Since 2003 PETE MURRAY has released five studio albums with 14 hit singles. COURTNEY LAURA had a chat with Murray about his most recent and most unique album, Blue Sky Blue: The Byron Sessions, and his upcoming tour.
Tell us about the process of re-making Blue Sky Blue and some of the best and funniest moments you experienced.
A lot of the guys on the album did their part in their own studio. Bernard Fanning (Powderfinger) was in LA and recorded it in his studio over there, so a lot of our funny moments happened over email slinging back and forward to each other. The Busby Marou guys came over to the studio and after a couple of drinks it became great fun. Ash Grunwald and Scotty Owen (The Living End) also came into the studio. I gave Ash the guitar part, to put his guitar part on top of ‘Hurricane’ and when we played it back he was a bit nervous about whether or not that I would like it.
How was it collaborating with other artists on this record, and do you plan to do it more into the future?
I really enjoyed this, the chance to have people put their flavour on my tracks was a great experience. Natalie (Pa’apa’a, Blue King Brown) did the rhyme on ‘Blue Sky Blue’, which has become my favourite song, was something really different and it was great to see such variety on the vocal track of my song.
Describe life in the Byron community and how it has inspired you.
I have been immersed in the lifestyle, I get up and surf every mornings and it is so great as there is no stress. Our studio is at the old music farm, a famous studio for the area. Midnight Oil and Cold Chisel have both passed through here in their time. Pat Davern and myself are now running the studio. It was great to record in such a special place.
I definitely found myself loving being in Byron, and I now stress out in the cities. I find myself felling that I don’t want to be in there anymore, and when I get back its nice to be home in that environment. The energy and the flavour of that place have naturally made a difference on the sound of the music. I wasn’t trying to get that vibe but it just kind of happened that way, I was just setting out to do an acoustic interpretation of the album and this is what came of it.
Can we expect to see anyone from the album on this tour with you?
Yeah, definitely, Busby Marou played the Pier gig (Frankston, VIC), they jumped up for three to four songs. We also have Darren Middleton (Powderfinger) playing at the Corner show in Melbourne, Ash Grunwald and Scotty Owen will playing at the Byron show which is the 2nd last show on the tour. Hopefully a few more will join us along the way with some surprise guests joining us on the show that weren’t on the album.
Do you have any past or present songs that are too good to leave off the set list?
There are a few. I continue to play a few off the first album, Feeler, which is always great, and ‘Fall Your Way’ is a song that I love the groove of and it’s hard not to play. There are also the songs that the crowd want to hear like ‘So Beautiful’, it is usually mostly the singles that they want to hear a lot of. At a show, I like to just put it out to the crowd about what they want to hear and we go from there. I think that’s what makes it fun too, it’s on the fly and having fun with it.
Are there any venues that you have already played at that have become a favourite, and any new ones coming up you are looking forward to?
We played two smaller shows at the Pier which were a lot of fun compared to the past there when we have played a bigger crowd. Brisbane Hi-Fi is a good one too. All the small shows are great fun with the crowd so I am looking forward to experiencing that some more.
Since your independent album and your Feeler release in 2003, how do you feel you have grown as a musician and a performer?
I have learnt to want to keep things fresh for myself. I think that Blue Sky Blue was a very electric sound and a departure from what I was known for with my acoustic sound. Going back and re making this album was a unique thing too, having the same album with different versions of the songs with different artists was a lot of fun – it is my flavour, whilst trying to do it differently and keeping that similar sound that I am known for. I try to do what I do my way, because it is what I like and what the fans like too. I’m not trying to just keep fans happy but keep myself happy at the same time, if I focused on keeping the fans happy I would lose interest and they would too. So I keep doing what I like and hope it goes down well.
How do you break writers block?
Surfing. If nothing is coming out, I put the guitar down and walk out. I like to go out and do something active to keep fit and then come back later to get into it again.
Do you have a specific source or person who inspires you and your music?
There is nothing specific that inspires me. I sing about where I am at in life at that point in time. It is the way I get my thoughts out there. There is no inspiration from any one particular person. I have written, however, some songs about my boys, but once again it comes down to lifestyle and where I am at in that moment.
Describe what goes through your mind and what you are thinking and feeling when you step out on stage to a full venue here for your music.
I think one of the best feelings about being on stage is singing to the crowd and then hearing people sing your lyrics back at you. The next would be to hear people tell you what your music means to them. That something I have written has had a significant impact on them and their story. I have had 3 people that have met me personally whom have come up and told me they were considering suicide, and my song ‘Better Days’ helped them to see that they could make it through. The most memorable was a bouncer in Rockhampton, he was almost in tears when he spoke to me, telling me that he was in a really low period, and it saved his life. When someone can tell you that your music saved their life, it is a truly amazing gift. To know I have helped save someone’s life, there is no way to truly describe how that feels. It is one of the most special things that have happened.
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