I’m a songwriter and fingerpicker from Adelaide, and I’ve just released my first album, its called A Spark In The Dark. I like to play with words a lot and I don’t like to write songs that aren’t challenging, or at least a little bit different.
Your debut album, A Spark In The Dark, has just been released! Is it a relief to finally see it out into the world?
Its a big relief to finally set it free. It was an epic journey in the making and I’m really keen hear what people think.
How would you sell the album to the uninitiated?
Im really proud of the the words of the album, but I also wanted to make a record that was sonically great too. I think its more than just an acoustic songwriters album, there are some really big moments and some really tiny moments too. I wanted it to feel like a bit of a journey in the listening and I think (I hope) I achieved that.
Lyrically, what themes run throughout the record?
A lot of the songs relate to some time I spent travelling, so you might pick that up in the listening. I think there’s also some bittersweet romances in there too.
You recorded the album in a shed in Adelaide Hills last year. How did your surroundings impact on the album?
You can certainly hear the impact on the tracks – it is very ‘fieldy’ with bats and crickets and birds (Actually, I’d never heard what a bat sounded like until the engineer pointed out the sounds during the mixing of the record). I think there’s quite an earthy lo fi feel. I also wanted to give the album a stark feeling and tracking at night up in the hills did provide plenty of that.
We also had a lot more time to experiment with bits and bobs, as we were free from some of the pressure associated with finite studio time.
The first two singles ‘Jonathan’s Farm’ and ‘Malecon’ show two different sides to your folk music. Was making your album diverse a conscious decision?
It was more that I just went with what I liked the sound of for each song, and that resulted in some cool variations. But I certainly did set out to not make a record where every track sounded the same, I did want highs and lows and big soundscapes as well as sparse tracks.
You’re also heading out on the road for a tour in late August. Apart from spruiking the new album what other things can we expect from your live show?
We’ll be trying to re-create the album sounds as much as we can with four people. Which is a little bit different to the solo touring I’ve been doing of late.
What’s your earliest memory of performing and how was it?
I played started out playing open mic nights in the Adelaide Hills when I was a kid. My old man would take me out and I’d test out my tracks. It was a really cool, and nurturing thing to be a part of. No one was very good, no one had egos, was very powerful.
Because it’s more fun to do things together, which living Australian artist would you most like to collaborate with and why?
Perhaps Paul Kelly just due to the legend factor, or Jeff Lang. Both are guys who I think forged their own way.
What are the rest of your plans for 2013?
Tour this record for the rest of the month. Beyond that, take a five minute break and work on the next batch of tunes that come along.
Where we can see you play next, what releases do you have available and where can we get them?
You can also get the album on the iTunes store!
Tom West Tour Dates 2013
Sydney: Folk Club at The Soda Factory, Wed August 21
Newcastle: The Great Northern, Thurs August 22
Forster: The Aztec, Fri August 23
Brisbane: The Hideaway, Sat August 24
Melbourne: The Evelyn, Sun afternoon August 25
Adelaide: The Metro, Fri August 30
New music video for ‘Malecón’
