Tell us about your new album The Good Whiskey Never Lasts. I went to Eastland Shopping Centre in 2016, and everything was different to the way I remembered it from when I used to go there as a teenager, growing up in Ringwood. This experience became ‘Lost Inside Of Eastland’, which is the first song on my album. It led me to reflect on some tumultuous events in my life over the past ten years, which in turn, provided further inspiration for songs. In that respect, it’s a bit of a coming-of-age record.
How would you describe your sound and how did you come to it? I like music that tells a story, which is part of the reason I gravitated towards folk and country music growing up. The sound of Irish-folk legends, The Dubliners, had a big influence on my musical development.
What was one of your formative musical experiences? While staying on my uncle’s farm in rural Ireland during the winter of 2007, I bought a little cassette Dictaphone and spent hours recording improvised guitar music and spontaneous songs. This experience showed me how important it is to make room for a creative workspace, and the value of keeping a record of all your ideas.
What was the process for making this record? We recorded the album in two days live to tape with Myles Mumford at his studio Rolling Stock, in Collingwood. The band features great bluegrass and country players, which meant we didn’t have to worry about overdubs, so there’s a real immediacy to the album’s overall sound.
