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ON THE COUCH WITH: Powderfinger

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ARTIST INTERVIEW

JC: Hey, Danielle. How are you?

Access All Areas.net.au: Good. How are you? Do you have a whole stack of press lined-up today, is that what’s going on?
JC: (laughs) Yeah, it’s going on. Where are you calling from?

Access All Areas.net.au: I’m from Melbourne. I was actually waiting for a phone call two hours ago. I got it completely wrong with the time difference with Brisbane. (laughs)
JC: It always happens with daylight savings. I don’t know why we don’t have it. It’s ridiculous. But anyway…

Access All Areas.net.au: So tell us what the feeling’s like at the moment amongst the band as you prepare to release your seventh album, Golden Rule.
JC: I reckon it’s really awesome. We’re not going to say this is our best record but we’re really proud of this record and really excited about it. So that’s a good sign. It’s been a pretty good year for us in terms of the way the songs came about and how we wrote, the experience we had recording it. We were in Thailand on the weekend shooting the second single video clip. It’s pretty good times. So we’re not really worried about anything

Access All Areas.net.au: The note that came with the streaming of the album talks about how much you all really enjoyed making this record. So take us into the studio and let us in on what was going on. What was it like to make?
JC: I think even back to writing the record. Let’s be honest, last time we didn’t have the best time writing and recording. It’s just one of those things in a band, not every record has to be great fun to write and record. But I think everyone felt like, you know what? It’s probably hard to do again unless we enjoy it. So I think the principal was to get together and enjoy it, enjoy the writing process and for the whole thing to flow right through. Simple things like recording in Byron for instance. We’d never recorded a record in Brisbane. Being an hour and half out from home was a good thing because you could still stay in touch with your family and all those things but still feel away and be locked into a band environment. And we had beautiful houses and apartments on the beach. Life was pretty tough. You had this awesome house and it was 2 minutes from the studio. You could go home and chill out for a couple of hours if you needed to go back in. So you weren’t hanging around the studio being a pain in the arse, which can happen, because you’re bored.

Access All Areas.net.au: How come last time wasn’t as fun as it could have been?
JC: Just a lot of distractions around – side projects. I think the way we wrote last time wasn’t…we tried a new way of writing, in the studio in groups of twos and threes. That’s not how we’ve always written, in the band room just nutting it out together. Last time we kept demoing things. “Let’s do another demo because it’s not right yet” to the point where certain songs didn’t make it because the life squeezed out of them. This time is more about get back in the band room and not over think things, just play them and let what 13 or 18 years of playing…hopefully it should sound alright.

Access All Areas.net.au: I heard you guys say that this record was like a skeleton and everyone got to put their own stamp on the songs. In the past was it more Bernard controlling most of the writing?
JC: No, not at all. I think that’s the misconception, a lead singer thing. In the past he’s done all the lyric writing, so that’s fair enough on that. But come to the music part, people were bringing in stuff, like Darren would bring in a full song in the past. That’s cool too, but in the end there’s no real place to go. If you don’t like the style, you’re going to offend him or someone. Where this time it was about bringing in this bit here, an acoustic, and let the band naturally take it somewhere. For me, the bass player, it was a lot more entertaining that way. I got to feel like I really owned it. Some bands just have people tell them what to do but we’ve never been a band that worked like that. It works being 5 guys nutting stuff out.

Access All Areas.net.au: That’s a good way to be.
JC: It is, but it’s probably a long way around. But in the long run it’s better for us.

Access All Areas.net.au: Did you also do a bit of busking for fun?
JC: Yes. That was good fun. That was an awesome thing. We were in the studio. We did it the night before Splendour and we really enjoyed it. I think it was good to be that close to people and just have fun. It didn’t matter if we fucked up; we were just having a good time. It’s good to take the pressure off sometimes that gets thrown upon you. We then did that on a national (scale), a group of shows down the east coast.

