A self-confessed “surfing cowboy” has released a new music video showcasing the Kiama municipality.
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Country musician Benn Gunn, who lives in Kiama, released a video for his song Heavensville last week.
The track is the third and final single off last year’s Ain't Nothin' But a Party album.
The video, filmed recently during an exhaustive day-long shoot, incorporates a number of the municipality’s landmarks, including Kiama Blowhole, Saddleback Mountain, Jones Beach and Bombo Station.
Gunn, who grew up in Dubbo, relocated from Sydney to Kiama about three years ago.
“When I moved to the area I thought I wanted to contribute as much as I could to the local community through what I do,” he said.
“I just love the place so much I thought it would be a good thing to do.”
The video may prove beneficial in promoting the municipality’s tourism industry.
“It looks a little bit like a tourist commercial,” he joked.
“After a while, you become more efficient at film clips and I’m very happy with the finished product.”
The video was partially funded through Kiama council.
In May, council awarded a total of $9900 to five applicants through its Cultural Grants program.
Council makes Cultural Grants available to local artists for artistic endeavors to support the development and delivery of arts and cultural projects within the Kiama municipality.
Among the recipients was Gunn, who was given $2400 for a music video to accompany Heavensville, promoting the municipality’s landscapes and community.
The musician said he had the already composed track pitched to him by another songwriter while recording in Nashville.
“I just thought of Kiama straight away,” Gunn said.
“I had this place in mind when I recorded the song.”
Gunn, 40, regularly gigs and appears at festivals and rodeos throughout Australia.
He said the feedback he had already received from the video was largely based on the clip “standing out from the rest”.
“There’s not too many surfing cowboys out there,” he laughed.
“It’s tough competition in the industry and you really have to do something different to stand out.
“It’s not a typical music video with girls in bikinis and drinking beers. It’s more of a celebration of Australian landscape, especially the South Coast.”