1. 14 reverb magazine issue #073 — Sept 2012 Follow us on Twitter
k a t c h afi r e — m ia d y s o n
Katchafire, whose band name is an
appropriation of The Wailers’ hugely
influential 1973 record, CatchAFire,
have become one of the world’s most
embracedproponentsofreggaemusic.
Natives of Hamilton, on the north
island of New Zealand, the seven-piece
group are returning to their Australian
fans for a run of shows in August and
September. Lead vocalist and guitarist
Logan Bell explains to NickMilligan
why,after15years,thegroupwantto
infusethe traditionally Jamaican genre
with more of their homegrown culture.
‘Irie’ is your new single and I believe in
Jamaican it means ‘excellent’. Why was it
the best name for your Australian tour?
For us, it’s about fun and getting back to
see our loved ones and the friends we’ve met
in Australia, and the friends we are going
to make. That’s what we mean by the ‘Irie’
tour — it’s about good vibes.
Has the popularity of reggae remained strong
around the world or has it had ups-and-
downs since you formed in 1997?
I think it’s just gone from strength to strength.
When we first started it was definitely a lot
harder — it was hard to get onto commercial
radio. But reggae is a huge world genre and
I’m amazed that every part of the world we
go to loves reggae, from Poland to Egypt to
Dubai. These places all love a bit of reggae,
good vibes — irie vibes!
KatchafireformedasaBobMarleytributeact.
How did you start writing original songs?
[Original music] was an afterthought —
definitely a natural evolution. Some of the
guys were writing before the tribute band,
but the tribute band brought us together and
gave us a good grounding and schooling in
roots reggae — the genre that we love. We got
to play great songs every night from the
greatest reggae artist that ever lived. A year
into playing bars and nightclubs around
our home city, we started writing our own
music and going abroad a bit more.
Is writing reggae songs a similar to process
other genres of music? And is it true that
there are five songwriters in Katchafire?
At the start there were two [songwriters]
and now the rest of the band get in on the
fun. [Writing reggae] is a similar process
[to other genres]. Most of the writing is
broken down to a guitar or a keyboard — for
most melodies the weapon of choice is the
guitar. A lot of the songs are written on the
road, at gigs or downtime in airports, hotels.
A lot of the ideas start on the road, then we
take them into the studio and refine them a
little bit more. We just let it happen naturally.
Katchafire have started work on album
number five. Do you have any clear ideas
about how you want it to sound?
The boys aren’t too much for sitting around
and conceptualising, we’re more emotionally
driven and feel our way a bit more. Because
there are five songwriters we have a massive
pool of creativity to choose from. That works
in our favour. But because there are so many
writers it’s hard to pull together an underlying
theme, so we’ve started thinking a little bit
about that. The thing we came up with, to
have in the back of our minds when being
creative, is to think about who we are as a
[New Zealand] people and how unique it is
[compared] to the rest of the world. We see
our home as a very special place, and our
culture as well. It’s inspiration to draw from.
So we want to bring that through in the
music as well. I think that’s the reason why
we want to bring our New Zealand-ness out
more in the songwriting.
In what ways does your Kiwi heritage
already make you different to reggae
bands from other corners of the globe?
We are very unique [as a culture] and
maybe our past albums haven’t showed
that as much. But in terms of the sound we
are definitely unique in the fact that we like
to sing a lot and harmonise. We’re very
heavy on three-part harmonies [and]
singing good melodies. That’s one point of
difference from other reggae territories.
But we try to stay very pure to our roots
— roots reggae.
Katchafire perform at the Cambridge Hotel,
Newcastle on Sunday, September 23.
Keeping
the home
fires
burning
“I’ve been away from Australia for a while
now and haven’t released an album in a few
years so I didn’t really know if people were
still listening, paying attention or even
interested in hearing the next record. It was
so overwhelming and it changed my whole
attitude - knowing that I can make a career
with just people wanting to listen to my
music. I think we’ve created something
beautiful and compelling and I’m so
excited to share these new songs.”
Dyson thanks changes in the music
industry for increased freedom and
independence for artists. As a young
musician, she waited for a label to come
along and grab her by the hand. But as
time went by so did all the record deals.
“When artists first start out, we have a
fantasy of having someone discover us. It’s
great now, knowing you can have a career
without needing to have a label. You’re not
needing to waste your energy on that
because you are the label.” Dyson prefers
to connect with her audience live. “It’s just
so much more direct. I’ll meet people at
shows and get them to sign up to my
mailing list and keep them involved.”
With Dyson’s pledge campaign a definite
success, her supporters are also rallying
behind a not for profit organisation, My
Sisters Inc, which provides incarcerated
survivors of family violence with
education, empowerment and support.
Hearing the stories of inmates after
performances in Melbourne’s women’s
prisons, Dyson felt compelled to get
involved. “I don’t actually have a personal
connection with the charity but after
hearing some of the stories these women
had to tell, I really wanted to help.”
Having left Australia, in 2009, to follow a
lifelong dream to play music in the US,
Dyson supported big names such as Stevie
Nicks, Chris Isaak and Eric Clapton. After
years of touring consistently and playing
festivals across the US, she moved to LA to
work with Dave Stewart of The Eurythmics.
Personal self-discovery is a major theme
in her latest album. “After the last record I
kind of lost my motivation to write. I didn’t
know how to make it work, I didn’t want to
put pressure on myself but I didn’t want to
come home until I had a record.” Taking
time out for songwriting was the key.
“Within this time away I’ve really grown
up. I’m feeling energised and inspired,”
says Dyson.
‘When the Moment Comes’ is Dyson’s
first single release from The Moment, but
the last to be written for this record. “It was
just one of those things where I wasn’t
really sure where the song was headed and
how I wanted it to be and it actually
evolved in the studio and became the most
acceptable track. I mean I had a heap of
other songs in mind that I thought would
be good as the first released single [and],
in fact, I wasn’t even sure I liked it until we
finished it, and then I was in love with it. It
was fun to watch it evolve - to be a song
that I wasn’t too sure about [and] then
something I felt really good about.”
Now that The Moment has come for
Dyson, she will be heading home and
touring her album nationally while
continuing to write new material.
Described as channelling one of the vocal
greats Lucinda Williams, Dyson is feeling
encouraged, supported and energised. “I
feel like I’m at the very beginning, I’ve had
such a long time off, trying to make my
career work out in the States and meeting
everyone here, I’m just so excited to be
coming back.”
Mia Dyson performs at Lizotte’s, Lambton,
on Friday September 14, and Lizotte’s,
Kincumber, on Saturday October 6.
For her fourth studio album, MIA DYSON turned to those that have
supported her from the very beginning — her fans. In just the first
week of an eight-week online pledge campaign, Dyson reached her
target goal, which has funded the production, promotion and touring
costs for her newly released album, The Moment.
MEL ROACH spoke to Dyson about the kindness of strangers.
Seize the day