INTERVIEW: THE SMITH STREET BAND ARE UNPLUGGED IN WOMBAT STATE FOREST

Photo credit Ian Laidlaw

The Smith Street Band have announced their return to live music in 2021, with a series of full band, stripped back, semi acoustic, seated shows in Victoria and New South Wales. Guest writer from Ambedo Magazine, Keely Millikin, had an e-chat with guitarist Lee Hartney to discuss all things tour, coffee beans, and what’s coming next!

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I wanted to start off with talking about your upcoming album, ‘Unplugged in the Wombat State Forest’ which is out on March 5th. What was the inspiration behind doing an ‘unplugged’ album per se?
During Melbourne's long lockdown we discussed the likelihood that if we were going to be allowed to play shows again they would most likely be seated... and none of us are keen on seated rock shows.

So we reimagined a set in a more acoustic stripped-back style that we think fits better for those shows and is something different and fun for us. Because this is so different and new for us we thought we should record and film it in the meantime and release it for this tour, especially for the people who can't make it to the shows or who we can't get to this time around.

I saw that you released coffee beans as a part of promotion for the new album, could you explain the motivation behind doing so? (I love the idea by the way, and had to pick up some up for myself.)
Thank you! I hope you liked it! Well, everyone's a coffee fiend in the band (except me! Ha ha), so just made sense! A few of the others knew Karon coffee as they are locals to the region where our studio is in Wombat State Forest and we wanted to support our local businesses.

You kick off the Unplugged tour in Bendigo, and all of the shows are seated, which is going to be a very different experience as a band. In what ways do you think that will change the dynamic of your shows, and how the audience reacts?
It will be a completely different experience to our normal loud, sweaty, rock shows.

We really hope people enjoy hearing the songs interpreted in a different way. It won't be for everyone, but we have enjoyed creating the set and hopefully that comes across.

What can we expect to see from your upcoming album release?
For the first time we're releasing a cassette tape & DVD. The CD comes with a DVD with a video of the whole album. Plus it's on black and coloured vinyl.

You recently announced some shows in Brisbane in May with the Brisbane Symphony Orchestra. Have you had the chance to rehearse with them yet and how has that changed your music?
We have just started discussions with them so far and organising a suitable setlist for the show. Once all the charts are written we shall be doing a few rehearsals I believe. It's all very unknown territory for us but super exciting! We are going to go in with open minds ready to do whatever we need to make it sound great!

How has the lockdown been for you all as a band? I saw you all spent a lot of time at your headquarters in the Wombat State Forest.
It's the most time we have spent apart from each other in 10 years! I think we have all enjoyed having a bit of self-imposed time off. It gave everyone a bit of time to work on other things and projects in their lives that usually get put on the backburner. And now it's just made everyone more excited to come back together and to get back to playing shows!

Unplugged in Wombat State Forest Out March 5th
on Pool House Records / Remote Control
Pre Order the album here

How has having your home base in the state forest affected your music and you all as a band?
It's great to have a place that we can all go to and just work on music with no other distractions. It allows us the freedom to record with no time constraints (which may not always be a good thing!) which hopefully means we can release better, more creative albums than we have in the past.

And lastly, what can we expect for the future of the Smith Street Band?
Hopefully lots of shows! We are gonna do as much as we are physically allowed to do. Hopefully we can record some new music as well real soon!

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Follow The Smith Street Band on the rest of their tour and for our fellow local Bendigonians, be sure to check out the interview as part of the upcoming Ambedo Magazine issue! This interview was done as part of the upcoming magazine release, written by Keely Millikin.

FOLLOW THE SMITH STREET BAND
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INTERVIEW: WILL HYDE - INSPIRATION, ISOLATION, AND WHAT’S NEXT

Imagine the first time you hear a record of your own voice, or the silence right before someone clears their throat and tells you how they really feel. for will hyde, this uncharted territory has been years in the making. Evie had a chat with will about his recent releases, his process, time in isolation, personal experiences and inspirations, and what’s coming up for him in 2020!

(This is an email Q/A so we’ve left everything just as will wrote it - straight from the…Will’s…mouth'!)

