Winter People

Do not look for me in the summer heat

Do not look for me in the autumn leaves. 

Loosely captured images and words, a certain rhythm. Listening to the lyrics of Wishingbone there’s the sense that the person behind these words is a writer. So I found after speaking to the lead singer of Winter People, Dylan Baskind.

‘I’ve been pursuing a literary passion for some years. I’ve been writing novels for about four or five years though I’ve never managed to get something that I felt had reached the level that I was happy with.’

Letting go of your writing is as difficult as projecting what you imagined in the first place. Winter People’s forthcoming debut is evidence that Baskind has achieved both within another medium altogether – sound. 

 ‘For me the song begins on paper, as couplets and sections and from the language the imagery and mood arises. A poem can remain halfway between the concrete and something that’s immediately communicable, especially with the music behind it – you can still have the emotion unspecified and unconscious.’

That leads me to the question, what is Wishingbone about? Though it’s never as simple as that, particularly when most writing rests on a series of images and feelings.

‘It’s the moment in a travelling journey where you’re in a desolate, empty plain and you come across a wishingbone picked clean by the wind, buried in the sand. It’s the point in the journey where you question the worth of setting out in the first place.’

Wishingbone is a song as wistful as it’s title. It slides within the space between sadness and happiness. Though there is in a way an uplifting element, something Baskind puts down to his love of classical music and the dramatic sounds of Beethoven and Chopin.

‘I’m very conservative in my taste, highly rule orientated and geometric.’

Though this translates through Winter People’s music in an entirely different way – through the careful layering of harmonies, acoustic melodies and then together with the glockenspiel, the building tension of all these sounds.

Most of all, the balance between raw and polished. Something they were able to achieve with the help of Peter Katis who also mixed the likes of Jonsi’s latest Go Do.

‘He is my idol [Peter Katis] The whole time I have been involved in audio he would always be my reference, he is the god of hi-fi/low-fi, of polished authenticity – there’s something he does that is high quality but also has the essence of a bedroom studio.’

Baskind comes back to the idea of writing – the same expression, a different channel. 

‘It’s like writing that doesn’t feel forced but is well constructed, flowing but carefully put together and you don’t notice when you’re reading. It’s the same thing with music, definitely a balance.’

Winter People have just finished up their tour with Busby Marou, supporting the two Rocky boys as they played shows across Australia,

‘It was really fun, lots of hijinks – but nothing that I could tell you on the record!’  

If you’re in town today head in Kings Cross Hotel for their free lunchtime gig at FBI Social or otherwise, turn on the radio! Looking forward to hearing more from these guys, keep your eye out for their debut album to be released early next year. 

Georgia Fair

Georgia Fair is Jordan Wilson and Ben Riley

the bell catches up with Jordan Wilson of Georgia Fair to talk about their debut album All Through Winter being released tomorrow, Friday the twenty first of October. 

The lanterns outline two figures set against the darkness picking a delicate melody across the strings that continues in time until the harmony comes to a crescendo, there’s the hover of a cymbal and it ends.

Silence.

There was a moment’s delay and then the crowd began to clap. Softly at first, too afraid the noise would shake them from their mesmerized daze into reality.

This is how it was listening to Georgia Fair play on their ‘Marianne, hold me now’ tour with Daniel Lee Kendall. A few jokes here and there and the push and pull of emotions when you move from the charms of an old favourite like Something Easy to the haunting melodies of tracks like Marianne. 

Georgia Fair’s first EP was released late 2009, with the second to follow a year later and now their debut album All Through Winter to be released this Friday the twenty second of October.

Though it feels as if Georgia Fair has been around for years and even if they’ve only just been released their songs take on a place as classics from the very beginning.

‘Sometimes it feels like I’m really new at this but then I think about it and we’ve been playing our way around for a good few years now and since we were really young.’

Jordan is down to earth about the band’s success, their recent tour with the Panics and the chance to work with Bill Reynolds of Band of Horses.

‘You don’t really expect these things, but now that we’ve done it its such an honour and you don’t take stuff for granted, we want to play with as many people as possible.’