Access All Areas.net.au: You probably would have had more people turn up to see you busk than most bands can get at their big shows.
JC: That’s the fortunate thing with us I suppose. It was great. I remember in Sydney, that was just a few thousand people in the middle of Martin Place and then in Melbourne at Federation Square. We didn’t know if we were going to have a hundred people or a thousand. We had no idea. So the good thing about it was there was no expectation. It was good fun and a lot of people we spoke to said it felt like they had never been that close to us. It was weird because we don’t think like that, in those terms. We just wanted to do something for the fans and give something back I suppose. And enjoy it at the same time.

Access All Areas.net.au: I was speaking with Chris from Jet yesterday and he was saying how the band works best living in different countries. Has Powderfinger always had that bond outside of music? And would you still be in touch if the band was no more?
JC: Absolutely. That year off, we were over for BBQs, caught up for golf, went for a surf with Cogsy…it’s the sort of thing we do. Admittedly if we’re touring, the last thing we want to do is…the joke is at the airport after we’ve just been on tour for 2 months, ‘Hey by the way guys, what time do you want to come over this afternoon? I’m having a barbie.” You’ve just had enough…well not enough, but you just want to get back to your own life. I think that’s the nature of our band, we are mates. I know it seems like a bit of a cliché but you have to be I think. We’re like a family.

Access All Areas.net.au: Has there ever been a time where it might have come to an end?
JC: I suppose back in ’95 when you’re touring in a van with no air-conditioning, playing gigs like the Punters Club…you know you’re having fun but at the same time you’re 25 thinking “Oh shit, I might need to get a job soon.” But then we were very fortunate, Double Allergic came out and I remember someone saying to me, “You won’t be counting cars anymore” because I used to count cars for traffic surveys in between when we toured because you couldn’t survive. You don’t believe it. We’re very fortunate to have a career out of it. And an income. That’s a pretty hard thing as a band.

Access All Areas.net.au: Was it a strange feeling for the rest of the band when Bernard went off to do his solo work?
JC: Nah, not strange. In terms of us all doing something, I thought it was a good thing for us to play with other people. I think the problem with Bernard’s was his was really successful and ours wasn’t. (laughs) Tea and Sympathy is a fantastic record. I love it. I remember him asking me to listen to it to help him sequence it and I thought, what a fucking great record this is. In those terms we were really glad for the record because we got to hear it. It was something that I enjoyed. I think in terms of the band, it made things…probably from my mistake, when it came to write the last record, there was something we wanted the record not to sound like. We wanted it not to sound like Teas and Sympathy because we want to separate the two. Because there’s always confusion or you think there’s confusion. That’s what’s good about this year. All that stuff is gone. All those feelings about your project, my project, band project…it’s all disappeared and we’re back to being no confusion. People thought we’d just broken up. It was weird. You’d go out and people would say, “Your singer’s run off, hey?” No he hasn’t. He’s doing a solo record. Good on him. I think it’s fantastic for anyone who’s stepped outside of their comfort zone and done it on their own and to put it out there. I’m really proud of Darren’s project and Bernard’s project.

Access All Areas.net.au: Pete Murray, Tim Rogers & Andrew Morris sing backing vocals on “Think It Over” as well as the entire Splendour in the Grass audience. What made you want to do that?
JC: The idea was to make that section as big as we could. Because the guys were coming up to Splendour to play, we had those guys lined up. And then the producer said, “Wouldn’t it be great if we got the crowd at Splendour to sing this part.” We knew someone who could organise that for us. So after You Am I played, we got up there on the stage and had the lyrics up on the screen. Bernard talked to the crowd and got them to sing and Triple J recorded it. Then we took the recording in on Monday and put it on the album. It was awesome.

Access All Areas.net.au: It’s a nice touch having the crowd involved because in a way a lot of people have grown up on Powderfinger music.
JC: It’s was cool. We thought, it sounds like a good idea, its fun, not taking yourself too seriously…you know what I mean? A big part of the record was like that, “that’s a good idea, lets try that”, instead of the old days people like me going, “I don’t like that sound, could be on a Bon Jovi record.”

