Kim Churchill
Fresh off playing Sticky Fingers’ Just For You for Triple J’s Like A Version, Kim Churchill talks to Across The Ocean about his upcoming tour to support his relatively new album Silence/Win whilst sipping on a coffee at Maroubra Beach. This album is an absolute ripper with great songs such as Window To The Sky, Single Spark and Some Days The Rain May Fall and Kim talks more about how much these songs have evolved and taking on a life of their own.
Have you been happy with how your album has been received by fans and the music industry?
Totally! It got to a point with this album where I let go of any concept of how it would do in terms of my expectations. It was a great result to see how well it ended up doing not just in Australia but it has been a great platform for me to start a good international career especially in England and Europe where things have been going really well. I can’t be happier really.
Do you ever worry the second album or even third album blues?
I think that happens if the first album does really well because then you have to try and live up to something, try to please a lot of people and I never really felt that because there were people who did get on board and were fans right from the beginning. They’ve been amazing and wonderful so I think I learnt how to deal with that issue on a small scale with the people that were there and making sure they liked the direction I was headed and that they were interested in me moving forward. Fortunately all the people who got on board for what I do have been open minded and lovely people who have been excited with me taking my music forward. For me it has always been a case that people who really like what I do will come along with me wherever I decide to go. I haven’t really had to worry about third album blues or even think about fourth album blues.
Have the new songs continued to evolve live and taken a life of their own?
They have, I worked with a producer Warne Livesey who was responsible for some of my favourite Midnight Oil albums and I really let him in as a producer and he really had me performing in the studio better than anything else I was doing. For a while I really had to work hard and practice to be just able to play as well as what he was able to bring out in me in the studio. That was a fun little adventure because normally it is a case of people saying I really love your live show a lot more than the album. I’ve been working hard and touring like crazy and the songs are at a point where they are really maturing especially in a live sense where I think I’m singing the songs better than I did on the album and performing them in a much more experienced way, really starting to nail all the parts. The songs in themselves mature over time and their meaning changes gaining a bit of wisdom.
Was it more a labour of love rather than belting it out in one take?
Everything in the studio was pretty much done in five takes, do a couple, see what it sounds like, change a few parts. That was a really a credit to the way Warne produced the thing and he had me feeling so comfortable. It took quite a bit of practice to work out how to play them live. The other thing playing them live as a one man band I also had to work out how to play full drum beats with my feet, I have a kick drum, snare drum and a tambourine. So that was quite complicated working out how to play these drum rhythms with my feet and then still play the song well, sing it well and play the harmonic bits.
Were you surprised about how exhausting combining all these elements would be?
It’s definitely exhausting! I’m finding it to be more of an athletic performance and I have to keep myself in good health. I can’t do too much partying so I’m able to give it what it needs each night. When it all comes together it is great fun, it’s amazing, wonderful!
Have you started thinking about album number four?
I have been thinking about it a lot, I have been writing lots of songs and I’m keeping myself open to moving in any direction that feels fun at the time.
So a metal record isn’t out of the question?
That’s the perfect thing to say, it might not be the strongest possibility out there but I’m open to any direction. If I went in the metal direction I’m sure my manager would have a few words.
What can fans expect on this tour?
I’ve really been enjoying playing some older tracks again but the show is heavily leaning towards the new album. Most nights I get through almost every track on it and that’s what most people who are coming to the show want to hear which makes me feel validated in the direction I’m moving in.
Have you thought much about your hopes and ambitions for 2015?
Um, that would be a really good idea! I haven’t really thought about it much because I have had so much on. The summer festival circuit in the UK and Europe I’ll be hitting pretty hard followed by the US. Lots of gigs being booked and there’s lots of things in the works. It’s matter of hanging on for the ride and seeing where I end up.
Whether it is rummaging through vinyl at record stores such as Clarity and Title finding hidden gems to scouring the internet to find that album by the next big thing or chasing bands to get that elusive autograph and photo his passion is music all the way.
- Aversions Crown - January 27, 2017
- Sick Of It All - January 19, 2017
- Refused - January 11, 2017
