In anticipation of the launch of their third album, Long Time Gone, Larry Heath had a chat to Fleur McMenamin of The McMenamins – who are celebrating the launch with a show at the Vanguard, as part of the 2010 Sydney Fringe Festival.
Thanks for speaking to us today! First of all, congratulations on the upcoming launch of your third album, Long Time Gone.
Thank you we are very excited about it.
It’s been a while since we last heard some new music from you – how long have you been working on the album for?
Yes it has been four years since our last release – and in that time we have had four children between Simon and his partner and my husband and I, so in between being consumed by babies we have been working on songs, and this year sees the birth of an album instead of a child.
Who did you record the album with?
We recorded this album with Nigel Pegrum of Pegasus Studios in Cairns, who just last year won an ARIA Award for Best World Music CD so we were in good hands.
Did the process to putting the album together differ at all from your earlier recordings?
Yes and No, we were awarded a grant from our Regional Council up here in our home town of Cairns so we had more money and double the actual recording time in the studio but the pressure to get it all done within deadlines were just as stressful because there was more at stake and more pressure to come up with the goods. Then of course there were the little ones in the picture now and they need your constant attention, and the challenge of making an album and all the time it takes to put it together when you have a whole family to consider can be really overwhelming. But in saying that – we stuck to our recording regime of being as organised as we could before we went into the studio and really focused the whole time on making the music the best we could with our limited time and resources just as we did for the previous two.
“Rise and Fall” is the first single from the album, and you recently released a music video for it – it’s got quite an old country cinema (if that makes sense!) feel to it! Can you talk a little about why you chose this song as the single, and how the video came about?
This song came out of a particular moment in my life but like most of my songs the lyrics and the meaning behind them then morphs into something different as time goes on. So now to me, the song really represents our journey on the road we’ve chosen, our struggles and triumphs within our ambition and career as well as our family life and relationships. It’s the song that encompasses what we’ve been through in the years since our last release. Making the video and the concept for it came about by really just showing images of us on this road, how and where we live, as well as being a document of this time in our lives for our families and our children. Being regional artists (actually where I live is probably considered rural) I do a lot of driving and thinking and this is what I see what I’m surrounded by every day, and it’s where my music comes from too guess.
Of course, in between albums, you’ve been touring quite substantially – what have been some of the highlights?
Well The Waifs tour in 2007 was a major highlight and then really just being back up north we have had a great time playing in and around our region and gathering a real support base up here in Far North Queensland.
Who are some of your favourite Australian artists you’ve seen or toured with?
Maybe a little out of our genre box but I love what Washington is doing right now, and another one is Boy & Bear. Definitely Jez Mead who is coming up to be our special guest at the Tanks Launch. We caught Dan Sultan’s show the other night and that was pretty great. Then of course The Waifs, Missy, and we recently did a support spot for Angus and Julia Stone and I would have to say that that was one of the best Australian live shows I’ve seen – two extremely talented multi instrumentalists.
I know you have at least one daughter Fleur, who’d have to be three now? Does the family join you on the road?
I now have two little girls 3 and 2! And Simon’s kids are 4 and 2. Yes they will be joining us on the road for some of our touring. Mainly festivals where we can camp. Two of them came on the Waifs tour and they have of course been to many of our concerts. They love it and get so excited when they are allowed to come to shows. It is going to be rather chaotic believe me! But we’ll master it eventually and they adapt really quickly when they are little.
You’ll be playing the Festival of the Sun in December, launching off what will no doubt be a busy Summer! I imagine playing a festival is quite a different experience for an artist to that of an intimate gig?
Indeed. It is always such a great feeling being a part of a group of musicians all playing the same stage to big crowds. And yes it is shaping up to be a very big summer! But then of course playing in a small room to people who have chosen to come and support your music specifically is such an honour.
Any preference between the two?
Besides the fact that you get a better sound check at your own shows which is always good, No real preference no. Every performance is exciting and I just love playing music.
You’re launching the new album on the 22nd at the Vanguard as part of the Sydney Fringe Festival, what can audiences expect at the show?
They can expect an intimate showcase of all of our new material, which is basically a song-scape of the last 4 years of our lives, tales of love, loss, laughter, birth, small town sagas and emotional epiphanies.
If you had to describe your sound to someone who hadn’t heard of you before, how would you describe it?
Folk’n’roll man!
Thanks so much for your time!
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Don’t Miss The McMenamins at the Vanguard on September 22nd!
Tickets on sale now!
http://thesydneyfringe.com.au/shows/mcmenamins-album-launch-vanguard-newtown
