Harry Hookey (10/05/2014)
Harry Hookey has a massive year ahead of him, and considering that the last couple of years behind him haven't been exactly small, it's kind of astounding to see the man still running smoothly. With his debut album Misdiagnosed out now, and a near never ending tour schedule up ahead, it's amazing the man can even think straight. So when I talk to Hookey, I'm amazed at just how cool and calm he is about pretty much everything. So, I guess the only fitting first question here is to ask how it's going...
"I'm alright mate, it's been a hell of an Easter weekend. I just got back from Bluesfest and watching Steve Earle play is always awesome." The Melbournite's relaxed demeanour comes through even here, to my shock and awe. Well, I guess you can't dwell on things.
With Misdiagnosed being Hookey's first full length production, the man and his team have put an age into making sure it sounds just right. And by the sounds of it, Hookey is really quite impressed by how honed it sounds. "I'm really happy to hear how the album sounds and just how it's developed. It's taken a lot of people to get it to where it's at, and I'm amazed at how it's worked out. I put a lot of effort into the songs, making sure everything works together, so I'm pretty proud of it."
Hookey's touring schedule is an intense thing to follow, let alone play. Jumping from rural Australia to New York City and then back to Australia for the Tamworth Country Music Festival, it's difficult to a starting point, something I express heavily to Hookey. He laughs again.
"It's ok dude, I don't think I ever really stop touring, so I guess it can get a bit confusing at times. Pretty much, we started out the year at the Tamworth Country Music Festival, and from that point on we've been going all over Australia to support the album. We've really gone everywhere. I remember playing this one town which was essentially a pub with a railroad next to it, and while we were staying there a sandstorm kicked up and we ended up stuck there for a week. So for the week we just played this tiny bar in the middle of Australia. It was pretty magical."
Despite having both a unique sound and focus, two things that can take an age to gain in the music industry, for a while music wasn't on Harry's mind in the slightest. "I actually started off studying for a law degree." Harry himself begins to laugh at this fact. "I figured when I got out of uni I'd have to get a 'real persons job', but music kept bringing me back. So one day I realised I'd rather be doing something that I enjoy and try my hand at that rather than just do something that is going to get me money."
Though travelling through the music industry to the point of making a first album is a long journey, Hookey has never really been alone through it. "When I was first over in Tamworth, Nash Chambers heard my stuff and took me under his wing. So Nash and I have been going through this since then, trying to make everything work." He laughs yet again.
Hookey discovery of roots, and music in general, was an accidental occurrence. "I trashed my car one day. I was fine in the end, but my car was completely written off. So I got a rental car for the time being. It turned out that the last person who used left the Beatles Sargent Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club in the CD player. Until then, I hadn't really ever been into music, but this completely blew my mind."
"So from that point onward I started looking for more and more music. I found some obvious things like Bob Dylan and Steve Earle and just really appreciated how honest roots sounded. So, I mostly learnt based on that. Along with roots, I started finding a whole bunch of post-punk, and the two of them mixed into my music."
Ben Spencer
"I'm alright mate, it's been a hell of an Easter weekend. I just got back from Bluesfest and watching Steve Earle play is always awesome." The Melbournite's relaxed demeanour comes through even here, to my shock and awe. Well, I guess you can't dwell on things.
With Misdiagnosed being Hookey's first full length production, the man and his team have put an age into making sure it sounds just right. And by the sounds of it, Hookey is really quite impressed by how honed it sounds. "I'm really happy to hear how the album sounds and just how it's developed. It's taken a lot of people to get it to where it's at, and I'm amazed at how it's worked out. I put a lot of effort into the songs, making sure everything works together, so I'm pretty proud of it."
Hookey's touring schedule is an intense thing to follow, let alone play. Jumping from rural Australia to New York City and then back to Australia for the Tamworth Country Music Festival, it's difficult to a starting point, something I express heavily to Hookey. He laughs again.
"It's ok dude, I don't think I ever really stop touring, so I guess it can get a bit confusing at times. Pretty much, we started out the year at the Tamworth Country Music Festival, and from that point on we've been going all over Australia to support the album. We've really gone everywhere. I remember playing this one town which was essentially a pub with a railroad next to it, and while we were staying there a sandstorm kicked up and we ended up stuck there for a week. So for the week we just played this tiny bar in the middle of Australia. It was pretty magical."
Despite having both a unique sound and focus, two things that can take an age to gain in the music industry, for a while music wasn't on Harry's mind in the slightest. "I actually started off studying for a law degree." Harry himself begins to laugh at this fact. "I figured when I got out of uni I'd have to get a 'real persons job', but music kept bringing me back. So one day I realised I'd rather be doing something that I enjoy and try my hand at that rather than just do something that is going to get me money."
Though travelling through the music industry to the point of making a first album is a long journey, Hookey has never really been alone through it. "When I was first over in Tamworth, Nash Chambers heard my stuff and took me under his wing. So Nash and I have been going through this since then, trying to make everything work." He laughs yet again.
Hookey discovery of roots, and music in general, was an accidental occurrence. "I trashed my car one day. I was fine in the end, but my car was completely written off. So I got a rental car for the time being. It turned out that the last person who used left the Beatles Sargent Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club in the CD player. Until then, I hadn't really ever been into music, but this completely blew my mind."
"So from that point onward I started looking for more and more music. I found some obvious things like Bob Dylan and Steve Earle and just really appreciated how honest roots sounded. So, I mostly learnt based on that. Along with roots, I started finding a whole bunch of post-punk, and the two of them mixed into my music."
Ben Spencer