“We’re past the halfway mark now, but I’m really excited about the Melbourne show, and we’ve got Bobby Flynn and Kylie Auldist singing; The Cat Empire horn section; all of my new band from all the recordings that we’ve just recently done. Andrew Crosbie is going to be mixing as well,” he explains warmly. The names Webb reels off are just some of the talent he roped aboard to partake in the recording of 12 new tracks, each of which the songwriter will be releasing piecemeal across 2013. Webb admits the strategy was partly decided upon because the sale of recordings is where least of a musician’s income is generally generated, but there were other factors at work. “I also feel that some of my best work is yet to come, and I’m still working on new songs, and I’m not quite ready to release an album just yet,” he says. “These songs were originally intended to be demos to pitch to producers. So I’m still working towards an album, and I’d really like to work with a producer on those songs. So I guess part of the reason for releasing a song each month [is] not only does it showcase my songwriting – whereas an album might not so much, because people might only hear one or two singles – but also it gives the fans a chance, gives them a taste of what I’m working on at the moment, and if they like some of the songs then we’ll re-record those ones for the album.”
The hook-up with golden-voiced Bamboos singer Auldist was a heavenly match for Webb’s music, as one listen to first single Departure will attest: the vocals jam with Webb’s classic electric piano like a dream. “I think it was at the start of last year I was looking into the possibility of lining up a show at The Night Cat in Fitzroy. So I was sort of in the mood of doing some funk and soul covers, and I was going to start writing out horn charts and stuff over summer but I got a bit slack,” Webb laughs. “I started writing my own songs instead. I got in touch with Kylie through mutual friends, and we… ended up playing at St Kilda Festival, like an acoustic sort of show. I played keyboard for her, and she sang Departure, and we did some Bamboos songs, and things like that. It was quite fun.” After that little serendipitous performance Auldist came on board for the next stage of Webb’s plan: recording his new ideas.
Getting the rest of the notaries together for recording was slightly taxing. “We actually only had two days of pre-production leading up to recording the songs, and that’s just because Pete [Marin, drummer for Paul Kelly and Bertie Blackman] was in LA at the time, and I was getting a bit stressed out because I’d booked everything about a month in advance. [We were] running out of days before recording, and I [was] sort of worried if they were going to learn the songs or not. But those guys are all pro; they pick things up in a flash. I felt quite confident heading into the studio on the day. I’m really fortunate to be able to work with professionals like that.”
February’s single release, Shadows Of A Maniac, demonstrates Webb’s interest in experimenting with time signatures, a marvellous feature which really rewards the listener on repeated spins. The layered vocals during this part are very Beatles-esque and Webb credits his dad with having introduced the band to him at a young age. “They’re a massive influence,” he agrees. “One of my earliest memories was my dad playing Abbey Road on vinyl to me when I was quite young.” One of the keyboards in Webb’s well-stocked arsenal is, in fact, that played by John Lennon on I Am The Walrus. “Some of my favourites are my Wurlitzer, I think that’s 1968. It’s like 36 kilos, so it’s fun carrying that around to gigs! I’ve got a Farfisa, in the cupboard, that’s another ‘60s keyboard. And I recently acquired a Hohner: it’s quite similar to a clavinet, so a Stevie Wonder sort of sound.” That’s the Walrus one, for you fellow Beatles fans out there. “I’ve got keyboards lined up against the wall and across the floor.”
BY ZOË RADAS
