INTERVIEW:
Muddy Wolfe
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I have been speaking with…
Steve from Muddy Wolfe who talks with me about the band’s latest single, Hide Away. I was keen to know whether more material is coming from them; how the group found one another; what the music scene is like in Canberra – Steve tells me the artists he grew up around and is inspired by.
He reveals what he wants to achieve before the end of this year; which musical memory stands in the mind; which uprising artists we should get behind – Steve ends the interview by selecting an excellent song.
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Hi, Steve. How are you? How has your week been?
Hi, Sam! It’s been great! We just released our third single and have been busy trying to promote that. We’ve also been busy rehearsing with the new line-up and things are coming together nicely.
For those new to your music; can you introduce yourselves, please?
Well, we’re a relatively new band; I actually started Muddy Wolfe at the end of 2016 when I was living in Taiwan. One of our vocalists, Caitlin, was in Taiwan at the same time and we did some Jazz gigs together. She ended up joining Muddy Wolfe near the end of my time there.
We’ve both since moved back to Canberra and we’ve started up Muddy Wolfe 2.0! We started out as a Blues band, and we do still do play some Blues, but we’ve been moving in a more Indie Folk direction with tinges of Country and Gospel in the mix.
Hide Away is your new single. Can you reveal the story? What is its background?
I started writing Hide Away when I was still in Taiwan. It’s about being away from home too long and missing my family. It took a long time to finish (like all of our songs) and evolved a little more when we rehearsed it and played it live. It’s our third release and it’s the first song to have a bit of collaboration with the other members.
Do you think there’ll be more material this year? Are you working on an E.P. or other singles?
We’re always working on something new. I’d like to record a few more tunes and release an E.P. that has two of the singles we’ve already released.
Being based out of Canberra; is there a pretty varied and interesting music scene?
Canberra’s scene is pretty good. It’s a small city, so there are only a handful of venues for original bands - which there are a lot of - so it’s hard to get lots of gigs. Metal and Rock is pretty popular as well as Country and Folk music. But, the music scene in general in Australia is great. There are some amazing up-and-coming bands and there are a ridiculous amount of music festivals along the East Coast these days - so we look forward to playing at some eventually.
Can you recall the artists you grew up listening to? Which musicians sparked your ears?
Michael Jackson was, and will always be, a big inspiration for me. The Grunge era was also pretty significant for me as it was what made me want to play guitar. My favourites were Stone Temple Pilots and Pearl Jam. By the end of high-school, I was into some slightly heavier stuff like Metallica, Tool and Deftones. After high-school, I studied Jazz and got into the Blues and Hendrix.
My main influences these days are Doyle Bramhall II and Tedeschi Trucks Band. The rest of the band are different ages and from different backgrounds so we all bring something different to the table - and I hope we will collaborate more in songwriting in the future
What do you hope to achieve before the end of 2018?
We’d like to release the E.P., play some festivals and good support gigs for big-name touring bands.
Do you think there will be touring dates? Can we catch you play?
Once we get some momentum going, we may do a little tour here and there but, for now, we’ll focus on gigs in Canberra and, perhaps, Sydney.
Will you come to the U.K. and play this year or next?
Haha. Who knows! If we’re super-successful, maybe. The U.K. is very far away!
Have you got a favourite memory from your time in music – the one that sticks in the mind?
For me, one highlight was playing with one of our vocalists, Caitlin, on her first jazz gig in Taipei, Taiwan. She killed it and has since become a big name in the Jazz scene in Taipei. Very lucky to have her back in Australia to join us again.
If you could support any musician alive today, and choose your own rider, what would that entail?
Would love to support Tedeschi Trucks Band. They’re such humble and amazing people and I’d love a good selection of IPA beer and single malt whisky.
What advice would you give to new artists coming through?
Do music that excites you the most and embrace your uniqueness. Don’t try to be someone else.
IN THIS PHOTO: Rees Lucia/PHOTO CREDIT: Martin Imrie
Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?
Rees Lucia from Sydney is pretty amazing and so is Georgia State Line from Melbourne.
IN THIS PHOTO: Georgia State Line/PHOTO CREDIT: Bailey McNicol
Do you get much time to chill away from music? How do you unwind?
Camping when we get the time. Playing music is actually how I unwind.
Finally, and for being a good sport; you can choose a song and I’ll play it here (not any of your music - I will do that).
Midnight in Harlem by Tedeschi Trucks Band is a favourite of ours. We cover this song at most gigs
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