Dan Sultan
First Nations singer-songwriter Dan Sultan has his artistic fingers in many, many pies. Not many people can reel off a list of collaborators as diverse as Paul Kelly, Missy Higgins, Archie Roach, Hilltop Hoods, Delta Goodrem, Midnight Oil, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Play School and The Wiggles. But Dan can. Not many people can, after making five albums of hard-hitting, blues-drenched rock, make a children’s album as good as Nali and Friends, win an ARIA award with it, and then two years later, win APRA Song of the Year for a politically-charged collaboration with Midnight Oil. But Dan can. Dan can also say that he had his first sold-out show at the Evelyn, which is something I’m pretty proud of having been a part of. I really enjoy chatting with Dan whenever he’s in town. Conversations with him are a stimulating mix of good-natured humour, morally-grounded social and political discussions, and, of course, music. Especially as a fellow guitarist, I can say that I’m a fan of his music; his style of playing, along with his quite often brilliant vocal harmonies, is the type of rock that I get into. Most of all, however, I see him as a solid, dependable friend and multi-layered human.