Pete Murray
With two number one albums in Australia, is Japan next?
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| Courtesy of Perfect Point/Entak |
Two places where you’re just as likely to find star Australian songwriter Pete Murray are in a barnyard or a bathroom.
First, the barnyard, and more on the bathroom later.
“We have some goats,” Murray says first thing when I catch up with him at his home in the hills outside Byron Bay. The hip community is about ten hours’ drive north of Sydney, where he lives with his wife and 3-year-old son. “Five kids were born two days ago from two mothers, and one of the mothers died, so I’ve been handfeeding the kids. I’m in the process of writing my third album, so it’s nice to go down to the paddock and do some real things, and then go back and write some songs.”
Since Murray’s Feeler summited Australia’s charts in 2004, followed by a second number one in the form of See the Sun in 2005, he’s been pretty much The Man. Yet it’s Murray’s authenticity that’s brought him to the peak of Down Under celebritydom. “My father died when I was 18, and for a number of years I was really lost,” he explains in his soft-spoken, considered manner. “I get lots of comments about people thanking me
for helping them get through hard times.”
Compounding Murray’s difficulties,
a budding future in rugby gave way to
a string of injuries. While on the sidelines, he began to write songs, but the Queensland native was on his way to a career in sports medicine when friends convinced him that his voice—equal parts sweet and smoldering—boded well for a future in music. Moving to Melbourne to pursue a recording career, Murray released an independent album before signing with Sony BMG Australia in 2003.
But even with the major label contract in hand, nothing was assured. “It was very hard to make the decision to become a songwriter,” he recalls. “No one is paying you to write songs. You have to do it yourself, and you don’t know what the outcome is going to be. You don’t know if you’re going to have any success or earn any money from it—whether you’ll make a living. You can’t play music if you’re not eating. I feel very lucky, because Australia really does have a small percentage of artists who make a living.”
In a country where the rough-and-ready “Crocodile Dundee” image, as opposed to the metrosexual “Priscilla, Queen of the Desert” image, is the rule, Murray’s emotiveness struck a chord. In his quieter moments, he has the contemplative quality of a David Grey, while in his rockier moments, the heart-on-his-shirtsleeves delivery of Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder comes to mind. “Songs provide an outlet for me,” he explains. “But I’m getting better. Most Australian males are like that. We have this rugged exterior, but inside a lot of the guys are soft.”
After the brighter atmospheres of See the Sun, Murray says he’s returning to the moodiness of Feeler. “The first album was very emotional and reflective, and dark in places, whereas with See the Sun
I tried to lighten things up. For the third album I’m trying to get back to that, and write songs that are emotional and that people can relate to.”
Which brings us full circle to the bathroom. Murray takes a workmanlike attitude toward songwriting. “I treat it like a job. I spend most of my time sitting in the bathroom where the acoustics are good. I have a minidisc recorder, and make myself sit down for a few hours at a time and write, and try to come up with something that works. If you treat it like a job and work hard at it, then you will come up with good ideas.”
With a growing following in Europe, Murray is testing the waters
in Japan with the release of See the Sun and a showcase gig here next week. What are the ingredients that make Australian artists translate overseas? “I think some acts do have a real Aussie sound, the Ozrock thing that other people don’t really get,” he offers. “If your music has an international sound, then it’s easier for other countries to accept, but you also have to have your own unique style to make things happen.” As examples, he offers up bands like Midnight Oil and Men at Work.
Hasn’t the internet made it smoother? “It has become easier, but you’ve still got to get noticed. With Australian artists it’s hard because we’re so far away. For us to fly to Europe or America is expensive, and if you’re taking a band it’s very expensive. A lot of acts that maybe could be successful overseas, they just don’t worry about it because it’s too much of a risk. You could blow all the money you earn here in a year on one month’s tour.”
Murray, who’s toured with the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Ben Harper in Australia, takes the long-term view. “I try to write songs that don’t date. Some of the best songwriters can do that. Bob Dylan, Neil Young have written songs that are still being played and covered today… Hopefully after I’m long gone people will still be playing my songs in the bars and at their shows. And people will be saying, ‘Have you heard this album? It’s by a great singer-songwriter from years ago.’”
Club Ikspiari, Apr 13. See concert listings (popular) for details. See the Sun is available on Perfect Point/entak.
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