Dan Sultan (03/04/2014)
With his third studio album, Blackbird, released tomorrow, The 59th Sound spoke with Dan Sultan on recording the record in Nashville, and touring with Bruce Springsteen.
An artist I first heard of at the Paul Kelly tribute concert ‘Before Too Long’ back in 2009 and it seems you were everywhere after then, how have the past five years been for you?
Yeah it’s been good I actually haven’t had my own record out for a long time but at the same time I’ve been keeping pretty busy, as you mentioned with the Paul Kelly thing and tribute shows and I’ve been touring around with a group called ‘The Black Arm Band’ as well, so it’s been great.
You’re a great original musician, but you also take on other musicians work and make them sound as your own, is it a long process recomposing others songs?
I don’t mind it, I just like to sing good songs whether I write them or someone else has written them I’m a fan of music and a fan of rock’n’roll and good songs so I enjoy it when I can do it.
You've ecently been on tour with Bruce Springsteen, a man who is a hard worker, respectful musician what did you learn from him?
It was pretty inspiring, he works a lot harder than anyone, I’d like to one day work as hard as he does and be able to be that fit but I don’t think I’ll be able to, he’s a one off.
Bruce played massive venues every night, do you feel that type of success if achievable for an Australian solo artists?
Anything is achievable I just think you obviously have to get out of Australia, it’s good to play as many places as possible, it’s certainly what I’d like to do this year, we will be traveling a lot more and touring overseas a lot more which I’m looking forward to. I think that’s possible there’s artists from this country that have reached great heights but it’s very rare, but if you get a chance (to travel overseas) you’ve got to take it, look after yourself and work as hard as you can.
Although you carry a strong Australian sound there is obvious influence of the early 1960s American rock’n’roll musicians, does your music translate to the American audiences?
I’m not really sure at the moment I know the few American’s that have heard it have enjoyed it but that’s not to say that everybody will, but there are people that are going to like it and people that aren’t going to like it, I’m pretty realistic about it but you just have to wait and see how you go, I’m looking forward to seeing if it works in America, hopefully it does, if it doesn’t it’s ok.
You travelled to Nashville’s ‘Blackbird’ studios to record the third album, did you feel the energy of the greats that had created there previously?
Yeah it’s pretty special being in Blackbird, but Nashville in general it’s the music capital you can just feel it walking down the street, but took a drive down to Memphis and we went to the Stax museum which was cool to be in the room where all those great artists recorded those amazing songs, it’s pretty inspiring.
We don’t have that history here like Memphis has.
There are some place here you can get that feeling, but it’s different, there are places in England and other parts of Europe that you can get a similar feel but it’s different again.
Seeing you live you have such a big persona on stage do you find it hard to get into on stage mode?
Sometimes. It has a lot to do with the crowd, if the crowd are right there with you it’s a lot easier than not but if the crowd are ready to have a good time and they’re willing to get behind you it makes it a lot easier, although sometimes it’s harder than others.
It’s been four years since the previous release and it seems it’s been a hard time musically, was there a point when you thought making music wasn’t a viable career?
No, not really. I stopped working with one musician in particular, but that was it and once I did that that’s when the writers block was gone, I was able to write songs again. I made a lot of changes in that time and was able to get back into it again.
How did it feel when you overcame that feeling?
It really just started pouring out after three years of not writing anything to writing thirty-five songs in six months it was a good feeling. They weren’t all keepers but just the fact that I was writing was a very important thing.
I have heard the album and a lot of people are saying it’s more rock’n’roll, yet I feel you’ve always been rock’n’roll but it has more of that southern American rock’n’roll sound, do you see this as a tool to crack that market?
I feel that but I feel it’s a sound I was always going for, this time around I really had the resources to do that, recording at Blackbird studios, it’s having those opportunities but the sound is the sound I’ve always wanted to do you know.
Was each previous album a stepping stone to build to this bigger sound or did you feel limited previously?
A little bit of both. You always try to get better and every previous record is practice for the next and the one that’s happened right now I feel like I’m there as far as the sound’s concerned, maybe when I’m making the next one this will feel like practice for that as well. You always try to one up yourself.
The latest single from the album ‘The Same Man’ features vocals from local band Kingswood, is it true they were paid in a slab of beer?
Well, we hadn’t discussed payment or anything like that, I got them a box of beer and bottle of tequila the next day just as a thanks, it’s not like that’s what they asked for, we were all just to be happy to be doing it and happy to be amongst it and then later that night I thought I should get them a couple of beers to say thanks.
