STACK #163 May 2018

MUSIC NEWS

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KOUNTING KASEY 12 Number of ARIA Awards won (from 31 nominations) 10 Number of APRA Awards won (from 27 nominations) 15 The age of Kasey's eldest son Talon, who plays guitar on the new album 7 Number of times Chambers' second album Barricades & Brickwalls (2001) has been certified Platinum 2 Number of artists with whom Chambers shares the record for most Best Female Artist ARIA Awards won (with Sia and Wendy Matthews) 8 Number of weeks it took for the singer to recover from vocal cord surgery in 2015

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KASEY CHAMBERS The irrefutable darling of Australian country music returns with a new collection of elemental and dynamic songs; Kasey Chambers answered our questions about the gorgeous Campfire . Words Zoë Radas

TOURING 23/05 - 18/08

The Campfire Song is the perfect opener. How did you come to make friends with Alan Pigram, who are his people, and what is he saying in his spoken-word monologue during the song? The chambers and the Pigrams have known each other for many years. We have jammed together, fished together, swapped stories together, and had family cook-ups together, but this was our first time writing together. My Dad, Al and I sat down and The Campfire Song basically wrote itself. I think

ones – but the metaphor is important.When you were young and living this hunting life, did you understand that bigger message of patience and regeneration? Well, I was under 10 when we were living on the Nullarbor, so I’m not sure if I even knew what those words meant. Or cared. Haha. I spent quite a few years living on Norfolk Island through the late '90s, and this song represents that part of my life. It’s a very special place to me and a lot of our time revolved around fishing out there. I take my own kids fishing now a lot, and they know we always throw the little ones back to let the big fish grow!

or whatever. She ended up doing both, and it became one of the biggest highlights of my whole career. Her voice is one of the earliest and most beautiful sounds to my ears, from my dad playing her songs to me as a child – often around a campfire – so it made perfect sense for our collaboration to be on this record. Did you know straight off the bat you wanted your dad involved with This Little Chicken ? Its feel is such a cute reflection of your obviously close and laughter-filled relationship. We wrote the song together so it’s always been 'ours.’ Not mine. I’ve learnt so much from my dad about music, but for the most part we just connect because we love music in the same way. My dad is a huge part of this whole record. The group outro at the album’s end is a wonderful and intimate inclusion.Where and when was it recorded? This is the actual recording of the Chambers

on some level the song has always been around... it feels traditional to me within my heart, like I’ve known and sang it for many years. The spoken word is fromYawuru which is local to the Broome area: Yagarragirlbira junggugun (Everyone sing at the campfire)

It became one of the biggest highlights of my whole career

How did you write the harmonies for your duet with Emmylou Harris,

The Harvest &The Seed - together with Emmylou, or did you show her your vocal line first, or another kind of

Jirrmu windugu-jina yingan (Song for the curlew it is) Ngayubarri burrb jimbin diligun (With me dance inside the firelight) Gadugarriny ngurragabu yimburlan (Until/still yet tomorrow comes) It’s one of the most moving sounds in a song I’ve ever heard. The message of Big Fish is very literal – when you’re fishing, you let the little fish go, because you’ve got to let them grow into big

approach? My guitar player Brandon Dodd (of the Fireside Disciples) and I wrote the song together. We joked at the time about how perfect Emmylou would sound on the song, which eventually turned into convincing ourselves to ask her to do just that! She said she loved the song, and yes she would sing on it. I left the rest totally up to her: whether she wanted to sing a verse, or a harmony,

family singing songs to my Nana (my dad's mum) around her hospital bed on her last night before she passed. Music was such a big part of her life, so it was the perfect send-off. ( Go On Your Way was the last song she heard.) My Poppa loves The Campfire Song and we all sang it together at my Nana's funeral, too. But it doesn’t represent sadness to me. Only beauty. It sparks emotion, but in a beautiful way.

Campfire

by Kasey Chambers & the Fireside

Disciples is out now via Warner.

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MAY 2018

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