Administrator’s Note – Once again, we present the work of our correspondent Down Under, Sue Barrett.
Aussies on Tour – North America (Fall 2008)
 By Sue Barrett
Over the coming days, weeks and months, people in North America have the opportunity to see a range of Australian performers, including:
Penelope Swales
“Full of earthy sensuality, poetic musings” (Rhythms)
Fred Smith
“The crux of his craft is a wonderful sense of melody, wrapped in some of the most accomplished songwiting you will hear” (Revolver)
Martine Locke
“She can be tender, she can be refined – but she can also cut loose with an amazing wall of sound that will blow you away.” (Desert Weekly Post)
Wendy Rule
“Wendy Rule creates dark, sensual sonic theatre” (Rolling Stone)
So without regard to such pressing matters as still-damp clothes, overweight luggage, instrument insurance and misplaced passports, FolkBlog interrupted the pre-tour preparations to find out more…
PENELOPE SWALES
www.penelopeswales.com
http://profile.myspace.com/TotallyGourdgeous
“Full of earthy sensuality, poetic musings” (Rhythms)
Tell us about your music (including with the band, Totally Gourdgeous) and the types of people who attend your concerts.
As a soloist, I work as a singer/songwriter/storyteller playing mostly original songs that range from love through social commentary and into left-leaning politics. Key themes are social justice, environment, democracy and Aboriginal issues. I find the Aboriginal issues particularly resonate with North American audiences as we share a similar post-colonial legacy.
I also write a lot of songs about people I’ve met in my travels. I’m particularly inspired by the courage ordinary people show in the face of adversity. A lot of these songs are about women, just because I’ve found a lot of women inspiring, but there’s songs about men and children, too. There’s a whole subset of my material that deals with love and sexuality. Whether I bring that stuff out depends on the crowd, and what I think they’ll enjoy or feel comfortable with.
Instrumentation-wise, I’m a guitarist (currently travelling with a guitar I made myself) and a flute/whistle player, and I also use a loop recorder in some songs. Not too many, because looping can be a little overpowering, but I find that if used sparingly and tastefully, looping can add a whole extra dimension to a folk concert, and allows me to play wind or percussion, add backing vocals, put the guitar down and walk around with the microphone, and generally free up where a performance can go.
I find myself playing in front of a great cross-section of people, from traditional-minded folkies to anything-goes folkies, to computer geeks to queer audiences to young rebellious types. And I love ‘em all. Playing before people from different walks of life keeps you sharp.
Totally Gourdgeous is a completely different style of act. It’s a comedy band, in which all the instruments (guitar, bass, drum, fiddle, mandolin) are made of gourds. I’m the maker of the instruments. I was trained by Jack Spira, who has made guitars for artists such as Sting and Deborah Conway. We wear bright costumes and play up-beat, funny songs with witty lyrics. We play a lot of festivals, and have just completed a two-month tour of Europe. We’re good for kids because we’re bright and colorful, good for young people because we’re dancy and good for older people because the lyrics are entertaining.
In what ways, if any, has your music been influenced by North American music?
Well, the singer/songwriter genre pretty much came out of American folk and blues, so I’d say there’s a fundamental influence there. I listened to a lot of North American artists as I was growing up – Joan Baez, Paul Simon, Dan Fogelberg, Ellen McIlwaine, Joni Mitchell, etc. I’ve never been consciously aware of their influence, but it must be there. More recently, some of my guitar playing has been influenced by Chris Smither. I just love his finger style.
When and where does your 2008 North American tour begin?
BC (Canada) in September, then heading down the West Coast of the US from Seattle to San Diego in October.
What can people expect from your performances on the tour?
The BC tour will be focused on my general repertoire of love, courage, human rights, environment etc. with some storytelling and looping thrown in.
The West Coast US tour is something of an experiment. I recently released an album of songs celebrating love and sexuality, and am playing a series of gigs to the queer/polyamourous/sex-positive community organisations that flourish in that part of the world. I contacted a few groups to see if they’d be interested and the response has been overwhelming. I have no idea what it’s going to be like, but they seem pretty switched on and interesting people and I’m looking forward to seeing the West Coast. People have been telling me for years that my music would go down well there.
Are there phrases/concepts in your songs that you might need to translate?
Oh, yes. The big one is “spunk” – which in Australia means a highly attractive person…I have a song that refers to someone as a “spunk” and I had quite a few shocked faces before I learned to put in a disclaimer.
I also learnt the hard way that the word “busking” is ambiguous for some. In Australia, a busker is a street musician. But a couple of people have thought it means prostitution.
Can you tell us the story behind your song, ‘Safe Home’?