How do you collaborations like that develop for you?
I always had Kingswood in mind for that vocal line that they sang it just worked out that they were recording at the same studio as I was at the same time so it just ended up happening that way, on previous records working with Ella Hooper who’s a great musician and a friend of mine I’ve always wanted to do something with her and it’s something I’ve always planned out to work with her, it can happen in a lot of different ways but Kingswood was pretty natural.
As you mentioned working with Ella Hooper, we are from that generation when she was on the covers of magazines, award winning teen idol, growing up were you a fan of Ella’s band Killing Heidi?
Yeah I was and I’ve always been a fan of hers and now I’m lucky enough to call her a friend and I’m still a fan of hers. She’s still making great music and she’s still getting it done, she’ll always be doing stuff, I think the best of her is yet to come, I think her music at the moment is the best she’s ever done she just keeps getting better.
Your voices harmonise so well together did you feel that magic the first time you worked together?
Yeah, we’ve worked very close to each other since the moment we met so I think it comes down to that, it’s in the way we sing together and the way we are together.
Which I’m sure we will on Spicks And Specks tonight.
Yes but there’s no singing tonight.
Leading up to TV appearances like that do you feel pressured to portray a certain persona?
I always get pretty nervous before I get on stage and before I do anything like that and there’s a bit of psyching up but what you see is what you get I’m always very honest and I’m always myself, but I never really play up to anything I just get nervous being on telly.
The album is out April 4th, how do you feel?
I feel relief that it’s done, I’m feeling a lot of support from radio over the last couple of singles which is a big help and things like Spicks and Specks and a couple other things have been looked after very well so that’s a relief but at the same time. It’s very nerve wracking as well, you know it’s your heart, you wear your heart on your sleeve when you make a record and not all the songs are fact and not all the songs are necessary a true story but a lot of them are but you’re putting it all out there and you’re putting yourself out there and I’m being realistic about it, not everyone’s going to like the record and not everyone’s going to enjoy the live shows and not everyone came to the live shows but that’s perfectly fine. You just have to hope you get as much out of it as you can possible and help other people have a good time with it, you never know what can happen, it’s up to everyone else. My job is to make a record and perform it the best I can and it’s up to everyone else if they like it or not I’ve just got to play my natural game.
I love it so congratulations on a great record and let’s hope you don’t run away overseas for too long.
Well if I do I’ll be back.
Cassie Walker
An artist I first heard of at the Paul Kelly tribute concert ‘Before Too Long’ back in 2009 and it seems you were everywhere after then, how have the past five years been for you?
Yeah it’s been good I actually haven’t had my own record out for a long time but at the same time I’ve been keeping pretty busy, as you mentioned with the Paul Kelly thing and tribute shows and I’ve been touring around with a group called ‘The Black Arm Band’ as well, so it’s been great.
You’re a great original musician, but you also take on other musicians work and make them sound as your own, is it a long process recomposing others songs?
I don’t mind it, I just like to sing good songs whether I write them or someone else has written them I’m a fan of music and a fan of rock’n’roll and good songs so I enjoy it when I can do it.
You've ecently been on tour with Bruce Springsteen, a man who is a hard worker, respectful musician what did you learn from him?
It was pretty inspiring, he works a lot harder than anyone, I’d like to one day work as hard as he does and be able to be that fit but I don’t think I’ll be able to, he’s a one off.
Bruce played massive venues every night, do you feel that type of success if achievable for an Australian solo artists?
Anything is achievable I just think you obviously have to get out of Australia, it’s good to play as many places as possible, it’s certainly what I’d like to do this year, we will be traveling a lot more and touring overseas a lot more which I’m looking forward to. I think that’s possible there’s artists from this country that have reached great heights but it’s very rare, but if you get a chance (to travel overseas) you’ve got to take it, look after yourself and work as hard as you can.
Although you carry a strong Australian sound there is obvious influence of the early 1960s American rock’n’roll musicians, does your music translate to the American audiences?
I’m not really sure at the moment I know the few American’s that have heard it have enjoyed it but that’s not to say that everybody will, but there are people that are going to like it and people that aren’t going to like it, I’m pretty realistic about it but you just have to wait and see how you go, I’m looking forward to seeing if it works in America, hopefully it does, if it doesn’t it’s ok.
You travelled to Nashville’s ‘Blackbird’ studios to record the third album, did you feel the energy of the greats that had created there previously?
Yeah it’s pretty special being in Blackbird, but Nashville in general it’s the music capital you can just feel it walking down the street, but took a drive down to Memphis and we went to the Stax museum which was cool to be in the room where all those great artists recorded those amazing songs, it’s pretty inspiring.