All Through Winter was recorded in Asheville, Texas. Home to snow capped mountains and Bill Reynolds, the bassist of arguably one of the best bands in America Band Of Horses.

Brown leather jacket, thick black rims and that typical texan facial hair, watching an interview of Reynolds at the Grammys he’s the kind of guy who’s down to earth, grateful for the music and what he does.

Something Georgia Fair saw firsthand,

‘He’s a really laid back dude, really funny you wouldn’t know he toured the world constantly. He’s such an interesting guy too – he has so many stories, he used to hang out with Willie Nelson, we’re always learning from him.’

After having played with Band of Horses for nearly a decade and having produced records for the likes of folk songstress Lissie to fellow band member Tyler Ramsey, Reynolds is no doubt experienced.

‘We had a few producers in the mix and we were lucky enough that he had the time, we had a few phone calls and then we were on a flight to America. We loved his band so much and the records he’s produced, we sent him a few of our demos and I guess that’s also why he agreed to work with us, he liked our demos a lot.’

And as far as a setting to record their debut album, Asheville sounded beautiful.

‘We went for a lot of walks in Asheville, in the mountains, we were living in a pretty beautiful spot, a little cottage close to the mountains so there were sights all around us.’

Though this might be mistaken as the inspiration behind the album title. All Through Winter makes more of an allusion to the writing process during the lead up to their stay in America.

‘It encapsulates a lot of things, that’s [All Through Winter] a lyric from one of the songs called Time and the songs a bit dark. As we were writing this record it felt like we were going through a bit of a grind – it’s a bit of a metaphor I guess, a record for the times we’ve been going through to get this record out.’

This is a feeling reflected in the ‘alter ego’ portraits of their album cover and translates through to nostalgia of the record, characteristic of Georgia Fair’s music.

‘That’s one of those things I never really seem to be able to get away from, it’s not that I want to but I write a lot about nostalgia because I get these images in my head of times that have been, or times that have may have been… I like to embrace it, there’s a beauty in it.’

Most apparent in the track Time that appears further into the record, a subtle song that seemed to come together flawlessly,

‘They’re all special in their different way though one of my favourite moments is the song Time because we stripped it right back, and there’s really beautiful atmospherics on there that ben put on with his guitar. It was really one of those special moments in the studio where we were all working on it together and it ended up being a really great track.’

Georgia Fair’s debut album All Through Winter is an extension of their well-formed melodies and breathtaking harmonies, which at last showcases their songs in one extended sitting. 

All Through Winter is released tomorrow across Itunes and music stores Australia wide. 

Inland Sea

Inland Sea are a rare find. After releasing their debut EP Traitor earlier this year the band has only gone on to impress, receiving brilliant reviews from NME and other press alike at this year’s Big Sound Conference. 

The band has just released their sophomore EP Fortune – and there’s no doubt it’s just as mind blowing as the first, if not more. The opener Dead Man’s Left is brilliantly haunting and establishes the record’s rich and diverse sound.

Inland Sea do more than play, they are musicians who know their instruments and craft like the back of their hand – easily blending genres and breathtaking harmonies.

If you like what you hear, Inland Sea are playing a host of east coast shows this October – details here. 

We were lucky to have a chat with Tahlee about all things Inland Sea related... 

At times there’s a carefree sound to the EP, and others it’s a little more somber – what was the thinking behind the name Fortune to tie the songs together?

Fortune is a lyric in the song Dead Man’s Left, but more than that it encapsulates a feeling of completeness. Not in the way that a fortune makes a life complete, but in the way that describes the richness behind the music and the lyrics. We have struck a kind of formula that produces the unexpected when songs are brought to the band. Three different members of the band write the songs on the EP, (Alastair, Jeremy and Beau) and yet they still seem to fit together. I guess Fortune describes the diverse talent we are able to draw from. 

The most captivating aspect of Fortune is it’s ability to slide easily from folk influences, classic pop to breathtaking harmonies almost gospel in nature – do you enjoy experimenting with your sound as a band? 

