quiet paws.

Here on the East Coast of Australia we are currently caught within the clutches of a deep, dark winter….well I say deep, dark winter but here winter is more often than not bright and fleeting. Still a girl can dream…

While we may not get the driving rain, the sleet, the snow or the biting cold, we do get some beautifully crisp and bone chillingly cold winds which are felt deep within even the warmest of souls, reminding us what it is to be alive in this world. These winds rattle the trees to the core of their textured hearts, race past windows as they call with ghostly songs, and threaten to capture those without firm footing or calm sanctuary.

But just as these winds can unsettle and steal as they move on their fanciful flight, they also transport magic on their unseen wings. One such delivery dropped from the sky at my door on the back of a particularly blustery breath of the earth. This delivery did not come in the form of a person, an animal or in fact an individual of any description. This delivery was instead in the form of a song, a voice that emerged from the pool of life still dripping with honest intention and the most beautiful sensations of a place that many have long forgotten. I speak of the extraordinarily talented musician, Will Stratton and I thank these sweet winter winds for their gift. In the spirit of unexpected pleasures which winter brings I thought it fitting to unwrap this gift here with you.

If we speak quietly the wind can be trusted to turn its ear to softly whispered secrets and the promise of future wonder. Stratton is a singer-songwriter who hails from America and his debut album What the Night Said will be released soon – on the 24 July 2007 to be precise. He writes with incandescent light that shines brightly to expose hidden beauties and almost forgotten meanings. His lyrics are delivered with delicate respect for the fragile nature of the living word and with perfectly pared back simplicity.

‘Sunol’
The owls are singing, I must
Sing along with them and find out
Where I began, where I began

In this song Stratton demonstrates a sweetly melodic voice that is rich in memories and recollections, balanced against the trickling sounds of a rising and falling guitar. This is music pleasing not just to the ear; it causes the soul to stir and the spirit to smile.

‘I’d hate to Leave You’
And you understand what I
I mean when I say that I’m heartless just like flint
That never sparks

Here we find irresistible textures and a chorus which pulls the listener into its world of rich warmth and emotion. This song is a thickly painted canvas full of sweeping strokes and strong visuals realised in musical form. A selection of tracks from Stratton’s forthcoming album are available for all of our listening pleasure on his myspace site, which is well worth the visit.

The stylishly laidback underground bunker that is The Living Room was the perfect venue for the seriously cool Ash Grunwald. First up though was a performance from UK artist Pete Molinari, in Australia to promote his debut album ‘Walking Off the Map’. Still suffering from jet lag he warned us that he ‘may fall asleep during this’, but with his raw vocals and emotive delivery it was impossible for the audience to suffer from the same problem.

Performing a comprehensive set which included the heartfelt ‘Love Lies Bleeding’, and the beautifully sorrowful ‘Tomorrow Is A Long Time’, Molinari was an engaging live performer.

Just as the crowd really started to bubble over with energy and barely concealed anticipation, Ash Grunwald took to the stage, instantly spreading a sense of calm throughout the excited mob. With his unmistakable dreadlocks, chilled out surf vibe and commanding yet unaffected presence Grunwald is clearly at ease with performing live, minus the arrogance and ego which is often part of the package. He is also a master at connecting with his audience, conversing with them on a range of topics throughout the night and encouraging them to ‘boogie’ and join in with the vocals. However he didn’t want any half-hearted efforts with the singing, at one point complaining that he couldn’t hear any ‘larynx hurting yet’.

Performing a smattering of tracks from each of his releases, there were no gaps in either musical quality or quantity. His jam packed set included the mellow chilled out bluesy beats of ‘Take the Drop’, the cautionary tale ‘Money’, the howling ‘Smokestack Lightning’, and the languorously paced ‘Just Be Yourself’. As for highlights, it was hard to go past the refreshing beach inspired song, ‘1976 Coaster’, which really got the place buzzing with its intense energy. Another particular crowd favourite was ‘Skywriter’, which is as Grunwald puts it ‘about a crazy guy’. With its darker grittier sound and amazing low range vocals, this song showcases Grunwald’s impressive storytelling talents to full effect.

Given the interactive and relaxed nature of Grunwald’s performance, the night was not solely about music, there was much laughter and conversation. However discussion of the evening had to go to the serious assessment of Grunwald’s shoes from both a stylistic and practical perspective. While he recognised that he had some strong views on the matter he thought it best if he ‘got off this whole shoe politics thing’.