I flew out of the US on American Airlines on the morning of September 11 2001, about two hours before the World Trade Center attack. Of course, we weren’t told of it while we were in the air, but when we landed at Sydney, Australia, they wouldn’t let us off the plane. After a long wait in which people were starting to get grumpy, an announcement came over the PA that said they were preparing a briefing for us. The minute I heard those words, I thought “someone’s started a war”.
They explained events to us, but it was quite garbled and I don’t think anyone really understood. But when we came out into the main foyer of the airport there were big screens up, pumping that footage of the planes flying into the buildings again and again, and Qantas [Airways] staff with mobile phones saying – “does anyone need to ring their family?”. It was like we’d been in a time capsule. Everyone else had been dealing with it since the previous morning, but we had no idea. When we got on the plane, everything was normal – then we emerged into a totally different world. I wrote the song over the next two days.
For me, ‘Safe Home’ was about two things – a deep dismay at the horror and scale of the tragedy, and a deep cynicism about the media hype and festival of political opportunism that would (and did) inevitably follow. I felt, and still feel, that it was a craven thing to exploit those deaths and the wound to one of the most fascinating, progressive and vibrant cities in the world to further political agendas that were already long in place. I also knew, even then, that a lot more innocent people were going to die as a result, and I was pretty unhappy and angry about it.
At the time, some people found the song very confronting, and I felt the need to be sensitive about when and where to play it, because it is critical of America as a political entity, and people were so bewildered and hurt by what had happened. But as time has passed, a lot of people seem to have come to agree with it, or at least acknowledge the validity of the points it raises. That means a lot to me, because to step forward and write about such an event as a non-citizen is not something to be done lightly. I think many people in the US grappled bravely with the sort of soul-searching 9/11 provoked, and there’s something to be proud of in that.
What have you been doing since you last toured North America?
I had to go off the road for a few years because my mother’s health was poor and she needed my support. In that time, I have been studying Law, Anthropology and Politics at Monash University. I’m about halfway through a double degree in Arts/Laws. It’s been really hard work, but fascinating.
Are there things that you’re particularly looking forward to on the tour?
Just being out on the road, and meeting people who love folk music. Seeing the world, having adventures. I’m going to Peru for six week to work as a volunteer English teacher in the Andes before I go home – that’s going to be amazing, I think.
How is your instrument-making going?
I haven’t had much time for it recently. I’m hoping to find a bit of time for it next year, as I have a long list of people on my waiting list.
What are your other plans for the next year?
I’m hoping to be given a place in the Aurora Project, which provides interns to lawyers and anthropologists working with Aboriginal people on Native Title claims. More study, and Totally Gourdgeous has planned a major assault on the Australian folk scene, as we have a new live CD/DVD.
FRED SMITH
www.fredsmith.com.au
www.fredsmith.com.au/pages/fshome.html
“The crux of his craft is a wonderful sense of melody, wrapped in some of the most accomplished songwiting you will hear” (Revolver)
Tell us about your music (including the Frencham Smith duo) and the types of people who attend your concerts.
I write songs with stories and melodies. I present them either solo, in a duo with Liz Frencham, or with a more testosterone based band called the Fred Smith Band.
My last two solo albums have focused specifically on places I have lived when I wrote them: Bougainville and the United States. The two Frencham Smith albums I have done with Liz are about more personal/emotional/relational terrain.
The people who come to my concerts are generally grown ups who like a bit of protein in their music – thought, feeling, experience, narrative, humour, perspective.
In what ways, if any, has your music been influenced by North American music?
Profoundly I would say, as most contemporary singer/songwriters would. The palette I paint with, the idioms – country, blues, rock, pop – are all North American. Fingerpicking blues player Mississippi John Hurt is a big influence for me as a guitar player and my playing feeds my writing. The darker textures of Leonard Cohen, the whimsy/comedy of Paul Simon, Neil Young’s chord structures – all of these informed my vocabulary. I also listened a lot to Paul Kelly and the Beatles but maybe they too were making their own out of something that originated in North America. My most recent album, Texas, is all songs I wrote in and about the USA. I guess with this album I have used American forms to parody their country of origin, and to celebrate it where such is due.
When and where does your 2008 North American tour begin?
It begins in late September in Leavenworth, Washington State – in the Cascades. It’s a small town that has saved itself from economic obscurity by turning itself into a Bavarian theme park and hosting Octoberfests every month. Blokes get around in leather shorts carrying tubas and all the buildings have quaint triangular wooden eves, even the McDonald’s!
What can people expect from your performances on the tour?
I spent 2005-2007 touring the US but only in the last year there did I begin to see past my own preconceptions of the place clearly enough to start writing decent songs about it. The legacy of American cultural domination is that we all carry such a deep seated set of impressions of what America is that it takes some real immersion to see the place with one’s own eyes, as I did in Bougainville about which I knew nothing before I hit the tarmac. But towards the end of my stay there I did start to see it and feel it with my own equipment and I hemorrhaged and wound up with an album full of songs. And in those last few gigs in the US, I found the more I sang about Americans the more interested they became. Even if the image I portrayed was unflattering they loved it, which in part reflects that many Americans are feeling dismay about the way their country is going, or may suggest they didn’t get my jokes.
