vocal parts in the final mix -
what a legacy to leave their beloved PASOTA as they moved on to
Secondary boarding schools across SA, QLD and NSW!
Touchingly we were invited to join PASOTA's final Online Assembly of 2023
on 5th December to launch the 2023 "new" School Song to everyone - and judging by the
stream of excited emoji's and comments it seemed all were thrilled with the final result!
The final seal of approval came on December 9th as we attended PASOTA's end-of-year celebrations -
to see & hear EVERYONE singing along at West Augusta Footbll Club was definitely an emotional end
to a once-in-a-lifetime project with an absolutely unique & amazing group of people!
Check out the
2023 Port Augusta SOTA
School Song here!
STORMFRONT....
Making Music That Matters!
