New podcast gives voice to Gippsland's arts community

In a world filled with bad news, rising costs and endless online arguments, two Gippsland musicians are choosing to respond with something constructive.
Malcolm McCaffery and Ash Murdica have launched a new podcast, "Making Music While The World Falls Apart", a show that explores music, creativity and the people helping to shape the arts in Gippsland.
The title was born from a familiar feeling: being surrounded by negative headlines, petrol prices, wars overseas, and the constant churn of local outrage online. But rather than dwelling on the chaos, the pair said the podcast is about using music to stay hopeful and encourage others to make a positive contribution.
"We're all constantly surrounded by negativity," Malcolm said. "The podcast came out of that feeling of wanting to keep creating anyway, and to focus on what we can build that is useful, uplifting and positive."
The show also follows two very different journeys in music.
For Malcolm, it is tied to a long-term vision for Gippsland's cultural future. He wants to help build the programs, pathways and infrastructure needed so people in regional Victoria can access arts opportunities at a level usually associated with New York or London - without having to leave country Australia behind.
His goal is ambitious: to see Gippsland become an internationally recognised centre of excellence for arts programs, while still offering the lifestyle benefits of regional living.
"I want young people and adults in regional areas to have access to high-quality arts experiences, both as participants and as audiences," he said. "The dream is probably bigger than what I currently know how to fund, and maybe parts of it won't work exactly as imagined. But I think you still have to keep moving one step at a time toward something worthwhile."
Ash brings another perspective to the podcast, documenting her own efforts to build a career in musical theatre.
A Warragul local, Ash is working towards her goal of becoming a pit musician in London's West End.
While she has already built valuable experience through professional productions including "Mamma Mia!", "RENT", "Dear Evan Hansen", the national tour of "Here You Come Again", and an international tour with the West End cast of "SIX the Musical", she said the path ahead remained highly competitive.
One of the realities she hoped to discuss through the podcast was the difficulty of building a full-time career as a pit musician in Melbourne, where there were relatively few shows and limited long-term opportunities.
"Working full-time in this field is not easy, especially when there are only so many shows happening. That's part of why I'm looking internationally and hoping to keep building towards the West End," she said.
Alongside their own stories, Malcolm and Ash want the podcast to highlight the wider Gippsland arts scene. They are keen to celebrate those developing music programs, running musical theatre productions, creating new work, teaching, or contributing to arts education in the region.
"We'd love to hear from people of all ages and backgrounds who have been part of the Gippsland arts scene," Malcolm said. "There are so many people doing meaningful work here, and we want to help shine a light on that."
At its heart, the podcast is about more than music. It is about choosing to build something worthwhile in difficult times, and about believing that regional communities can create work of real quality, ambition and value.
Anyone interested in being interviewed for the podcast or finding out more can contact Malcolm McCaffery at malcolm.mccaffery@gmail.com.
"Making Music While The World Falls Apart" is filmed at Fiddlesticks Performing Arts and is available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts and Spotify via https://linktr.ee/MalAndAsh