Are there phrases/concepts in your songs that you might need to translate?
Some. For example the Dennis Lillee [cricket] reference in my ‘Blue Guitar’ goes from “I hit a six off Dennis Lillee and I clean bowled Gavaskar” to “I scored 36 points against Kareem Adbul Jabbar”. Also I have to tell ‘em where Papua New Guinea is.
Will you be performing songs from your new solo CD, Texas?
I plan to play lots of tunes from Texas. As I said, Americans really respond to songs about their own place, and at last I feel I have something to offer them rather than the songs from a place faraway. I prefer to relate to people on their own terms. That’s what communication is about but it also demands comprehension – “See that you may paint, paint that you may see” in the words of Degas. In PNG and the Solomons, I sang in Pidgin and only played reggae.
Are you expecting to catch up with any musician friends on the tour?
I made lots of friends amongst musicians around the US and Canada. I have a three piece band in Washington DC and am looking forward to a couple of outings with them. I’ll also be doing a few shows with a touring buddy and songwriter by the name of Joe Jencks (www.joejencks.com) in Kansas and Colorado.
What have you been doing since you were living in North America?
I got back to Australia in November last year [2007]. I had Texas finished by Christmas and since then I have been touring very solidly with Liz Frencham or solo to promote that CD. Texas has been very warmly reviewed and radio has shown interest which has been gratifying. It has also been a great opportunity to reconnect with Australian audiences and to process my three years in America in a public kind of way.
Are there things that you’re particularly looking forward to on the tour?
I’m looking forward to reconnecting with friends and to playing my American songs to Americans, particularly in such a politically charged time!
What are your plans for the next year?
I’m working on an album called Urban Sea Shanties in collaboration with the Spooky Men’s Chorale – thinking man’s drinking songs. But I also have a bunch of new more reflective and personal songs accumulating – so I have to finish writing those and find a vessel for them.
MARTINE LOCKE
“She can be tender, she can be refined – but she can also cut loose with an amazing wall of sound that will blow you away.” (Desert Weekly Post)
Tell us about your music (including The Velvet Janes duo) and the types of people who attend your concerts.
My solo style sits in the rock category, with a dash of folk and I would say The Velvet Janes music sits in the rock with a dash of pop and a little folk thrown in for good measure. In both instances, it’s about telling a story. I work predominantly doing house concerts, folk clubs and music festivals and so therefore the audiences that come to see my performance are mostly people who like to listen to music and come to do just that. More listening type of audiences.
In what ways, if any, has your music been influenced by North American music?
Hmm…I don’t fully think it has, although it’s tough to say that because the music scene for so long has been dominated by American artists. The music I listened to growing up, and even grown up, tends to be mostly American artists. So there has to be some influence seeping in there. Also I do check out what musicians from the US are doing with equipment and styles of playing.
When and where are you touring for the remainder of 2008?
I’ll be doing venue shows and house concerts and a West Coast tour. People are welcome to attend house concerts and can email me at info@martinelocke.com for more information on how to attend…and how to host your own!!
Are there things that you’re particularly looking forward to?
I always enjoy catching up with mates, including on the West Coast. In fact, I will be relocating to Los Angeles by December to start developing that area more. I am keen to learn about film and TV music placement and will be actively pursuing that.
What can people expect at your performances?
Stories of the road and of life, hopefully catchy tunes that will get their toes tapping and laughter. I aim for all emotions to be expressed during the course of a performance.
As an Australian performer, are there phrases/concepts in your songs that you need to translate for American audiences?
Sometimes there are certain words or sayings that I have to explain. I usually start a show in a new area by saying something about knowing what the blank look on their faces means and that I will do my best to interpret for them along the way, but to put up their hands if they don’t know what the hell I am talking about. Sometimes though, I find myself just not using some of the words for certain things to save the explanation (i.e. “trunk” instead of “boot” of the car).
In what ways is touring the US tour different, now that you’re based in America?
Well, it can be overwhelming to work out where to go next. There are SOOOOOOOO many cities to play in and defining and focusing on my market is always the trick. I try to introduce one to two new cities or states a year and at least give it a go to see if it could become a valuable market for me in the future. Sometimes I have worked out pretty quickly that it wouldn’t be, other times I have gone into it thinking it wouldn’t be and been completely surprised by the outcome. Also, just being this much closer helps in the “out of sight, out of mind” kinda way.
What have you been doing over the past year?
