Hamish Anderson has been keeping busy in quarantine. With his band in Los Angeles, an ocean away from Melbourne, he’s been able to remotely record several singles. His latest bi-continental recording is ‘Everything Starts Again’.

Influenced by Badfinger, The Pretenders and Pete Townshend. This is a step away from his signature blues/rock sound as he explores more indie pop/rock territory. The song is about sliding doors, or the idea when one thing ends, another begins.

You have been very busy during the quarantine and working remotely from Melbourne on several singles. What can you say about this one in a lifetime experience we all had gone through with the pandemic? Do you think it influences the songs?

Hamish Anderson: Here in Melbourne Australia (where I’ve been for the entirety of the pandemic) we’ve been through about seven lockdowns over the past two years. We’ve spent more time in lockdown than out of it so I’ve definitely had to keep busy to stay sane. Not being able to tour or play live, I went very deep on my songwriting and learning how to self /remotely record- aspects of my career that I never had to do before. From a writing perspective it gave me a lot of time to hone my craft and really key in on what kind of music I want to make at this stage in my life.

“My goal is always to keep evolving”

The sound is quite a step away from your typical blues sounding guitar… How was it to work with David Davis?

You’re right in that ‘Everything Starts Again’ isn’t a blues song as I was dipping into a different well of influences. I’ve always been heavily influenced by the blues and rock and roll, but I’ve never wanted to or have made music in one genre only. I love folk, pop, soul and really all types of genres so I let the song lead me to what it wants to be instead of trying to make it fit into a certain box. On the final album there will be plenty of blues/rock songs, but even from my very first EP, I’ve always been into exploring different genres, as an artist my goal is always to keep evolving. Working with David Davis has been a real joy in that we are not only collaborators, but really good friends. David is great at exploring different tones and keeping things fresh and interesting. It is my first time really in the co-producer role too and I have a very clear vision at this point in my life of what I want and I’m lucky to have people like David who can help me achieve that.

How do you see the relationship between the instrument and the space where the instrument is recorded?

Being stuck at home I had to learn a lot about how to record myself because it wasn’t possible for me to be in a studio with engineers and other musicians et cetera like I had been used to. For my birthday my manager gave me this ZOOM recording device and that was a real game changer for me. I could use it like a DI (direct input) and also would be able to multi track record and do things in a real high quality. Now the technology is so good that you can get a really beautiful balance between the analog sounds I grew up on and love; while also incorporating elements of the new digital world. I like the hybrid mix and that’s what we have used for both ‘Morning Light’ and ‘Everything Starts Again’. We use everything from GarageBand to analog tape on them. I think it doesn’t really matter if you’re in a huge studio or at home recording as long as you can get the sounds you are hearing in your head and you are able to express that and be inspired.

Do you discover new aspects of your songs developing in front of an audience?

You definitely do find new aspects of your songs once they take on a different life in a live setting. I’ve always enjoyed how a song can continue growing and evolving as you play it live. It’s always exciting how it can start as one thing and then morph into something totally different. It keeps it fresh and exciting. I am very much looking forward to performing ‘Everything Starts Again’ for the first time live in May at the Blues on Broadbeach Music Festival in GoldCoast.

Looking back, who influenced your guitar playing the most and did influences change during the years?

My favourite guitar players have always just been the players who move me. I’ve never been interested in technique or players that “shred” to me. It’s always been about feel and how the guitar can be so emotive and like an extension of the voice. Players like B.B. King, Peter Green, George Harrison, Freddie King, Keith Richards and of course Jimi Hendrix. All those players played the song and could move you with one note.

Let’s end this interview with some of your favourite albums. Have you found something new lately you would like to recommend to our readers?

If we’re talking all time favourite albums they would be ‘The White Album’ by The Beatles, ‘Sticky Fingers’ by The Rolling Stones, ‘Blood on the Tracks’ by Bob Dylan, ‘All Things Must Pass’ by George Harrison, ‘IV’ by Led Zeppelin, ‘Harvest’ by Neil Young, ‘Who’s Next’ by The Who, ‘Blue’ by Joni Mitchell. Current stuff I’ve been enjoying is St Vincent’s new album, HAIM’s new album, Sam Morrow’s album ‘Getting by on Getting Down’ and I love The War On Drugs new album.

What are some future plans?

In May of this year I’m playing a festival here in Australia so I’m excited to kick things off again hopefully on the live front. Also in the middle of the year I hope to finally get back across to the US and to finish off the full album this year and get that released next year!

Thank you for taking your time. Last word is yours.

Thanks for the interview! Hoping to have a lot more music coming this year so keep an eye out! Cheers!

Klemen Breznikar

Headline photo: Emma Gillett

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