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QUICK FIRE 

If you could go anywhere right now (pretend lockdown/ the pandemic isn’t a thing) where would you go?

i would love to go to the States!! i wanna go back to LA & NY soon.

If you could have 3 wishes what would they be?

great question.

1)   for everyone in the world to live in the present moment (that would take away anxiety, depression - living in the past/future like many of us do).

2)   for people to be happy. if we were happier, there wouldn’t be a need to bring negativity into the world.

3)   for equality in society. we’re all humans. sexuality/skin colour don’t need to seperate us. we all wanna be loved. we ain’t different, come on my people.

What is one thing you have put on your “bucket list”?

hmm. i actually haven’t thought about this or about a bucket list! i think i wanna spend some time in a silent retreat for a while at a temple in the future. i wanna meet Ekhart Tolle! 

Favourite song you are currently grooving to?

i love ‘not fair’ by kid laroi!! i always forget what i’m listening to i had to go to my artist spotify playlist haha (songs that remind me of u - quick plug).

Do you have any pets?

i do! i just got a puppy - his name is Bear. he is a labradoodle. when he yawns he makes a really cute teddy bear sound. i also have a few fish (they don’t get as much attention anymore which feels tough to say). 

Best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

hmmm. don’t wait for happiness. happiness will never come if u wait. success won’t change how u feel about urself. the only way u can start feeling better is to make peace with who u are NOW. :)

 And now for the serious stuff; 

How have you been coping in lockdown? Have you found any inspiration to get creative?

i have been finding it very good for me. i have been learning a lot about myself. i get lost in my head too much, i need to connect with the present moment more often. when i get lost in my head, life doesn’t feel as exciting or satisfying. i actually haven’t felt an effect of lockdown, purely because i got used to working from home when i first left school. routine is important. taking time for myself has been important. i’ve been reading! i’ve been writing a bit. i made two songs which feel super good to me. so it has been positive, yet i haven’t forced anything. i only really make music when i feel inspired!

You started off as one half of teenage electronic duo SŸDE, what led you to follow a solo career?

i like answering this question because it was a defining moment for me. i had a picture in my mind of who i wanted to be, what i wanted to stand for, the people i wanted to keep around in my circle. all of those things made my heart scream to follow my next chapter. we had a great run in SŸDE, a lot of moments i’m proud of, yet i had my darkest days during the period. i found it tough to be myself & the art i was creating while apart of the group just wasn’t me. i felt like i didn’t know how to be myself after leaving, i had to teach myself to be authentic to me. that was a really positive experience. the biggest catalyst was my depression/anxiety which forced a lot of internal change within me. i wanted to write about it, sing about it - the only way i could do that would be to go out on my own. very grateful for those times.

Can you please describe us what your creative process is like, how do you find inspiration for your music?

for sure! i like listening to a lot of music. especially during this period. just sitting back and taking in a bunch of different sounds has always been positive for me. honestly, the only music i listen to is stuff that makes me feel. when i feel something, that inspires me - because i have the opportunity to pass that on and give that to someone else. hopefully they feel some type of emotional connection to the songs i create. music is a gift that keeps on giving. from there, i generally just go about my day & melodies, track titles and production ideas flow thru my brain. when i think i have something great, i will work on it - take it to my notes and flesh it out. i mostly do this process by myself now. i like working with friends who are producers. i enjoy hearing how other people can interpret something i’ve made and make it better. collaboration is amazing like that. i always like to have a solid idea before entering any studio :).

 ‘easy for u’ is very groovy with a deeper message; it seems to be a bit about the kind of push and pull struggle of a hopeless relationship. Was this song based off an experience you had, or can it relate more broadly all kinds of relationships?

well thank u! i’m glad u felt that. it is based on experience yet i also want to keep my songs applicable to every relationship. there’s love in friendships, ur relationship with ur parents & of course intimately. the hard thing about the struggles of relationships is that it can feel very personal. usually people are just acting in their best interest but it does feel like something could be wrong with me. that’s a maturing thing i’ve let go & can understand now. it takes a few sobering conversations to reach that perspective tho, for sure.

