With an infusion of blues-soaked rock with a mixture of folk, singer-songwriter Hamish Anderson is sure to take the music scene by storm with his self-titled debut EP. The 21-year old singer isn’t slowing down anytime soon. Anderson took some time out of his busy holiday schedule to talk with Target Audience Magazine about who inspires him musically, what it was like to work with producer Eric J. Dubowsky and his hopes for 2014.
There is a maturity and depth to your material, listening to your music quantitatively expresses itself as an old soul, knowing more than your 21-years could amass, yet it does in very keen ways. Which track represents where you are at right now? And where do you want to go?
I’m really interested in continuing to discover and expand on my sound, while continuing to experiment with different sounds and styles. The tracks that are representing me best at the moment are the ones I am currently writing which will hopefully end up on the next release!
Initially when I heard your EP, your sound instinctually brought to mind a cross section of Jeff Buckley and Jonny Lang; which I absolutely adore and was thrilled to have found another artist with a striking balance of characteristics. That lead me to wonder who and what inspires your soundscape? Who do you turn to in your best of moods and worst? Who do you look up to?
Definitely both Jeff Buckley and Jonny Lang have been big influences on me! The artists I am always inspired by and look up to are to me the greats of music…artists like Bob Dylan, Neil Young, The Beatles, The Stones, Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Nina Simone, Miles Davis etc.
You’ve been extremely lucky, having had the opportunity to work with some of the most impressive talent in the industry, like producer Eric J. Dubowsky and Rami Jaffee who performed on your EP. What is it like to head into the studio, to work with these incredibly roster of talented musicians? How do you think it has lent or shaped your sound?
It was amazing to meet these people let alone get to play music with them and have them play on my songs. They definitely taught me endless lessons about recording, song writing and how to bring a song to life. It definitely taught me about really listening to a song and then adding things in and colouring around the song to really let it come to life.
You’ve mentioned that you like the concept of releasing EPs as a way to stay current where you are musically; so when can we expect your next EP? How will it differ from your debut and when do you think we can expect a full length album?
Hopefully I’ll have another EP out the first half of this upcoming year (2014). I’m in the middle of writing at the moment and an album is always on my mind so if I feel I have 12 songs that I’m really proud of and can work together then I would definitely be open to starting work on an album. I’m interested in continuing to work and be inspired by different sounds and instruments and see what different vibes they can bring to a song.
I’ve listened to your EP several times, getting something new from each spin. While I’ve absolutely gotten lost inside each of the tracks – they are very visceral and pensive, particular “Winter” and that struck a chord with me. It made me then re-examine the EP as a whole. There is this sheen of sadness, a loss greater than its sum that glums to each song. Is there a message there or it just happened to be where you were at during the recording process?
At this stage in my life I find I can really only write about my personal experiences and what is going on with me so in that sense all the songs to me have a meaning and memory attached to them as to what stage of my life I was in when I was writing and recording them. It’s always the goal to be as personal as possible with writing and hopefully the themes and situations you are writing about can be relatable for other people.
When can we expect you out on the road touring, particularly in North America?
I would definitely love to get across to the US and North America as soon as possible so hopefully we can make it happen in the first half of 2014!
