STAUNCH.

trials is one of the defining figures in Australian hip-hop. As a producer, rapper, multi-instrumentalist and one half of A.B. Original, his work has shaped the sound of the genre for more than two decades. With the release of hendle, his first solo album, he turns that attention inward for the first time.
Recorded following Travis De Vries' review of hendle and the album's Sydney launch, this conversation moves beyond the record itself to explore what it means to finally become the subject of your own work. Together, they discuss storytelling, vulnerability, fatherhood, sobriety, production, and why some stories can only be told after a lifetime of learning how to tell them.
Rather than revisiting a career already written into Australian music history, this episode asks a different question: why did this album need to exist now?
Hosted by Travis De Vries.
Please subscribe to our channel if you enjoyed this episode. STAUNCH. is produced by Awesome Black — a creative studio committed to transforming contemporary culture through a First Nations perspective.
Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/awesomeblack.studio/Find out more: https://awesomeblack.studio/staunch

Rudi Bremer is a Gamilaraay broadcaster, journalist, and the host and producer of AWAYE! on ABC Radio National, where she has spent years championing First Nations arts, culture, literature, music, and language.
After beginning her career in community radio, Rudi developed a rare perspective on broadcasting — from producing interviews and documentaries to understanding the inner workings of Australia's national broadcaster.
This episode of Staunch explores the craft and responsibility of First Nations journalism. Rudi and Travis unpack what makes a story worth telling, the difference between reporting and storytelling, and the quiet editorial decisions that shape how audiences come to understand culture.
Moving well beyond the mechanics of journalism, this conversation reflects on curiosity, trust, language, criticism, and the role of public broadcasters in documenting First Nations creative life. It is a thoughtful discussion about who gets to tell stories, how they should be told, and why preserving complexity is more important than chasing certainty.
Hosted by Travis De Vries.
Please subscribe to our channel if you enjoyed this episode.
STAUNCH. is produced by Awesome Black — a creative studio committed to transforming contemporary culture through a First Nations perspective.
Follow us: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/awesomeblack.studio/⁠ Find out more: ⁠https://awesomeblack.studio/staunch⁠

Tristan Field is a Sri Lankan and First Nations musician, producer, and creative leader whose life has been shaped by an enduring commitment to craft. A descendant of the Walbunga people of the South Coast of New South Wales and the Bidjigal/Dharrawal people of La Perouse, Tristan has spent years building a career that moves between performance, production, cultural leadership, and community.

In this episode Tristan sits down with Travis De Vries for a conversation about guitar, practice, and the lifelong pursuit of improvement. What begins as a discussion about tone and musicianship expands into something deeper — an exploration of discipline, recovery, and the quiet determination required to keep moving forward after trauma.

Hosted by Travis De Vries.

Please subscribe to our channel if you enjoyed this episode.

STAUNCH. is produced by Awesome Black — a creative studio committed to transforming contemporary culture through a First Nations perspective.

Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/awesomeblack.studio/
Find out more: https://awesomeblack.studio/staunch
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Earl Weir is a Boon Wurrung / Wurundjeri singer-songwriter, community builder, and frontman of alternative indie-rock outfit Krystal Rivvers. In this episode, Earl reflects on the roads that have shaped him to finding his place within Sydney’s music scene.

Known for blending poetic grit with an ethereal approach to songwriting, Earl’s work moves through themes of culture, hardship, loss, connection, and the fleeting moments that stay with us long after they’ve passed. Through his music with Krystal Rivvers, he creates songs that feel less like performances and more like shared experiences.

Hosted by Travis De Vries.

Please subscribe to our channel if you enjoyed this episode.

STAUNCH. is produced by Awesome Black — a creative studio committed to transforming contemporary culture through a First Nations perspective.

Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/awesomeblack.studio/
Find out more: https://awesomeblack.studio/staunch
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mat Fink is a Gomeroi tattoo artist, cultural practitioner, and founder of Something Original, whose work has helped reshape conversations around identity, ceremony, and contemporary Indigenous design. In this episode Mat reflects on the culture of tattooing, the challenges of building spaces and the decision to take a break.
Hosted by Travis De Vries.
Please subscribe to our channel if you enjoyed this episode.
STAUNCH. is produced by Awesome Black — a creative studio committed to transforming contemporary culture through a First Nations perspective.
Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/awesomeblack.studio/
Find out more: https://awesomeblack.studio/staunch
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.