1.Growing Up
I grew up in a musically noisy household. Being the youngest, I was pretty much a sponge, observing all my family members’ choices of music and art. With my dad being a passionate musician and my mum’s extremely open approach to art, we were all given the freedom to make as much racket as we wanted, though funnily, despite being one of the loudest in nature, I was extremely shy about joining in.
2.Inspirations
Rachel’s, Arvo Part and The Necks. All three artists were given to me as gifts by different friends in my formative years. Each first listen was undertaken late at night in my room and they became a staple after that. Night-time, open natural spaces and seeing other artists emotionally charged when performing live inspires me too.
3.Your Band
Violinist Jay Kong and I met through my brother Jamie [Hutchings, lead singer-songwriter of Bluebottle Kiss] who always had him as a guest musician on Bluebottle Kiss albums. He also played in indie rock outfit Starboard with my other brother Scott on drums, so we used to hang out a bit. Cellist Peter Hollo and I circulated in similar music circles, crossing between indie and ambient. Our musical chemistry is pretty special, and I really value their input and understanding of me as a musician.
4.The Music You Make
I’d say it falls somewhere between neoclassical, ambient and cinematic. Tim Whitten (The Necks) has been a long-standing family friend who I’ve recorded with from the start. My debut Becalmed also had my friend and artist Tony Dupe onboard, engineering down at his studio in the tranquil surrounds of Kangaroo Valley. The album launch for Wide Asleep will be a little bit different, performed by candle light and set to beautiful visuals. It’s a BYO venue so you can bring whatever poison you fancy and settle in for the evening. It’s an anything-goes kind of venue.
5.Music, Right Here,Right Now
I think the music scene here can tend to struggle, more so for artists like myself. My music doesn’t fall into jazz or pop. Not a huge number of venues cater to it, though with artists like Nils Frahm and Olafur Arnalds touring Australia lately the interest is increasing. People are keen, but getting the word out can be slightly tricky. My favourite venues at the moment are Camelot Lounge and Glebe Justice Centre, because they’re very open to a wide mix of acts.
Sophie Hutchings launches Wide Asleep(out now through Preservation) at the Glebe Justice Centre on Saturday September 10.
