Hamish
A 27-year musical journey, from a beloved 1999 song to a long-awaited new album, Hamish reflects on songwriting, travel, friendship, family, and the stories behind his music.
1. “Singing In My Soul” was originally recorded for your 1999 debut album Picture In My Bag. What does this song mean to you today, 27 years after its original release, and has your relationship with it changed over time?
I originally wrote singing in my soul for my first wife. We are still very very good friends, and in the meantime, I have had quite a few other relationships… But all of them have been summed up by this song.
People have asked me to sing it at their wedding,
I which has been an honor. I think it stands the test of time. It was actually written before I was married, on a deck in New Zealand with a friend of mine, Adrian prior… After I returned home, he managed to make it into a bit of a hit in New Zealand, and it was used on a program sync. I’ve never got any royalties, because at that time I was not subscribed to PRS!
2. You recorded Picture In My Bag at the atmospheric Hatfield Court with producer Les Penning and a group of local musicians. What do you remember most vividly about those recording sessions, and how did that unusual environment influence the sound of the album?
The place was a virtual ruin, with doves roosting in the kitchen. We set up the recording studio in the old, Oak paneled living room, and had an enormous wood-burning stove in the middle of the room. Crumpets ( an English delicacy) were shared around and Special Brew beer(famously brought from Denmark to England by Winston Churchill], greased the atmosphere. The wood-burning stove was bleeding carbon monoxide, and I think all these factors helped make the album what it is. A bunch of hippie kids who were visiting, can be heard on the track “let’s chop down the trees”, and anyone who was in the area came and listened into the sessions, and sometimes hit various percussion instruments. There was a Celtic, bohemian vibe to the whole place, and I think this comes out on the album.
3. Your musical influences range from Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell to David Bowie, Queen and Radiohead. How have these artists shaped your approach to songwriting, particularly your belief that a great song needs both strong songwriting and an unforgettable melody?
Whenever I find myself singing round of fire, people asked me to play something memorable, and all these artists have song is it I can play… A really good song sticks in the mind and is easy to rouse a crowd with.
I hear songs nowadays and know if they are ahead of the game. Rufus Wainwright is amazing and I think he is one of our greatest songwriters at the moment.
Also, John Grant consistently delivers beautiful, melodies, and lyrics.
4. “Singing In My Soul” became a hit on the New Zealand folk charts and was later synced to a major television programme. What was it like experiencing that success while you were travelling with your guitar, and did you realize at the time how lasting the song would become?
When singing in my soul became a hit in New Zealand, I was kind of unaware as my fellow songwriter had done all the work to get it famous.
In those days I did not have Prs. [royalty collections] so I did not receive any money whatsoever. I did try afterwards, but by the time I got around to it, there was a three-year cap on going backwards in time.
And now I am keen for people to hear it, and for it to have more of a spotlight, because I think it’s a good song and many people tell me the same.
5. After years of travelling, performing and playing the song at weddings and events, you’re now releasing new music after a 27-year gap. What finally inspired you to return to recording, and what can listeners expect from your upcoming album Significant Others?
Since recording and releasing picture in my bag, I have been very busy having a family and working in the music industry in the UK.
I founded a venue at Glastonbury Festival, called the Rabbit Hole for 16 years. I specialized in promoting young up-and-coming artists, and had some pretty big wins, like Bastille, for instance. Throughout this whole time, I have been writing songs and performing.
In 2012 when my youngest son was born, I decided to start recording a second album… And it has taken me all this time to actually wrestle it into a fully completed piece of work.
It was in tatters for several years, lost in a pile of cuttings and hard drives, but recently, a producer, Chris Oldfield(from Dreadzone) arrived at my house to live in my cabin and said “Why don’t we get this album out?” We have spent the last year pulling it all together and finally, I am happy to release it.
We cobbled a studio together in the kitchen, with a borrowed microphone, an old piano, and a shaker made from a tin of rice, and we then collected a little bit of money for some good monitors. We had regular visits from my great friend and virtuoso guitarist, Andy dunn., who has tirelessly worked on this project with me for 16 years! We had regular visits from my great friend and virtuoso guitarist, Andy dunn., who has tirelessly worked on this project with me for 16 years! I hope that listeners to “Significant Others”, will enjoy it as much as I do.
6. You describe your current life in the Cotswolds, making music from your cottage deck with friends. How does your life today compare with the young songwriter who was hitch-hiking around the world with a guitar, and what still connects those two versions of Hamish?
Having children and living a working life, I look back on my days of traveling with great from fondness. They were Heady days of creativity, fueled by the lack of responsibility and care, but I would not want to change a single thing. My life now is as rich in so many different ways. My voice is a bit lower, but I think that adds to the music.