Australian musicians find new home in central Ind.

While many students were on their way out of town for spring break, Martine Locke and Band, originally from Australia, traveled to Bloomington for a show at Rachael’s Café.

The small turnout did not seem to disappoint Locke, who took advantage of the intimate setting to chat amiably about her past in between songs.

Though Martine Locke and Band, which consists of Locke, Jamie Price and Dionne Ward, has been based in Indianapolis for nearly two years, Locke began her music career in Australia, where she was born and raised.

“My love for music came when I was very young,” Locke said. “My sister had a music collection of live albums, so whenever the crowd would cheer for the band at the end, I would stand up and pretend that I was the one being cheered on.”

Laughing, Locke demonstrated her childhood fantasy of thanking an enthusiastic audience.

“It has always been what I’ve wanted to do,” Locke said.

The beginning of her career wasn’t easy, though, Locke said.

While studying to be a minister in a Pentecostal Church, she started having trouble when she fell in love with a woman.

“I told the church about it,” Locke said. “I thought they would be understanding since I was so open about it, but they told me to leave.”

Upon leaving the church, Locke began touring Australia.

The church, however, started a prayer chain saying that “Sister Martine had fallen into the ways of the devil,” which caused venues to cancel her concerts and resulted in the loss of her job, Locke said.

Not willing to give up, Locke packed up and moved on.

“If you’re a person that believes in spirit, you don’t have to be defined by their rules,” Locke said.

Playing shows and participating in festivals all around the United States, Locke continued doing what she loves: making music.

The band has made a few trips to Bloomington in the past, but plans to frequent the venues more often now that it is based in Indianapolis.

“The idea of becoming Indy-based is to try to do things more locally,” Price said. “It will be nice to not have to drive so far.”

Regarding the future of the band, Locke expressed no fear of losing her music.

“If I knew what the future held, I would be a rich woman,” Locke said. “It’s the ebb and flow of being creative and learning to live on the road that defines who we are and what we do.”

Though she expressed confidence, Locke said the road had been tough for them.

“I think that the economy is better than people think it is, but everyone is just scared,” Locke said. “People are holding onto their money more tightly, and that’s hard for us.”

Both Locke and Price said they found comfort knowing they would always have their music to fall back on.

“I’ve always been meant for a life of music,” Locke said. “When I was younger, I would pray to the universe and ask it to give me my voice so that I could sing. And it did.”