Reminiscing: An Interview with Singer/Songwriter Michael Waugh
The music industry can be tough for a lot of aspiring artists to break into. While most dream of one day giving their day job away to fully immerse themselves in their craft, singer/songwriter Michael Waugh has found a delicate balance as both a teacher and critically acclaimed artist.
Celebrating the recent release of his latest single, This Song Reminds Me – the first from his forthcoming third album, The Weir he sat down with me to discuss what it’s like working with Shane Nicholson, what country music means to him, and why fans may hear crickets when listening to the new album.
Congratulations on the recent release of your new single, This Song Reminds Me. What’s your fans’ reaction been like so far?
I have loved receiving messages and comments from people who enjoy my music. I’ve particularly loved how people have told me about their connections with those great Australian bands that I refer to in the lyrics.
From the lyrics, it seems to be a bit of a homage to Australia’s musical history. You mention Cold Chisel, Diesel and AC/DC (to name a few). Was that your intention?
Well, in part it is a ‘thank you’ to all of those people for being the soundtrack of my life – everything from the mundane, like driving to work, to those special moments, like meeting my wife.
I also think that there is something really special and uniquely Australian about their sound. This new album is about growing up Australian – and part of my cultural identity was shaped watching Countdown on a Sunday afternoon.
Are the bands you mention in the song particularly influential when it comes to your own music?
Like most young musicians, I aspired to be like those heroes when I was growing up – and I dreamed of being surrounded by screaming girls in the ABC studios of Countdown. When making this record, Shane Nicholson and I looked to those bands as the reference points for making this record. I really wanted to honour that uniquely Australian sound in what we were doing. In terms of my writing, I have always aspired to the eloquence and narrative sensibility of Don Walker.
What normally inspires your song writing?
In two words: family and home. The first two albums are mostly autobiographical stories of growing up in East Gippsland’s dairy farming community. There are a lot of songs about football – which is ironic, because I’m the world’s worst sportsman. But, football is part of the fabric of those communities.
On this new album, there are lots of songs about Lake Glenmaggie and the Glenmaggie Weir – which is the irrigation reservoir for dairy farms in that area. It was also the place where we’d go down on hot summer days and throw tennis balls in for the dogs to retrieve. I think that there is great music and poetry in our pubs and our rivers and our hills – and that’s what inspires me.
What comes first, the lyrics or the music?
Every song comes differently. Sometimes it’s a story that comes first. Sometimes it’s the lyric. Sometimes it’s a melody. I’m usually not in control of when or how it comes. However, if the song doesn’t have something integral or say something that needs to be said, then I don’t write it. Regardless of how it starts, the lyric is the part that I work on the most. I don’t let a song be until the words are right.
This Song Reminds Me is the first single from your forthcoming third album, The Weir. How indicative is it of what people can expect to hear on the record?
I think that this is a strong mission statement for what the rest of the album is going to be like. This record is about what it means to grow up Australian. The record also explores that Australian rock sound – but there is also a strong folk influence in this record. Goanna and Redgum were hugely influential on me when I was growing up.
What do you want people to take away from listening to your music?
The greatest joy that I have is when someone says ‘that song reminds me of…’ and then they tell me a story about something very personal in their lives that they have reflected on while listening to one of my songs. For me, the best songs are those ones that are like mirrors where you see a part of yourself reflected. When people see themselves reflected in my music there is no greater honour.
You’ve worked with Shane Nicholson on the production of The Weir, as well as your last two albums, What We Might Be and The Asphalt and the Oval. What makes him so great to work with?
Shane is a songwriter – so everything that he does is in service to the song. He also is never satisfied with doing something that has already been done before.
Especially with this album, he pushed himself to explore new sounds, rhythms and arrangements because he felt that we’d already covered some territory in the first two albums – and he wanted this to be different. He also creates incredible layers in his production. What you initially get is immediately accessible as a listener. But the more you listen, the more the record unfolds itself to you. T
here are sounds going on in the background to these records which is pretty extraordinary and deeply textured. Watching him work is a real honour. I’ve learned so much about music through working with Shane.
From start to finish, how long did this record take to make?
We literally started on 1st January and finished on 22nd December 2018. We recorded over a 4-week long visits across the year. It was beautiful. Then Shane worked on mixing and post-production until May this year. It’s been a long process and I’m really looking forward to sharing it.
Can you talk me through the recording process as a whole?
Our process began with a long rambling conversation about shape and direction. What was lovely about this was that it wasn’t saying what each song was individually going to sound like, but a sense of where the record would bring a listener when they heard it. The first song we recorded was The Weir – it has this driving rhythm and a strong sense of the Australian landscape.
Throughout, there was the sound of crickets singing in the background. They drove Shane crazy because every acoustic instrument track had the hiss of them in the background. So, I suggested that we purposefully recorded them and have them included on the album. And they are!
Generally, we start each day listening to a demo and then starting to go about the business of making the song. Towards the end of the process we had a lot of songs left to record on the short list and needed to start narrowing down what we were going to do based on the songs that we already had.
Your music has been critically acclaimed, and in 2017, you received a Golden Guitar nomination. Given the success of your previous albums, do you feel any pressure when it comes time to start a new project?
The Best Folk and Roots Album award and the Golden Guitar nomination were lovely. But I’ve never written for other people. I’m running my own race here. I’m not sure that anyone else is completely doing what I’m doing – so I’m not sure how you can compare them. Shane also has a very strong sense of integrity and I completely trust him.
How did you first get into music, and if you weren’t a musician, what would you be doing?
