Music For Medicine

"I absolutely love summer, but it's been getting a little too hot of late,” Krista Polvere begins, as she makes her way through Melbourne on a Friday evening, in search of a beer and a steak. It seems the chanteuse feels the heat just like a normal person, but unlike the rest of us, Polvere will be fanning the flames on stage at the Corner Hotel this weekend as part of the Rock'n'Roll Gumbo Medicine Show.

“I'm stoked to be playing that show,” she continues. “It's a really good benefit to be a part of. It's for [Polvere's publicist] Karen Conrad, in aid of her son who's got cystic fibrosis. She really wants to get him over for treatment in America, as he can't get it here in Australia. So she's rallied together some amazing local musicians to support her cause and play at the benefit; I'm sure it's going to be a great gig.”

The bill features talent such as Charles Jenkins, The Darling Downs and Dan Brodie, who, along with Polvere, are all hoping to help Conrad raise some funds for her 25-year old son Grant to travel to Missouri later in the year and see a cystic fibrosis specialist.

Although she's toured with Steve Earle, recorded with Ryan Adams and played gigs all over Australia and North America, when Polvere talks of sharing the stage with these local artists, her already-high enthusiasm levels are raised once more.

“I've seen a few of them play live before, but I've never ever played with any of them before,” she says eagerly. “It's going to be great because they're iconic artists, and I'm very excited about meeting some of them personally as well.”

The matinee show is scheduled to kick off at 1pm on Sunday, but the entertainment is not going to be confined to the stage. Billed as a type of flea circus, talk of voodoo cures, wicked temptresses and mystery elixirs have been circulating, although it seems the extra-curricular entertainment is being kept a closely guarded secret. “I don't even know about all the other random stuff,” Polvere admits, “I just know what's going on with the music!”

Which is probably just the way it should be. Born and raised in Adelaide, Polvere has moved around a lot, including spending some serious time in New York City in 2008-09. “My time in New York changed a lot of things for me, musically. It opened a lot of doors, and gave me a lot of opportunities, so in hindsight it was a really good decision to make – even though at the time I thought I was insane.”

Since moving to Melbourne, Polvere released her debut in 2009, Here Be Dragons, toured with Earle and Ron Sexsmith among others, and is on the cusp of releasing her second album in late April. The first single from her second record is the rollicking Looking For Love, featuring Adams on backing vocals and guitar.

It was many moons ago that Adams had been passed along some of Polvere's music, but it didn't take long for the two to hit it off. “Ryan was just so curious; he's such an avid music lover that he wanted to know what else I had written. Soon that curiosity developed into a friendship, as well as somewhat of a mentoring relationship as well. All these years later, he's been supportive and I often speak to or email him. He's been there for me on lots of different levels.”

The past year has seen Polvere touring with her four-piece backing band, but she's stripping back to basics for the Gumbo Rock'n'Roll Medicine Show. “My set on the day is going to be acoustic. I'm not sure yet if I'll play my rock'n'roll tunes stripped back, or if I'll be playing my slower, melancholy songs. I'll definitely be playing some songs off the new album, though!”

Krista Polvere will be playing the following dates:

Sunday 3 March - Rock'n'Roll Gumbo Medicine Show, Melbourne VIC