ISSUE# 32.49
APRIL 16 – 22, 2018 Editor : Mandy Nolan Editorial/gigs : gigs@echo.net.au Copy deadline: 5pm each Friday Advertising : adcopy@echo.net.au P : 02 6684 1777 W : echo.net.au/entertainment
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MISH SONGSMITH CELEBRATES BEING HERSELF THE FIRST OF MISH SONGSMITH’S LONG-AWAITED ALBUM-LAUNCH SHOWS OF HER BRAND-NEW STUDIO ALBUM BE YOURSELF IS HITTING THE STAGE AT CLUB MULLUM ON SATURDAY! FEATURING MISH SONGSMITH ON PIANO, GUITAR AND VOCALS WITH A BAND OF INCREDIBLE MUSICIANS INCLUDING GEORGE URBASZEK ON DOUBLE BASS AND VONSTAR ON SAX AND CAJON! SUPPORT ACTS ARE THE AMAZING BYRON BAY SINGER/SONGWRITER PARISSA BOUAS AND PETER LEHNER’S NORTHERN RIVERS FOLK CHOIR. THE ECHO SPOKE WITH MISH ABOUT THE MAKING OF BE YOURSELF. This seems to have been an album made at a time in your life when things were getting very real. How did losing your father influence Be Yourself ? Losing Dad was shocking and changed my entire life in an instant. It was like a universal slap in the face to get on with recording my songs, which I’d been putting off for years. I also had this incredible feeling of fearlessness alongside my grief. It was a truly transformational time. I always expected Dad to pass away because he’d been sick for years, but in the weeks before he died it was the farthest thing from my mind. The song Be Yourself had already been written and later became the title of my album because I’d suddenly ‘become myself’ 100 per cent free of doubt or fear, with an incredible driving force that’s been unstoppable ever since. As a musician, and particularly as an independent musician, is it hard to maintain belief in yourself and to push yourself continuously? I found it very hard in my 30s to stay confident and to believe in myself and my music. After two years of working full time as a musician and talking myself out of self-promotion and then wondering why no-one turned up to my gigs, I felt like I wasn’t good enough. It was too hard to pay the bills, so I chose to take on other work teaching music, and as a disability support worker. It was great to get a regular wage, yet after about five years my songs started to take over my mind (it’s funny, they start singing to me!), and the yearning to play more often than every now and then came back strongly, which was around the time of Bentley. You talk about being ‘homeless’ and living in your van. How did this transient or more gypsy life impact on your music making? Is housing stability and affordability an issue for musicians? Eleven days before Dad died I moved out of a longterm relationship to ‘have some space’ and house sat for a friend for eight weeks. During that time the relationship ended, and I couldn’t find a place to live. Now I see that was because I was waiting to meet the love of my life! I moved in with her a short
time after we got together. At the time I enjoyed sleeping in my van and staying with a friend on her property. It was fun, comforting and freeing, as I wasn’t sure where I was going or where I’d end up. I was talking a lot to Dad’s spirit up on the top of my friend’s land, where I could see out over the mountains, watch the sun rise and set, and really be with Dad and my grief. It did impact on my music making! I played a lot of guitar and gigs at the time, and wrote a love song soon after I’d fallen in love. I’m not sure if housing stability is an issue for musicians, but I know of musicians who play full time and live in their van, who struggle with having a stable home, because they choose to tour and live on the road. I think it’s a choice that some musicians make as it’s cheaper living in your van when you’re on the road often. And it certainly is a big adventure! In my situation it was more that there was a housing shortage at the time, and I didn’t really want to do the housemate thing again. You also talk about falling in love with an old acquaintance. I love those stories... How did love suddenly find you? Did this new relationship feed into the album too? Yes, my new love has inspired two love songs on the album! They’re my newest babies. Love found me soon after Dad died. This old acquaintance that I didn’t know all that well saw my journey of losing Dad on Facebook, and kindly invited me to sleep in my van on her property anytime I needed to. We had two awesomely fun nights getting to know each other, and after that I couldn’t stop thinking about her and felt so strongly that I just couldn’t let these feelings slip by. I was so shocked that I felt such big love so soon after coming out of a long-term relationship. I’m pretty sure Dad orchestrated it all! It was true love this time for sure; finally we had found each other. It’s the biggest, surest and bravest love I’ve ever experienced. It’s been 21 months of kind, joyous, reciprocal, easy love. How does your emotional being resolve itself with your creativity? Is it implicated in everything you do; is it hidden? I am always intrigued how artists reveal their hearts but also
