An Interview with PAUL DEMPSEY

Interview by Timothy Casten  
                                                    


Paul Dempsey is one of the most well respected songwriters to come out of Australia. His band Something For Kate (in which he is singer, guitarist and principal songwriter) was formed in 1994 with drummer Clint Hyndman on drums and Julian Carroll as the original bass player (Stephanie Ashworth joined the band after Carroll’s departure in 1998). Since their formation the band has gained critical acclaim and commercial success and been nominated for numerous ARIA’s with 5 platinum and gold records. Last year he released his first solo album ‘Everything is True’ to extremely positive reviews. Currently touring in America, Paul took some time out of his busy schedule to answer our questions:

Photo by Daniel Boud

I believe you've been staying in America for the last few months. How's the American tour going? Is it a big difference touring America, or anywhere overseas for that matter, compared to touring back home?

I’ve been living in NYC since June and will be for the forseeable future. It’s very different playing and touring here for the obvious reason that I am not really well known here so I’m playing much smaller rooms and often to people who don’t know anything about me but that is a challenge that I really enjoy and it’s also kind of liberating and exciting to not have any weight of expectation. It’s nice being ‘new’ to people...

"Everything is True" was released almost exactly a year ago and was pretty well received by music critics and fans. It's your first solo record (to be released under your own name). Were you ever intimidated or scared about how it would be received with it being pretty different from things you had done in the past?
I didn’t really think about it too much while I was writing it and recording it... It was only when I walked out of the final mastering session with the completely finished album in my hand that I suddenly got gripped by this fear that maybe no one would like it! I had that anxious feeling for a little while but it’s fairly easy to talk yourself down from those thoughts – You realise that no matter what you do you are never going to please everybody so it’s more important that you please yourself creatively.
But of course it is really nice when the album is released and people say nice things about it. That is definitely a good feeling!

Your solo album sounds quite different from Something for Kate. Is your writing process any different when writing your solo music and when you write for Something For Kate?
I guess it just comes down to the fact that when Something for Kate work on stuff it involves three people in a room with loud drums and amplified guitars and this buzz of electricity and the interaction between the three of us and that informs the way the music comes together... When I write by myself it is usually just me, by myself with an acoustic guitar in a quiet room – a much more personal and introspective atmosphere and I guess that also informs the way songs are formed.

What are your main influences? Bands, or musicians, or anything, what inspires you to write music?
I get inspired by all sorts of things, listening to music, walking around the city, going to galleries or museums or reading books, having conversations etc etc... The smallest little trigger can drag you along and become a snowballing thing that you can’t stop until you see it through and finish it. Sometimes the tiniest germ of an idea can sit in the back of your head for weeks until you find the right words or music to express it and get it out of your system. It’s like an itch or something that doesn’t go away until it’s scratched.


After recording in a home studio environment on "Everything is True", do you think the next SFK album will be recorded in a similar way, rather than going into a conventional studio? Or is it too far down the track to be thinking about this?
I am definitely more into the idea of doing it ourselves in a house or something like that. There just seems to be way less time-pressure than when you’re in a big studio and therefore it frees you up for more experimentation and messing around... So many important parts of a record happen by accident and I think it’s important to create the time and space for accidents.

What kind of gear have you been using lately? Is it similar to what you recorded ‘Everything is true’ with? (ie Maton acoustics, and old Fender guitars and amps?).
Yeah I’m kind of addicted to old Fenders and also Maton acoustics. They just feel and sound right to me. I also have a bunch of old Fender amps that sound really great. Although I came to NYC with nothing but my Maton acoustic guitar so I’ve been doing everything with that.

It's funny, just the other week I was searching everywhere for "An Empty Flight" but couldn't find a copy anywhere. Then just a few days ago I see an announcement on your facebook page about it's re-release. It's been more than a decade since it first came out, why re-release it now after so long of it being almost impossible to find?
We’ve had lots of enquiries about it over the years but frankly I’m always so busy with whatever current project there is that there hasn’t ever been the time to stop and think about it.
Nowadays it really doesn’t take much effort to just upload it and make it available through itunes so why not do it?... It was also attracting inflated sums on ebay so hopefully this will put a stop to that and people can get it if they want to hear it without getting ripped off.
I know some people have issues with mp3 format or with the itunes store or whatever but I guess you can’t please everybody. A physical re-release on CD just wasn’t realistic.

I believe last year was the 15th year of Something For Kate. When SFK started in 1994 you must've only been around 18, which is pretty young. How does it feel to be in a band, and in a career, that's lasted pretty much your whole adult life? Is it still just as enjoyable and exciting?
It feels incredible. I feel extremely lucky to have had the career that I’ve had thus far and I am always excited about what we’ll do next. I feel like our best stuff is still well ahead of us and I look forward to what we might be doing on our 12th record... Music is so vast and there is so much to learn and discover and I just want to keep doing that regardless of others’ notions of success/popularity/coolness etc etc.. After fifteen years it kinda seems like we’ve earned this weird immunity to a whole lot of bullshit and we just get on with our thing... If that makes sense.

I've heard you did some producing with Papa Vs Pretty recently; do you have plans to work with any other artists in the near future?
Yes, I’d love to. Producing is another thing I love doing because you get to be involved in the creative process but you are also able to stand outside and be more objective because it’s not your own material - you are there to basically mid-wife it into being and to try and help a band realise their ideas into a finished thing that they are happy with and proud of. It’s a big responsibility and an enjoyable challenge. I really enjoy that role...

Any news on Something For Kate or new solo material? Any upcoming releases on the horizon?
I’ve been spending whatever quiet time I have working on new ideas and writing... But NYC is not well-known for quiet time...

Paul Dempsey will be playing a number of shows in October around Australia before heading back to America:

October 3  2010 - Mackay Showgrounds (with Powderfinger), Mackay QLD

October 7  2010 - Rockhampton Showgrounds (with Powderfinger), Rockhampton QLD

October 8  2010 - Corner Hotel, Melbourne VIC --SOLD OUT--

October 10  2010 - Annandale Hotel, Sydney NSW --SOLD OUT--

October 12  2010 - University of Canberra, Canberra ACT --SOLD OUT--

October 13  2010 - Albury Sports Grounds (with Powderfinger), Albury VIC

October 15  2010 - Bendigo Showgrounds (with Powderfinger), Bendigo VIC --SOLD OUT--

October 13  2010 - North Gardens Ballarat (with Powderfinger), Ballarat VIC --SOLD OUT--

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