i. What was your last social media update?
Haha a photo of our dinner! Roast pork and veggies haha
ii. What's your all-time favourite album cover?
I love the Sigur Ros album Meo Suo I Eyrum Vio Spilum Endalaust. The cover has four guys running naked through a field - It's an image of joy and freedom...makes me laugh :)
If there is but one truth we can
take away from shows such as Australia’s Got Talent and X Factor, it is that
success is not always synonymous with substance.
While the arduous nature of the
independent music journey can lead many to question whether they have chosen
the right path, it remains a key source of inspiration for emerging
singer/songwriter Zoe Elliott.
“The struggle is the point – it’s
what generates the music. These days people want to be Bob Dylan or Patti Smith
without risking anything – short cuts to fame and stardom. But they don’t
realise that the only way those people could write and sing those amazing songs
in a way that people would believe is because they lived it. If Triple J
‘discovers’ you, you’ll become famous overnight, but I think the struggle
refines your performance, makes you original and gives you beautiful things to
write about”.
Part of the growing city/folk
genre, Elliott recently released her second EP Black Dog, it's title inspired by the “sad
but beautiful” motif of depression. Her album offers up a snapshot of inner
city life through a more traditional style of storytelling.
Teaming up with sound engineer
John McConnell, who has previously worked with Tina Turner and Joe Cocker,
Elliott said the Stanmore location and the process is reflective of her overall
style.
“It was exciting to use analogue
instead of digital recording and do it in a Heritage house with John”
“The city folk genre is about
creating honest music that has its roots in traditional folk but is used to
talk about what we are experiencing at this time. I love the idea that ugly
concrete and crowded places of the city can give birth to beautiful
creativity-almost out of necessity.”
Elliot’s whimsical musings on
urban life have already been heard in a number of towns throughout the country
with the songstress no stranger to hitting the road.
Having already supported the
likes of Renee Geyer and Matt Corby, she is currently on tour with fellow
songwriter Chris Coleman.
Starting this month, the
‘Rambling’ tour will incorporate shows in Melbourne, Sydney, Newcastle and
Canberra with the pair being supported by a host of up and coming musicians.
While at her recent EP launch in
Sydney she performed with a band, Elliott said her upcoming shows will be a
much more intimate affair.
“The band and I’ll be hitting the
road again in January for an east coast tour which’ll be great but the Rambling
tour is all about captivating the audience”
“Both Chris and I are deeply
passionate about the art of storytelling so I hope after seeing the show,
people feel like they have experienced something honest which makes them close
their eyes.”
Her shows have the potential to
evoke a depth of emotion with Elliott not afraid to delve into the darker side
of the human heart, inspired by “the stories of those around me, the condition
of the human heart, remind people of characters and stories long forgotten and
talk about the issues I think we are facing as people of this time”.
While she insists her music is
firmly within the city folk genre, her future is not necessarily set inside the
concrete confines of urban life.
“I want to live on a farm
somewhere away from the city – taking a few trips a year playing music, meeting
new faces and staying in touch with what’s out there. Have my own recording
studio and veggie patch – maybe even a horse or two! I’d really love to be able
to make a living off my music, whilst being a woman of integrity”
A prospect which may not be too far off given the
significant groundwork already laid.
Please check out her beautiful music
Photo courtesy of Zoe Elliot
