From pub karaoke to festival gig

IT took a karaoke night at Purvies Pub to bring Pakenham musicians Meg Doherty and Pam Wouters together.
This Saturday, the pair will take to the stage at the Bunyip Country Music Festival.
Meg said she and Pam had met at the Pakenham Hotel two years ago and it had flowed from there, with the acoustic duo now performing original music as “Meg & Pam”.
“We were both doing odd bits and pieces around town,” she said.
“We heard each other sing at karaoke and decided to have a bit of a jam.
“Our voices blended together really well.”
Meg, 23, and Pam, 24, both attended St Patrick’s Primary School and Pakenham Secondary College but were one year apart so had never been friends.
Meg had been the musical one, studying both group and solo performance in VCE, playing in various bands after she finished school, while Pam had been the sporty one.
Meg now works as an administration assistant and Pam as an occupational therapist, but both are keen to make music their career.
Meg and Pam both play percussion and guitar and sing. Meg also plays the harmonica.
The duo recently performed at the Mildura Country Music Festival and won a few awards, including runner up in the open duo and runner up in songwriting.
Meg also performed at the Tamworth Country Music Festival, which she said was “awesome”.
“Pam came along for moral support,” she said.
“We were busking on Peel Street, the main street in Tamworth.
“There were thousands of people walking by. We even sold a few CDs.
“People were just stopping and listening for a while and liked the stuff so much they decided to buy CDs. That’s what it’s all about.”
The pair have been recording their eighttrack demo CD for the last four months at Meg’s house.
They will launch their CD at the Bunyip Pub next Friday night with a guest appearance by Rick Bartlett.
The gig starts at 8.30pm, and the festival is on the following day.

>>> Bunyip Country Music Festival feature, pages 2829.