Interview | ASH GRUNWALD
- Nina Dell'Amico
- Sep 29, 2015
- 4 min read
Ash Grunwald is a talented blues musician from Australia. He has had a successful career in the Australian music scene for more than 12 years. He has been nominated for six ARIA awards and three APRA awards, winning two of the latter. On September 25th, Grunwald released his 9th studio album, “Now”, produced by Nick Didia.
Luckily, the Follower was able to score a chat with Grunwald about his talents & achievements, the release of his album “Now” & his massive national tour which kicked off in September and runs through to November.
Catch him live at the Wickham Park Hotel this Thursday 1st October from 8.30pm.
Congratulations on the release of your 9th studio album, Now, produced by Nick Didia. What did you want to achieve musically with Didia?
This album was a really important release. I wanted to make the best album I’ve ever made & put a lot of energy into it. It was a joy to work really hard at something, not just do what’s easy but to take it to the next level & to work & rework. It’s a lot of effort but the effort makes it really fun. The more you put into it, the more enjoyable it is.
In this album we hear a significant change in your sound & style. What (or who) was a major influence in your creative transformation?
Over the last 10 years other musicians & sounds have come through but I’m always trying to do something a little different to what I’m hearing all around me. I’m forging my own path.
I think the key difference is that it’s more “songy”. Usually it’s a strong riff & grove – something to dance to. Kind of like the blues version of dance music... But this album is a lot more varied. A lot of the progressions are drawn from rock & folk music and there’s more variation in the song writing.
In Now you have collaborated with Ian Peres of Wolfmother and Pete Wilkins formerly Blue King Brown. How different is collaborating with other musicians then playing in a one-man band (with your acoustic national steel & crazy foot drums)?
It’s really different. Especially with what Ian brought to the project. I was looking for a guy to play bass lines on the synth – something I’ve had on previous albums but it’s been much quieter. Ian brought a whole lot more. He’s a really good keyboard player & rock organist. Something which comes from his Wolfmother experience.
And it’s totally different. When I’m playing solo, I am the rhythm section. I’m the bass & the drums with a little bit of guitar. So when you put bass & drums in, it’s kind of like, oh, what do I do now? So I find myself in a very different situation – I start soloing a lot more and being more experimental.
So for me, when there’s a band involved I get to see a different side of myself.
You’re on a huge tour at the moment. A 28 date national album tour from September through to November. How do you keep the music energy & good vibes flowing?
I focus on my craft like it’s my new hobby. I need that little bit of discipline to focus & try to improve. If you’re doing that, it makes it more fresh. I mean, I’ve had long periods where I haven’t tried to get any better – where I’ve been doing my own thing, booking shows and using my music as a lifestyle device but not focusing on improving. So right now, I’m concentrating on the actual play.
What can we expect at your shows?
It’s a mix. New & old. I’ve been playing solo so I’ve been getting a lot of requests and I talk to the audience a lot. Often I’ll leave the last half of the show to requests. People make obscure requests though. Obscure songs that I don’t normally do live. And that’s been really good, and really fun!
What are your tour essentials?
Just the device in my hand right now! I think the mobile phone is such an important hub. It’s all of my hobbies and it’s my books that I read on tour (it keeps me sane). I’d say I like reading but it’s not reading that I do, it’s listening. I get into audio books. Occasionally I’ll read something but even then it’s rarely on paper.
It’s also the centre point of running my own career.
What is your favourite live music experience?
This tour! It’s been great connecting with the crowd in a different way. It feels more like a party.
Ash Grunwald plays at the Wickham Park Hotel on Thursday 1st October. It’s a gig not to miss!
Buy your tickets here: http://bigtix.com.au/products/3086-ash-grunwald.aspx#.Vgok7vmqqko
To help you get prepared for an evening of fun times, rad tunes & dancing, listen here:
Or on soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/tags/ash%20grunwald
{images courtesy of Ash Grunwald}
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