theaussieword.com catches up with Hamish Anderson.
What can you tell our readers about you? How and where did it all begin?
I was born and raised in Melbourne and I got into music when I was 12 years old after hearing The Beatles “Back in the U.S.S.R”. After hearing that, I begged my parents for weeks to buy me a guitar.
What had you first interested in music?
I discovered my dad’s vinyl collection around the same time and that really set the course for the music I still love the most (bands like The Beatles, The Stones, Zeppelin, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Eric Clapton, The Faces, Blues, Jazz, Folk etc) . Hobbies- Reading autobiography’s, interested in history, music history, collecting guitar pedals.
Who motivates or influences your quest to make great music?
It’s hard to explain the motivation I feel in songwriting, but I’d say it takes over. Inspirations for songs come from all over. My influences are – The Rolling Stones, Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton, BB King, Miles Davis, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Ray Charles, Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin.
Do you have any planned tours coming up?
Just finished a run opening up for BB King and although it got cut short, it was pretty spectacular to experience. Now, I am off to Austin for a show at Stubbs indoors and then to CMJ in NYC for three dates there. After that, I head home to Australia to support my EP launch there in November.
What are some of your biggest goals you hope to accomplish as an artist?
I’d love to play the Crossroads Guitar Festival one day, and release a full-length album.
What can fans expect from you in the coming months?
More live shows for sure. I’ve got a show at Stubbs in Austin Texas, then the CMJ Music Marathon in NYC. The new EP, Restless drops on October 21st. After that I’m heading back to Australia for a string of shows to support the EP release. And I am already working on new demos for my next effort.
Success, what is the secret to it and what has been your biggest career highlight so far?
Practice makes perfect. And opening up for BB King was pretty legendary for me. I don’t think I will ever forget how that felt.
Which stars of the music industry do you find inspiring?
Musicians that I am inspired by are certainly ones with longevity. I’d love to build a career like Tom Petty, Sir Paul McCartney, Robert Plant, Buddy Guy and Eric Clapton.
How would you best describe you and your music to your fans?
It’s a mixture, blues rock with driven – and sometimes dirty- beats through to stripped-back ballads.
What can you tell us about your latest album?
This EP, Restless, and the themes that run through it are very personal to me. I went through a lot of changes at the end of last year and start of this year in my life and I feel these songs reflect that. I feel my writing is most honest when I write about human behavior, especially relationships and feelings. The main themes that run through it are friendships, relationships, and occasionally losses of them. To me it’s a snapshot of where I was at the time of writing the EP. I am always trying to grow musically so each EP is sort of a representation of what is inspiring me at the time, whether it be music, friendship, relationships, traveling etc. The writing of the songs vary from even before I recorded my first EP to a month before the recording of this new EP… The recording itself we did in 3 days —live on the floor — at Henson Studios in LA and then a few days of some overdubs…all in all it was about a week. I really wanted to record these songs live, I didn’t want to do many overdubs and I wanted it to sound like people playing in a room. I wanted the recording to capture the sound, to be like a Polaroid. Imperfections and all.
Are there any new exciting projects in the works?
Think so – I am working on new demos for my next release.
The music industry is huge, where do you see yourself a few years from now?
Building my fan base and collaborating with musicians across genres.
Name a few of your favourite Aussie artists.
Angus and Julia Stone, Steve Smyth, Jess Dunbar
The shape of the music industry has changed significantly over the years, including the use of social media, how do you feel about the industry as a whole and what does it mean to you in getting your records out into the public eye?
I am just grateful to be part of it all- doing what I love. As for connecting with fans, I find the best way is definitely live at shows. After that, it’s just fun to use social media to find out how people hear about my music.
Thank you for the interview! What can you leave fans of theaussieword.com with here today?
Hope to see you at a show soon.
Website: www.hamishanderson.com.au
Facebook: facebook.com/hamishandersonmusic
Twitter: twitter.com/hamishkanderson