Ed Kuepper will again tackle any industry pre-conceptions, this time though, performing a set of largely new and as-yet-unrecorded material for a tour being dubbed Nostalgia For The New. And, in a further twist to the norm, Herr Kuepper will undertake the tour via a 3-week-mid-week residency in Brisbane, Sydney & Melbourne with spin-off weekend shows in regional areas. Tomatrax caught up with Mr Kuepper to talk about his latest projects.
Your upcoming tour will focus on new, unreleased material, how will the music compare with your previous work?
I think everything I do is an ongoing process , so I think it’ll fit in quite well but also continue the ongoing process
Your bio says that you will be work-shopping the new material for your next album, what made you decide to play your new material live first before recording it in the studio?
Playing it live helps develop the ideas in a way which will hopefully make the recording process more spontaneous and relaxed.
Also playing the material solo forces a concentration onto the actual core of the song…there is no ability to hide behind an arrangement. The words, the melody and the guitar playing all have to work in their own right.
When do you plan on putting your album together?
Pretty much as soon as the tour finishes
Are you likely to change the style of any of your songs between when you start touring and when you record your album?
There’s a good chance somethings will change. I’d like each of the shows to be an unique.
Are there any plans to write new songs and then perform them whole on this tour?
The tour is pretty full on, not sure if there’ll be time …but who knows?
You will also be playing three week residency shows in Sydney. Melbourne, and Brisbane, where did you get the idea for this approach?
I’ve done the residency thing before once or twice and find the ritualistic aspect of it to be both enlightening and a challenge at the same time, when it works it’s something quite special. You have to do things differently from night to night
Last year you did a show with various members of the Sydney Chamber Orchestra, what inspired this collaboration?
Working in an orchestral setting was something I’ve been wanting to do for a really long time. I’m a completely independent operator so the realization of it has always been hampered by the cost of doing it and finding an appropriate place to do it in. Luckily the new music director at the Sydney Festival thought it was worth taking a punt on. It ended up being very successful artistically, plus the show at the City Recital Hall sold out so hopefully there may be an opportunity to do it again
Was it hard to re-work your songs to have an orchestral sound?
No, things came together in a very natural and unforced way. The musicians were totally into it and made it work very quickly…which was good because we didn’t get a lot of rehearsal
You’ve been working on the soundtrack for the film Last Cab To Darwin, how did that project come about?
Jeremy Sims the director, approached me about it at the end of 2013. He was very knowledgeable about my stuff and had a very definite idea of the type of mood he wanted to create in the film. These types of things are often as much about what you don’t want as they are about what you do. I think he conveyed his ideas in a really clear way, being an Australian film they were very strict budget restraints I think we got all the core ideas down in a day or two and after that it was pretty much editing. It was a terrific experience and he was a pleasure to work with.
How does writing the soundtrack for a film compare to making your own record?
EK- Well, the main difference is that you have to do something that the director thinks works. It’s their vision and you try to help realize that, whereas when I do my own records I have final say.
Are there any plans to do any future film soundtracks?
I’d love to but there’s nothing planned currently
What do you have planned after this tour?
A couple of things… firstly there’s a new album of new material which is what this tour is all about’
Then I’d like to do a studio recording of the orchestral concept that was done at the Sydney Festival earlier this year. We did record the show but I think a studio environment might be even better to capture the very subtle nuances of the strings.
I’m also working with Matt Condon [political journalist] on a musical adaptation of his trilogy on political and police corruption in Queensland in the 1970’s and 80’s. This is called The valley Burns and is due to debut at the Brisbane Powerhouse in 2016.
Get ready to lock in your mid-week winter kicks with Ed Kuepper as he sweeps down the east coast on his Nostalgia For The New tour this July. Dates are below. Check out Ed Kuepper’s facebook page to find out more!
Tues 14 July: Black Bear Lodge, Brisbane QLD
Tickets $22.00 + bf from feelpresents.oztix.com.au, phone 1300 762 545 or in person at all Oztix outlets.
Wednesday 15 July – Factory Theatre, Sydney NSW
Tickets $25.00 + bf from factorytheatre.com.au, phone 9550 3666 or in person at the Enmore Box Office (130 Enmore Road, Newtown)
Thursday 16 July – Northcote Social Club, Melbourne VIC
Tickets $22.00 + bf from http://www.northcotesocialclub.com or phone 1300 724 86
Friday 17 July – Soundlounge, Gold Coast QLD
Tickets $26.00 + bf from soundlounge.com.au
Saturday 18 July – Green Room, Eumundi QLD
Tickets $30.00 + bf from feelpresents.oztix.com.au, phone 1300 762 545 or in person at all Oztix outlets and the Venue.
Tuesday 21 July – Black Bear Lodge, Brisbane QLD
Tickets $22.00 + bf from feelpresents.oztix.com.au, phone 1300 762 545 or in person at all Oztix outlets.
Wednesday 22 July – Factory Theatre, Sydney NSW
Tickets $25.00 + bf from factorytheatre.com.au, phone 9550 3666 or in person at the Enmore Box Office (130 Enmore Road, Newtown)
Thursday 23 July – Northcote Social Club, Melbourne VIC
Tickets $22.00 + bf from http://www.northcotesocialclub.com or phone 1300 724 867
Friday 24 July – The Who Club, Warburton VIC
Tickets $50.00 + bf from moshtix.com.au, phone 1300 GET TIX or in person at all Moshtix outlets.
Saturday 25 July – The Who Club, Warburton VIC
Tickets $50.00 + bf from moshtix.com.au, phone 1300 GET TIX or in person at all Moshtix outlets.
Tuesday 28 July – Black Bear Lodge, Brisbane QLD
Tickets $22.00 + bf from feelpresents.oztix.com.au, phone 1300 762 545 or in person at all Oztix outlets.
Wednesday 29 July – Factory Theatre, Sydney NSW
Tickets $22.00 + bf from http://www.northcotesocialclub.com or phone 1300 724 867
Tickets $25.00 + bf from factorytheatre.com.au, phone 9550 3666 or in person at the Enmore Box Office (130 Enmore Road, Newtown)
Thursday 30 July – Northcote Social Club, Melbourne VIC
Tickets $22.00 + bf from http://www.northcotesocialclub.com or phone 1300 724 867