Project Description

Interview with

BEN SALTER

Interviewer – Lauren Connelly

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New album

Back Yourself

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Released September 1

through ABC Music/ Universal Music Australia

Pre-order HERE

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National tour confirmed for

October and November

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You’ve just released ‘Back Yourself’, your 3rd solo album which you wrote while living in Tasmania.  How did the change of scenery and lifestyle impact on your songwriting?

I’m not really sure to be honest. I did end up writing a song called “Derwent River” which obviously was directly about Hobart and Tasmania but it didn’t make it on the album. So I’m not sure.

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You’re a critically acclaimed musician who’s been in some of Australia’s best bands (The Gin Club) and you’ve collaborated with legends like Tim Rogers, Mick Thomas and Gareth Liddiard (The Drones). Yet one could be forgiven for never having heard your music before – how do you ‘Back Yourself’ in today’s music climate?

I guess you just gotta keep on keeping on, try not to compare yourself to others too much. Be grateful for all the things you have rather than focussing on the things you don’t have. I mean I consider myself very fortunate.

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You’ve toured with some of the greats, including Something For Kate, Cat Power, and Built To Spill. What’s been your favourite touring experience?

Having Doug Martsch from Built To Spill up the front watching us play every night on that tour was pretty amazing.

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Your Back Yourself tour is going absolutely bloody everywhere. How important do you think it is for musicians to tour regional areas?

I’m not sure if it’s important. I just like visiting new places and music gives me an opportunity to do that. There’s so many more places I would love to visit.

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You’re taking local Adelaide legend Dave Blumberg & his Maraby Band on this tour, which is excellent. Who else should we be looking out for within the local scenes?

Oh I am absolutely the wrong person to ask that question. There’s a band called Local Coward from Melbourne who are amazing.. a lot of good bands in Melbourne at present like Root Rat, Bench Press, Tankerville, Ute Root. All The Weathers in Hobart, and Treehouse.

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You’ve always got more than one music project on the go, what else is going on in the world of Ben Salter?

I’m currently in New Zealand finishing a tour and I’m hoping to visit Europe again next year. Not sure what my next album is going to look like.

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And finally, if you could put together a musical supergroup made up of all Aussie musicians, who would you pick?

Oh that’s easy, it would just be AC/DC. Classic line up. Although not many of them are actually Australian. But you get the idea.

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To mark the release of Back Yourself,

Ben will hit the road for an extensive national tour – dates as follows:

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Back Yourself

National Tour

Tickets: bensalter.com.au

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October:

Thurs 12 Adelaide SA / Grace Emily

Fri 13 Aldgate SA / The Barn (solo)

Sat 14 Fremantle WA / Oddfellow’s (solo)

Sun 15 WA / details TBC

Thurs 19 Sydney NSW / High Tea (solo)

Fri 20 Lennox Head NSW / House Concert (solo)

Sat 21 Brisbane QLD / The Flamin’ Galah

Sun 22 Brisbane QLD / The Flamin’ Galah (TBA)

Wed 25 Smith’s Alternative, Canberra

Thurs 26 NSW / details TBA

Fri 27 Sydney NSW / Marrickville Bowls Club

Sat 28 Gooloogong NSW / Gooloogong Log Cabin Hall (solo)

Sun 29 Maitland NSW / The Grand Junction Hotel (solo)

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November:

Thurs 2 Ballarat VIC / The Eastern

Fri 3 Melbourne VIC / The Tote

Sat 4 Melbourne VIC / The Old Bar (TBA)

Sun 5 Castlemaine VIC / Castlemaine Theatre Royal

Thurs 9 Launceston TAS / St John Craft Beer (solo)

Fri 10 Ulverstone TAS / The Wharf (solo)

Fri 10 Sheffield TAS / Mountain Mumma (solo)

Sat 11 Swansea TAS / House Show (solo)

Sun 19 Hobart TAS / MONA

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Follow BEN SALTER

Website          Facebook          Twitter          Bandcamp

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AMNPLIFY – DB

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