“That’s probably a good way of looking at it,” he says of my suggestion playing in so many bands was a musical apprenticeship of sorts. “I played in quite a few bands so you kind of get to know how things work up close, so this (going solo) has been a little smoother.” The collaborative process too of being in bands, working with other songwriters and musicians “definitely influenced the way I write music” he says. “But” he adds, “I had a pretty clear idea of the style of music I wanted, and the direction this particular EP was heading. There’s a rootsier country influence in there.”
The EP, six tracks of alt-country rock possess a real late night barroom feel – it sounds clean but rustic at the same time. Was this by accident or by design? “Well we recorded it all live in the studio, and the guys that played on it, I’ve played with them in a band previously (The Fallen Gentry) so it was a comfortable and organic process, hence the barroom feel.” Inspired keys from 67 Specials Louis Macklin certainly helps generate that feel as well. Macklin, whom Carr met through producer Clinton Kraus added a “massive amount” according to Carr. “That solid piano playing completely changed the sound of all the tunes once he added his parts,” Carr comparing Macklin’s keys to those of arguably The Rolling Stones’ greatest session keyboardist, Nicky Hopkins. Macklin’s keys end up providing a thread through the recording, making one imagine Carr and company recording this EP late at night with whiskey glasses atop of pianos and amps.
Another significant guest was iconic Melbourne musician and You Am I guitarist Davey Lane; Lane bringing the EP to a close with an extended solo on closing track Clock Stopped Ticking. Carr laughs when I ask if there was any other man for the job. “I don’t think so.” I met him at a The Replacements night I put on last year, and we bonded over our mutual love of them and The Band. That last four repeats of the verse riff at the end of the last track were definitely written with him in mind.” He laughs again. “A little bit over the top, but it works.”
Though the outfit bears his name, Carr is keen to talk up the roles of others on the recording. “Even though it’s my name, it’s a lot of people that are adding to it; I’m not telling people what to play, they bring their own musical identity to it.” The production on the EP itself seems further evidence to this; Carr’s distinct and intriguing voice at the forefront, but certainly not amped up to the extent it detracts from any of the instrument. “Clint did a great job producing, he’s managed to get everything to sit really well with nothing too overbearing.” He chuckles when I tell him his voice sounds like the bastard child of Mick Jagger and the Go-Betweens Robert Forster (if male on male reproduction was indeed possible). “A few people have said the vocals are a little bit different, but if it makes it stand out a little more it can’t be a bad thing.”
Though born in London and raised in Sydney, Carr is going to be calling Melbourne home again for the foreseeable future. “I always knew the music scene in Melbourne was obviously pretty good compared to Sydney, so it was a no brainer to come back here and get in a band as quickly as I could.” With the company he’s keeping down here, we hopefully won’t see him leaving anytime soon.
BY GARRY WESTMORE
