Hiya Harry, thanks for joining us in the virtual RGM lounge today. Grab a brew and take a seat.
Thank you for having me!
What made you decide that music is a thing for you?
The simple answer is because nothing else has ever felt right! Ever since I picked up a guitar and started writing little tunes, I knew that music was the only thing I ever wanted as a constant in my life. It’s been there for me during hard times and great times and, regardless of what kind of fame or success it brings me, it will last forever. It’s nice to write and record a song and know that it stands as a little legacy of everything I’ve been through up until that point.
Introduce us to you all and your musical history.
Well, I, like many others (whether they like to admit it or not), learnt how to play guitar for the sole purpose of impressing girls. I was a bit of a jock in high school until I broke my nose and couldn’t play for the season. I thought if I couldn’t play footy, I could get better at playing guitar. As I was learning how to play, I started singing along. We had to do a performance as part of my music class and, to my surprise, it wasn’t completely shit! The teacher encouraged me to keep it up and I never looked back!
I would busk around town, making just enough money to spend that night at bars and nightclubs, waking up the next morning hungover and doing it all again. Not exactly a healthy way of teaching myself resilience but it worked! I saved up enough money to move to Melbourne at 19, got some management behind me, recorded my first EP and ended up with a song in Spotify’s Viral 50! Unfortunately, I didn’t have the right head on my shoulders or the infrastructure behind me to make anything of it. It kinda just came and went and I ended up moving back to Canberra.
From there, I kept writing, started a band with my mates (Big Kahuna) and performed around town. I met a girl, we had a baby, and I thought to myself “righto matey, time to let the dream die”. Regardless of how hard I tried to put music behind me, my guitar kept nagging me like the beating heart under the floorboards. I started recording some demos, met my producer and good friend Josh Richens, started turning those demos into proper tunes and now we’re here! Our second release, It’s All Good, is ready to drop in February and I couldn’t be happier!
What’s the live music scene like in Canberra right now? Anyone we should be looking out for (bar you, of course)?
It’s a nice little scene! You certainly have your cliques within but all in all everyone is really lovely and supportive. There isn’t a whole heap of venues for original music but the ones we do have are amazing little spots to find some new music. A good friend of mine, Henry Thomas, is doing some awesome stuff at the moment and is really going to revolutionise what the Aussie Rap scene is all about, think Mac Miller/Allday kind of vibes! But of course, you can’t go past the likes of Jack Biilman and Kopasetic, they’re both incredible acts and if you ever get the chance, go and see them live!
I’ve seen a lot of people struggling for support recently online. What’s your view on the industry?
I think the reliance on social media and the expectation for artists to be TikTok sensations if they want any kind of recognition is a really crappy direction for the industry to be going in. I’ve been lucky enough that most of my engaged audience online are people who have seen me perform live and not vice versa.
It’s really difficult to grow an audience online that translates to an audience at gigs and I think that’s where the importance of great venues is really prevalent. At the end of the day, the music business is a business and artists will have to evolve and grow in order to grow their business, but as someone who hates the idea of filming themselves with a selfie stick in public, I’d rather just stick to creating engaging music.
Where do you feel you currently sit within the music industry?
Honestly, I’m barely a whisper, which is a great place to be! I’ve always kind of had my foot in the door but, with the new stuff I’ve got coming, I’m hoping to kick that door down and change things up a bit.
Tell us two truths and a lie about you.
I used to clean crime scenes. I rolled down the hill of parliament house in a mankini. I have an 18 inch penis.
Do you ever worry about people taking things the wrong way or cancel culture? Discuss….
I used to! My old band, Big Kahuna, went through a bit of a cancelation after we put a Tenacious D quote on one of our Facebook posts (a salty local promoter came for our heads after we ditched him at a party, long story) but nowadays, I couldn’t really give a crap. I feel like people want authenticity and sometimes authenticity isn’t always going to align with your personal thoughts or opinions. That doesn’t mean you can be a complete prick and not expect people to call you out on it, but as long as you’re a decent person and you have a good sense of self, fuck the haters.