What inspired you to write ‘meant to be’?

i remember going in to the studio session with fergus & dylan thinking about the concept of fractures. how a relationship can be so broken & over but it feels like u could still make something of it. i find for me that getting over people takes time. even tho i make decisions about who i want in my life quickly, if there was a connection, it still is a human that i’ve had memories with, you know what i mean? so sometimes it feels like we really could make amends. the trouble is, humans don’t really change! as much as i can want them to! they don’t usually. that’s a tough reality. a good lesson i’ve learned tho! on & up.

What do you hope people will take away from your work?

i hope people take away that it’s honest & authentic. i don’t want to sugar coat things & i just wanna do me. i spent too long doing the opposite. i hope people see a maturity in it too! most importantly, i hope people can find peace or happiness thru the music. that would be so special! that’s what i do it for.

You have been very open about the topic of anxiety and the challenge of overcoming adversity. How has the challenges in life influenced your music?

thank u. that means a lot to me. i like to think so! in the biggest way possible. it has shaped everything i have done. because of what i have faced, i am the person i am today. i wouldn’t change anything for the world. it has taken me a lot of pain to find peace & start to find true happiness. all of the sobering conversations i have had with myself, when i would cry about shit that was happening in my life, it all has a purpose. that purpose could be as simple as saying this & then it helps one human out there. if it does that, maybe my purpose has been fulfilled. not sure, but either way that’s how i think of it!! i also feel a freedom now with everything i’m creating. i find expressing myself so much easier. because i know myself a lot better. now that i’ve taken a lot of my shadows out of the closet to face, i can be free-er. it feels great!

Who are your favourite Aussie artists? What music inspires you?

i like a lot of the pop underground stuff coming out of the states at the moment. chelsea cutler, jeremy zucker, lany, gracie abrams, sasha sloan. all so dope. from australia, my home, kid laroi is a star. he’s doing a lot for australia. i think ruel is a stud, matt corby is a musician that i was fortunate enough to collaborate with & he is just a truly talented person. probably one of the most gifted all around musicians i will meet in the world.

 What does 2020 have in store for you musically?

i have a lot of music coming out!! i’m excited to show different sides of me, i’m fortunate to be able to release music & so i’m just enjoying putting out layers. i have more acoustic performances that i’m recording for the new songs coming out. i have music video’s dropping. hope u love it <3.

Where can we find your music?

u can find me on social media!! ( below :) ). thank u for the interview - this was a lot of fun & i’m grateful for ur time.

FOLLOW WILL HYDE 

INSTAGRAM (pics of meh)

TWITTER (where i post a lot of how my brain works)

FACEBOOK (my mum checks me on this so u can too)

YOUTUBE (there’s good juice on here so try that 1 too).

INTERVIEW WITH NATHAN CAVALERI: PLAYING WITH JIMMY BARNES, BATTLING LEUKAEMIA, MENTAL HEALTH, AND COMING BACK STRONGER

As a kid, having the opportunity to play with the likes of Jimmy Barnes, Diesel and other music legends would have surely been a transformative experience. Could you please describe to us a bit about what that was like? 

I went from busking out front of my mum’s coffee shop, to playing on Hey Hey It’s Saturday to playing to 10,000 plus people per night supporting Jimmy Barnes and Diesel on the Soul Deep / Hepfidelity tour. At 10 years old, this was my first real snapshot of what a life in music would feel like. I loved it. Tour buses, semi-trailers, road cases, rehearsals, security, backstage passes, riders, dressing rooms, sound checks, driven by a management team and crew all working to put together a night for both the artist and the audience. It was my first experience on a real stage and as a sponge, I absorbed it all. Watching Jimmy and Diesel sing and play their hearts out leaving nothing but puddles of sweat on stage was a pivotal point in my career. I learnt that playing on stage is not just about expressing yourself. It’s about connecting. For them, it seemed as if they played like it was their last night no earth and as a kid going through Leukaemia at the time, this really resonated with me.

 Is there a favourite artist you have played/ worked with? 