I released a new CD in May 2008 – Undone is the title. So I have been working hard at touring that…in fact, I think I have been touring it so hard that I have almost not had enough time to promote it in the way I should, so I am spending the next few months working harder at promoting it and touring a little less. I usually aim to do 10-12 shows a month, especially during the summer period and have been working a number of the festival circuits hard this year also.
What are your plans for the next year?
More of the same! I am already working on the first 6 months of 2009..scheduling what areas to be in when and booking dates. I will also be relocated to LA by then so will be working hard at developing contacts and opportunities to have my songs, and The Velvet Janes songs, placed into film and TV. That’s really my focus for 2009…learning and being successful in that new market!
WENDY RULE
www.wendyrule.com
www.myspace.com/wendyrule
“Wendy Rule creates dark, sensual sonic theatre” (Rolling Stone)
Tell us about your music and the types of people who attend your performances.
My music is so much a part of me that it is almost impossible to think of existing without it. It comes from a place deep, deep in my soul and my belly. It comes up from the Earth and through my feet. From as young as I can remember I would sing – mainly to myself – making up little tunes and chants that reflected different moods and emotions. I’ve always been very connected to Nature, and singing to the trees and the stars felt very normal, and still does in fact! So my intention with my music is just to keep this flow happening – to honour the journey of my heart and be as open and honest as I can in exploring my connection with the universe.
I’ve discovered that a wide range of people come to my gigs. People of all ages – from kids and late teens, through to elders – find something to connect with. I suppose the unifying element in my audiences is that in some way, everyone is on a spiritual journey. They are drawn to what I’m offering because it resonates on a soul level, not just as entertainment. In the US, I have a very strong following in the Pagan community.
In what ways, if any, has your music been influenced by North American music?
I don’t think my music has been influenced by North American music (other than, of course, the fact that American music has shaped the course of popular music for the last century), but I’ve certainly been influenced by the American land and its people. I feel very supported here, and there’s a broad, brave energy that encourages me to grow and explore.
When and where does your 2008 North American tour begin?
I’ve been touring the States every year since 2001, and lately have been making two trips a year. So my 2008 tour is split in 2 parts. I was in the US in May and June, and then returned home for a couple of months to catch my breath and spend time with my loved ones, before heading out again on September 11th. So I’m in the US now and had my first gig in Seattle on the 12th of September. The first couple of weeks of the tour are fast paced, with gigs in Oregon, California, New Mexico, Colorado, Minnesota and Ohio, before taking a little break in Mexico and then hitting the East Coast for a month or so.
What can people expect from your performances on the tour?
Every gig is different, from lavish affairs in lovely theaters, to cool little clubs, and also intimate house concerts. I often involve elements of ritual in my shows. I will invoke the energies of the four elements, and create a sense of sacred space. I try to create a feeling that the audience really goes on a journey with each show, and that some kind of transformation has taken place.
Are there phrases/concepts in your performances that you might need to translate?
I do a lot of story telling and chatting between songs, and often weave in anecdotes about my life in Australia, but really I think that the themes that I explore in my music are pretty universal.
Will you be catching up with any musician friends on the tour?
Yes, most definitely. I’m heading up to Vancouver in a few days to perform a show with Emaline Delapaix (www.emalinedelapaix.com), a great Melbourne songstress who now lives in Canada. I’ll also be doing a couple of shows with a band called The Dragon Ritual Drummers that I’ve connected with a few times over the past year. I also have a number of musical friends on the East Coast who make guest appearances at my gigs.
What have you been doing since you last toured North America?
As I mentioned earlier, I only had a couple of months home between tours this year, so it’s been a crazily busy time. I’ve put the finished touches on a new album – a collaborative project with my friend Craig Patterson that is an adaptation of a film soundtrack we released last year. The album is called Beneath the Below is a River, and will be out in a couple of weeks. I also began recording guide tracks for my next major album. And I have a third project on the go. It’s a theatrical work called Persephone and is a collaboration with a wonderful percussionist called Elissa Goodrich.
Are there things that you’re particularly looking forward to on the tour?
I love touring, and each day feels like an adventure. I’m looking forward to the East Coast, where I have a sweet gig in New York City, and also a big Halloween concert in Salem, Massachusetts.
What are your plans for the next year?
Once again I’ll be making two trips to the States – a quick visit in May 2009, and then back again for July and August 2009. I’ll be recording and releasing my next album, and also performing the first season of Persephone in November. I’m also working on the soundtrack to another short film, directed by Melbourne based filmmaker Nick Verso, called Boys in the Trees. And of course I’ll also squeeze in some interstate touring in Australia. So it will be a jam packed year once again. Exciting!
SUE BARRETT is an Australian music writer, with a special interest in women in music. As Sue won’t be able to see any of these Aussies perform in North America this fall, she is planning to console herself by catching some Northern Americans perform in Australia – perhaps Toni Childs, Toshi Reagon and Martha Wainwright!
© Sue Barrett 2008
