1. The First Record I Bought
The first records I bought were Nirvana’s Nevermind and In Utero – purchased both at the same time as a 12-year-old kid. I remember telling my mum I was buying a CD with a song called ‘Rape Me’ on it and making sure she was OK with it. Kinda weird looking back as I didn’t really understand the nature of that word, just knew it was bad. It inspired me to learn to play guitar, which I began learning a few months afterwards.
2. The Last Record I Bought
The last record I bought was The National’s Trouble Will Find Me. Since Boxer I’ve been a fan of this band. They are dark and brooding and melancholy, but somehow so interesting, exciting and captivating without being overly depressing. This weird balance of brilliance. The band puts on such a rock show live, whilst being much more articulate on their records. I love seeing the way they perform differing from their recordings – an amazing band. It’s a great album to listen to while in the tour bus or on a plane. Perfect record to zone out to.
3. The First Thing I Recorded
The first thing I recorded was a very, very, very long time ago. When I was a kid growing up learning guitar, my teacher got myself and a bunch of other students to go and record a song together. It was a brilliant experience, and recording for the first time was so exciting. It was a completely instrumental song, with about five guitar solos (one per student), so I’m not sure if it made a good listen, but it was a fantastic experience for a kid growing up.
4. The Last Thing I Recorded
The last thing I recorded was our record Harlequin Dream. I can’t remember what was the exact last song, however I feel like it was ‘Arrow Flight’. I actually played acoustic guitar on this track, which is fun to change things up. The song is definitely different live; I play a 12-string electric to help give a shift in tonal qualities to the set.
5. The Record That Changed My Life
Internationalist by a band called Powderfinger. It changed my life. I discovered this album about a year after it came out, as I was, like, 13 at the time – a friend of mine introduced me to it. The first song that grabbed me was ‘Already Gone’, and I listened to it on repeat for months, I think. I ended up learning every song on this record on guitar and it helped shape me as a guitarist into how I write parts today.
Boy & Bear on their Harlequin Dream Tour at Newcastle Panthers / The Entrance Leagues Club on Saturday May 17 / Sunday May 18.
