The creation of an album is a time of alchemy, as the sounds in an artistʼs head take on tangible form. Itʼs a time of enchantment and good fortune, when thoughts become deeds, which in turn become captured moments and future memories.
However, from another perspective, the creation is only the start of the process. The music takes on a life of its own, beating its own path and forging its own identity out in the world. The musicianʼs life becomes defined and determined by the course the music takes. This has been the case for Ned Collette. In the two years since the release of his sophomore work, Future Suture, his music has led him around the globe, in and out of late night bars and dark venues, sometimes accompanied by his extraordinary band, sometimes alone – always with his solitary vision. Collette has toured Australia coast to coast (both headlining and supporting international acts) and performed on national TV (Rockwiz, Sunday Arts). With his band – Joe Talia: drums, percussion, harmonies; Ben Bourke: bass, harmonies, he played 22 shows throughout Europe in 2008.
Early this year he again toured Europe – this time solo – then hunkered down in winter-bound Glasgow, a time of little daylight, cider in the kitchen and a life in the library, to write a new album. Back in Australia (after a third tour of New Zealand) Collette and the newly christened Wirewalker retreated to the countryside to record the album, with Joe Talia engineering, on a property recently ravaged by bushfires. In a suitably contrary move, Ned and Joe took the tapes of this rural session to downtown Brooklyn NYC, to mix the album with Joel Hamilton (The Black Keys, Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, Sparklehorse, and Nina Simone).
The new creation is Over The Stones, Under The Stars, an album purposefully stripped of the orchestration that marked previous releases, conveying more of the fiery live experience of this unique band,
forged from the last two years of performing around the world. Ned also adds piano, organ and mellotron to his usual axe slinging.
In November the caravan rolls on, as Ned Collette + Wirewalker tour Australia. All shows will be with Teeth & Tongue except * with Laura Jean:
Fri 13 Nov – Adelaide, Metro*
Fri 20 Nov – Bateman’s Bay, North St Bar
Sat 21 Nov – Sydney, Raval
Fri 27 Nov – Melbourne, Northcote Social Club
Sat 28 Nov – Hobart, Alley Cat
