
Letter 1: From The Heart Collectors 10th March – 2024
These letters chronicle The Heart Collectors’ journey across the United States – a day-by-day diary, originally shared with close friends and family back home in Australia, to keep our connection alive. While some parts have been edited, this is a private communication meant for readers like you. The Heart Collectors, often affectionately called “The Hearts,” are managed by Drew Porter, who is lovingly known as “Mummager” because she is both Kymrie’s mother and the band’s manager. These entries, often written, dictated and compiled on a noisy bus hurtling down the highway, reflect our pride in our achievements, which we hope you find to be conveyed with humility, humor and love for our passion – ‘inspiring and embracing as many hearts as we can’. Enjoy.
Our epic journey across the USA began back in February 2024. Some of you reading this may have just met us along the way, but rest assured, we’ve already experienced countless adventures, shared magical moments, and met many amazing people—just like you. So welcome aboard the tour bus! Let the adventure begin…
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Hello from The Hearts and Mummager! We’re on our way to Oklahoma, with the winds whistling through the plains and the back of the bus swaying along with them… What a journey it has been so far! We arrived just three weeks ago, but it already feels like a lifetime of heart connections, music, and magic.
A Heartfelt Welcome in Chicago
Our adventure began in Chicago, where we were greeted by Nelson, the owner of the bus we’ve hired—a grand silver 2023 Ford Transit, spacious enough for our 19 pieces of luggage and ourselves. Nelson, a true heart and gentleman, welcomed us with champagne and chocolates in a cooler, a special treat since we arrived on Valentine’s Day. We popped the champagne right there in the parking lot to embrace and thank him for being such a heart (and support to us in helping facilitate this magnificent vehicle), and to toast the journey ahead. This moment set the tone for what was to come—serendipity, love, intuition and deep connections guiding our path. We were off… America, here come the Heart Collectors…!
Making Waves at Folk Alliance International
Our next stop was Kansas City for Folk Alliance International (FAI), a whirlwind of music, meetings, magic, (and a little mayhem thrown in…). Over 2,500 people gathered in one hotel, creating a cacophony of creativity. Our official showcase kicked off on Friday, and it was nothing short of extraordinary. Dressed in our ‘Sirius’ blues, we channeled the energy of ‘The Space Between,’ leaving the audience in awe.
A particularly profound moment came with our performance of “Shenandoah” for the Library of Congress Archive Challenge Showcase. Despite being nearly voiceless after several days of playing early into the morning hours at the private showcase rooms, we called upon our inner strength and delivered our rendition of this special piece, that moved several audience members to tears. This performance is now part of the American Library of Congress Archive—a true honour for us and a testament to the power of surrendering and trusting the power of the greater energy all around us. Even though exhausted and with tired voices, we were able to completely meet the moment and pulled off one of the most important performances of the entire festival for us.
FAI was a big turning point. The recognition and praise we received this year were overwhelming, culminating in one of the FAI executive board members expressing his admiration at the end of the event: “We just love you guys—not just because you volunteer or how talented you are, but because of who you are and everything you stand for. The seeds you planted last year have blossomed into something beautiful”.
After a morning coffee we boarded the magic bus, and with final goodbyes to our Folk Alliance family, we hit the road south heading for Texas. Farewell Kansas City. With the freedom of our big van this year, we’d had the opportunity to explore this great city and grew to enjoy it more. It revealed itself to be a truly beautiful place. We feel we will be back, even to perform at venues that have been offered to us here. Following our departure, on the road again for a one-night stop in Oklahoma City, the abnormal sunny weather we were experiencing on our stay in Kansas City, quickly snapped back to icy cold that evening. And as we headed south away from there, tornadoes, hail and 100 km winds struck all three states that we’d been through – Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri. It felt to us like our time there was a beautiful window of opportunity, then it was done…
A Touching Encounter in Austin
As we continued our journey, we arrived next in Austin Texas, for a month of shows there; appearances at SXSW festival and a lineage of venues that have become accustomed to our yearly appearance.