We don’t have that history here like Memphis has.
There are some place here you can get that feeling, but it’s different, there are places in England and other parts of Europe that you can get a similar feel but it’s different again.
Seeing you live you have such a big persona on stage do you find it hard to get into on stage mode?
Sometimes. It has a lot to do with the crowd, if the crowd are right there with you it’s a lot easier than not but if the crowd are ready to have a good time and they’re willing to get behind you it makes it a lot easier, although sometimes it’s harder than others.
It’s been four years since the previous release and it seems it’s been a hard time musically, was there a point when you thought making music wasn’t a viable career?
No, not really. I stopped working with one musician in particular, but that was it and once I did that that’s when the writers block was gone, I was able to write songs again. I made a lot of changes in that time and was able to get back into it again.
How did it feel when you overcame that feeling?
It really just started pouring out after three years of not writing anything to writing thirty-five songs in six months it was a good feeling. They weren’t all keepers but just the fact that I was writing was a very important thing.
I have heard the album and a lot of people are saying it’s more rock’n’roll, yet I feel you’ve always been rock’n’roll but it has more of that southern American rock’n’roll sound, do you see this as a tool to crack that market?
I feel that but I feel it’s a sound I was always going for, this time around I really had the resources to do that, recording at Blackbird studios, it’s having those opportunities but the sound is the sound I’ve always wanted to do you know.
Was each previous album a stepping stone to build to this bigger sound or did you feel limited previously?
A little bit of both. You always try to get better and every previous record is practice for the next and the one that’s happened right now I feel like I’m there as far as the sound’s concerned, maybe when I’m making the next one this will feel like practice for that as well. You always try to one up yourself.
The latest single from the album ‘The Same Man’ features vocals from local band Kingswood, is it true they were paid in a slab of beer?
Well, we hadn’t discussed payment or anything like that, I got them a box of beer and bottle of tequila the next day just as a thanks, it’s not like that’s what they asked for, we were all just to be happy to be doing it and happy to be amongst it and then later that night I thought I should get them a couple of beers to say thanks.
How do you collaborations like that develop for you?
I always had Kingswood in mind for that vocal line that they sang it just worked out that they were recording at the same studio as I was at the same time so it just ended up happening that way, on previous records working with Ella Hooper who’s a great musician and a friend of mine I’ve always wanted to do something with her and it’s something I’ve always planned out to work with her, it can happen in a lot of different ways but Kingswood was pretty natural.
As you mentioned working with Ella Hooper, we are from that generation when she was on the covers of magazines, award winning teen idol, growing up were you a fan of Ella’s band Killing Heidi?
Yeah I was and I’ve always been a fan of hers and now I’m lucky enough to call her a friend and I’m still a fan of hers. She’s still making great music and she’s still getting it done, she’ll always be doing stuff, I think the best of her is yet to come, I think her music at the moment is the best she’s ever done she just keeps getting better.
Your voices harmonise so well together did you feel that magic the first time you worked together?
Yeah, we’ve worked very close to each other since the moment we met so I think it comes down to that, it’s in the way we sing together and the way we are together.
Which I’m sure we will on Spicks And Specks tonight.
Yes but there’s no singing tonight.
Leading up to TV appearances like that do you feel pressured to portray a certain persona?
I always get pretty nervous before I get on stage and before I do anything like that and there’s a bit of psyching up but what you see is what you get I’m always very honest and I’m always myself, but I never really play up to anything I just get nervous being on telly.
The album is out April 4th, how do you feel?
I feel relief that it’s done, I’m feeling a lot of support from radio over the last couple of singles which is a big help and things like Spicks and Specks and a couple other things have been looked after very well so that’s a relief but at the same time. It’s very nerve wracking as well, you know it’s your heart, you wear your heart on your sleeve when you make a record and not all the songs are fact and not all the songs are necessary a true story but a lot of them are but you’re putting it all out there and you’re putting yourself out there and I’m being realistic about it, not everyone’s going to like the record and not everyone’s going to enjoy the live shows and not everyone came to the live shows but that’s perfectly fine. You just have to hope you get as much out of it as you can possible and help other people have a good time with it, you never know what can happen, it’s up to everyone else. My job is to make a record and perform it the best I can and it’s up to everyone else if they like it or not I’ve just got to play my natural game.
I love it so congratulations on a great record and let’s hope you don’t run away overseas for too long.
Well if I do I’ll be back.
Cassie Walker