have to protect themselves and those around them from being too ‘exposed’ in the music they write? When I am writing, playing and singing, I am the best, most excited person that I can be! There’s nothing hidden emotionally when I’m writing. I’m not thinking about how people will respond to it. It’s my pure expression. My emotional being resolves itself through the songwriting, like journaling with words as well as melody. Being an only child I’m used to my own company, so when I’m in ‘the zone’ at the piano or guitar from a feeling that called me there, it’s like someone else is writing and I am merely the vessel… other times it’s the chords that I fall in love with and later the lyrics match up, which could take many months or years to be completed. With Be Yourself it was the words that came first. Words that I wanted to express for my own learning, which in turn could inspire others. I write songs to uplift the world; sounds cheesy, but it’s true. To protect people from being too ‘exposed’ I lend a hand from the poet in me to add and embellish, soften and personify nature and things, like wordplay, rather than making stories too specific. Songwriting actually seems to reveal more of me than anyone else, and it’s taken me a long time to feel brave enough to play without concern about opening myself up to strangers to look inside. I guess that’s the gift that I can share that may then reflect onto the listener and reveal things about themselves that they may have kept hidden through fear, guilt or shame. Tell me about this new album – where was it recorded? What was the feel you were going for? My new album has 10 songs. There are two ballads: Be Yourself is jazzy, You Bring Me Home is kinda country, Flood is a bit folky, Revolving is ‘mish political’ and A Cup of Tea is cute! The songs are all
played by me on piano, guitar, trumpet and vocals with the added colours of the cajon, percussion and guitars played by the amazing Julz Parker from The Hussy Hicks. When I approached sound engineer Patty Bom, who recorded the 21 songs (yep I’ve got another 11 up my sleeve for later!) I was expressing to her that I wanted to stay true to myself and keep the songs pure and simple. The feel I’m going for is 100 per cent Mish being herself, in all my colours and diversity of sounds and styles. I recorded some of the songs at SAE, did a day at Pete Murray’s Studio and two days at Old Dog Studio in Corndale. Tell me what to expect for the upcoming launch in Mullum. Two fabulous, community-spirited shows! My songs played with double bass, guitar, tenor and alto saxophones, trumpet, cajon, piano and three backing vocalists! Incredible support acts! WOOO HOOO! The first launch is on Saturday 19 May at Club Mullum, supported by the amazing Parissa Bouas. The second launch is on Saturday 26 May at The Gollan Hotel, Lismore, supported by funkstress Essie Thomas. Peter Lehner’s Northern Rivers Folk Choir opens both shows at 7pm. Doors open at 6.30pm and kids are free. Tickets are $25 at the door, or save $5 when you buy tickets online www.mishsongsmith.com for only $20 (all tickets include a free CD!) If you come along as a couple it’s only $35 for you both, which includes my CD! Tix at mishsongsmith. com | mullumexservices.com.au
coming soon 25 MAY THE VANNS, WED 16 KIT BRAY, THE BLONDE RURGANDYS THUR 17 THE SWAMPS FRI 18 DONNY LOVE, THE DOLLA LAMAS, SAVV SAT 19 THE SQUIDLICKERS, KING COASTER, WOMB LORDZ SUN 20 DAN HANNAFORD MON 21 NICK CUNNINGHAM TUE 22 MARSHALL OKELL
THURSDAY SEPULTURA
26 MAY 01 JUN 02 JUN 06 JUN 08 JUN 10 JUN
PSYCHEDELIC PORN CRUMPETS, RACKETT, ELEGANT SHIVA COCO REPUBLIC PRIVATE FUNCTION WANDERERS BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE GABRIELLA COHEN SPIT SYNDICATE
HOTEL GREAT NORTHERN • thenorthern.com.au • 6685 6454
32 May 16, 2018 The Byron Shire Echo
Byron Shire Echo archives: www.echo.net.au/byron-echo