The hip hop group member from the Blue Mountains knows that Mount Isa has a versatile mining industry, and that the three different sized stacks can be shown from the city lookout.

Jeswon also knows the Music Shack supports the local music scene. These small venues were the “life blood” of music. Thundamentals had depended on such venues to experiment and develop their skills. 

He’s eager to do first hand research into Mount Isa, the location of One Night Stand where the hip hop group are scheduled to perform. “I’m really looking forward to meeting some locals and having a yarn,” Jeswon said. 

He was eager to perform in the regional mining city, not only to support Triple J – which had been good for Thundamentals’ career – but also to connect with regional listeners. 

“One Night Stand and being in Mount Isa is perpetuating that beautiful thing that Triple J is,” Jeswon said. “Which is a way of bringing regional and urban Australia together under one banner.” 

The hip hop group spent much time genuinely attempting to connect with their audiences, and it did not matter if they were from the city or a rural community. 

Their latest album Everyone We Know was released in February. Each song explored someone the group members knew personally.

The song Jeswon connected to the most was one he wrote about 19-year-old fan Jarrod Samson-Hills, from the Blue Mountains, who died in tragic circumstances. 

The group attended the memorial service and with everybody else released blue balloons in memory of Jarrod.

“This really kind of crazy, poignant, happy, sad moment prompted me to want to write a song called Blue Balloons,” Jeswon said. “It was a dedication to him but also I was trying to provide comfort for anyone who ever lost anyone they really care about in their life.” 

And then Jeswon was inspired with words such as; “I felt your spirit in the wind, we threw a 100 balloons, for you. A 100 blue balloons, for you. I could not forget the view.” 

The group was finishing the album when they explored a deeper way to reach fans. They bought a phone and shared that number on social media. More than 1000 people reached out to them. 

“We had some very interesting interactions with people over the phone, whether hilarious kind of stories or reactions.

“Some people opened up about their lives, where they are in Australia or the sense of isolation some people are feeling in remote places in Australia.”  

“We spoke to one girl who had to walk one km on dirt road on her homestead to get reception to speak to us,” Jeswon said.  

And that recollection linked to the reason why Thundamentals wanted to play in Mount Isa. 

“Hopefully we’re going to connect and show appreciation of peoples’ support in places we wouldn’t generally go,” he said. 

“We’re looking forward to letting people know we value them, and value their support.”