Feral Swing Katz


Name	Camille Pele Te Nahu
Hometown	Gisborne, New Zealand now based in Sydney
First Guitar	When I was eight years old Mum and Dad took me to our local guitar shop and bought me a guitar and an Ernie Ball guitar book which I hammered until I had learnt a few chords.
First Influences	Growing up I would tag along with my Mum to the local Musicals she was involved in. I’m told that I used to learn all of the words to the songs before she did! I loved Karen Carpenter too growing up and won a National Kids TV Talent Quest singing “We’ve only just begun!”
First Gig	My first gig (I guess you could say) was when I busked inside Woolworths supermarket to raise money for my first ever trip to Tamworth! I raised $800 in 9 hours so we were happy! Other than that, it would have been at the Gisborne RSA with my local Country Music Club.
Worst Gig	Singing at the Buttercup in Tamworth when I was 15. I was so tired from the full on week and dying from the heat, that in the middle of singing “Peace in the Valley”, my voice just totally ‘stopped’ .. I lost my voice. Did I feel like an idiot! Obviously I couldn’t go on, so had to leave the stage halfway through the song..
Day Job	Completed NZ Certificate in Office Systems and worked for Tairawhiti Polytechnic (TAFE) and then for J S Allan & Son Ltd (Family Plumbing Supplies) doing Secretarial stuff. Did a lot of Office temp work in Aus before landing my first gig with Kasey Chambers.
Fav. Food	Seafood!!! Kina, Paua & Calamari. Stuie’s rack of lamb is pretty hard to beat too! Billy Moks Restaurant in Northbridge is also a fav.
Fav. Singers	Bonnie Raitt, Shawn Colvin, Kevin Bennett, Rick Price, Norah Jones.
Fav. Instrument	My DeGruchy acoustic as well as my funky little Fender Telecoustic which Stuie bought for me after I fell in love with it!
Impulsive Moment	Recently my best friends came for a visit from NZ as part of their 30th birthday celebrations. They said we needed to do or get something to remind them of their landmark occasion! I agreed (totally thinking nothing major would happen!) but it did! The three of us got ourselves a beautiful maori koru design tattoo while away on a girly (and baby) night on the Gold Coast.
Biggest Moment	Would have to be giving birth to our little boy Chet, the joy of our lives! Stuie and I were so certain it was going to be a girl, I remember we were silent for about 30 seconds before it registered that we had a little man! “It’s a boy!!!” we kept repeating. We haven’t stopped smiling.