Josh Pyke (27/08/2011)
Josh Pyke has just released his third album, Only Sparrows. The 59th Sound were lucky enough to take some time out of his busy schedule to discuss the new album, his upcoming tour and even becoming a father!
Hi Josh! Thanks for taking the to speak with The 59th Sound today!At this time it's less than a week since your third LP Only Sparrows was released. When you complete an album and send it out into the world, what kind of emotions do you experience? Relief, nervousness, accomplishment...?
I definitely feel a healthy dose of relief for sure. It's always nerve wracking too, as you don't know how it's going to go. It's a bit raising a kid, and putting all your love and care into them, and then they leave home, and you don't know whether they'll get a job, or become a junkie!
Becoming a father must have obviously had a profound effect on your life; how much did it influence your work on Only Sparrows? Have you found you now have to alter the way you work and tour?
It has had a big effect, but not as much on the actual song writing, as much as things like time management and stuff like that. I'd written the bulk of my songs before becoming a Dad, and I was also conscious of avoiding the "Daddy Diaper" album syndrome. I didn't want to write a gushing album about fatherhood. Touring definitely gets harder, but it's also the biggest part of being a musician really, so you just have to adjust and make it work somehow...that's all a work in progress at the moment to be honest.
I find it difficult to pinpoint your musical influences. Who would you say have been inspirations to you, both now and earlier in your career?
That's a tough one for me to pinpoint too! My early influences were things like The Beatles, and The Beach Boys, and then later I guess Elliott Smith was a big one. The Shins have been pretty inspiring, as well as Augie March. Having said all that I don't really think I sound particularly like any of those artists, but I have listened to and admired their work for sure.
You recently completed your 'Fans First' tour, which saw you play several capital city dates in smaller venues. What was it like to return to these intimate venues? Was it a good way to get back into touring after a bit of a break?
It's always good to tour! I love it. It's also always good to play to people who are really keen to be there. The Fans First tour was a chance to play for people that have supported me from day one, so it was good to play to them before going out with the record. Playing those intimate shows is a good way to road test the new stuff too, albeit to a pretty sympathetic audience. I loved it; it's definitely something I’d like to do again.
On the Fans First tour you played solo and gave audiences a taste of Only Sparrows but focused mainly on songs from your previous albums. What can your fans expect to see and hear on the Only Sparrows tour?
On the big tour I will be playing quite a few new songs, but also playing songs gong all the way back to the first EP, so really trying to cover the whole range of my career.
You've worked with a variety of artists on collaborations and different projects (The Basement Birds, The White Album Concerts). Is there any particular artist you haven't had the chance to work with but would really love to?
There are so many great artists out there, but I’ve always wanted to do some writing with James Mercer from the Shins.... I met him once, but chickened out before asking him if he'd like to work with me.
Only Sparrows has more of a full-band sound to it than your previous records; did you hear the songs being played that way as you were writing them, or was it a direction you decided to take after?
I heard it all in my head whilst writing them. It’s always been that way with me. I'll hear all these arrangements and instrumentations in my head, and this time it was a much fuller band sound I was hearing. So then it was a matter of trying to get that out of my head and into the real world.
The first single 'No One Wants A Lover' sounds more like it could be referring to a place, rather than a person, holding you back. During the writing process of Only Sparrows you spent some time alone in New York; do you feel that change of scenery was important to be able to gain new perspectives for your writing?
Yeah, definitely. That song is very much about the relationship a creative person has with the things they create, and how you need to shake that up sometimes so it doesn't get stale. Heading to NYC was my way of shaking things up, getting some fresh perspective, seeing some new things, being a bit lonely, having time to focus etc. I've always felt that when I travel, or tour I come up with new songs and new directions to follow.
While Only Sparrows still has your distinct sound, you seem to be venturing into some different genres - 'Clovis' Son' is very atmospheric and 'Good Head Start' sounds almost country rock. Was it a conscious decision to take some departures in sound from your previous records?
It was a conscious decision. I just felt like it was time to broaden the sonic pallet of my records, and draw on some broader influences. It took a long time to get it right, but I’m very pleased and proud of the results.
You often use imagery of animals in your songs; is nature a big inspiration for your writing, or are the animal references more metaphorical?
They're more metaphorical for me. They often represent different elements or aspects of my personality, or traits in someone else’s personality. I just find it a good way to describe things in a way that isn't too obvious.
Finally, what would you hope that people take away from listening to your music, the kind of emotions you would like to evoke?
I guess the main thing is that want them to listen deeply. I want them to get things from my music that I wouldn't have necessarily intended too. I love it when people tell me their interpretations of my lyrics, and they're very different from what I’d meant. I find that pretty fascinating. I like songs that sound sad, but somehow evoke a feeling of hope, and songs that sound happy, but on closer observation are actually quite sad. So I guess that's what I hope people might mind in my work. I want them to leave the song with more questions than they came in with
From all of us at The 59th Sound, thanks for your time Josh and we wish you all the very best with the Only Sparrows tour!