Do you sign up to any conspiracy theories? If not, why not?
100%. How can anyone see those drones over Jersey and not think “damn, might be aliens”? I love a good conspiracy theory and challenging mainstream narratives. Even if it’s all a load of crap, it makes you think outside the box and learn to think for yourself. The fact is, sometimes conspiracies happen. There have been plenty of conspiracies throughout history and, in the everlasting fight for power and control, who’s to say there won’t be a few more?
What was your best experience on stage?
I played a gig where, at the start of the gig, I offered a free guitar to whoever looked to be having the best time. It was a crappy little nylon sting thing I had lying around but god damn did it get the crowd going! There were bar staff dancing on the bar, shoulder rides galore and a whole heap of singing along. It was fantastic and I’m chasing that dragon every gig!
What was your worst experience on stage?
The fun thing about lessons is that most of the time they are learnt the hard way. Playing with the band, we had a gig where we got waaaaaaay too drunk before our set. We got up there trashed, out of tune, out of time, just absolutely shocking. Our guitarist has openly stated he could have killed us all that day. The hangxiety was very real the next day and the lesson of sensibility has been etched into my soul forever.
Tell us something about you that you think people would be surprised about.
While I’m trying to follow this dream of becoming a professional musician, I’m also a single dad to two little boys. One week a fortnight I’m dad, the other I’m performing around town and recording. It can be a challenging balance and there have been opportunities that I haven’t been able to act on but I wouldn’t change a thing.
\If anything, it’s given me more drive. I want to show my boys that, no matter what challenges come your way, always follow your dreams and do what makes you happy. On top of that, with a Dad who lost his voice to throat cancer, I love that when I’m long gone, my boys can always hear my voice in these songs and know that a few are written just for them.
What are the next steps you plan to take to reach the next level?
Personal history has taught me to have a good plan behind me and do my best to stick to it. I’ve got a few other songs in the works to follow up on this next release, a load of local gigs set up for the first half of the year and a coastal tour on the cards. The fact that I’m talking to you and there is an interest in what I do and what I make means that the small steps are making big leaps and, step by step, I’m getting closer to that next level.
I hear you have new music. What can you tell us about it?
I most certainly do! 7th of February my new track, It’s All Good, drops on all streaming services! It’s been a fun journey with this one. It was originally written for the boy’s mum when she was pregnant with our second son as a bit of reassurance through a really difficult time, but it’s now become a song I sing for my boys whenever they’re upset or unsure (it’s become a bit of a family mantra). This track is the first of many I’m planning to release this year so keep an eye out and an ear to the ground!
What was the recording process like?
Super chill. My friend and producer, Josh Richens, has a studio set up in his backyard so it was usually just an afternoon heading over to his to chill out and record. We wanted to really capture the evolution of the song within the production, from simple phone recording, to demo track, all the way to the final product it is now! I’m extremely lucky to have Josh on my side during all of this. His expertise has made every track more than I could possibly hope for, I really can’t give him enough praise to truly capture my appreciation (love you Joshy xx).
What was the biggest learning curve in writing the new tunes?
This song really wasn’t too hard to write. I would sometimes think “man, this is way too simple, it needs more” but the simplicity of the track is really what makes it so special and universal. I think being able to step back and let the song be the song can sometimes be a learning curve but once it’s all finalised and you can hear the final product, it’s all worth it.
Would you change anything now it’s finished?
Nah not at all. If I was to brew on what could change or what could be different, I’d never release the damn thing and would never move forward! It comes back to what I said about just letting the song be the song.
Is there anything else you would like to share with the world?
Oh, there’s heaps! But I don’t want to give away any surprises. For now, just be good to each other and no matter how tough it gets, just know that it’ll be all good.
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