Gideon Preiss - Husky (11/12/2014)
A locally grown band known for sweet live shows and even sweeter indie folk tunes, Husky have recently released their much anticipated sophomore album Ruckers Hill.
Gideon Preiss, who performs keys, vocals and production duties for the delightful foursome, lent us at The 59th Sound his time to get an insight into the thoughts, feels and stories behind the next piece of the Husky puzzle.
“I loved the landscapey, folky, dreamy sound of Forever So. Translating it onto the stage was great for smaller shows, not so much othersise. Ruckers Hill is definitely more dynamic and upbeat.
When History's Door had made a break through Unearthed, that success and attention propelled us into a huge period of touring which we hadn't done before. We learnt a lot about the songs by playing them live, and what it takes to play night after night.
Particularly getting the songs up and ready to roll for tour is one of my favourite parts of the process – it's really exciting. You take the recording, and are to an extent limited by the live element. As we're a four piece, there's only so much you can reproduce onstage – it's about choosing the bits that capture the essence of the song.
This phase is great, for me personally.”
Clearly the next part of the process is the actual touring part, so we asked Gideon if that's something to look forward to.
“[Touring] is what you work towards for years, and we're stoked to be getting ready for it. To get to go out and see parts of Australia that you'd never see otherwise... we feel really lucky to be able to do that.”
The upcoming tour for Ruckers Hill kicks off November 7 in Castlemaine. That's not to mention Husky's appearance at a handful of class festivals. On the line-up for Husky is Queenscliff Music Festival, but that's not all...
“[We are playing] Beyond The Valley, which is a new festival I don't know much about.”
Phillip Island will host Beyond The Valley in all its inaugural glory from December 30 and take all those attending into the 2015. For those of you wondering if Husky will be soaking up the BTV vibe and bringing in their New Year alongside punters, rest assured... “We'll be there, and that's where we'll stay! Whether we stay [onsite] at the festival, or get a house nearby for a few days, we'll bring in the New Year at Phillip Island.”
Asked what the process is for the band from a songwriting perspective, Gideon said it “was pretty consistent this time”, for Ruckers Hill.
“Husk would write the song, chords, melody and all the lyrics – and I'd get sent a rough recording, an early early demo and from there we'd choose what songs to record. We would start jamming and spend hours in the studio writing, adding layers and additional textures and ultimately, knocking the tunes into what they are today.”
The upcoming run of shows for these inner-city Melburnians includes regional Victorian towns such as beautiful Castlemaine. We asked Gideon what it's like to play country towns, compared to inner-city shows such as Oxford Arts Factory in Sydney, also on the itinerary.
“We do it because we love it – we like getting out there [onstage]. It's definitely something that's a little bit different – [country crowds] are very excited and thankful to have you there. Perhaps because there's less access to music – certainly, to good music – in the country”.
Perhaps because there are less opportunities for punters to enjoy live music in a rural setting, if anything these audiences are more “warm and welcoming”, in Gideon's words.
“As to how we approach the show... we just play our show and hopefully connect with people!”
Gideon shared a bit about the influences and inspirations for the music of Husky. “I listen so widely – I'm a massive fan of all sorts of music – and as such, have been influenced by different types of music over the years.
As Husky, more than anything we were always very interested in what we grew up listening to – so the record collections of our parents and families – the albums of great bands such as Leonard Cohen, Paul Simon, Neil Young, Beach Boys, the classic harmonising bands of the great era that was the 60s and 70s – the greatest era, in my opinion.”
He also touched upon the influence of New Orleans music on his musicianship. As to contemporary influences for him and the live shows he's enjoyed in recent months, blues and roots is where it's at.
“I had an amazing time at Blues & Roots festival where heaps of classic, older guys played that hark back to the vintage era. Booker T is one of my favourite keys players. Also, Gary Clarke Jr from Austin, Texas was incredible – I've also seen him in Texas, he's incredible."
“In 2012 we did a lot of touring in America – we cris-crossed the country – and it was a lot of things. It was amazing and inspiring and eye-opening and exhausting and fun and hard.”
As to the format of Husky's live show, and the extent to which it evolves throughout the run of dates in a touring capacity, Gideon is open-minded.
“I think that we'll get ready for this tour and we'll prepare a show, and then we will tweak it a lot as we perform it. You can do countless rehearsals, but [it's not] until you're up there playing... that's when you do the learning.”
We asked Gideon to explain how a band or a musician can stay energised as a touring force, when playing live shows night after night.
“You don't give yourself a choice – there's one thing for certain, you're definitely going to get up on stage. And then you've got a choice to once you're up there. You do whatever you've gotta do to get through the shows... if that means you meditate the day of a gig, or you get enough sleep or you don't drink the night before, you do it.
You burn out otherwise. That's not to say we don't have fun – but you have boundaries in place, to try to make the show the priority – that's why you're there, after all.”
It's fitting to end with Gideon's perspective on the music industry more broadly, and specifically his thoughts on the elusive path to success for aspiring musicians. For a band who has achieved widespread credibility and success thanks to landing a spot on the line-up of Push Over festival, through Triple J Unearthed, how different might this trajectory have been if it didn't exist?
“I think people have very strong opinions – both positive and negative – about Triple J, and some arguments on both sides are definitely valid. But it is invaluable what Triple J and the ABC provides our music industry and our music culture. They do great work.
We are lucky to have the ABC and Triple J, as a government funded youth radio station. When you go overseas, you realise how lucky we are to have it. It's definitely not a thing in America. If its funding was cut, that would definitely have ramifications.