Announcing to a disbelieving crowd that this would be his final song, Grunwald really let loose and rocked out hard to ‘Going Out West’, taking the opportunity to ‘unleash the boom’ a few more times. Making moves to pack up his gear, Grunwald conceded ‘Well I’ve gotta do an encore cause you guys absolutely rock’, before launching into one of his signature tracks ‘Dolphin Song’. This real life tale about being saved from a shark by a pod of dolphins told with humour and in traditional bluesy style, was an entirely fitting end to a very satisfying musical evening.

I originally wrote this article for ‘The Dwarf‘.

The theatre lights dim. A single spotlight lights the stage. The inimitable Australian blues master CW Stoneking walks onto the stage in black suit and preacher’s hat. Like any well-mannered southern gentleman he is unfailingly polite and a man of few words, preferring to speak through his music. His main conversation centres on his songs themselves, ‘Gonna play some tunes now…and they go a little something like this’. Channelling his stage presence from a time long past, he bathes the audience in reflected light from his steel guitar and commands attention with his full-bodied vocals.

Opening with ‘Goin’ The Country’, Stoneking played a wonderfully rich set, including a number of tracks from his debut album ‘King Hokum’. A particular highlight from his performance would have to be ‘Handyman Blues’, a beautiful soulful lament to time spent working hard as a jack-of-all-trades. Another standout was the stunning ‘She’s a Bread Baker’, a love song of sorts enriched with a light touch of comedy. With gracious thanks, CW Stoneking quietly withdrew from the spotlight, leaving the audience alone once more.

It was then time for the lady in question to grace the stage. With a stage presence and musical performance best summed up by her shoes – simple, elegant and unassuming, Madeleine Peyroux is instantly entrancing. Accompanied by her three piece band Peyroux launches straight into the sultry blues of ‘Blue Alert’, her voice all smoky warmth and smooth layers. With a nod to CW Stoneking, Peyroux declared that seeing as we’ve had blues from the boy’s view of things, it was ‘time for some blues from the ladies side’. And boy did she deliver on those words.

Peyroux and her band made the audience feel at home, with the band themselves seeming to enjoy playing the music just as much as those who were there to listen to it. The night was like bearing witness to four friends who enjoy hanging out and jamming with eachother. Peyroux in particular brings a calm and joyful peace to the stage, displaying the feeling of contentment that comes from sharing her passion with others.

Performing a comprehensive range of songs from each of her albums, she provided a wonderful balance between her own original compositions and the most amazing covers a person could ever hope to hear in their lifetime, ranging from Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Tom Waits and Randy Newman. Keeping up a comfortable conversation with the audience, she introduced her song ‘Careless Love’ and asked the audience whether they knew the story of this song. She expanded, ‘Have you ever been careless with something?’ The song then followed with rich soulful vocals, displayed effortlessly against a beautiful soaring melody.

On a night where Peyroux provided so many spine-tingling moments, it is difficult to choose the standout songs. Her selection of covers to perform and her interpretation of those songs were quite simply sublime. With ‘Everybody’s Talking’ she slows the pace, styles her vocals in deliberate and delicate fashion and creates a song that is like a work of art to admire and appreciate. ‘Half the Perfect World’ is a blues song with real meaning. Peyroux’s vocals are delivered with emotion and she conveys intimate feelings and thoughts with effortless elegance. Peyroux and her band provide the perfect balance between musical accompaniment and vocal performance, both are critical yet nothing is overcomplicated; everything is delivered with stunning simplicity.

One of the highlights of the night had to be Peyroux’s performance of ‘Smile’, which was delivered with heartbreaking beauty, conveying strength and fragility at the same time. Delivered with tenderness, and showcasing the amazing depth of her voice, Peyroux’s vocals were at their silk chocolaty best. Following this, and with a bow to the audience, the stage was emptied. Thankfully we didn’t have too long to wait for their return.

Treating the audience to just a little bit more, the encore was a valuable addition to the evening’s entertainment. With a sublime performance of the jazzy ‘Walkin’ After Midnight’, Peyroux uses perfect pace and an uncomplicated arrangement to conjure up visuals with her voice. The final song of the night was appropriately one of Peyroux’s French songs, ‘J’ai Deux Amours’, a beautiful poetic song during which it feels like she transports the audience to an intimate French bar where her voice is like red wine for the soul…By all means take another sip and savour the experience.