Thanks!!!
Chelsea McIntyre
Hi Josh! Thanks for taking the to speak with The 59th Sound today!At this time it's less than a week since your third LP Only Sparrows was released. When you complete an album and send it out into the world, what kind of emotions do you experience? Relief, nervousness, accomplishment...?
I definitely feel a healthy dose of relief for sure. It's always nerve wracking too, as you don't know how it's going to go. It's a bit raising a kid, and putting all your love and care into them, and then they leave home, and you don't know whether they'll get a job, or become a junkie!
Becoming a father must have obviously had a profound effect on your life; how much did it influence your work on Only Sparrows? Have you found you now have to alter the way you work and tour?
It has had a big effect, but not as much on the actual song writing, as much as things like time management and stuff like that. I'd written the bulk of my songs before becoming a Dad, and I was also conscious of avoiding the "Daddy Diaper" album syndrome. I didn't want to write a gushing album about fatherhood. Touring definitely gets harder, but it's also the biggest part of being a musician really, so you just have to adjust and make it work somehow...that's all a work in progress at the moment to be honest.
I find it difficult to pinpoint your musical influences. Who would you say have been inspirations to you, both now and earlier in your career?
That's a tough one for me to pinpoint too! My early influences were things like The Beatles, and The Beach Boys, and then later I guess Elliott Smith was a big one. The Shins have been pretty inspiring, as well as Augie March. Having said all that I don't really think I sound particularly like any of those artists, but I have listened to and admired their work for sure.
You recently completed your 'Fans First' tour, which saw you play several capital city dates in smaller venues. What was it like to return to these intimate venues? Was it a good way to get back into touring after a bit of a break?
It's always good to tour! I love it. It's also always good to play to people who are really keen to be there. The Fans First tour was a chance to play for people that have supported me from day one, so it was good to play to them before going out with the record. Playing those intimate shows is a good way to road test the new stuff too, albeit to a pretty sympathetic audience. I loved it; it's definitely something I’d like to do again.
On the Fans First tour you played solo and gave audiences a taste of Only Sparrows but focused mainly on songs from your previous albums. What can your fans expect to see and hear on the Only Sparrows tour?
On the big tour I will be playing quite a few new songs, but also playing songs gong all the way back to the first EP, so really trying to cover the whole range of my career.
You've worked with a variety of artists on collaborations and different projects (The Basement Birds, The White Album Concerts). Is there any particular artist you haven't had the chance to work with but would really love to?
There are so many great artists out there, but I’ve always wanted to do some writing with James Mercer from the Shins.... I met him once, but chickened out before asking him if he'd like to work with me.
Only Sparrows has more of a full-band sound to it than your previous records; did you hear the songs being played that way as you were writing them, or was it a direction you decided to take after?
I heard it all in my head whilst writing them. It’s always been that way with me. I'll hear all these arrangements and instrumentations in my head, and this time it was a much fuller band sound I was hearing. So then it was a matter of trying to get that out of my head and into the real world.
The first single 'No One Wants A Lover' sounds more like it could be referring to a place, rather than a person, holding you back. During the writing process of Only Sparrows you spent some time alone in New York; do you feel that change of scenery was important to be able to gain new perspectives for your writing?
Yeah, definitely. That song is very much about the relationship a creative person has with the things they create, and how you need to shake that up sometimes so it doesn't get stale. Heading to NYC was my way of shaking things up, getting some fresh perspective, seeing some new things, being a bit lonely, having time to focus etc. I've always felt that when I travel, or tour I come up with new songs and new directions to follow.
While Only Sparrows still has your distinct sound, you seem to be venturing into some different genres - 'Clovis' Son' is very atmospheric and 'Good Head Start' sounds almost country rock. Was it a conscious decision to take some departures in sound from your previous records?
It was a conscious decision. I just felt like it was time to broaden the sonic pallet of my records, and draw on some broader influences. It took a long time to get it right, but I’m very pleased and proud of the results.
You often use imagery of animals in your songs; is nature a big inspiration for your writing, or are the animal references more metaphorical?
They're more metaphorical for me. They often represent different elements or aspects of my personality, or traits in someone else’s personality. I just find it a good way to describe things in a way that isn't too obvious.
Finally, what would you hope that people take away from listening to your music, the kind of emotions you would like to evoke?
I guess the main thing is that want them to listen deeply. I want them to get things from my music that I wouldn't have necessarily intended too. I love it when people tell me their interpretations of my lyrics, and they're very different from what I’d meant. I find that pretty fascinating. I like songs that sound sad, but somehow evoke a feeling of hope, and songs that sound happy, but on closer observation are actually quite sad. So I guess that's what I hope people might mind in my work. I want them to leave the song with more questions than they came in with
From all of us at The 59th Sound, thanks for your time Josh and we wish you all the very best with the Only Sparrows tour!
Thanks!!!
Chelsea McIntyre