Interview Tom McRae Setting the story straight om McRae displays many of the classic symptoms of the incurable singer/songwriter. Impassioned and articulate, but detached and somewhat uneasy in the spotlight, this genial English 30-something has been quietly building a devoted fan base since launching his selftitled debut album in 2001. His subsequent releases (Just Like Blood, 2003 and All Maps Welcome, 2005) lifted him well clear of the pool of undiscovered talent, and his increasing skill for channelling his own worldweary outlook into powerful songwriting justifiably earned him nominations for a Mercury Music Prize, a BRIT Award and a Grammy. In 2006 he led the Hotel Café Tour (named after a favourite Los Angeles music venue), in which an ensemble company of lesser-known musicians performed on each others’ songs. McRae seems aware of the T direction in which the music business is heading, and his more commercial fourth album, King Of Cards (2007), attracted an audience that would have happily bypassed his earlier, bleaker work. Acoustic interviews the straight-talking Tom McRae… What are your abiding memories of your recent concerts in the Far East? I’ve played in Japan before but never Korea. I don’t know many musicians who have, but there’s a thriving music scene out there so I jumped at the chance to go. Rather than just play solo, I worked with some musicians from Seoul to make the show more interesting for me and more of a challenge – so the experience of playing on stage after one short rehearsal with them is my best memory of the trip. Their English was pretty sketchy and my Korean is non-existent, but it was proof positive that music is its own universal language. The shows worked so well I took the players to Japan with me. I like the idea of having a band on every continent. It might just be the future! Will there be another Hotel Café Tour? We’re working to put together another Hotel Café Tour for 2008. It takes a lot of organising and checking of schedules – musicians are notoriously hard to pin down – but we’ve got some dates booked and we’re looking to start in the middle of April. We’re broadening out into Europe this time, seeing if we can make the show work on the Continent. With the music business crumbling I think we’re going to see a lot more musicians trying to help each other spread the word, at least I hope we are. Hotel Café could be one of the biggest touring shows in the next few years. You heard it here first. 32 © Levon Biss. Interview Tom McRae King Of Cards seems to be marking a transition into the mainstream. What’s brought this about? King Of Cards was a record I felt I had to make in order to satisfy a part of me that was tired of being ‘Mr Melancholy’. Some people make a career out of rehashing the same record every year, but I wanted to see if I could make a slightly shinier, more upbeat record. I’m not sure I think of it as an attempt to break into the mainstream, but I like the idea that there’s a Tom McRae song to suit your every mood, not just the sad times. “Good old Tom McRae; not just there for a leaky pipe or blocked drain! You can whistle this on the way to work!” That kind of thing. But I’m over it now, so it’s back to the tragedy. Your music has a subtle political edge, but do you think your political views will change as you achieve more commercial success? I’ll let you know if it happens! Commercial success is fairly elusive, especially these days, although luckily my audience is still growing round the world with each release and subsequent tour. If this keeps on I expect to become a tax exile, living next door to Phil Collins and reading the Daily Mail. If that happens, please hunt me down and kill me. Alternatively I’ll just keep being disappointed in modern democracy and wondering when you’re going to appoint me as your Philosopher King. You know it makes sense. physical settings. There is no formula. However, if I can’t sing a melody to something I’m playing, then it’s never going to fly. So ultimately it’s about the voice. Then all I have to do is find a believable lyric that moves me, a narrative that sustains for the length of the song, something easy to sing in the chorus and hey presto – five years and much blood and sweat later I might just have written something I don’t hate too much. To what extent does your guitar actively contribute to the songwriting process? I compose mostly on guitar, sometimes moving to piano or another instrument, but for ease and portability I tend to rely on the six-string. The sound of the instrument is crucial; it doesn’t have to be perfect – far from it – it just has to have character and something to say. Making music is like having a conversation with the instrument. I know that sounds cheesy, but ask a good guitar a question with your playing and it will