A quick chat with Zander Rhodes
Zander Rhodes has just released his laid-back, indie-folk single 'Daydreaming' to kick off the year. The track feature a minimalistic bass drum and hand percussion, finger-picked acoustic guitar and Rhodes' warm vocal tone making this a beautiful and relaxing track to add to your playlists. We had a chat with him to find out more about the track and his obsession with Cephalopods.
We are loving the new single 'Daydreaming'. Tell us more about the meaning behind the track.
I spent a long time in 2017/18 backpacking through Central and South America, beginning in Mexico and ending up in Bolivia. I got to experience so many amazing things along the way - scuba diving in the Caribbean, piranha fishing in the Amazon, exploring ancient Mayan ruins in Guatemala - that returning back to normal life afterwards was a difficult adjustment. I decided to move out to Australia to keep things interesting, but since I landed I feel like I haven't seen enough of this beautiful country. 'Daydreaming' is all about the conflict between my desire to explore this wonderful place and the reality of getting stuck in life's usual routine.
As the track is about hitting the road, inspired by the East-coast of Australia, where are some of your favourite spots that you've visited and why?
I went to Heron Island a few months ago (as you might have seen on my Instagram!) and it was truly one of the most amazing places I've ever seen in my life. The water is crystal clear, there's amazing diving and snorkelling, and it's just an incredibly peaceful place.
My three favourite beach spots would have to be Whitehaven in the Whitsundays, Lake Mckenzie on Fraser Island, and Shark Bay on Heron Island. All three of them have the most unbelievable white sand and perfect water.
I was also lucky enough to see Uluru last Christmas, which was absolutely magical. Living near the coast is a dream come true, but getting to see some of the outback really makes you appreciate how diverse and amazing the Aussie landscape is.
Who are the biggest influences in your song-writing and why?
My biggest influence always has been and always will be Bob Dylan. I think he's the best songwriter of all time. But something I learnt in recent years is that it's pointless trying to imitate any of the great songwriters - they have a level of lyrical genius that's completely unattainable, and their musical style doesn't work without it. How many people can sustain a listener's interest for 7 minutes with 3 chords and no choruses? Not many - so I don't bother trying.
I'm getting really into folk/dream/bedroom pop at the moment and I have a public playlist on Spotify that's full of my favourite finds. There are so many amazing artists out there who are recording at home and producing their own songs, and I love hearing their unconventional soundscapes.
I also really enjoy the surf/coastal folk vibes of local artists like Tay Oskee, Felipe Baldomir, and The Dreggs. I get to see these legends busking in Byron or playing shows in Brisbane pretty frequently, which is awesome!
Your Instagram page says "Obsessed with Cephalopods". We are so curious, please tell us more.
Haha, I know this is a weird one. I first saw an octopus when I was diving on an island off the coast of Honduras a few years ago, and I thought it was the most bizarre and alien creature I'd ever seen in my life. It was constantly changing colours, textures, and shapes in ways that seemed impossible (I recommend checking out OctoNation on Instagram if you have no idea what I'm talking about!).
The next year, my girlfriend bought me a copy of 'Other Minds: The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousness' by Australian philosopher Peter Godfrey-Smith, and the book completely blew my mind.
The basic premise is that the evolution of conscious creatures on earth approximately follows the shape of the letter Y. In the middle of the Y is a very simple worm-like creature that lived ~600 million years ago, which was our last common ancestor with the octopus. On the left branch are all vertebrates, including ourselves, and pretty much all other animals we traditionally think of as being intelligent. On the right branch are the mollusks, including cephalopods (octopus, squid, cuttlefish, nautilus), that evolved a completely different kind of intelligence all on their own, and it looks nothing like ours. Their experience of the world is almost unfathomable to us - but Peter does a great job of exploring what it might be like. He's got a new book out now that I've just started dipping into!
When not writing or performing these dreamy tunes, what can you be found getting up to?
Whenever it's sunny, I'm at the beach. I've been learning to surf for the last year or so, and it's bloody difficult but so much fun!
I stay at Noosa or Byron for the weekend whenever I can - I love doing the coastal walk at Noosa National Park and going for a surf at Tea Tree Bay.
I also love scuba diving and I'll be sinking beneath the surface at Straddie in a few weeks time for the Australia Day weekend.
What do you have planned for the year?
I've just set up a home studio in the last few months, which is really exciting. 'Daydreaming' was the first song I recorded at home, and having the studio gives me a lot of time and freedom to work on new songs.
'Daydreaming' is the third single off my upcoming EP, 'The Great Unknown', which I'll be releasing in the next month or two.
Other than a steady stream of new songs coming out this year, I'm going to start busking in Byron Bay whenever I can. There's something special about that place and music seems to be an integral part of the culture there. I've played plenty of gigs but never busked before, so I'm really excited for that new experience!
