–P.Sutton
Carus is about to embark on a ‘farewell to Oz tour.’ Yep, this iconic Aussie musician is packing up and heading over to make Germany his home. Fans will have a few weeks to see him before waving ‘auf Wiedersehen.‘
‘I have been slogging it out for a long time in Australia and I have a good following, but my European tours have always been condensed into these six week blocks. The idea is I will go over there and tour all the places I have barely explored and come back for short stints in Australia. The radio play thing is so difficult over here, the JJJ thing is stunting me. My music is not what they’re wanting to play. That door gets closed. It’s like ‘What do you do?’ Over in Europe, there are so many things that take up the challenge.’
Carus promises that the tour will feature not only all the fan’s old favorites, but also material from the new album he is currently working on.
‘It’s a bit scarey ‘Creative of Habit’ was such a watershed moment. I attained a new level of songs and I am really proud of that album. I guess over the years I have become a better song writer because I have become a bit more critical of myself. When I wrote songs fifteen years ago, I would belt the song out and think ‘Great!’
Now it is more of a process of re- writing and re-examination and getting it as good as I can. They is to realize that you’re trying to make something better. You have to believe in yourself and realize you’ve written a lot of songs.‘
‘Here I have to work a day job (as a landscaper) and I don’t have as much time as I would like to work on my songs. A friend of mine in W.A. recently told me ‘creativity comes out of time.’ You can’t be creative on a schedule. You have to have those five hours to be creative. Nothing may come out of it over five days, but you have that time. You may be able to do that for three of four days and in the end you come up with something!’
The completion of the tour sees Carus move to Germany and he won’t be back till midway through 2011. Until then it will be Germany, France and Spain as home.
‘I find it hard to believe I am going away. I have been that constant force in the Australian scene for so long. I am really lucky that I have such a nice fan base and I have never been a ‘fashionable’ artist. People like me for the reality of what I do, which is write songs.’
‘I think the people that live in ivory towers here don’t realize I have put fifteen years of my life into writing the best songs that I can. I really try and write quintessential Australian songs, and I have been trying to write and push this Australian singer/songwiter thing and comment on some sort of real way. I have been trying to make sense of what we see around us: songs about the Cronulla riots, songs about nationalism. I am trying to never judge people, but to examine the Australian life. Who we are, what we’re about, I think that’s important and difficult.’
‘It’s a very uncool approach. The coolest thing today is to sound as if you come from Liverpool or Manchester and write ethereal pop songs that are very Gen Y and don’t really mean anything and have nothing to do with reality.’
‘It’s important to have the kind of music that does hold the mirror up to your country and your people, especially in Australia at the moment which is obesssed with having three investment properties.‘
Will Carus be writing for the Europeans after he makes the move?
‘I always think it is important to have a sense of place. I am Australian. I am from here. These are the places I know the best, I have been inspired by Europe to write some songs about there. I guess you are always influenced by the place you live. I guess there will be a change.
‘The one thing you have to always remember when writing a song is whose singing it, whose the character, where are they coming from, what do they feel, what do they think about this. I try to keep that as a rock and keep it in your head. That’s when song works! My songs are very literal and that’s the way I write!’
Carus will be in: Thursday 25th February The Toff in Town Level 2/252 Swanston st, Friday 26th February Ruby’s Lounge 1648 Burwood Hwy, Belgrave VIC ph: 9754 7445 Saturday 27th February The Piping Hot Chicken Shop 63 The Terrace, Ocean Grove VIC Wednesday 3rd March The Republic Bar 299 Elizabeth st, North Hobart TAS ph: 6234 6954
C. Buzz Magazine 2010 |
