Having just kicked off a mammoth tour which sees him heading from Wollongong to Castlemaine, Jack Carty took some time to answer a few questions Georgie threw at him.They talked all things touring, from house concerts to rural shows, and everything in between.
What was the main inspiration behind your new album Esk? It’s a very intriguing name — how did you come up with it?
It’s the name of a song off the album about a hike up the Esk river in northern Tasmania. The themes within that song seemed to fit with the wider themes of the record, and I liked that the word “esk” isn’t too prescriptive – it leaves a lot open to the imagination.
You had a nation-wide house concert tour earlier this year. What was the experience like compared to playing at gig venues?
It was wonderful. The thing I love most about playing music is the sense of community it creates and all the incredible, open and thoughtful people it’s allowed me to meet along the way.
The house concert tour was like an extra-distilled version of that.
Will you be having another house concert tour any time in the future?
I reckon it’s definitely on the cards for the New Year sometime.
You also visit a lot of rural towns and play shows there. Most artists are not so willing to travel far and wide or outside of capital cities, why is it different for you?
People in the country are just as interested in live music as city-kids, and I like seeing as many different parts of the world as I can. I also think that it’s the only way to make a living as an independent musician in Australia without much in the way of radio support.
Touring and word-of-mouth are so important, and in my experience there is no real substitute for the experience of a live performance.
You write some very deep, soulful and honest songs, and I have seen you play a few times! How did you manage to be so comfortable singing the style of music you write?
When I first started writing songs I was really nervous about singing them in public, but as I played more and more I realised that most people had experienced the things I was writing and singing about in some way at some time, or at least could relate to them.
That really took away my apprehension. One of my favourite things about listening to other people’s songs is that they can eloquently say what I’ve been trying to get clear in my head. When that happens the song becomes as personal to me as to the person who wrote it, so we share that experience.
There is no need to feel self conscious if we are all in it together.
Which one of your songs is your favourite to perform?
That changes pretty often. At the moment it’s ‘Honey, Do You Know The Way Back Home?’
What has been your favourite moment, or moments, at a gig?
This is a really hard question… It’s a lot harder to remember all the specific details of the last 3 years than it should be.
It’s more of a jumbled blur than a clear set of compartmentalised memories. A few that spring to mind right now are: singing a song I wrote and recorded with Katie Noonan called ‘The Universe’ live for the first time, and launching The Predictable Crisis Of Modern Life E.P at a secret show at a Warehouse in Sydney with a 5 piece band made up entirely of my best friends… Angus Gardiner on Bass, Sophia Felton on Drums, Jordan Millar on Electric Guitar & Gabby Huber on Keyboards.
Have you played any covers at any of your shows? Are there any songs you would love to cover in the future?
I do play the odd cover now and then, lately I have been covering Death Cab For Cutie’s ‘Lack Of Colour’ but I change it up from tour to tour.
I’d love to cover Your Ex-Lover Is Dead’ by Stars as a duet someday.
If you were not a musician, what would you be doing right now?
Backpacking the world.
If you had a month-long tour and had to eat only one thing for the duration of the tour, what would you eat?
Burrito’s. You’ve got a bit of everything in there… It’s a well balanced diet.
Which artist gives you the most inspiration?
Michael Leunig.
Lots of people love to get a taste of what their favourite artists are jamming to — can you share any artists you’ve really gotten into lately?
Conor Oberst’s new record ‘Upsidedown Mountain’ is awesome, and lately I have fallen back in love with Feist’s ‘The Reminder.’
When I say the word “travel”, what is the first thing that comes to mind?
Songs.
Jack Carty’s new album Esk is now out. You can check it out live at one of his upcoming dates.
THURSDAY OCT 30 | BABUSHKA LOUNGE, BALLARAT VIC
SATURDAY NOV 1 | BRIDGE HOTEL, CASTLEMAINE VIC
SUNDAY NOV 2 | THE LOFT, WARRNAMBOOL VICTHURSDAY
NOV 6 | CLANCY’S FISH PUB, FREMANTLE WA
FRIDAY NOV 7 | PRINCE OF WALES HOTEL, BUNBURY WA
SUNDAY NOV 9 | FOUR 5 NINE, PERTH WA
THURSDAY NOV 13 | LIZOTTE’S RESTAURANT DEE WHY NSW
FRIDAY NOV 14 | THE COMMONS, NEWCASTLE NSW
SUNDAY NOV 16 | FLOW ESPRESSO BAR, OLD BAR NSW
THURSDAY NOV 20 | THE PIER, PORT MACQUARIE NSW
FRIDAY NOV 21 | 5 CHURCH STREET, BELLINGEN NSW
THURSDAY NOV 27 | BRASS MONKEY, CRONULLA NSW
FRIDAY NOV 28 | CAPTAINS AT MARINERS, BATEMANS BAY NSW
SATURDAY NOV 29 | FRONT GALLERY, CANBERRA ACT
SUNDAY NOV 30 | BIRDHOUSE BAR, WAGGA WAGGA NSW
THURSDAY DEC 4 | HOWLER, MELBOURNE VIC
FRIDAY DEC 5 | KAY ST SALOON BAR, TRARALGON VIC
SATURDAY DEC 6 | MONTROSE TOWN CENTRE, MONTROSE VIC
SUNDAY DEC 7 | BENDED, GEELONG VIC
THURSDAY DEC 11 | THE GRACE EMILY, ADELAIDE SA
FRIDAY DEC 12 | MARS HILL CAFÉ, PARRAMATTA NSW
SATURDAY DEC 13 | VENUE 505, SYDNEY NSW
SUNDAY DEC 14 | HERITAGE HOTEL, WOLLONGONG NSW
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