A Free Man

As you may or may not know, A Free Man is bound for Down Under. In anticipation of the imminent move, I’m on a mission to discover the best up and coming bands from my soon to be home. We Grow Up is an Adelaide quintet that got some attention last May after winning a Triple J Unearthed competition, they were selected to open for ARIA award winning singer-songwriter Missy Higgins.

We Grow Up released their sophomore long player, “Night Kitchen”, in February and it’s a cracker! This week, Anthony and Jon of We Grow Up sat down with A Free Man on the virtual couch for a chat about their craft and their home town…

AFM: First of all, let’s get to know you guys. Can you tell me who’s who in We Grow Up and what they play?

Well it started of with Jonathan Mortimer (guitar, vocals, keyboard) and Anthony Golding (guitar, vocals, keyboard) who started recording songs together in Jon’s bedroom in late 2006, layering tracks over one another. Since then we have been joined by Prudence Hart (bass), Jakub Tengdahl, (who played all of the drums on ‘Night Kitchen’ but has now moved to keyboard) and our newest member Tom Mackay (drums).

AFM: I’ve got to say that I really enjoyed your new album, ‘Night Kitchen’. One of my favorite things about the record is the kind of narrative, storytelling songwriting. Who’s penning the words and where are they coming from?

WGU: Both Jonathan and Anthony wrote songs separately for the album.

Anthony: I don’t purposely write narrative style lyrics, I feel more as though it’s a rambling stream of consciousness style with no linear ‘plot’. That said, if I’m thinking the same thoughts and in the same mood throughout the writing, it tends to come together to create a formed scene or perhaps just a mood.

Jon: I tend to write story songs. These stories often come from my own experiences, and I tend to write a lot about my childhood. On most occasions I relate these very personal stories through a created character’s perspective. I find that by having this buffer I sound less self indulgent, and have more freedom to twist stories in to whatever direction I want them to go in. Although these stories come mostly from my own experiences, on occasion I change details, or create entirely new situations to better fit the song’s overarching themes (or to fit a line that I like the sound of).

For example, the song “Mulberry Tree” is based on my own experience of falling out of a mulberry tree as a youth, but I related this story through two other characters that only ‘see’ the boy fall out of the tree. My songs often have a strong feeling of nostalgia to them, which slightly obscures the more serious themes within many of them.

AFM: In some of your songs, I hear echoes of the Mancunian Moaner. Who’s your favorite Smith - Morrissey, Marr, Rourke or Joyce?

Anthony: Morrissey, both lyrically cynical and honest to the centre.

Jon: Marr, I love the layers of ideas that he brought to The Smiths… ‘Meat Is Murder’ is so sonically dense, with his amazingly melodic and moody ideas. I also like the work he’s doing now with Modest Mouse.

AFM: My favorite track on your new record is “The Girl Who Threw Her Man Towards The Deep”. Is there a story behind that song? Would you like to share it with us?

Anthony: I’m glad you like it, I see the song (as I don’t write a story directly, I figure out what it’s about while I’m piecing i together) as a man who is in a negative place in his life looking back and trying to find blame, either in himself or in incidents that have happened to him. The line ‘about the girl who threw his man towards the deep’ is about an unexplained failed relationship that he recalls, with him opening up to someone else and thus causing pain to himself because of it, even though he believes it is his fault, he still cites the incident as being caused by the actions of ‘the girl’. This is why, in parts, he’s very cynical and bitter towards his own emotions, as though he knows they are where his anguish stems from, but he still isn’t willing to accept full responsibility. i.e. ‘the chorus cries out for my blood, and everything i should have done, opened up and turned me in, the scene survives where doubt begins’. In most of my songs, there always seems to be a stream of regret or bitterness towards the past, I don’t what that says about me, but it’s a vein i have no problem tapping into.

AFM: I’m really into the shuffling, shambling rhythm that you guys bring in a lot of the songs. Can you ask your rhythm section where that’s coming from? What’s their inspiration?