For sure, we have worked hard, but there is no doubt that winning Triple J Unearthed propelled us and started a snowball effect.”
Rebecca McCann
Gideon Preiss, who performs keys, vocals and production duties for the delightful foursome, lent us at The 59th Sound his time to get an insight into the thoughts, feels and stories behind the next piece of the Husky puzzle.
“I loved the landscapey, folky, dreamy sound of Forever So. Translating it onto the stage was great for smaller shows, not so much othersise. Ruckers Hill is definitely more dynamic and upbeat.
When History's Door had made a break through Unearthed, that success and attention propelled us into a huge period of touring which we hadn't done before. We learnt a lot about the songs by playing them live, and what it takes to play night after night.
Particularly getting the songs up and ready to roll for tour is one of my favourite parts of the process – it's really exciting. You take the recording, and are to an extent limited by the live element. As we're a four piece, there's only so much you can reproduce onstage – it's about choosing the bits that capture the essence of the song.
This phase is great, for me personally.”
Clearly the next part of the process is the actual touring part, so we asked Gideon if that's something to look forward to.
“[Touring] is what you work towards for years, and we're stoked to be getting ready for it. To get to go out and see parts of Australia that you'd never see otherwise... we feel really lucky to be able to do that.”
The upcoming tour for Ruckers Hill kicks off November 7 in Castlemaine. That's not to mention Husky's appearance at a handful of class festivals. On the line-up for Husky is Queenscliff Music Festival, but that's not all...
“[We are playing] Beyond The Valley, which is a new festival I don't know much about.”
Phillip Island will host Beyond The Valley in all its inaugural glory from December 30 and take all those attending into the 2015. For those of you wondering if Husky will be soaking up the BTV vibe and bringing in their New Year alongside punters, rest assured... “We'll be there, and that's where we'll stay! Whether we stay [onsite] at the festival, or get a house nearby for a few days, we'll bring in the New Year at Phillip Island.”
Asked what the process is for the band from a songwriting perspective, Gideon said it “was pretty consistent this time”, for Ruckers Hill.
“Husk would write the song, chords, melody and all the lyrics – and I'd get sent a rough recording, an early early demo and from there we'd choose what songs to record. We would start jamming and spend hours in the studio writing, adding layers and additional textures and ultimately, knocking the tunes into what they are today.”
The upcoming run of shows for these inner-city Melburnians includes regional Victorian towns such as beautiful Castlemaine. We asked Gideon what it's like to play country towns, compared to inner-city shows such as Oxford Arts Factory in Sydney, also on the itinerary.
“We do it because we love it – we like getting out there [onstage]. It's definitely something that's a little bit different – [country crowds] are very excited and thankful to have you there. Perhaps because there's less access to music – certainly, to good music – in the country”.
Perhaps because there are less opportunities for punters to enjoy live music in a rural setting, if anything these audiences are more “warm and welcoming”, in Gideon's words.
“As to how we approach the show... we just play our show and hopefully connect with people!”
Gideon shared a bit about the influences and inspirations for the music of Husky. “I listen so widely – I'm a massive fan of all sorts of music – and as such, have been influenced by different types of music over the years.
As Husky, more than anything we were always very interested in what we grew up listening to – so the record collections of our parents and families – the albums of great bands such as Leonard Cohen, Paul Simon, Neil Young, Beach Boys, the classic harmonising bands of the great era that was the 60s and 70s – the greatest era, in my opinion.”
He also touched upon the influence of New Orleans music on his musicianship. As to contemporary influences for him and the live shows he's enjoyed in recent months, blues and roots is where it's at.
“I had an amazing time at Blues & Roots festival where heaps of classic, older guys played that hark back to the vintage era. Booker T is one of my favourite keys players. Also, Gary Clarke Jr from Austin, Texas was incredible – I've also seen him in Texas, he's incredible."
“In 2012 we did a lot of touring in America – we cris-crossed the country – and it was a lot of things. It was amazing and inspiring and eye-opening and exhausting and fun and hard.”
As to the format of Husky's live show, and the extent to which it evolves throughout the run of dates in a touring capacity, Gideon is open-minded.
“I think that we'll get ready for this tour and we'll prepare a show, and then we will tweak it a lot as we perform it. You can do countless rehearsals, but [it's not] until you're up there playing... that's when you do the learning.”
We asked Gideon to explain how a band or a musician can stay energised as a touring force, when playing live shows night after night.
“You don't give yourself a choice – there's one thing for certain, you're definitely going to get up on stage. And then you've got a choice to once you're up there. You do whatever you've gotta do to get through the shows... if that means you meditate the day of a gig, or you get enough sleep or you don't drink the night before, you do it.
You burn out otherwise. That's not to say we don't have fun – but you have boundaries in place, to try to make the show the priority – that's why you're there, after all.”
It's fitting to end with Gideon's perspective on the music industry more broadly, and specifically his thoughts on the elusive path to success for aspiring musicians. For a band who has achieved widespread credibility and success thanks to landing a spot on the line-up of Push Over festival, through Triple J Unearthed, how different might this trajectory have been if it didn't exist?
“I think people have very strong opinions – both positive and negative – about Triple J, and some arguments on both sides are definitely valid. But it is invaluable what Triple J and the ABC provides our music industry and our music culture. They do great work.
We are lucky to have the ABC and Triple J, as a government funded youth radio station. When you go overseas, you realise how lucky we are to have it. It's definitely not a thing in America. If its funding was cut, that would definitely have ramifications.
For sure, we have worked hard, but there is no doubt that winning Triple J Unearthed propelled us and started a snowball effect.”
Rebecca McCann