ShareThisBy WAYNE BLEDSOE
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Bernard Fanning knows that being a star in Australia is no guarantee of making it big in the United States.
For 16 years Fanning has been lead singer in the band Powderfinger _ multi-platinum sellers in Australia who seemed ready to break in the United States with the song "My Happiness" back in 2001. But success in the United States proved elusive for the band (somewhat probably due to the post 9/11 cancellation of the group's tour), however, Fanning may open the door again with his solo album, "Tea & Sympathy."
It's 8 a.m. in Brisbane, Australia, when Fanning calls for an interview. Apologies for calling a musician so early are not needed.
"I must confess," says Fanning, "I'm not very rock 'n' roll. I've been up for a few hours already. I live out of the city, so there's (expletive) birds everywhere."
There's definitely a rural feel to Fanning's new disc. It's earthy Americana and old-style rock. The album was recorded during a year-long Powderfinger hiatus, and already has become a top seller in Australia.
"I suppose the influence musically on the record is from American bands and musicians," says Fanning. "More traditional stuff, I suppose. I don't think it's a particularly Australian sound. I don't know if that's even relevant anymore. You know what I mean? The Strokes could be from Britain quite easily. They don't sound like they're from New York."
American artists Gillian Welch and David Rawlings were particular inspirations on Fanning and led him to explore music by older musicians, including Lightnin' Hopkins and Hound Dog Taylor.
The inspiration for the subject matter of the songs is a less pleasant memory.
"I'd split up with my partner of 12 years, so I was living alone and I would get a bottle of wine and get on the veranda with my guitar and just write the way I was feeling," says Fanning. "There was white wine involved, about a packet of cigarettes a song and sometimes a reefer ... it was the worst time of my life, I suppose. There was a lot coming out."
Fanning demoed the songs in his home studio before enlisting famed producer Tchad Blake to co-produce the album. Fanning had a very specific idea of how he wanted the disc to sound.
"I wanted to try to write songs that weren't necessarily augmented by guitar solos or solos in particular," he says. "If it was going to be a solo, let it be something different, like a mandolin or a fiddle or whatever."
The sound of "Tea & Sympathy" makes it a good fit for the same audience that embraces Gillian Welch, Steve Earle, Ryan Adams and Lucinda Williams. And foregoing that, Powderfinger is planning a new release as well. While it's sure to be a hit in Australia, who knows what could happen in the States?
"In the music industry there's a lot of 'Throw it against the wall and see if it sticks.' Well, we stuck for a minute and then fell to the floor."
Fanning laughs.
