I’m still getting my head around 90% of Logic (a fancier version of Garageband) but I know enough to clunk myself through a demo now. It’s been enormously handy and something I got much better at during lockdown. I go through waves with it. Sometimes I won’t open it for months but I’m always thinking about it. It can sorta hang over me, especially if it’s been a while. It’s one of those things that can intimidate me out of starting, because it’s never a 5 minute thing. It’s gonna suck you in and sometimes that’s a worry. Sometimes just the thought of building a song brings on fatigue. Sounds, structures, different instrument parts. Kind of at odds with my Do The Thing diatribe. Of course there’s never a regret once I actually open the bastard. Sometimes the pull of the program means I’ll jump the gun a bit and start recording a demo before it’s ready.
You can add stuff to the program - sounds and things, which you download from the internet. I noticed one called Soundtoys being used a lot, mostly by Greg while recording us. They do these fire sales semi-regularly and you can get heaps for not much. I’m still not sure what most of them do. One of them is called ‘Decapitator’. It’s distortion/overdrive, believe it or not. Gives stuff a bit of grit. You can put it on everything and it sorta works - keys, vocals, guitars, drums. Good fun with the drums, you can really fuck ‘em out. For demos I use the inbuilt drumming tool in Logic which generates beats. A little Decapitator can make them sound a little less computer.
Sometimes it’s fun to get into Logic with no plan, sorta like a jam. A solo sad jam. I love picking up a bass guitar when I’m doing that because it’s still a mystery to me. Such a bad arse instrument. You know what’s a shame? Bad ‘arse’ is lame to type but bad ‘ass’ just feels shit. Anyway, I love finding a bass line because it’ll make me play guitar differently and I won’t need to rely on chords as a starting point. It’s also one of those instruments where you can fuck around with rudimentary notes and it feels different to guitar. Evokes different emotions. Sometimes if I find a bass line I like, I’ll just start recording and see what happens. It invariably results in a strange structure because I’m not following a plan. I struggle with the softer songs on bass because there is a delicacy required and I’m not a bass player. Bass guitarists need a really strong awareness of the sounds going around them, which you don’t need to worry about as much with guitar. They need to know when to go hard, when to hold back, when to dance around a bit. There’s a video I love of Kim Deal talking about the bass line in Where Is My Mind.
Pillar of Smoke happened quickly following the Soundtoys purchase. I recorded the bass and found some drums I liked and put heaps of decapitator on them. The synth lines were the same. I found a sound and then used lots of decapitator. There’s no chorus. I wrote the lyrics on the spot after hearing Dad use the term pillar of smoke to describe someone a couple of days prior. I fell in love with the expression immediately. Dads got a real love of words. Knows heaps of ‘em. He’ll tell you what they mean too. Mid story he isn’t afraid to offer a definition when he knows you don’t know. He has a few good expressions which have stuck with me too. “I’m so hungry I could snap the guts out of a low flying duck”, “I’m so hungry I could eat a sandwich through a fly screen door” (personal favourite). “Useful (or useless) as a spare dick at a wedding”, (never really understood that one, everyone’s rooting at weddings?) If you’re going for a crap he’ll say “hold onto the top of your head”. Again, I don’t really understand that one, I think it has something to do with shit for brains.
We all liked the demo version as it was and thought about using that version on the album. The drums were a little thin maybe. In the end we recorded everything again and sat the demo underneath the final version. We were a bit worried about playing it live, but so far on this tour it’s been a highlight. Maybe not for the punter, but definitely for us. Feels good submitting to a sludgy song like that towards the end of a set when we’re warmed up. It follows Australian Dream on the album and that’s where we’ve had it live. It creates an instant separation from Australian Dream, which feels necessary. It helps us transition from a song that means everything to a song that means different things on different days. From a song with a pretty heavy narrative to one with only one verse which repeats. It creates a nice incongruity.
Dad:
“Incongruous,
/ɪnˈkɒŋɡrʊəs/
adjective
not in harmony or keeping with the surroundings or other aspects of something.
The duffel coat looked incongruous with the black dress she wore underneath"
Thanks Dad.
Tour Update
This tour has been huge for us. The response has been insane. The last proper headliner we went on was around 2017 for Skeleton Run. We toured the album and single’s Don Dale and Sober from memory. Some shows were epic and others were patchy - I remember that. We played shows in Canberra, Perth, Fremantle and Newcastle which were just okay. Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane were all time. But they were nothing like the shows so far on this tour. We came off the stage in Fremantle and Adelaide buzzing from the energy of the crowds and we carried that into the week. That’s because of you.
There is a certain amount of risk touring as an independent band. You’ve gotta spend a lot of cash to get to the starting line. Flights, accom, vehicles, merch production, PR on the album, some money on ads. You cross your fingers you can make it back on ticket sales and merch. That pressure is kinda hovering the whole time, obviously pre-sale tickets help with this! But these shows have been insane. The passion from all that have come along is rocket fuel. I get such a buzz I can’t really sleep after. There’s also the lingering questions of what is coming next. What time do we need to leave? should we organise a car now? Where is everything from the night before? How hungover will I be? Did I have dinner in the end? Is everything charged? What time is soundcheck? Have we been paid from last week yeat? When’s Check in? Yada Yada. It’s all buzzing around in the scon after a show. Mostly though, it’s just trying to hold onto as many memories from the gig as possible.
I just feel a total pride in it all. And grateful. But there is a pride in the hard work that goes into it all. It’s such a privilege to perform these songs for fans of the band. Just to have fans is a trip. And I feel such a deep fucking love for the boys.
So, thank you.
Pillar of Smoke
Pillar of Smoke
You are a pillar of smoke
You were my ally
Now I’m wrestling a pillar of smoke
I’m in the room maybe I’m the fucking joke
You can keep turning the key
You can keep on ripping at the choke
The engine won’t start
The engine is broke
Bow your head
Now you bow your head
Where you once propped your leg
Before I didn’t know what to say
Now I love her more everyday.