Jakub: Being from a jazz and improvised music background, I’m particularly interested in the subtleties and textures available on the drum kit. I tried to always consider the use of simplicity or complexity, ’smooth’ or ’shambly’ textures, and to be deliberate and considered with where these ideas were applied. However overall, being pop music, I was always out to serve each song and compliment the ideas of the songwriters.

AFM: Fantasy time. You’re going on a massive world tour. You need to bring three acts along with you in support. Which artists or bands, living or dead, would be on the plane with you?

WGU: Elliott Smith; possibly our greatest influence, the artist we’d say is the best songwriter of our generation. Also, our other greatest influence, The Beatles would have to come along; I’d love to hear them play live, being better able to replicate the sound on their records (hopefully without all the female screaming that accompanied their early concerts), and a super-group made out of members from Of Montreal, Belle & Sebastian and The New Pornographers. Sorry, we couldn’t just pick three.

AFM: Shifting gears a little, let’s talk about your home town? What’s the music scene like in Adelaide? What other South Australian bands should we be paying attention to? Who are the forefathers of the scene?

WGU: The music scene in Adelaide is predominately rock based. There are, however, some notable exceptions. Radio Spectacular are pure synth pop pleasure, with simple, direct pop songs. They have a great sense of melody. The Honey Pies are a new band, who are still forming, but Jon Marco their songwriter is amazingly talented. He creates melodies that are slightly left of centre but still retain a strong pop sensibility. Other good local bands include Wintermild, School of Two, and Bird Lantern. Otherwise, Adelaide is historically known for producing rock bands, such as Cold Chisel and Jimmy Barnes, The Masters Apprentices and other ‘Pub Rock’, or ‘Aussie Rock’ bands. Outside of this style, Adelaide doesn’t have a huge history; we mainly take our influences from outside of Australia. Within Australia, there have only been a small number of bands that have become popular playing (roughly) our style of music, you’ve got Augie March, The Lucksmiths and quasi-Australian band Crowded House (born in New Zealand) and Neil Finn’s talented son Liam Finn, but I think the scene is growing, or at least hope so.

AFM: Bear in mind that this is coming from someone who’s never been to your fair city, but I have the impression of Australia as being isolated from the rest of the world and Adelaide being a little isolated within Australia. Is that the case? If so, how does that affect you creatively? Is it a disadvantage in the sense that the creative pool is pretty shallow? Or is it an advantage in the sense that you’re unencumbered by what’s hot on MTV?

WGU: Nobody is that isolated anymore, not with the internet. We’re not particularly influenced by MTV (which we do get) since most of what’s ‘commercially popular’ in music is sub-par at best. How can you call us isolated when John Howard has forged a new and horrible alliance with America? We’re the sniveling right hand man to the most powerful country in the world! The popular culture in America is almost identical to here. We get all the CSI programs, and have our own Australian Idol series.

AFM: You guys have gotten some attention ahead of the release of this record, winning the Triple J Unearthed competition last year. Where do you go from here? What’s your plan for world domination?

WGU: We’re looking to get signed hopefully this year. Until then we’ll continue to promote ourselves as best we can. We recently sent off a whole bunch of our album ‘Night Kitchen’ to various record labels and review places, and we’re about to apply for a local arts grant for marketing and distribution. We’re trying to build a buzz based on the strength of our songs. Strong initial reviews have definitely helped. We’re also currently arranging a local, monthly night of indie pop music in Adelaide under the moniker of ‘Popsicle’

AFM: Bonus - Whose song about your home is the best - Ben Folds’ ‘Adelaide’, The Pogues ‘South Australia’ or John Cale’s ‘Adelaide’?

WGU: Definitely The Pogues ‘South Australia’. That’s a great song.

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We Grow Up get partial credit - that Ben Folds’ song is pretty damn good as well. As locals, they probably know best. Thanks to Anthony and John. Check out three of my favorites from their most recent record “Night Kitchen”. If you like what you hear and would like to hear more, check out the band’s site or send an e-mail to Anthony at wegrowup@hotmail.com.

MP3: We Grow Up - “Actor’s Show”
MP3: We Grow Up - “Mulberry Tree”
MP3: We Grow Up - “The Girl Who Threw Her Man Towards The Deep”

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