The release of Liz Stringer’s debut album Soon in late 2006 sees the culmination of all her musical experiences to that point. It seems that music has been in her life and in her blood since childhood, ‘I heard a lot of folk music growing up. I think the storytelling element of that folk music has influenced the way I write.’ Time spent overseas provided these musical seeds with fertile grounds in which to flourish and allow for experimentation with many different musical styles.

‘I reckon my musical tastes and my own style evolved overseas. I was playing in a punk/rock band in Germany. The longer we played together, the less punk it became, but at the start we were basically a really loud garage band playing through crap amps. It was a great feeling though, playing with a band. The other guys were great players, especially the bass player. He actually introduced me to a lot of music I hadn’t listened to before and I listened to a huge range of stuff while I lived in Germany, from punk to electronic to rock and death metal. It broadened my musical horizons.’

So with the passing of time these musical threads and influences were gradually woven together to create the rich tapestry of sounds which appear on her debut album. And what impact has the release had on Stringer’s life? ‘I have a lot more CDs sitting at my house now! It’s helped me get my music out to more people. It’s been really good to have a recording that I’m proud of to give to people as a representation of the music I write and perform.’

While life has lead Stringer down this musical path, this does not mean that the process of releasing her album has been an easy one. ‘There were so many factors that had to come together to release it. It was actually a fairly frustrating experience for me, partly because it was the first time I’d ever done it and I don’t think I approached it in a particularly organised way! We just managed to get it to the printers in time for the tour with Mia Dyson. So, I think next time I do it I’ll be a little bit wiser!!’ At least all the hard work that has gone into bringing the album to life has been rewarded with the receipt of high praise, but I wondered whether this praise adds any pressure to the creative process. ‘Nah, not really. I am just trying to write new stuff that I like, so it’s all about trusting my instincts and my own judgements about what’s good. I reckon I’d go insane if I thought too much about what other people think of the songs. Of course I think about it to a degree, but I try not to let it get anywhere near my writing. It’d just get in the way.’

Something that can be easily forgotten is that being a musician is so much more than the music which is heard on CDs or watched delivered on stage. Fundamentally songwriting comes back to words on a page, and the inspiration for these words can come from many sources. So where does Stringer find her inspiration? ‘People mostly. Sometimes people I know, sometimes people I’ve heard or read about or people that I just make up. Humans are complex beings, obviously, so there’s a never ending source of inspiration there.’

Stringer herself is more than a singer-songwriter she is a musical ensemble, displaying her talents with a wide range of instruments. But does she have a stronger affinity with one instrument over all the others? ‘Nah, I love them all. I love playing acoustic guitar and banjo, and I recently bought myself an old lapsteel which is awesome fun. It’s got a beautiful sound. I also recently played some electric guitar for a friend of mine in her band which I really enjoyed. I play piano and cello too but I don’t own either of those instruments so it’s all about the guitars now! (oh, and the blues harp, I’d really like to get good at playing that!).’

As a musician it can be a challenge to find enough time to split between the competing priorities like writing, promoting, touring and recording. Hopefully for Stringer the future will allow her to dedicate more time to simply practicing her craft. ‘The problem is that I still work in hospitality. I’m only doing a few days a week this year but last year I was working full time and touring, playing locally and writing as well. It was pretty exhausting. It’s really nice to have a bit of time during the day to just play.’ The career of any musician is generally built on two critical factors; the recording of albums and performing live to an audience. Is there a preference between the two? ‘I love performing live. I like recording too in some respects but the spontaneity of live performance is a real rush and the energy generated in a room between the performers and the punters can be extremely intense sometimes. Recording is a much more meticulous process. My patience threshold is much better suited to live stuff!’

So the album is out there spreading music to the masses, a series of live performances including an appearance at the St.Kilda Festival are scheduled and it’s a brand new year, what else does the future hold for Liz Stringer? ‘We just had a bit of a rest over Christmas, so this year I want to tour as much as possible and just play, play, play. Adam and I are getting to know eachother as musicians better every time we play so I just wanna work really hard this year and get better at what we do. And I hope that we’ll record the second album in the middle of the year. The writing process is constantly going on for me. I’ve got lots of new songs, its just a matter of choosing the ones that go best together to put on the new album.’

With introspective lyrics that speak intimately of life, it is fortunate for us indeed that Stringer opens the door on her thoughts from time to time and allows us to share in the experience. The pleasure is truly all ours.

I originally wrote this article for ‘The Dwarf‘.