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Michelle Shocked was asking all the questions when AAA caught up with her this week.

What’s going on at the waterfront? How could your country do this to its workers?

“This is a pivotal moment in labour relations,” Shocked claimed.

Up in Byron Bay, sister American musician Iris Dement was also briefed on the situation and gave the crowd a good old rave about workers’ rights.

Meanwhile Shocked, who has had hits with “Anchorage” and “Come A Long Way,” is a union unto herself and is bravely continuing the battle against the monolithic record companies.

Having originally been with Mercury, she cut free only to appear on BMG with the last record.

But Shocked says she is still a lone wolf.

“There was a misperception because the last album came out on BMG, but I’d fought too hard for my free agency to give it up just to get a record out,” she said.

“I only agreed to let them put that one record out.

“And, I have a trilogy planned that I’m talking to a couple of labels about and then I have a couple of projects that would be more suitably independent.

“Basically, I’m just continuing to operate as a free agent since I won my rights from Mercury.”

Shocked said she may look to create a “boutique label” within another label. The precociously talented singer-songwriter said the trilogy would represent a move away from her more “Eurocentric” past.

“A lot of people only perceived the record Captain Swing as a blimp [sic] on the screen, but it was my way of reminding people that there was more to come.

“The new stuff is more…I don’t know, you name the styled, it’s folk, funk, blues, jazz, swing, and I guess it all falls under the category of r’n’b.”

Shocked plays with her band the Anointed Earls at the Metro on April 27 and 28 – get tickets early!