Experimentation is what makes the song. When a song is brought to the band by one songwriter it has to then go through nine other filters, who all have something a little different and original to offer, to transform it into something wonderful. We have at least five members who write songs. This allows us to stretch our sound and saves us from writing songs that sound the same.

It goes without saying that ten members is a fair amount for a band, are writing sessions a big jam or is there a little more organization involved?

Usually a song is brought to the band and then we work through it together. The writer usually has some idea of what they would like, and we go from there. There have been some instances when a couple of members will write a song together, or get help to finish a song off, but the same process always follows. We have recently created a system that allows members to bring a song on a turn-by-turn basis. This gives songwriters who don’t write as many songs to have a turn to show their work.

How does it feel that your music is reaching a whole bunch of people, who we assume love it as much as we do? Especially after that rave NME review…

That is the dream of any musician, to be able to reach your audience. It is a weird combination of shock and hyper-excitement that people in the music industry also enjoy what we do; NME was one of these moments.

For a little fun, given the chance if you could take to the stage with any artists (alive or dead) who would they be?

I’m sure there is a general consensus running that Arcade Fire would be amazing. Bon Iver or Fleet Foxes would also be on that list. We have ten members in this band who all come from different musical backgrounds, so it would be a lengthy list. Personally I think Fleetwood Mac would be incredible.

Also out of interest, if you could expand that amazing instrument range any further what would be the lucky choice?

I think our manager and sound man would both have aneurisms if we expanded any further, but I would say the next thing (crossing fingers) would be a keyboard, perhaps castanets for Dani.

The title track from the Traitor EP, 

You can get your hands on both Inland Sea EPs at their online site here. 

Split Seconds

Split Seconds debut EP was released today to much anticipation, the bell was fortunate enough to chat to lead singer Sean Pollard about the new record...

There is something classically Australian about the way Pollard crafts his lyrics. Almost as if he is letting us be a part of a moment in time, his subtle storytelling reminiscent of artist’s such as Paul Kelly and Gareth Liddiard.

“It’s something you can do when you’re Australian, you can focus on the lyrics because the accent does stand out a bit. It’s about giving the listener some idea of what’s going on without making it too obvious…It’s a hard line to follow but once you get it it’s pretty cool.”

All it takes is one listen of the EP to realize that Split Seconds definitely have it.

A bittersweet nostalgia is prevalent throughout the record, a sound realized as Pollard spent time living in London, working at the infamous rehab centre The Priory.

“London’s obviously a very different place from Perth… so there was definitely that element of homesickness. Some of the songs are a little glum...maybe the London life got to me a little bit.”

As a whole Split Second’s debut EP lends itself to be considered as a mini-album in many ways.

“All six songs come together in one feel…It kind of felt like a couple of years of my life put into one succinct statement. When I’m fifty years old I’ll be able to listen to it and go that’s where I was then.”

The success of Split Seconds can also be attributed to their collaborative nature as a band.  

As Sean relates, “everyone can contribute on anything - on drums, guitar or bass ... It’s a good way to do it because people when just pitch in when you need to. It was just whatever the song needed we would try and find somewhere.”

Elizabeth is almost haunting in sound as distant bells ring throughout the track.

“the bells were from the Angels…this eighties record that my dad had, we just put it on and recorded it from behind the wall…it sounded like it was a million years away.”

Less romantic but nevertheless effective was the featured percussion of What a Week – a large recycling bin.

“We wheeled that into the studio and kind of closed the lid a couple of times, cut it up a little bit and that ended up as the percussion base on that track which is pretty interesting.”

Simply said Split Seconds are a talented group of musicians, however so too are they vocalists. Their harmonies, of at times up to five parts, have almost become a trademark of Split Seconds. Bed Down being the perfect example.

When I ask Pollard what has been the most rewarding aspect of producing the EP he is amiably modest in response, characteristic of his down to earth nature.

“Just having people hear it now is cool, hopefully getting something out of it. That’s really humbling as well. You often make these things thinking you’ll be the only one who hears them - so it’s good to know people are listening.”

Split Seconds is definitely worth getting your hands on, buy the full EP  from Itunes or order a copy from JB/any other reliable music store.

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