The heart connections continued to unfold. Two days after we arrived, we were at the shops, and while Mo, Mummager, and Kym were holding the van, and the lads were inside collecting a few things, we noticed a blind man navigating the car park with his cane. We watched as he walked into the side of our vehicle, then around it, continuing on his way over cement blocks and around other cars. It was a vulnerable moment, and we wondered if we should help as he was clearly lost. When we saw him stuck in the corner of two buildings, unable to find his way out, Mummager asked Mo to go and assist him. Marcus, a beautiful African American, was very fragile and deeply touched by the gesture. Mo held his hand and guided him another block to the pharmacy he was trying to reach. They talked along the way about how he manages to navigate the busy highway, and about us being an Australian band in town for SXSW.
After helping him into the shop, Mo returned to the car, overcome with emotion. The experience was a powerful reminder of the fragility of life and the many souls out there facing such challenges alone, at the mercy of the world around them. Mummager suggested we go back to the pharmacy and offer Marcus a ride home in our big bus. When Mo returned to find him, Marcus was just finishing up at the counter. Mo told him the whole band was waiting outside, ready to give him a lift. He hesitated for a moment, (this obviously doesn’t happen often for folks like this). But when Mo said, “Let us be your angels today,” Marcus smiled and accepted. The whole band was there to greet him and help him into the car, and we drove him, (miraculously with his memorised description of where he lived), back about 20 blocks to a facility dedicated to blind assisted living, talking all the way about music. Marcus was bright and engaged, clearly committing to memory everything we said so he could find us online later and listen to our music.
It was heartbreaking to watch him walk back into the building after we said our goodbyes, but it was also a powerful reminder of the importance of our presence in this world—to be like angels, spreading kindness, love and compassion wherever we go. We’ve all got a bigger job to do, even in seemingly small ways…
Serendipity at Hillside Farmacy
Yesterday, on the way home from a show, we spontaneously stopped at a restaurant called Hillside Farmacy. We hadn’t visited this place since our first time in Austin many years prior. We knew it was owned by a lovely Australian/Texas couple we’d met those years ago. Miraculously they were there, having just only arrived back from Australia themselves, and were thrilled to see us again, treating us to a bottle of lovely wine and dessert. As the energy grew with the excitement of having the Aussie band back in the house, the evening took an unexpected turn, as we ended up getting our guitar out and singing several songs to the entire room, then danced to “Land Down Under” – Men At Work (que lyrics – “she just smiled and gave me a Vegemite sandwich”). The energy was electric, and everyone in the private room joined in, including the Dean of a major university in Tallahassee, Florida, and his wife. They were so touched by our singing and presence that they practically begged us to come to Florida to help them launch a special event they’re planning—a social movement called ‘Peace, Love & Social Work,’ which they envision as the Woodstock of our time. And their young son, who was also present, was invited to visit our home in Australia as he was on a gap year before going to college. And since then has actually done jus that – travelled to Australian to where we live, spending several weeks with our families there, working and experiencing our Australian lifestyle…
This spontaneous connection, and the ecstatic outpouring of love and joy that followed, is a sign of the unity and consciousness we strive to bring to every moment. We will know the direction by the hearts that open, and we trust that process.
Looking Ahead: The Big Events in Texas
Now, we have two days to help here to set up for a major SXSW event on Wednesday, while also performing two full nights of showcases in downtown Austin. Mummager also has an important formal, invite-only Sounds Australia Luncheon on Wednesday, right in the middle of the big event showcase we’ve been invited to perform at. Then, this main event (which we’ll tell you about in our next blog), takes place all day Wednesday… followed by back-to-back gigs and travel for the next two weeks, including an intense eight-day stretch of performances and daily travel. Everything has been big up to this point, and now it’s about to get even bigger!
Thank you for being with us on this journey. We are sailing this great ship through the ocean of chaos, intensity, demand and life, guided by the hearts that open to us.
Love to you all, always—From Mummager & The Hearts.
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