Playing three instruments at once and throwing in some vocals is a musical triumph.
For 17-year-old Fabian O’Donnell, performing as a one-man band was an unexpected challenge that won him an Apra songwriting award at the Smokefreerockquest regionals last year.
"I couldn’t find anyone at school to play the music that I wanted so I entered Smokefree on my own," he said.
"I put that anger and frustration into my music.
"I ended up playing the kick drum with one foot, the snare drum with the other and used my hands to play the guitar.
"Then I taped a drumstick to my hat to play the cymbal with my head," Fabian said.
His ability to play multiple instruments at once as well as sing not only earned him the praise of the Smokefree judges but also helped him claim a lyric-writing gong for a song he penned, criticising a fast-food giant.
"I was quite surprised when I won.
"The song was about getting sick after eating a chicken burger that had an uncooked patty.
"I thought it was a funny song that still had quite a lot of meaning in it but I didn’t think that I would win."
The Verdon College pupil has been writing songs since he was 15 and started learning how to play musical instruments aged 11.
He considered himself "an old hat with an old mindset" and the way he viewed the world extended to his music.
Fabian’s musical journey started with playing the drums as a tween, then he picked up the guitar at 14, followed by the bass guitar this year.
Having a mother who played in a jazz band in South Africa influenced his eclectic taste in music and had motivated him to continue writing meaningful songs that resonated with people.
"I like jazz artists Chick Corea and Alphonse Mouzon, but then there’s metal band Slayer.
"Metal is a genre of music to channel all my anger into.
"I wrote a song about my mum’s struggles when she was in South Africa.
"The power was always going out all the time and writing that song really hit me," he said.
The Mabel Bush teenager credits his parents for fostering his love of music and encouraging his pursuits by building him a music room.
Converting the home garage into a music space enabled him to chase his dreams.
For the studious, "metal-loving, hardcore Catholic", the goal for the future after tertiary studies is to go to Europe and pursue his musical aspirations there.
"The metal scene in Europe is a lot more diverse so that’s where I want to be."
