I was minding my own business, having a great time playing guitar and touring around Australia in bands with my friends, when my life took a left turn and I found myself in India. After I got over the culture shock and the intensity of life among a billion people, I started travelling around and India slowly began to blow my mind. Along the way I made my first songs foe a solo project – Totara Jack. The name came from my grandmother’s great-grandfather who lived in my home country of New Zealand, 160 years ago.
What’s your earliest memory of performing and who inspired you to start?
My Dad is one of those guitarists who starts playing towards the end of a party if an instrument is lying around. He somehow knows the chords to every cheesy 60s pop tune. Once he fires up it’s impossible not to sing along. Help me Rhonda!! As a young child I was hooked. I had to learn guitar. I took a few lessons and quickly realised that playing music is pretty addictive. And there’s something spooky cool about sitting around with friends, playing acoustic guitar and singing together. A real analog moment in our hyper digital worlds.
You must answer this question honestly or we steal your rider. What and where was the first gig you went to?
Hands off the rider! The truth is it was Eric Clapton’s Journeyman tour November 1990, Auckland Supertop. This is when he was still rocking out with an electric band before the cheesy MTV unplugged stuff. He played “Sunshine Of Your Love” and it melted my young brain. What happened to EC? Cream was one of the greatest bands ever. Full stop.
‘Fess up. What records have you stolen from your parent’s record collection and why?
Fred Dagg’s Greatest Hits. My Dad has this record from 1975 by comedian John Clarke (he now does Clarke and Dawe on the 7:30 report). It’s a comedy record based on a gumboot-wearing farmer. Ooooh yeah. Pre-empted the characters in Footrot Flats by years. Hmmm mm. This record is still one of the biggest selling ever in New Zealand. Yep.
What’s on heavy rotation on your iPod right now?
I’m loving the new Son Lux record “Lanterns”. I’m amazed at how he layers sounds together; deep heavy electronica with intricate classical music arrangements. Two new Sarah Blasko remixes just came out, one by PVT and one by Seekae. Both are heavy. And great to hear her voice in these different contexts.
How do you find new music?
I sit in my living room in New Delhi and use a cheap projector to put NPR Tiny Desk Concerts on the wall. The All Songs Considered podcast is great too. On Thursdays here in Delhi I can head down to a local 500 year old Sufi shrine and hear an amazing family of Qawwali singers. This is how I find old music.
Do you have any particular ritual before you go on stage, or even a lucky charm you take with you?
I play with heaps of guitar pedals, but never use a pedal board. I always choose to set up each pedal one at a time. Plug them all in. There’s something about the ritual of slowly building a performance environment like that, helps me get into the space. My own little architecture. And I chug two quick beers before walking out.
If you could curate your own festival, where would it be, who would be on the bill, how many people would you let in and what features would it have (attractions/food/bars etc)?
My mate Bertie Blackman came over to India a few weeks ago and we went on adventures together. We were chatting one night over a beer about a great festival idea she has (I hope you don’t mind me telling them this Blacky!). It’s an idea for a music festival where the whole site is an art installation. It’d be a boutique music festival set out of town and it would be curated with an amazing visual art focus. Really trippy. I’d love to see that!
*Sorry Blacky if I blabbed about your idea. I’m sure no-one at Tone Deaf will pinch it, and if they do, we know where to find them!
Where we can see you play next, what releases do you have available and where can we get them? [Feel include links, dates, album titles etc.]
I finally get back from India after Xmas and I’m gonna play a tiny secret one-off show in Melbourne later in January. It’ll be my first ever gig as Totara Jack. I’ve just now released my first two songs ‘Supercolliders’ and ‘Needle’. Both have film clips I’ve made here in Delhi up on YouTube. Check em out!
