Aussie artists hit the White notes
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Awesome foursome … Phil Jamieson, Tim Rogers, Josh Pyke and Chris Cheney.
Source: News Limited
PERFORMING The Beatles’ White Album left a permanent mark on Tim Rogers, Josh Pyke, Chris Cheney and Phil Jamieson.
Once the 2009 tour playing the classic 1968 double album in full ended the four performers all got a tattoo of a blackbird, after the album highlight of the same name.
“All the other guys have multiple tattoos so it was a walk in the park for them,” Phil Jamieson recalls.
“I screamed and cried. It was so painful, I’ll never get another.”
The inking was clearly the only moment of pain — the foursome all jumped at the chance to do The White Album concert tour again this year.
“The timing worked,” Jamieson, frontman for the recently hibernated Grinspoon, says.
“We weren’t in cycle trying to sell our own rubbish so we could do these amazing concerts again. It was a blast for the audience and you could not disguise the absolute joy we all had up on stage.”
Tim Rogers, between commitments with his band You Am I and his solo work, was quick to agree to hang out with his mates again.
“We were completely surprised by the reaction to it,” Rogers says.
“I don’t think I’ve been in anything’s that’s been so complimented. Anything I’m involved in there always seems to be a certain percentage of dissenting voices questioning as to whether I’m a complete hack or not!
On the road again … Chris Cheney, Tim Rogers, Josh Pyke and Phil Jamieson.
Source: Supplied
“The four of us are quite different personality-wise and quite complimentary,” Rogers continues. “Doing anything that’s other people’s material is not my automatic go-to thing. I prefer writing what I perform. But it’s like stepping into a character, it’s almost like sweet relief at times. You can go and be a performer. There’s less Rogers angst, more Lennon angst.”
The tour also saw a cross-pollination of fan bases, as well as Beatles’ fans, introducing the musicians to new audiences.
“Josh was the outsider from the naughties, Chris, Tim and I were all nineties kids,” Jamieson says.
“Tim and I are more showman-esque, Chris is a showman with his guitar histrionics and has the raw talent, Josh is more introspective. Across the board it all works as a whole. My wife told me Tim blew me off the stage every night, but as I told her, that is his won’t. There’s no point trying to compete with Rogers, you just have to let that bird fly.”
The tour also gave Jamieson a crash course in The
White Album, which he admits he wasn’t particularly familiar with first time around.
“I fluffed my way through the interviews for the first tour, quite successfully I feel, when people asked deep questions about The White Album,” Jamieson says.
“Chris and Tim are musicologists, they know everything about every band who walked the earth, their knowledge is incredible. I know about Richard Marx, but I don’t know too much about the cool s–t. So I learnt a lot about this record, how it was made, how you sing it. My love for the record really grew. It’s off it’s head, The White Album, that’s what I love about it.”
On the first tour while everyone had dibs on certain songs, no one wanted the album’s only real throwaway moment, Paul McCartney’s Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da.
The four musicians used to sing the track as part of their backstage warm up, and then performed it together on stage.
Back by popular demand … the boys during The White Album Concert at the State Theatre in Sydney in 2009.
Source: Supplied
“I’ve never warmed up my voice in my life, probably to the disappointment of my audience many times,” Jamieson says.
“Chris and Josh go through these elaborate vocal warm ups and one was we’d all sing Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da together. It’s a fun song. Everyone was adamant they didn’t want to do it so the producers made us all do it.”
Rogers admits he discovered a deep, deep-seated admiration for the song.
“I reconciled myself to the song,” Rogers says.
“It mentions Desmond Dekker, who is one of my favourite artists of all time. McCartney had heart in there, it wasn’t just reggae lite. Well, it is, it’ll never be a favourite song of mine but that’s the challenge. You can’t go out there and be all mopey.
“Seeing audiences light up and enjoy themselves can give you a huge push along into something you may not have had your heart invested in previously. On the first night I went out there like I was being strung up and forced to do it. But no one likes to see a curmudgeon singing these songs.”
Since The White Album tour Tim Rogers went on to play two You Am I albums (Hourly Daily and HiFi Way) in full last year.
Good times … during The White Album Concert at the State Theatre in Sydney in 2009.
Source: Supplied
That tour led to You Am I writing intensively (and more democratically than ever) for a new album which Rogers will finish after he’s done channelling The Beatles.
“The You Am I albums tour made people happy,” he says.
“I don’t look back on the time those albums came out very fondly, but those albums meant something to people and it felt great. I want to show off the energy we still have after 25 years of touring.
“You’d think we’d be half dead but it feels like there’s a lot left to do. I’ve done a bit of film work and theatre work and I definitely appreciate more being in a rock band now. It’s definitely the best job I’ve ever had.
“So I’ll do these White Album shows and I’m sure the week after they finish I’ll be back to scraping pans or mowing someone’s lawn!”
***The White Album Concert, Hamer Hall, July 15, 16. Ticketmaster, on sale April 7.
BRISBANE: Sunday, July 13 at the Lyric Theatre, QPAC Bookings: 136 246, qpac.com.au
MELBOURNE: Tuesday, July 15 & Wednesday, July 16 at the Arts Centre Melbourne, Hamer Hall. Bookings: 1300 182 183, artscentremelbourne.com.au, 1300 136 166, ticketmaster.com.au
SYDNEY: Friday, July 18 & Saturday, July 19 at the Sydney Opera House, Concert Hall.
Bookings: (02) 9250 7777, sydneyoperahouse.com, 136 100, ticketmaster.com.au
ADELAIDE: Friday, July 25 at the Festival Theatre. Bookings: 131 246, bass.net.au
PERTH: Saturday, July 26 at the Riverside Theatre, PCEC. Bookings: 132 849, ticketek.com.au
ON SALE: Monday, April 7
