In the lead up to our 2023 courses, MusicSA will be highlighting some incredible local talent who also happen to be alumni of our VET and short courses!

Austin Dobbin of funk-rock 5-piece Mum Thinks Blue studied CUA30920 Certificate III in Music (Performance)*.

Mum Thinks Blue met and fell in love with each other in their final year of high school. Hannah, Austin, Joe, Joaquin and Josh are 5 goofballs who have always loved playing music together, hence forming ‘Mum Thinks Blue’.

Since their live debut in 2019, the band have worked on developing their unique sound, combining styles of Indie Funk, Rock and Jazz. Committed to writing upbeat groovy tunes and constantly providing energetic and fun live sets, the band have established a loyal and loving fanbase as well as a strong presence on the live Adelaide music scene.

Q & A

What was the highlight of your experience studying with MusicSA?
I absolutely loved the course, a huge highlight was writing alongside other aspiring musicians and being involved in a tight community. I also really enjoyed learning about the behind the scenes stuff, in the course we were taught about management, PR, marketing and really everything you need to know to start out in the music industry. Without the course I would be completely lost. Another highlight was the end of year showcase, putting on a show for family and friends and showing everyone our material and how far we have come since starting the course was really special for me.

Since starting Mum Thinks Blue, what has been your most proud achievement?
Every achievement, little or big is really important to me and I am proud of everything we have done and are doing. In saying that, watching the way we have grown just over the past year is something I find really special. We all absolutely love what we do and each other and because we have really started to develop a better relationship, our goals and dedication towards the band have really stepped up. A couple of the proudest moments for me personally were definitely winning the People’s Choice SAM Award in 2021 and since then releasing Headspin and the way that has changed things for us as a band. Such as Triple J airplay and being artist of the week on Triple J Unearthed, and seeing us play our first ever interstate show in Naarm/Melbourne.

What advice would you give to someone starting their journey in the music industry?
Don’t take it too seriously. Have fun and write what makes you happy. Don’t focus too much on streams and followers, I think that’s something that can really make you feel a bit flat when releasing music. Definitely look at networking, it was something that I learnt in the course and it’s always something we as a band try to improve on, it can be awkward and hard sometimes to talk to people in the music scene but everyone is so friendly and it 100% is the best way to establish yourself as an artist.

What do you love most about the Adelaide/South Australian music scene?
There’s a lot to love so this is a pretty hard question to answer. I’d probably say that Adelaide is small, meaning the music scene is super inclusive and it’s a very wholesome feeling to feel like you know and can talk to any artist like you’re mates. I feel like the music scene in Adelaide as a whole is just one big group that all share love for music.

Tell us about your latest project.
We have a lot of exciting things coming up! We just got back from playing our first ever interstate show to promote our brand new single ‘Side that wasn’t told’ which is coming out on October 14 as well as a single launch show on October 22. In between now and then we’re playing alongside Telenova at Lion Arts Factory on October 1 and Alex Lahey on November 3 at Fat controller.

Expressions of interest are now open for our 2023 VET courses here.

*CUA30920 Certificate III in Music (Performance) is delivered under a third party arrangement with the COSAMP – RTO Code: 41549. The AQF certification will be issued by COSAMP.