Tell us a bit about yourself and the Nearly There project. What are we hearing on this new track, and who’s performing it?
After years of working behind the scenes and gracing stages as a session musician I felt it was time to step out and do something of my own. I do a lot of production work for other artists and have always tinkered around with different tunes on the side – it just felt like time to put my name on something. Nearly There is just me. I write, produce and perform everything you hear on ‘On My Side’. My oldest friend Hamish Patrick (who is a fantastic producer in his own right) did some vocal engineering and Samuel K Sproull killed the mix and master.
You cut your teeth as a session artist touring for some of Australia’s hottest live acts. Tell us a bit about who you’ve worked with and your experiences as a session musician.
Some artists I’ve worked with are Allday, Japanese Wallpaper, Fractures, Eves Karydas and Montgomery, to name a few. Most of the time I’m playing drums and setting up/running playback sessions so it’s a real change to now be fronting a project of my own. Who knows, maybe one day the tables will turn and I’ll hire everyone I’ve worked for to be in a super group of mine!
‘On My Side’ is a pretty tantalizing debut offering – there’s some incredibly poignant lyricism going on, as well as some very lush production happening in the background. What’s it all about? How does the instrumental help to reinforce what you’re singing?
Thanks! On My Side is a track that could as easily be addressed to yourself as it could to someone else. It’s a realisation about the importance of self love but also letting yourself be loved by others. I wanted the verses to feel dark and pumping to represent the way negative thoughts can fill your mind. The pre chorus has this euphoric build that opens up in the chorus as a way of representing feeling at peace with yourself.
How nerve-wracking is it to now find yourself at the front and center of a project as opposed to being a touring member lurking in the background?
Hahahahaha… very. This is the first time I’ve put my vocals on anything and I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to hearing myself sing. I set out, to challenge myself with this project and to grow through the experience of releasing something of my own. I’m hoping that it gives me a better understanding of the emotional rollercoaster that comes with recording and releasing music and through that I hope it makes me a better producer when working for other artists.
Walk us through your typical songwriting process – do you chip away at ideas over time, or work on a project from start to finish in succession?
The songwriting process varies from song to song. The bones of ‘On My Side’ were written in about ten minutes after a crazy brainwave mid-shower one morning. It then took about three months to finalise everything production wise and then an embarrassingly long time to pluck up the courage to record the final vocals. Sometimes songs pour out quite quickly like this and other times it like pulling teeth. There’s always a moment though when everything clicks into place and it’s full steam ahead. That moment is what we live for.
What’s next for Nearly There – can we expect to hear more new material or catch you performing live in the near future?
Not to sure about shows yet. I can see it being a fun thing to do but I’ll have to figure out how to best represent Nearly There live. I have a bunch of other songs in the works and am planning to release another few songs this year. Hoping to land a Netflix sync, HBO deal, just normal stuff, nothing big. (Ms/Mr Netflix if you read this, DM me. Let’s lock it in.)
Finally, what would be your advice to anyone out there looking to pick up work as a session musician?
My favourite saying in regards to being a session musician is “music is easy, people are hard’. Essentially anyone can learn an instrument well enough to do this job, but majority of the time away on tour is spent hanging out in planes, vans, crowded dressing rooms etc. People have to like hanging out with you to hire you. For someone starting out I’d recommend going to shows and getting to know other musicians in the industry. From there just take whatever gigs you can and make sure you know your stuff inside out. Be nice, be punctual, listen more than you speak and play only what is needed. With a bit of luck it should happen for you!
Keep up to date with Nearly There’s work here.