Blast Off: An Interview with Newcastle’s Whistle Dixie

Hailing from Newcastle, Whistle Dixie is fast developing a cult following with their bluegrass/rockabilly infused country vibes. As well as having landed prime position on numerous festival circuits, the band is now celebrating the recent release of their debut album, Blast Off. Taking time out from their current tour, the group’s multi-instrumentalist John Rorke sat down with me to talk about all things music-related.

 

Congratulations on the recent release of your debut album, Blast Off. It sounds great. What’s your fans’ reaction been like so far? 

We have been thrilled with the response to this album. So far, the feedback from radio and our fans has been really positive. People seem to be on board with the diversity found within the album as well.  This has been an absolute labour of love for the band and to have such a great response to the album, we couldn’t be happier.

 

The record debuted at no. 36 on itunes’ Country Music Charts. How did that make you feel? 

It was a real buzz to see our album up there with all of those incredibly talented country artists; it made us all feel very proud.
Being our debut album, we were really happy to get such great traction on iTunes.

 

What usually inspires your song writing, and this album as a whole? 

Whistle Dixie write all our own songs and they are usually based on personal experiences and the lives of those close to us. However, the title track Blast Off is based on a famous jump at Snake River Canyon by the American daredevil Evel Knievel, who I am a massive fan.

 

Your music has a very rockabilly/bluegrass sound to it. What do you want people to take away from listening to the album? 

We would love people to hear the authenticity in this album. The music and styling in the album reflects our absolute love of musical genres such as country, rockabilly, 50s rock, bluegrass and western swing. We record most of our records live, so what you hear on the record is what you hear when we play live.

 

What is it about country music – and this subgenre in particular – that appeals to you? 

Country music has a real honesty about it and there is just such an amazing culture within country music. I also really love the storytelling nature to the song writing.

 

 

How does this album compare to your EP releases, Studio Sessions and Tornado? 

Tornado was our first EP, we went into the studio and pieced it together over several months, on its completion we realised that we prefer the authenticity of recording live to best capture our unique sound. Studio Sessions was recorded live, so it was a great learning experience for us.

Blast Off is the first time we worked with legendary Newcastle producer Mark Tinson and together we went into the studio and recorded the album live in about two days. We are just so proud and thrilled with how the album turned out and the best part is it captures our sound perfectly.

 

 

How have you grown as musicians since the release of the EPs to Blast Off? 

We want Whistle Dixie to be a united front. I think we have learnt to operate better as a team, rather than individuals.

 

You worked with Mark Tinson (who has also worked with Silverchair and Screaming Jets, among others). What made you want to work with him? 

 

He worked on a rockabilly album locally and when I heard it, I was just so impressed by the quality of his production. He is a really good musician as well, and has some really good ideas in the studio. Very early into the project we knew it was a great decision, he is very easy to work with and nothing is a bother.

 

It takes a really talented producer to record in a live setting and get the result we achieved. We are so thankful we got to work with him on this project.

 

Can you talk me through the recording process? 

 

Whislte Dixie are a little unique in the way we record our music. We always want to sound the same live as we do on our records and through trial and error have discovered for us the best way to achieve this is to record the majority of the songs live in the studio.

It normally means Sheldon, Kyla and myself in one studio and our bass guitarist tracking in another. It is similar to the way the old records back in the 50s were done and we think it works really well for us.

 

From start to finish, how long did the album take to make?

We recorded the 12 tracks in a little under two days and then Mark got to work on the mixing and mastering process, which took a few weeks. In recording world that is really fast. I personally feel like the recording process has gotten way too complicated. We always think of the legendary Sun Records producer Sam Phillips and this is the recording style we adopt on our records.

 

 

Were there many songs that didn’t make the 12-track cut-off? If so, how did you decide which ones stayed on the record? 

 

Lots actually, it’s a hard process deciding which songs to put on the album. We tried to look at the songs individually and also how they flowed in terms of the entire album. It’s a bit of a process when you have a diverse range of styles on an album. In the end however I think we really nailed it.

 

 

Who are your idols, both personally and professionally? 

 

A few years back I was lucky enough to sit down with Tommy Emmanuel and have a play together. I remember being blown away not only by his amazing guitar skills but also his genuineness and down to earth personality.

