With Catherine Traicos
1) Where did the songs for “Unnatural Congress” come from?
The songs appeared, like most of my songs do. It may sound strange, but that’s the way it goes. I wrote these ones over a long space of time and then a very short one. One of the songs I have had around since I got hold of a keyboard after not having one after moving to Sydney about six years ago. I kept trying to fit that one song with a collection of songs but nothing seemed to work. So I kept writing and recording albums on guitar. I like albums, collections of songs and the freedom making something like that gives you to move around the emotional spectrum. A song on its own is lonely.
I tried various projects and wrote songs to accompany this one song, for example the project I took to The Melbourne Fringe Festival in 2010; “Notes From Hell”. But only a few of the songs that appeared were able to stand on their own feet alongside the original song. Then a few months ago while back home for a couple of days from touring our album, Gloriosa, with The Starry Night, I was sitting at the piano and bam, eight songs came out. They’ve all formed the basis of this song-cycle Philip and I are developing.
2) Bass clarinet is an instrument rarely seen outside of an orchestra. Why bass clarinet and why Philip Everall as a collaborator?
Phil is a friend and we’d talked briefly (as I do with a lot of my musical friends) about working together. He showed me some great stuff on Bass Clarinet that really demonstrated its possibilities as an instrument such as the ability to make percussive sounds and I suggested he might be interested in working on these songs. It kind of started from there.
Philip brings a contemporary classical/ art music approach which is fascinating and fun. There is a performative aspect to his playing that is at once just visually and musically impressive. I think in some ways we are both pushing each other to see where we can get these songs to go while still keeping them grounded in their origins.
Phil also has some awesome ideas for recording and he brings donuts to writing sessions and rehearsals.
3) Where do you see ‘the unnatural congress of still beating hearts’ heading?
I’d actually like the project to direct its own course. I have vague plans for its future, such as playing further shows after January 18 at the Adelaide Festival Centre and recording; but judging by the past, I now just always try to consistently put a best foot forward and then let things travel their natural course. Maybe we will get more musicians involved, maybe not. It’s too early to say but at this stage, each of these songs, each arrangement with just the two of us is still evolving.