Having just returned from India, a country often in turmoil but currently even more emotionally charged than ever, Hoad discusses the trip on a personal and cultural level. “India was completely incredible!” Hoad exclaims. “The people, the music, the food – awesome. It was such a whirlwind as we literally flew in to perform at the Saarang World Culture Festival and then left just a few days after. But it was an incredible experience. Some of the other bands at the festival completely blew my mind, blending the typical Indian sounds with fat hip hop beats – with a capital PH, complete with a five-piece percussion section, incredible. We ate every sort of food we could and the flavours were like nothing I had ever experienced at Indian restaurants, which I guess you would kind of expect. I didn’t get to talk too much about the political side of things as the trip was consumed with music. But I came back completely inspired.”
It was only last September that Hoad romped around the country for an astonishing amount of shows but, being an intrepid traveller, he has continued his constant journey in the time between then and now. “When we spoke in September I was literally wrapping up the last few shows of an 87 show tour around Australia,” he says. “After that I had a few weeks off to catch up with my friends and family before heading back to my other home of Fiji. I spent a month touring in Fiji including a performance at the Uprising Festival in Pacific Harbour. I spent most of December in the studio finishing up the new album and then as soon as the New Year hit, headed to India.”
It seems as though travel and creativity are inextricably linked for Hoad. If he stopped travelling, would the music stop as well? “It seems the more I’m on the road, the more inspired I am,” he says. “It’s just that I’m constantly being exposed to these incredible people, situations, scenarios and stories; they constantly fuel my songwriting. When I stop moving, the songwriting doesn’t necessarily stop, but I think the topics definitely change – back to love songs and songs about my dog.”
Airlines get a nice bonus whenever Hoad travels – he likes to take as many of his instruments with him as possible – and you can rest assured that when you speak to him, he has usually acquired (or in this case, built) some new and peculiar stringed instrument. “My latest is a double neck Dulsitar,” he says. “One of the necks is based on a Dulcitar and the other is a four string guitar. The two necks are spread just the perfect distance to strum with only one hand and each of the two necks has its own output so I can run one guitar with a clean sounds and one with an effected sound. I designed it with Craig Koen who has designed many of my weird and wonderful guitars.”
A lot of artists find it difficult to write on the road but as Hoad is forever on the road, it’s something he’s used to. “I sort of wait for inspiration to strike, otherwise it is sometimes forced,” he says of his songwriting. “I tend to try and take a few days at a time for writing, especially when travelling. I have multiple books that I use to keep jotting down my random ideas, then when I have time, I get them out and start working on putting them all together. Other times I’ll just be inspired and write a whole new song from top to bottom. The best inspiration of all is the deadline of recording a new album, it’s then I seem to be able to bring it all together really quickly – funny about that. Kind of like when you’re at school or university and you leave a whole lotta stuff to the last minute and then it all seems to come together.”
Hoad has been working towards that kind of deadline, with a new release due out this year. “The new album Home Is Where The Heart Is comes out on May 5, released under our label Walkaboutfish Records,” he says. “The album was recorded in Sydney with producer Craig Porteils (Guns ‘N’ Roses, Terence Trent D’arby, Diesel,) and I am very proud to say it is my best work yet.”
BY KRISSI WEISS
