The young and talented Hamish Anderson has already made a name for himself as an extremely talented musician. Beats Magazine describes Anderson. the whole package with a powerful voice, passionate guitar playing, and complex songwriting”. Fortunately, the up and coming Australian singer took the time from his current US tour to answer some questions about FDRMX, as well as expound on his love of Blues and Rock and Roll.
1.
FDRMX: What artists were your favorite growing up? Any that you believe were responsible for making you want to be a musician?
Hamish Anderson: It was definitely hearing artists like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Zeppelin, Clapton, Chuck Berry etc that inspired me to play guitar, sing and write songs and still inspire me.
2.
FDRMX: There’s a subtle amount of Blues influence in your Rock style that gives your style some uniqueness. Where do you think that comes from? Do you have a strong connection to Blues music?
HA: The blues is definitely the music that means the most to me and I feel a very strong connection to that music. I feel with everything that I write and play it is coming from the blues.
3.
FDRMX: A huge opportunity came for you when Foo Fighters keyboardist Rami Jaffee recorded for you. What exactly did it feel like when you heard it was going to happen? Were you more nervous or excited?
HA: It really took me by surprise that he liked the songs so much and would want to play on them. It was definitely a highlight of the recording being able to watch him work and bring these songs to life.
4.
FDRMX: You’ve described releasing EP’s as musical snapshots of where you are musically. Working off of that that metaphor, can you describe what that snapshot would look like?
HA: To me it’s more of a snapshot of where I am at the time of writing the EP. I feel the I am always trying to grow musically so each EP is sort of a representation of what is inspiring me at the time, whether it be music, friendship, relationships, travelling etc.
5.
FDRMX: I hear one of your big goals is to one day release a full album. Any idea what the core theme of it would be, if any?
HA: The themes of an EP/Album or a song generally doesn’t really present itself until you’ve finished writing the song and that’s something I really enjoy about the process of writing. Each time it is a different process, that could start with a lyric, a melody, a riff, a title etc it is different every time and that is what keeps it interesting/exciting.
6.
FDRMX: To me your single Howl sounds like a profession of love but also suggests an emotionally abusive relationship. What are the emotions that went into the song?
HA: I think the main emotion that inspired Howl was lust. It’s really about wanting someone even though its may not be right for you.
7.
FDRMX: The music video to Howl does a very effective job of backing up the visuals. Did you have any input in its creation? Was it rough to film (you appear to get beaten up and dirtied pretty bad throughout it)
HA: It was mainly the director James Base who came up with the story/theme. We both spoke about how we wanted it to be dark and moody and shot in black and white but I really put myself in his hands for the shoot.
8.
FDRMX: You mentioned in the past about releasing “Winter” as a single. There’s a really great video of you performing it, but is there any desire to make a fully fledged music video in the same vein as “Howl”? Or any song for that matter?
HA: Probably not with Winter. The recording of Winter was so stripped back with just my voice and acoustic guitar that I wanted to make a video that also represented that stripped back vibe of the song. I am looking forward to making another music video like Howl for some of the new songs I’ve been recording though.
9.
FDRMX: How are you liking the United States so far?
HA: I’m loving the US! Its really like Australia on a bigger scale, the music scene over in America is huge. It seems the audiences really love going out and finding new music, no matter what night of the week it is people are going out and trying to find great live gigs. There are so many great venues in LA let alone the whole of America and the quality of live music I’ve seen is really mind blowing.
10.
FDRMX: Any plans to return to Melbourne in the near future or are you fixed in the U.S. for now?
HA: I’m coming back to Melbourne for about just under 2 months in July before heading back to the US for more live shows over there.
11.
FDRMX: What is the best compliment you have ever heard from an admiring fan?
HA: Hmmm, it’s really always a thrill when people will come up after a show and tell you how much your music means to them, it’s a really good feeling.
12.
FDRMX: What are your three favorite Guitar Solos of all time?
HA: Great question!…In no order, the solo Eric Clapton plays on “While my guitar gently weeps” By The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix’s solo on “All Along The Watchtower” and Jimmy Page’s solo on “Whole Lotta Love”. (I could go on forever).
13.
FDRMX: After your tour ends, what’s next? Work on a full album, another EP snapshot, or take a well deserved break to recharge and gather inspiration for future songs?
HA: I just finished two weeks of recording in LA so from those sessions I’ve got another EP, which should be released in the next couple of months. I’m planning on doing some shows in Australia in July before coming back to the US in August to do more live shows over there!
Best of luck to Hamish Anderson on his upcoming EP. Be sure to follow the Aussie on his Facebook and Website. He’s definitely one to watch!