A Quick Chat with The Elsewhere's

Can you tell us a bit about your inspiration for your single ‘Run Away With Me’

As with most of my songs, the inspiration was not just one event, relationship, moment or place. Run Away With Me is a collection of memories and fantasies that span years. My first job out of school was in a burlesque bar which inspired the ‘smoky topless bar’ in the opening verse. The motel with the broken fan was a place my mum and I stayed in when we were moving back from Adelaide to Melbourne in the midst of a pretty harrowing time for the family. As for the female character…there were many people who inspired that role, including some of the dancers at the burlesque bar, but there was one girl I’ll never forget. We met in Tasmania and she made me want to run away with her. I still wish I had. At least in song I did. 

What are your influences and how do they affect your songwriting? 

One of the less obvious influences given the type of music I create is Prince. He showed me the benefits of learning as many instruments as possible and that has served me well now that I’ve found myself in a 8-piece band because I’m able to explicitly pinpoint and play the lines I’m hearing in my head. Passenger taught me finger-picking styles that are still recognisable in our tunes today, and Bob Dylan showed me how to weave a story into a melody. 

What’s the creative process like for you?

Perhaps the most intriguing and compelling components of this artform is how vastly the methodology can alter. Sometimes it begins with a sentence someone said to me over dinner the night before, a word set in an unusual context, or a feeling that consumes me in a moment. 

Hunting for that initial thread, that angle, that way into the song is always the most elusive. Once I have a hold of it though, it’s like solving a puzzle. I have a sense of the picture I’m constructing and I just need to sit down and find the right pieces. To do this, I improvise with a few harmonic structures either on piano or guitar, fit a melody over the top, and then consult my massive list of lyric ideas to which I’m adding constantly. Once I have a semblance of all these elements it’s simply a balancing act of how each part can connect without compromising the integrity of the individual components. If every moving part of a song strengthens the overall meaning of the music I know I’m done. 

If you could change something about the Australian music industry what would it be? 

Simply having more government funding for venues to hire and support local independent artists so we don’t get paid in ‘exposure tokens’. It’s often the case these days that independent artists are having to organise and promote their own shows while paying the support acts and sound engineer out of their own pocket because there’s no way they can make enough on ticket sales alone (or worse a cut of the bar) to pay everyone involved what they’re worth. 

What do you think life would be like for you if you didn’t have music as an outlet? 

Hellish. It wouldn’t be the emotional outlet that I’d miss so much as it would be lacking this passion that propels me through every day. So many of my friends don’t know what they want to do with their life. It makes sense, we’re young, but I don’t know how I’d cope with that. I need that wind in my sails moving me forward in every moment. 

Is there anyone you would like to collaborate with?  Why?

There are so many artists that I’d love to work with. In terms of really big artists Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift would be my two picks. I have a lot of respect for their lyricism in particular. Closer to home, Liz Stringer and Jordy Lane are two of my favourite Australian songwriters. Both exceptional lyricists and I just think that we could create music that would complement our respective artistic identities. 

What’s your advice to young people who want to make a career for themselves in the industry? 

Talent means nothing without work. Work means nothing without passion. If you have the passion to make your talent work like a dog then you’ll find a place in this industry. 

Who’s the most interesting person you’ve worked with/met? 

Honestly, I’ve given this a lot of thought and I have to say Dylan Hamilton, our wonderful and talented alto sax player. Dylan is one of my absolute best mates, my right-hand man on decisions pertaining to music, and one of the greatest enigmas there is. I’ve had conversations with him that leave me completely befuddled and I’ve delighted in watching him have this effect on others too.  

Any plans for a tour on the cards?

We have our Run Away With Me launch show at The Curtin on August 10, and beyond this we are lining up a little something by way of a tour but you’ll have to wait to find out!