“I think this is a little bit different to some of the other tributes I’ve done, yes,” Wainwright says. “I think there is more consideration to keep to the spirit in many ways. Especially with certain songs. It’s a difficult balance, and obviously being a female singer it will be different right away. But I really wanted to do this because I think that Jeff and Tim are such great artists, and I’m quite happy to be along for the ride. They’re versatile songs, so we’ll be starting from the original and going from there.”
“It’s bittersweet, that’s for sure,” Lucas says. “But that was always a hallmark of the music we did. A lot of songs began as guitar instrumentals I’d composed with [Jeff’s] voice in mind. His voice was calling to me in the distance, I could always imagine it there. But those songs are all very bittersweet – they go through these time changes that tell stories full of mixed messages. And I think that’s one of the reasons these songs still endure. They strike a chord that resonates with people.”
Lucas played an instrumental role in Jeff Buckley’s career, co-writing the songs Mojo Pin and Grace from 1994’s iconic Grace LP. Their collaborative relationship was further illuminated on the 2002 release Songs To No One, comprising demo recordings from the early ’90s. Lucas recalls his unexpected meeting with Jeff at a tribute concert honouring his father.
“The producer of that tribute, Hal Willner, introduced me to this guy Jeff, who had come forward and wanted to pay respects to his dad on the show. And I was totally surprised. I didn’t know Tim had a son, and neither did they. But it was a great moment, and I have to commend Hal for tremendous foresight. Somehow he intuited that I would be a good creative fit with Jeff.”
Wainwright’s first exposure to Jeff Buckley came early in her career, as she left Montreal to develop her musical ambitions in New York City. There, she found a community still reeling from Buckley’s passing in 1997. She, like so many others, quickly grew enamoured of the virtuosic album, Grace.
“His spirit loomed incredibly large,” she says. “Everybody was playing his music, it was almost omnipresent. I was in the East Village, and people were still very much mourning him. He was really a kind of god to them. Still is.”
A State Of Grace will arrive at the Melbourne Recital Centre next week as part of its world premiere tour. While both Jeff and Tim were unique, engaging artists, local audiences are likely more familiar with Buckley Jr. Despite this, as Wainwright herself notes, it’s the songs that will capture and engage.
“I’m hoping people have that ‘Wow’ moment,” Lucas laughs. “‘Wow, this was a phenomenal, new way of listening to some of our favourite artists.’ Probably they won’t know Tim as well as they know Jeff, but hopefully they’ll see a unity there between father and son, and that to me is the backstory that has never really come forward before. Not many people know just how connected Jeff was to his father, even though in interviews he tried to disassociate himself. You know – ‘Don’t try and put me in the same boat as Tim, I’m my own artist.’ But I know that he knew his father’s music backwards and forwards, he loved it.”
BY ADAM NORRIS
