Hamish Anderson built a fan following on the live scene and submitted a demo to JJJ’s Unearthed which made it to the top of their charts and propelled Hamish into the studio to record an EP.
We were fortunate to speak to him in the lead up to the launch gig and this is what he had to say.
Hi Hamish, welcome to Beauty and Lace.
Thanks for having me.
When did you know you wanted to be a musician?
When I was 12 years old I decided I wanted to play guitar. Pretty much from the moment I picked it up I became 100% dedicated to it, but I was about 15 when I really decided I wanted to only play music and try and make a living from it.
How did you get your start in the industry?
I’d say my start really came in 2011 when I started recording this EP. Going to Sydney and recording songs in an actual studio was something I’d never done before and only ever dreamed about, it was a really great experience that I’m very grateful to have been able to have.
Where does your inspiration come from?
I get my inspiration from all sorts of places. What’s going on in my life, hearing an incredible song, watching a great performance. Still though something that always inspires me is the guitar, I’m always finding new things to explore with it.
Have you got a favourite space for songwriting?
A lot of my song writing often gets done at night when I’m out at a bar or wherever, I just quickly write it down on a napkin or in my iPhone. If I’m at home and writing, I generally do it in my room on this old typewriter I bought a few years back, writing on a typewriter doesn’t allow for distractions like with a computer and requires a lot of dedicated attention, which I like.
What has been your career highlight to date?
A definite career highlight has been working with some of the guys I’ve been lucky enough to be able to play with in the studio. Being able to record with Rami Jaffee (Foo Fighters, The Wallflowers) and Matt Johnson (Jeff Buckley, Angus Stone) has been a crazy experience.
How would you describe your sound?
I’d describe my sound as a mixture of Blues, Rock and Folk music. A mixture of loud electric blues and acoustic balladry.
The Howl video was released recently, who envisioned the concept for the video?
That was all thanks to the ridiculously talented director James Base. I gave James the type of vibe I wanted for it and he did the rest and knew exactly what to do and how to bring my idea to life.
You worked with some big names on the upcoming EP, were some these people your music idols before working with them and can you tell us a little about the experience?
They definitely are idols to me! I love both The Wallflowers and the Foo Fighters, so working with Rami was an amazing experience and same goes for working with Rob Calder from Angus & Julia Stone’s band. It was soo cool to watch these guys work and how easily they can come up with little amazing instrumental parts, I learnt heaps from playing with them.
Who has been the biggest inspiration/influence on your musical career?
Hmmm, it’s pretty hard to narrow down just one. With guitar playing it has definitely been guys like Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and Buddy Guy and for song writing musicians like Bob Dylan, Neil Young and George Harrison. Definitely the person that introduced me to and influenced my musical taste has been my Dad and his vinyl collection.
You have a launch show booked at The Toff in Town on May 1st, what can we expect from the show?
I’m very excited for The Toff show! It’s going be a real mixed bag with songs from the EP, new songs that will probably turn up on the next EP, some covers and also a friend or two joining us on stage for some songs. The support acts are going to be great too with The Walters and Tanya Batt joining us!
Good luck with the launch and thanks for talking to us Hamish.
My pleasure, thank you for having me!
And we also have, for your viewing and listening pleasure, the Howl video as discussed above. Enjoy!
If you would like to head along to the launch show at The Toff in Town, Hamish will be playing on May 1st and the doors open at 8pm.
Tickets are available from Moshtix as pre-sale and come with a copy of the EP, if there are tickets left they will be available on the door for $10.
I devour books, vampires and supernatural creatures are my genre of choice but over the past couple of years, I have broadened my horizons considerably. In a nutshell – I love to write! I love interacting with a diverse range of artists to bring you interviews. Perhaps we were perfect before – I LOVE WORDS!