He’s Australian but with solid Maltese roots, and over the past three months or so he’s performed in Malta, Holland, Ireland and England. Now that’s really not bad for a self-managed, unsigned artist about whom we knew practically nothing until he set foot on our tiny rock armed with little more than an acoustic guitar, two effects pedals and a stomp box. His name is Carra, and in the short time he’s been in Malta, thanks to a string of passionate, rootsy performances, he’s become a familiar name on the local live circuit.

If you did chance upon one of his gigs at Rookies, Naasha, Gaiafest or the Beer Festival, you’ll already be familiar with his trademark friendliness (a trait that he also demonstrates offstage) as well as his unique sense of melody. On top of the clear (but twisted) Blues influences, his songs are equally formed by a contemporary alternative edge that he only applies in measured doses in order to retain his music’s acoustic (and yet quite powerful) core. Largely self-taught, Carra has developed a style that packs quite a punch, and, after listening to his debut EP, Travelling Solo, I have to agree with him when he insists how the songs take on a new dimension when he is accompanied by his drummer, Sarah, who unfortunately couldn’t join him for this European visit.

Nevertheless, he is still quite radiant about the success of his solo European tour. Although his original schedule was planned around dates in Malta, London and Limerick, while in London, Carra was contacted by a Dutch promoter and booked to perform four gigs in Holland. The unplanned detour took him to Amsterdam and the West Coast of the country and, as he readily admits, he really felt at home in Holland.

“Dutch audiences really dig live music”, he tells me, “they make the artist feel important and genuinely respect his effort and work”. Equally gratifying was his gig in Ireland, where he also spent much time jamming with several local traditional musicians he befriended along the way. The experience brought with it a fresh musical disposition that Carra absorbed wholeheartedly and I wouldn’t be surprised if some Irish elements crop up somewhere on his next record.

What has already cropped up in his music is a Maltese influence of sorts, not so much in musical interpretation (even if he has been known to slip in the odd Maltese folk tune every now and then) but rather from an inspirational perspective. Even before he actually set foot in Malta, Carra had already penned a new song on the plane, and he has also written a few more since. They may still be works-in-progress, but that hasn’t stopped him from performing at least two of them, Be Yourself and If You Dare (To Be My Lover) in his more recent gigs. Primarily bearing his familiar acoustic timbre, the new songs are possibly more outspoken, maybe even grittier than his earlier compositions, but since they have only been tested in a live setting so far, all that may (or maybe not) change by the time they are recorded. What is certain is the fact that both songs blend perfectly with his set, complementing numbers such as Open Up Your Eyes and I Can Be The One (which you can find on his debut EP), the upbeat Jammin’ Out as well as his emphatically distinctive renditions of Tears For Fears’ Mad World and The Doors’ Love Her Madly.

Carra will be heading back down under at the end of October for more gigs around his native Australia and to start work on his new record. Before that you can still catch a taste of his alternative acoustic experience on Saturday 14 October near the National Library in Valletta, where he will be performing unplugged at 9pm as part of the Notte Bianca celebrations.

For more information, visit www.carramusic.com