First and foremost, I’m a school teacher. There’s lots of musicians who have a day job and keep it very quiet and hope desperately that one day music will make the day job disappear. That’s not me. I wrote and played when I was in my 20s, but I gave up writing to start teaching. I came back to writing and playing because of some personal tragedy – and music gave me a voice and gave me a community.
Teaching also gives me a community. But I firmly believe that I’m a better musician because I teach and that I’m a better musician because of teaching.
What are some of the highlights and lowlights of your career thus far?
The highlight was playing at Valencia Creek Community Hall with an audience of farmers. My dad was in the room. My mum was in the room. In the room were people that I went to high school with and teachers who had taught me. It was a most beautiful homecoming. Almost every song in the set referred to someone in the room. So much laughter! It was gorgeous.
In terms of lowlights, there have been some shows where I’ve been really uncomfortable – one where I had a festival in Far North Queensland. I’d travelled for 11 hours to get there and when I arrived, they forgot to organise accommodation for me. I had to spend the night sleeping in the instrument lock up room jammed in between double basses and amps. Most of those stories end up as funny anecdotes… so, not really any lowlights. I’m not a fan of being away from my family when I tour – that’s probably the only thing.
For those who have yet to see you live, what can they expect?
Lots of storytelling. I try to create a context for each song. It’s important to me that people connect with the lyrics and I try to give them opportunities to do that.
What do you enjoy most about touring?
Meeting new people. Sometimes it’s the sound engineer or the bar person or people at the shows – but I always come away having made a connection.
Generally speaking, what do you prefer: intimate gigs or festival sets?
I really love festivals because it’s where people have invested in time away to have a holiday with music. I also can get very lost in the emotions of music during a festival. I think that people are more receptive during a festival experience.
If you could work with anyone in the industry, living or dead, who would it be and why?
The opportunity to make a fourth album with Shane Nicholson would be a dream come true.
What is it about country music in particular that appeals to you?
I love story songs – I love listening to them and I love telling them. I also love the supportive community that I’m in.
If you weren’t a country musician, which genre would you choose?
Folk was the genre that first embraced me. My first love was country – but I love the depth of lyricism in folk music.
Your song, They Don’t Let the Girls in the Game from your album, The Asphalt and the Oval, was named in The Australian’s Top 10 Songs of 2018. How did that make you feel?
It was incredible. In the paper there was this list of these amazing artists – like Courtney Barnett and Sara Blasko – and then my name was in it as well. That song is particularly close to my heart, so I loved that other people thought that it was important and special.
How do you think the status of women in Australian sport has improved since you wrote and released that song?
It’s funny because there is a songwriter that I really respect who said to me, ‘You’ve really missed the mark there – women have already been included in football’.
I think that women’s role in sport has improved – but I also think that there are other games, professions and roles in society that women are excluded from. The song, too, is about the narrow roles for men – ‘Everybody loses, when we all don’t get to play’.
Who are your idols?
My dad – the way that he worked for what he loves and the way that he cares for those he loves. If I can be like him, then I will achieve what I want personally and professionally.
What’s the average day look like for you?
Well, as a teacher, I’m up at 6.15 sitting at my desk by 7.15, I teach and do other jobs around the school until 4.30 or 5. Then I try to do some writing or rehearsing before I spend time with my family. Having just said that, most days I’m doing more music or more teaching or more family than what I’ve mentioned here.
How has the music industry changed over the years, in your opinion?
There has been much more of a shift to streaming services. It has made it a little harder as an independent artist to get finance together for recording projects. But, it means that more people can hear your work.
Where do you see Australian country music heading in the future?
Usually I’m not really lost for words – but I really have no idea. Music is a reflection of culture – and I think that there has been a number of economic, political and social shifts in recent times and I’m really not sure how people will respond. Will we create music to distract us from the tough times or will we create more story songs to help us process the pain? I’m really not sure.
In your opinion, what is the biggest misconception about starting a career in the music industry?
I think that reality television has presented a myth about the ‘wow’ moment where all four chairs spin around to see how great you are. In my experience, you tend to play to the backs of a lot more people’s heads. I think that when people turn around – they aren’t Delta Goodrem. I think that there is a version of ‘starting out’ that says that you need to be noticed by the right people. In my experience, any person who connects to your music is a very special and unique thing. It is always special.
What’s the epitome of success for you?
A hug from someone that you’ve only just met who saw themselves reflected in your song.
What advice would you give to aspiring musicians?
Be true to yourself. Search hard to find your own voice and remember that it’s not a destination, it’s a way of travelling.
How important is it to maintain a strong social media presence these days?
It’s very important – and I’m not very good at doing it.
What music are you listening to at the moment?
I love this band called The Northern Folk. Their last album was phenomenal! I’ve also pre-ordered the new Brad Butcher CD … Can’t wait.
Michael Waugh will be touring his new music very soon. Catch him live on one of the below dates:
20th July – House Concert, Heathcote 2-5pm
25th July – Sooki Lounge, Belgrave (supporting Shane Nicholson)
26th July – Memo Hall, St Kilda (supporting Shane Nicholson)
27th July –The Bridge Hotel. Castlemaine (supporting Shane Nicholson)
7th Sept – CD Launch at The Spotted Mallard, Melbourne
4th Oct – 6.30pm Oodies, Bundaberg (with Scott Cook)
5th Oct – 7.30pm House Concert, Hervey Bay (with Scott Cook)
12-19th Oct – Cruisin’ Country 2019
1-3rd November – Maldon Folk Festival
23rd November – Burke and Wills Winery, Heathcote
30th November – By the Banks Festival, Albury
11th December – The Lomond Hotel, East Brunswick
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