I have 2 favourites for different reasons. B.B.King and Diesel. Having the privilege of playing 3 songs on stage with B.B. in the middle of his set for 3 weeks on one of his US tours is an experience that I’m still digesting! I learnt so much on tour both through observation and receiving advice. It was also the first time I witnessed blues music on a big stage and was able to see how powerful a blues show can be. My relationship with Diesel has many dimensions. I was learning from him at 10, and I’m still learning from him today. We’ve always bonded over song-writing, production and gear but now as an independent artist and father of 2, our connection has expanded into the world of music strategy as well as the more “human” aspects of being an artist. I love and respect him dearly.   

How do you think the highs and lows of your life have influenced your music?

Battling Leukaemia as a kid took a hobby into a form of self-expression and therapy. Even during recent years when I decided to call it quits, song-writing and playing even if alone, brought me catharsis. My empathetic imagination allows me to make art of what I see and feel - Be it experiences that someone else has had or through reflecting on my own, my music is definitely hinged to the dynamics of my life and is the reason why my stage shows and recordings are anything but linear. Weeping melancholy melodies to stink face triggering struts.. It’s all in there!  

 ‘Before You Check Out’ is a beautiful melody, carved by the acoustic guitar and gentle vocals. It has a powerful message, one that you have described as being “a song for those who are low on hope”. What would be your message to those who are struggling in these current circumstances? 

There’s always a way. Just because you can’t see a path, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. No matter what people say, there’s always a way and there are millions around the world who are proof of this and there are MANY paths to suit all different walks of life. The master key for me was learning to adjust my perception of adversity / discomfort / pain. When we start to see our pain as indicators rather than bullets, the situation goes from bring a battle to an opportunity for growth. I can see and learn more when I’m having a conversation rather than throwing punches or covering up. Most of my growth and resilience has come from challenges in my life. Don’t demonise them. Embrace them. Learn from them and trust that despite how it feels, it’s leading you to good places! An awakening is suppose to feel fucked because unfortunately, growth can only happen outside of our comfort zone.  

‘Hug’ is another beautiful track, with the lyrics; “All my hugs come from behind, no matter how many times you walk away from the crime”. Could you please expand on those lyrics? What does the power of forgiveness mean to you? 

For years I misunderstood the definition and purpose for forgiveness. I believed that the act of forgiving was the same as condoning and also believed that it’s purpose was to bring relief to the offender. I couldn’t be more wrong. My new understanding is that forgiveness is for the victim and is a form of acceptance. Holding a grudge, wishing something wasn’t so, hating on a past self are all acts of resistance. As long as that resistance is there, our past will continue to haunt us. For some, the past is haunting them daily through memories that are played on repeat. When we reach a state of full forgiveness we’ve accepted and are therefore released from the past. My song “Hug” is about making peace with abandonment. “Better the back of your head than the front of a lie..” means that you are willing to face the truth no matter how much it hurts. “All my hugs come from behind” is a metaphor for forgiving someone who has turned their back on you. 

The album ‘Demons’ is set to release on August 9th this year, followed by an album tour. What can fans expect from the new music? 

When I was a kid, I had something to play but now I have something to say. It was written at a time when I wasn’t intending on returning to the stage which kept the writing process from being corrupted by business goals. The sentiment of these songs are inspired by my own experiences and those around me. Organically, almost all of the songs relate in someway to how we relate to our “demons”. Whether profound or tongue and cheek, the attitudes of each song mirror the dynamics of my life and are amplified by styles of music that move me the most - Psychedelic folk, hiphop, funk, country all brought together by all my favourite types of blues. On stage, I string these songs together by sharing my own personal stories.  

 What are your favourite Aussie artists? What music inspires you?

My favourite bands are all over the place - Teskey Brothers, Ash Grunwald, Diesel, Julia Jacklin - OMG Julia Jacklin, Thelma Plum, Baby Animals, Cold Chisel, Guy Sebastian, Dope Lemon, LOVE Dope Lemon, Delta Riggs, Kingswood, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, TAME IMPALA! All different types of music inspires me…If it takes me away and makes me feel something, I’m in! 

FOLLOW NATHAN CAVALERI
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