answer you. In fact the whole of my third album was written by my guitar while I was asleep on a beach in California. I owe it one for that. Is there anything about the guitar you hate? No, only about my own playing or limitations; although I hate being charged excess luggage for it on flights, while golf clubs fly for free. That says a lot about the world’s priorities right now. Let’s get technical for a moment. Can you tell me about your guitar, strings, pickups, amps, effects and so on? For writing or in the studio I’ll use tons of different guitars, from priceless vintage classics (usually borrowed!) to toy guitars or old catalogue models from the 60s. I like smaller-bodied guitars for writing, as they don’t drown out my voice and they’re better for picking quietly when the neighbours are asleep. My favourites are a Martin 0015, a J85 Guild Jumbo, a Silvertone and right now an old Hofner. For live shows it’s been a selection of Takamines for years now. They are reliable, sound great through a PA, and with this new Cool Tube they have inside they compress in a really natural way. For playing an acoustic on stage they sound the most natural to me, and they can cut through a band when necessary. My sound guy keeps trying to steal them for other bands he works with. Strings are Martins, Bronze, 12 gauge. I’ve tried every string brand, but these just seem to have the right bounce and cut. Not too bright, not too brittle. Pickups on the Takamines are their own make, I believe, but the Cool Tube technology is the thing that gives them warmth. Otherwise it’s Fishman Naturals, or LR Baggs on my guitars I leave in America. Used with the Baggs parametric DI they sound pretty fat. I used to use a Trace Elliot acoustic amp but I just run it through the PA now. My electric amp is a Fender Deluxe, and I have a 76 Tele that sounds great through that. My effects change with every tour, although I never go anywhere without my Holy Grail reverb. It’s the first thing to get packed. I also run a different line for each guitar, so they can all be individually EQ’d. Every guitar is different and responds differently to being amplified. Consequently half my pedal board contains AB boxes. Is that geeky enough for you? “Their English was pretty sketchy and my Korean is non-existent, but it was proof positive that music is its own universal language” Do you think the modern music business is more of a hindrance than a help to new artists? I honestly don’t think there is a music business anymore. I expect the new, smart artists to do everything themselves, bypassing the need to go through a label. The music business was never good for music or musicians who try to do things differently. The next few years are going to be really interesting. A lot of bands will go to the wall, the charts will be full of quickreturn, low-quality music, and the rest of us will have to sell a lot more t-shirts. But the one good thing is that, outside of the mainstream, music is so much better, with more choice and greater quality. Good music has a way of finding its way through the cracks in culture, so I’m always hopeful. You’re a gifted songwriter now, but why did you start writing songs in the first place? I’m not sure really. I felt this huge well of surplus energy that I could only get rid of by singing and playing music. It wasn’t because I felt unloved, or wanted to be noticed, or any of that psychobabble – music and songwriting was, and still is, the only thing that seemed to convey the emotion of life to myself and others in a way that didn’t need explaining. It’s unique in all of art for that. I don’t need a CliffsNotes to tell me why Dylan’s songs make me cry, or why AC/DC make me jump up and down. It’s all in the tunes. How do you compose? A thousand different ways: on different instruments, with different tunings, in different How does your gear suit your individual style? I’m not really sure I have a style, but I’m always searching to improve the tone of the simple things I do. Having guitars that are good for both picking and hard strumming is a necessity, as my songs tend to contain both extremes. Also not enough is said about the blend of the right guitar with your own voice. It’s like duetting with someone – it has to be the perfect match, otherwise something will sound slightly off. Do you have a musical New Year’s resolution? 2008 is going to be about freedom, at least I hope so. All the rules of the music business are changing, and there is the potential for much more exciting, challenging stuff to bubble up from outside the mainstream. My own resolution is to keep looking for new ideas, new things to express and new ways of writing and recording, and of course...to duet with Kylie. At least one of those things might happen. Graham Hazelwood 33 © Edd Westmacott / Retna UK