Luggate muso's stream of conscience

Luggate singer-songwriter Anna van Riel's tunes have been turning heads since she relocated to Australia. Photo supplied.

A drive to educate people about the importance of water conservation led Luggate musician Anna van Riel to get involved with an international movement.

The singer-songwriter has turned her musical talents to helping promote the non-profit organisation Global Clean Water (GCW), and several songs on her new album are devoted to raising awareness about water-shortage problems faced by developing countries around the world.

A motorcycle trip on a vintage Enfield 350 through the Himalayan mountains to a performance at the world's highest music festival was the inspiration for Ms van Riel to get behind Global Clean Water.

Her gig at Himalayan music festival The Confluence in Ladakh, in July 2009 (this year's event was washed out), led to a meeting with organisation founder Donovan Bailey, a San Diego native who set up GCW to help educate youth about the importance of water and the issues developing nations face when confronted with a shortage of clean supplies.

The pair found common ground, Ms van Riel says, and it was not long before the solo artist decided to put her musical talents behind the movement.

"I jumped on board and offered to take on a role of musical director. I've since put together a compilation of children's songs about water by artists all over the world."

The effort to turn that project into an album continues, she's looking for four more songs.

"I flew back to Invercargill to record a series of fun and educational songs to kick the album off. One of these songs was Mr H2O."

After touring New Zealand as part of her folk band Bellebird and the Handsome Gypsies, Ms van Riel relocated to the Australian beach resort of Byron Bay in February with her fiance.

She formed a new bluegrass band, the Swingin' Cowgirls, and decided to enter Mr H2O in the local North Coast musicians' Dolphin Awards, as well as the Australian Songwriters Competition.

Mr H2O went on to garner six nominations across several genres, and won the Dolphin Award for the top children's song.

Ms van Riel's song has also advanced to the second round of judging at the Australian Songwriters Competition.

The recognition for her songwriting has left Ms van Riel buoyant.

"I'm so happy this song has had success. When I got to Australia in October and noticed the songwriting awards and the children's category, I figured if I was going to enter a kids' song of mine it should be one that served a purpose," she said.

Ms van Riel has an upcoming solo LP album, Einey Meiny Miney Mo, which is scheduled for release in October, and is hoping the success of her GCW-inspired song will flow through.

Writing a song aimed at children is not far removed from songs written for adults, she says.

"What's funny is they're not so different at all. [The songs] both need to tell a good story and appeal to the listener.

"They both need a good hook and a strong chord structure. Ideally, children's music should be in a major key so it sounds happy," she said.

Ms van Riel secured the production nous of Invercargill's Flame Studio owner Geoff Burn to help with her new album and Mr H20.

Mr Burn was "harassed" into helping GCW and let her record Mr H2O for free as a "contribution to the cause", Ms van Riel says.

A former pupil of Mt Aspiring College, Ms van Riel moved to Luggate from Invercargill when she was aged 14.

She learnt to play the keyboard when she was 7 and was soon using it to compose songs.

Before long, she had added guitar and ukulele to her instrumental repertoire, and a knack for writing songs and strumming tunes flourished.

Her band the Swingin' Cowgirls will tackle the Australian Music Festival this summer, although Ms van Riel intends to fit in a trip back to Luggate to marry fiance Locky.