Access All Areas.net.au: It’s almost ARIA time again and you’ve won just a few of those! What do they mean to you?
JC: I think it’s a great thing. I mean I think to be nominated is a wonderful thing, not necessarily winning. In 20 years time it’ll probably mean a lot more to me. Like art, it’s always subjective…there’s that angle. But at the end of the day it’s voted by the people in the industry, your peers. It’s a really lovely thing. I don’t want to be too cruel and say they don’t mean anything, because they do. It’s like an academy award for an actor.

Access All Areas.net.au: To finish with, so many Australian bands would love to have the success of Powderfinger and to experience what you have. Why do you think Powderfinger has had that longevity and support that other bands just can’t manage?
JC: We’ve always tried to write records that are good from start to finish. I don’t think we’ve ever been a single based band. We have had singles on the radio but I think if you go and buy a Powderfinger record, if you like one song you like the lot of them. We’ve always tried to be really consistent in that way and write, like the old days, good records. We don’t wear groovy clothes. We’re not fashionable. We’ve never been a fashion statement. I think Australians don’t really like arrogance, rather just normal people like we are. Some bands don’t go down that path. We do what we do; we enjoy what we do. I don’t know. I hope that’s what it is. What do you think?

Access All Areas.net.au: I agree. I think that’s very cool that you don’t try and be anything you’re not and fans relate to the music. That’s a very cool thing.
JC: I think Bernard’s a very good lyric writer too. That’s something that’s very important if you’re talking about selling records as a career. You need a good lyric writer.

Access All Areas.net.au: Definitely. And a lot of song writers would aspire to be like him.
JC: Yeah. Look at Paul Kelly and guys like that. He’s a sensational lyric writer too.

Access All Areas.net.au: Yeah. Well thanks so much for chatting today, JC. All the best with the album, upcoming shows and all the wonderful things you guys will get up to.
JC: Thanks, Danielle. Nice to talk to you. Have a great day.

Interview by Danielle Ralph

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY

Tonight…Us’, ‘Bring Back Pluto’, ‘Too Cool For Tracksuit Wednesday’, ‘No Mercy On the Unsuspecting Dancer’.

Potential Powderfinger album titles? Actually they were more of an indication of the atmosphere in the studio. Making the music for Golden Rule on occasion, seemed secondary to the pure idiocy and twisted comedy that occurred during its recording. Of course, with Nick Didia back at the helm it’s hard to imagine anything else.

‘Adult Baby’, ‘Romancing the Poodle’, ‘Slightly Broken’.

I walked into the studio one day while the boys were working on the guitar solo for Jewel and this is the explanation I got: ‘Ok... the solo starts and you wake into reality with a thump…. you’re sitting next to JC who’s flying a helicopter that’s spinning out of control… you turn to him… he smiles wryly as he morphs into the devil… who in turn bursts into ear splitting laughter… and down you go (crazy drum fill, spiralling solo and devil-inspired backing vocals precede the climax of a gun shot)’. ‘What the hell is going on?’ I thought. But when I looked at them, the rest of the band that is, they all burst out laughing. Oh, it WAS funny, but to a certain extent they were actually serious. In fact, the surrealist imagery that the songs themselves created was just as important as the humour this time.

‘Heavy Metal Cardigan’, ‘Raising Squid’.

It’s hard enough to get six people to see eye to eye when recording together but when you imagine yourself at sea, adrift on a ghost ship, fighting a violent storm, with Sail the Wildest Stretch as your soundtrack, things become a little easier. Hey, the roll of the waves inspires even the drumbeat. The eerie opening atmospherics and the Onidin Line string progression were just an extension of the feeling of bittersweet regret that the lyrics detail. El Camino de la Muerte (The Death March), which was written as an introduction to the song Golden Rule, and subsequently became the album opener, is indicative of the visual approach that we employed this time when communicating our ideas to each other.

If the songs that follow represent parts of our lives flashing before our eyes then the next song and first single, All of the Dreamers, is the rebel in each of us while Burn Your Name is the most euphoric experience of love in that lifetime. A Fight About Money is a wry, energetic look at the confusing nature of the business world and Poison in Your Mind is the farewell bookend to a relationship dissolved.