 

 

How and when were you inspired to make music your career path? 

Many years back I heard a song called I found Jesus on the Jail House Floor; it was a song by George Strait. I heard the guitar-picking (Brent Mason) and the rest was history.

 

What’s the biggest misconception regarding making a career in the music industry, in your opinion? 

I think people underestimate that it’s a lot of hard work. You spend a lot more hours behind the scenes than you do on stage.
You recently performed at Groundwater Country Music Festival again this year. What was that like? 

Groundwater is absolutely incredible; it’s a festival that really values the artists and treats them amazingly. There is an incredible vibe and everything is right in the heart of town so it feels electric. If you haven’t been before, you definitely should get to the next one for sure.

 

You’re becoming a bit of a festival regular, having also performed at Tamworth Country Music Festival and Burn the Barrel, as well as a few more festival slots lined up. What do you love most about performing in a festival setting? 

I love meeting new fans from around the country and exposing Whistle Dixie to a wider audience.  Plus, you get to meet and experience lots of other great talent, and there is a great little community within country music where everyone supports and encourages each other.

 

How does that compare to smaller venues?

Small venues have a real intimacy to them whilst large stages can have electricity. It’s great to experience both.  Regardless of where we play, we always give 110 percent and we love every minute of it.

 

 

 

What can fans expect from one of your live shows? 

Fans can expect to hear and see something unique and different and we are so proud of that.  We like to make sure everyone feels part of the show and has a good time, and I think people usually walk away smiling.

 

 

What do you enjoy most about touring in general?  

 

It feels like a big holiday; the band members are really good friends so we always love to hang with each other and it’s full of laughs. We usually have our families with us, and it is all just a lot of fun. We also love to play our music, we enjoy being on stage and connecting with our audiences.

 

 

How do you wind down from a live show? 

 

The band normally unwinds with a good cup of tea or a whiskey depending on the day. I am also a big podcast fan so putting on a podcast really helps wind me down.

 

 

When not performing or recording, what does an average day look like for you? 

 

Spending time with family and friends is a really big and important part of my life. I have a day job outside of Whistle Dixie so the alarm goes off for me every morning at 7am, unless I’m touring, in which case I get to sleep in.

You’ve been honing your craft for a while as support for Troy Cassar-Daley, The Whitlams and Diesel (to name a few). Do you have a favourite? 

 

It would be hard to pick a favourite as they are all so incredible. I am always blown away when headlining acts take the time to chat to the support act in a genuine way.
 

What have you learnt from those experiences? 

Always be prepared, never run over time and enjoy the ride.
 

If you could collaborate with anyone in the industry (living or dead), who would it be and why? 

Living artist I would choose Lindi Ortega. I never miss a show when she tours here. I really like the way she writes and lyrically she is a little on the dark side.

If I could turn back time and work with Sam Phillips however that would be amazing. Sam was the guy behind the legendary Sun Records studio and was such an innovator.
 

 What are some of the highlights and lowlights of your career thus far? 
There’s been so many highlights. We’ve loved opening for some of the incredible acts that we have done, launching our album at Lizotte’s was amazing and getting to perform our album on tour at some of the best festivals in Australia has been an honour. We prefer to focus on the highlights and don’t worry to much about the lowlights.

 

 

What’s the epitome of success for you as a band? 

Honestly we don’t have plans for global domination, success for us is having a room full of people enjoying the music as much as we love writing and performing it.

 

 

You’re from Newcastle. What’s your local music scene like?

The Newcastle music scene is slowly evolving, in the past it has been a bit limited, but that’s changing as people are wanting more creativity and diversity. There is a lot of great talent that comes out of this city, and some great music venues.
 

What advice would you give to aspiring musicians? 

Be original, do what you love and don’t compromise on that.

 

 

What music are you listening to at the moment? 

I recently got to see Tammi Savoy and Chris Casello, and I am really digging their album at the moment.
 

Where do you see yourselves in five years’ time? 

Hopefully still making great music with Whistle Dixie with an even bigger audience.
 

What have you got planned for the rest of this year? 

We will be continuing our Blast Off tour, firstly heading to the Gympie Music Muster then we’ll be playing at the Deni Ute Muster in October. It’s been a busy few months, so I think after that we plan to put our feet up for a little bit and relax.