How did you get involved with acousticum?
I was found by Simon Peters Band nervously gigging at an open mic. I really only started bringing my stuff out live this year so I’ve learned a lot from watching them and most of the performers since then. The lineup changes weekly.

What makes higher ground different from other venues?
It’s musician friendly. It’s spacious, but still has that personal feel to it. The facilities are big and professional so a lot of really cool stuff can happen. Higher Ground is unique because it allows a more realistic look at Adelaide’s art and music scene – it’s not just concerned with who and what’s making money – but showcasing a wide range of talent. Artists aren’t penalized for exploring art, that’s encouraged here. There’s an appreciation that a lot of people in Adelaide are in it for love not the money.

Would you encourage musicians who’s music might not usually be acoustic to give it a go?
Yes.  My influences range from folky-rootsy stuff to really heavy bands – I like anyone that REALLY pushes the boundaries of creativity – but true genius lies in keeping it simple and knowing where the limitations are…Acousticum is a chilled atmosphere…Sunday friendly – couches, heaters etc…it’s great for people who dig seeing live acts but need to recover for Monday…So if you remember that and your music is good, you’ll be fine.

You have an incredibly accomplished electronic project as well and know how important visuals are in that area but how important is avisual presence in the acoustic side of things? How do you create an impact in an age of fast disposable increasingly invisible pop?
I suppose an 'age of increasingly fast disposable pop' is gonna leave a hole in people unfilled, hence a hole in the market, (as major labels always do) which can only be filled by genuine material. This is perhaps advantageous as my material is more about thinking than grooving. Visuals are a great way of suggesting a context for the music without changing the music itself. The audiences mind is more inclined to engage the intellectual content rather than swaggering about aimlessly in the lack of 'phat groove' if a decent context is provided. An acoustic performer (particularly a solo one like me) has to provide context without the exciting technologies and visuals. Obviously dressing up theatrically has worked for some but i'll leave it alone. I prefer to try and let a genuine sense of the emotional content leak out through body language.

Everybody is a product of their times - how do these times reflect in your music?
I look through my repertoire and I see a sad constant. I suppose the times have had their toll. We are strange bunch of dudes you know. Equally happy to work or bludge, scared of love, lazy yet driven, and seriously prone to depression, we are totally backward in the most straightforward way. Irony and humble hypocrisies are abundant like weet bix. This is not just affecting my music, but me too. All my life I have watched in awe at the odd and dysfunctional creatures we are becoming, and yet somehow we manage to have built the most peaceful, prosperous and stable society on the planet... I don’t get it... and that is my motto I suppose. I don’t need to get it, but I like to write about it.


Is dysfunctional and lack of stability really such a bad thing in creativity? 


No. But on a social or cultural level it creates problems - I think people are prone to irrationalities and when a common irrationality kind-of-thing infiltrates our cultural identity, it becomes hard to filter out rational from irrational behaviour. Take junk food for example, or credit cards -  acceptable socially, but irrational outside of that context. Now the irrational trend is a social dysfunction, and manifests, in these examples, as obesity and credit epidemics. Not every case is so straight forward, but these are the kinds of things I like to think about, challenge, and write about.



How do you see the world and how do your want to be seen and how does this reflect in the music you play – both electronically and acoustically?
I see the world differently every time I wake up, and every time time I play it seems like a totally different experience. Maybe I am broken? It’s nice sometimes. Maybe it’s like that for every artist. I don't know. I am a lyricist and a songwriter with my acoustic work, so I try to push myself in these aspects each time I write or play. I try to increase my musical skills, and I try to be wise and poetic in my writing. Electronically, when I am working on Cult Of The Hidden Nerve I am a composer and a producer all at once, so I try to push my limits in those areas. How well this all happens fluctuates greatly, but luckily I don’t have to play you the stuff until I'm happy with it. So you only get to see the stuff that "made it". Ultimately as long as the world is happy to see me as a musical contributor I'm happy as larry. The details and judgements on me lay fairly in the hands of the listener, and they are welcome to make of it whatever!

…You spoke about adelaideans doing it for love not money…what would sustain your love and keep you playing when you’re 75 and beyond, if you didn’t make a living from music?
I can't say what the future holds. It seems bright from here, and I have no complaints. If I end up making music till I'm 75, it won’t be for money. I dislike money a lot, even thought we all know we need some. Music sits alongside life. You can't make great music (or any art for that matter) without an inspiration. So a really great life to draw inspiration from would be all I need. I like to travel. I like to see things that dumbfound me. I want to have great loves and meet amazing people. I like to think about crazy stuff and boggle my own self. I dunno, I just want to really live, so then music and whatever other creative ends come out will be the result. A living or a life?