Fred Smith to bring America to Maleny and Eudlo
Award-winning Australian songwriter Fred Smith will bring his new live show America to South-East Queensland next month, with performances including Maleny and Eudlo.
Presented by Red Chair, the May tour will also take in Pomona, Coolum and Samford.
The show draws on Smith’s US travelogue albums Texas and Great and blends songs, stories and commentary on American politics, history and culture.
Red Chair director Angie Dunbavan said Smith had a distinctive way of tackling big themes.
“Fred has this rare ability to take big, complex ideas and make them feel human and immediate,” she said.
“He’s funny, disarming and deeply insightful, and audiences come away seeing things differently in a way that feels fresh, light-hearted and genuinely enjoyable.”
Smith is one of Australia’s best-known folk performers and, over more than two decades, has built a reputation for songs that move between the personal and political.
The release states he is one of the few Australian folk artists to hold both a US merchant mariner’s licence and a US Marine Corps medal, with his music shaped by firsthand experience in the United States and Afghanistan.
In 2025, he was awarded an Order of Australia for services to music and foreign affairs. He was also named Solo Artist of the Year at the Australian Folk Music Awards in 2022.
The tour is part of Red Chair’s push to bring live music to regional communities across South-East Queensland.
It is supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland, and by the Regional Arts Development Fund, a partnership between the Queensland Government and Sunshine Coast Council.
• Fred Smith performs at Maleny Community Centre on Saturday May 16 at 7pm and Eudlo Hall on Sunday May 17 at 4pm. Other shows are at Majestic Theatre, Pomona, on Friday May 8 at 7pm, Coolum Civic Centre on Saturday May 9 at 7pm, and Samford Farmers Hall on Friday May 15 at 7.30pm. Details: redchair.com.au
Smith is one of Australia’s best-known folk performers and, over more than two decades, has built a reputation for songs that move between the personal and political.