Project Description

Interview with

JACK BRATT

Interviewer – Dave Bruce

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Have you always wanted to be a musician? When did you start writing music?
I started writing music when I was about 13 or 14, basically from the get-go as soon as I started learning how to play guitar, I immediately wanted to write my own music. I had a band in high school with a few friends and we all started playing music and writing music together. We recorded our first EP for a school assignment when we were in year 9. As soon as picked up the guitar I never wanted to put it down, so from then on, I always knew I would be a musician.

Which music did you grow up listening to? How has it influenced your current style? 
My dad is a musician and so there was always a lot of great music around the house, The Beatles, James Taylor, Cat Stevens, as well as a lot of 80s and 90s Australian pub rock as I spent a lot of time at dads gigs. When I started discovering music on my own it was a lot of the 90’s alternative rock, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins. I guess I was always drawn to guitar driven music, so that’s carried over into my own music.

How would you describe your sound?
I’d say it’s a pretty even mix of my musical tastes, it can be quite anthemic, and ethereal. It’s also a little hypnotic, I like a lot of shoegaze bands and repetitive rhythms.

Why do you think people resonate with your music?
If people are resonating with my music, I’d say it’s because it’s a bit different to most music that’s out there at the moment. It’s becoming increasingly rare to find guitars in new music.

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Your new single “Spades” has just been released! Describe its origin and evolution. 
It was written about a year ago when I was in the process of applying for the Grant McLennan fellowship award, which I was luckily enough to win in December last year. I’d had some time off from writing music for a few years, I was just a bit burnt out after the breakup of my last band and needed some time away from it. But ‘Spades’ just feel out one day really quickly, it was written in about 30 minutes. I feel like it was me telling myself it was time to start writing again.

Do you have any more new music in the works?
Absolutely, there will be a follow up single in August.

Do you have any shows/tours coming up? What are you looking forward to, and what can the fans expect?
Unfortunately, it’s looking more and more likely that there won’t be any live performances for anybody for the rest of the year, but when things do start to settle down, I’ll be very excited to start locking in some live dates.

If you could perform with any music artist, Alive or Dead, who would you choose? And why? 
I’d love to play some guitar for Frank Ocean, I think he’s a genius, his last 2 records are masterpieces. I love his depth of song writing, how he strays away from any sort of conventional structure or soundscape, it’s the most innovative music I’ve heard maybe ever. And I love his voice obviously.

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What’s next for you in the near future? 
Lots of writing, recording in isolation, and bringing out some new music in a few months.

What are your longer-term aspirations?
Hopefully I’ll be making records and touring and playing music for people anywhere I can for as long as I can.

What is the best thing about performing to a live audience?
I think just seeing Joy on people’s faces. Music is truly magical and being able to bring happiness to somebody through what you love to do is an amazing feeling.

Finally, a few questions for some quick answers –
FAVOURITE:
Album – Blood Sugar Sex Magik – Red Hot Chili Peppers
Artist – Musician? Right now, Fiona Apple – Or Artist, Basquiat
Movie – Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Place to visit – Los Angeles
Venue to play – The Tivoli
Food – Mexican
Drink – Red Wine
Person in History – My Fiancé
Tattoo – (If you don’t have one, what would you get?) I have 5, all of them quite bad.

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GRANT McLENNAN FELLOWSHIP winner
JACK BRATT
announces new single + video
‘SPADES’

 

Hot off the back of winning the prestigious Grant McLennan Fellowship in 2019, beloved Aussie rocker Jack Bratt recently announced his brooding new single Spades, a study in over-thinking, and accompanied by an intimate live video.

Spades is a dark, moody track, and will be an exciting release for fans of anthemic legends The War On Drugs, Kingswood, Holy Holy, The Rubens et al.  Expert guitar reigns throughout, while Jack’s unique, cutting vocal sits within the bed of sound, with sharp, affecting lyrics. Speaking of the inspiration behind the track, Jack explains, 

“I’m a classic overthinker, and Spades is a bit of a snapshot of me over-analysing everything.  It’s a lot about comparing where I’m at in my life to my friends and family, thinking about whether or not I’m where I should be compared to, say, when my parents were at the same age.”

Such a close, vulnerable track requires careful treatment when it comes to live performance, and the accompanying video for Spades will give goosebumps to anyone who presses play.  Directed by Clint Lewis of Red Tape Pictures (Tim Rogers, The Church), the black and white, artistic video depicts a solo rendition of the track, which allows Jack to accurately portray the significant nature of the subject matter in this song, as he says, 

“I just wanted the video to be simple.  Playing this song solo, not in a band setting, is a pretty vulnerable thing.  When I walked into the room for the first time and saw the pillars and the stained-glass windows, I knew it was going to be perfect for the song.”

Jack Bratt, who still hopes to head to New York City in June for a three month artist residency thanks to his recent Grant McLennan Fellowship accolade, also holds high hopes that he’ll be able to play a run of intimate shows while over in the US.  With a lot of uncertainty around Covid-19, Jack’s plans are a little up in the air, but he’s got a great attitude about his year ahead, enthusing,

“While this is obviously a pretty distressing time for all of us, I’m using the time wisely by writing a lot of music which I’m excited about. And I’m planning on still heading to New York as soon as the travel bans have been lifted.”

Spades is out NOW. 

Listen: SPADES

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AMNPLIFY – DB