On side two Iberian Dream and Jewel are urgent proclamations in the form of desperate rock while Think It Over is a behemoth that begs for everyone to join. Listen out for the 30000 strong backing choir at Splendour in the Grass who did an amazing job of instantly learning the song and singing the biggest backing vocal part in history. Stand Yourself and Awake explore new ground and the song Golden Rule is the closing chapter that employs epic string lines that recall Air and Pink Floyd.

Here are the tangible facts: we started writing Golden Rule at the start of 2009 with absolutely no idea of a direction. We didn’t even know if we were going to get along like we used to. Eventually though, we agreed that any idea was an acceptable starting point and we trusted each other. If anything, having no direction seemed to free us up to embrace the unknown. We rehearsed at home in Brisbane for six months recording demos that had life. That is, we made sure the songs sounded good as a live rock band before they got to the studio. We caught up with Nick on June the 22nd for two months in Byron Bay at Studio 301. Unfortunately, living on the beach in Byron was tough, so tough in fact, we had to go busking one night in front of the Great Northern Hotel (to test the earning power of the new songs of course). The $80 helped pay for our 'organic' doughnut addiction. The last two weeks were in Sydney mixing and schmoozing publicans for cheap drinks. By the way, if we’d known schmoozing for cheap drinks could inspire someone to simultaneously hump your leg and smash wine bottles on the floor (no injury recorded), we might have thought twice. Eventually we escaped the studio around mid August with Golden Rule.

www.powderfinger.com

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MY FESTIVAL EXPERIENCE

Mental As Anything
It's a pretty horrible one actually. On the Australian Made Tour in, it was about 87' - 88'. There was us, there was Barnsey (Jimmy Barnes), The Models, The Divinyls. You know it was a really fun tour actually, and we were sharing a brass section with The Models and the guy... One of the brass players he was fairly frail, he was quite young and he had a pacemaker and he actually collapsed and died during our set which was rather disturbing. It would be the most memorable but, only because it was so unpleasant. I would have to say that one sticks out for me.

What's your ideal festival line-up?
Gee, that's a hard one. It's pretty good these day's they have guys like Neil Young coming out, and it's good. It shouldn't be a real generational thing. There are still a lot of good musicians that have inspired a lot of the younger bands and I think that it's nice that they put these guys on the bill. It's an economic thing, obviously a lot of people want to see them but, I think it's also good for the younger people to see where a lot of this kinda stuff came from in the first place. I think the bills are pretty good actually.

Also, with the older bands and artists playing at shows it's a big thing for the younger ones because they have been inspired by that performer and seeing them play and being able to play along aside them is a big kick.
Yeah, I think it's great and as long as they can still cut the mustard, I've heard that on some occasions they have been a bit disappointing but, they really have got there acts together these guys if they are still doing it. It's pretty obvious when they aren't. I sort of jokingly say "I'm getting the hang of it now", because I sort of am really, It's taken awhile but, you kinda have to be a bit more professional as you get older about doing it because, you need to be. It's amusing to see the 20yr old guys staggering around drunk on stage, that's kinda entertaining. But, when you get older it's not such a good look. You need to start thinking about being a bit more professional and getting your act together a bit.

The fall of the aging rock star.
Haha Yeah, that's your job. If you want to keep doing it you need to stay reasonably healthy. I swim, I try and swim some laps everyday. That's how I occupy myself on tour. I've got to find out where the pool is otherwise I get a bit twitchy if I don't get to do my laps every day. You start to realize if you don't have your health you don't have anything. It's true of anybody but, particularly for entertainers if you let yourself go, your in trouble.

What's your most favourite artist you have seen at a festival?
I would have to say Roy Orbison. I saw him only a couple of year's before he died. I couldn't believe it. He had already had the open heart surgery and, he had a shocking life the poor guy. He's always been a hero of mine. I actually got to see him, which was a big thrill.

What are your tips for attending a festival?
I don't know. My kids are going to them kind of regularly and they seem to have a good time. I think the main thing is you need to get in early if you want to get ticket's to these things, because they seem to sell out really fast. They are really popular and just enjoy them.