Surf Coast artist soothes souls

TORQUAY musician Paz Sounds is on a mission to heal and her debut album ‘Moments’ has used the Surf Coast as inspiration for the task.

Showcasing relaxation music inspired by the Australian landscape, the work is textured with tracks featuring soundscape beds of field recordings with written guitar and piano pieces over the top.

“I think the whole Surf Coast has really enhanced my music writing… for every song I take a film photo of a location that becomes the song cover, and then I go and record sounds from the location,” the classically trained guitarist explained of her musical process.

Paz’s path to the coast and current direction in music began at the age of four when she and her six-year-old brother started learning classical guitar in the Suzuki method, where players listen to a song 100 times and then try and play it through memory.

“We did that over 20 years in concerts across Australia, at the Sydney Opera House, the Melbourne Recital Centre, we’d go to guitar festivals in Italy, Spain and America, it’s just been a huge part of my life growing up… I lived in Spain for a year and learnt Flamenco, but then started transitioning into this relaxation music path.”

Paz said pivotal moments in her career include being part of the Royal Melbourne Hospital’s Music Therapy Department in a program to assist patients in their recovery and provide musical relief for hospital staff.

“I would go there very regularly and play to the patients and staff whenever I could,” she said.
“I remember when I was performing at the hospital, I was on the seventh floor in a foyer, and there was a man who walked up from the first floor to find the music and then sat there for a full hour listening.

“When I’d finished he came up and said that was longest time he’d forgotten about his pain, which was so so beautiful.

“He was a patient, he was in constant pain that really knew no relief, but when he was listening to the music he just kind of forgot, I found that really fascinating.”

When the hospital closed to non-staff during the pandemic, Paz live-streamed her music through an online event and raised over $1000 for the Music Therapy Department. With her latest album, she’s hoping to contribute the department by donating money from her upcoming launch.

“I just loved going there and playing music for people who didn’t even realise that they really needed to hear it…it’s really innovative treatment.”

The album fundraiser launch is at Torquay’s Happy Spaces on Saturday, October 22, 6-10pm.

Tickets are available at www.events.humanitix.com/paz-sounds-moment-s-album-launch-fundraiser