Hey Bully Hay, thanks for taking the time to chat with 27 Magazine.

 

Musical Evolution: Black Dogs and Songbirds is your 1st album! How long have you been working on the album for and what was it like working with Jeff Martin?

The journey to Black Dogs and Songbirds was a wild ride! I had the incredible opportunity to live with Jeff and his wife Melissa for about six weeks last year, spread across a couple of trips. During that time, we were in the studio every day, completely immersed in the music. But with me based in Tasmania and Jeff on the Sunshine Coast, a lot of the work also happened remotely. We’d track parts here and there, then bounce mixes back and forth. From start to finish, the album took just under a year to complete.

Working with Jeff was an absolute trip! I’ve been a die-hard fan of The Tea Party since I was 14, so to have him producing my debut album still feels surreal. Jeff is a well of knowledge when it comes to recording techniques, and as an artist himself, he knows exactly how to pull the best performance out of you. At first, I was a bit wary, thinking he might steer the sessions in a direction that wasn’t true to my sound. But it turned out to be the opposite. The process was incredibly organic—he let me guide the sessions, absorbing my ideas and adding his magic touch at just the right moments. He brought his unique flair without ever overshadowing the essence of my songs, which is exactly what I was hoping for.

Outside the studio, we had just as much fun—plenty of vodka, a lot of good food, and some unforgettable late-night conversations. By the time I got home, I’m pretty sure I’d gained a few pounds, but I wouldn’t have had it any other way. After making this album, I’m lucky to count Jeff as one of my closest friends. It was truly a win-win all around.

 

Inspiration Station: Every song has a story! Can you share the craziest or most unexpected inspiration behind a track from the new album?

Oh, definitely! There’s a track called “Such Confidence,” and it came from a place of pure frustration. At the time, I was running a business and feeling like everyone around me just wanted a piece of the pie. I can get pretty bullheaded when I’m locked onto an idea, like I have blinders on and I’m just charging ahead, refusing to give up—even when it’s probably to my own detriment. So this song became my little anthem of, “Alright, I had this great idea, I didn’t see anything else, and now everyone’s trying to grab a piece of it. Fine, just take what you need and F$#k off!” The lyric “If you want such confidence, just pretend and the rest will follow” is that classic fake-it-till-you-make-it vibe, wrapped in some mild trepidation.

Here’s where it gets funny: there’s a line in the song that says, “Hold me down and take what you need from me.” Now, if you know the backstory, it’s about feeling drained and taken advantage of in a professional sense. But apparently, some people have interpreted this as a super raunchy, sex-fueled song about… well, being held down in other ways. Definitely not what I had in mind when I wrote it, but hey, whatever floats your boat, right? It’s one of those moments where the listener’s interpretation takes on a life of its own—and I kind of love that!

 

Lyrical Journey: Your lyrics often reflect personal experiences. Did you write any of the songs while on an adventure, perhaps sipping coffee in a quirky café?

Not so much while on an adventure, but I do write a few lines and note down ideas while the inspiration is there.  It could be at a coffee shop, or on a plane or most of the time its in the car while I’m driving and distracted. Usually my phone is full of little lines and phrases that I’ve had little inspiration sparks on.  So when I have time and space with a guitar to play through and build a song, those little lines that I’ve written draw me back to that place mentally and the song is drawn out from those themes.

 

Collaborative Vibes: Who did you have the most fun collaborating with on this album? Any behind-the-scenes shenanigans you can share?

Well, Jeff Martin is the first person springing to mind, given he produced the record. And we collaborated non stop throughout the recording. But I’ve touched on that already.  There was Ben Conicella who plays bass for Kasey Chambers, OJ from Band of Frequencies and Hellhound Brown.  But Drew Castles, who played drums across the record is one of my oldest mates and helped out with one of my other best mates Pete when we were producing the film clip for ‘Black Dogs and Songbirds’ which was directed by Tom Roach.

The idea for the film clip was to film it on location down on the Tasman Peninsula somewhere on the coast. I know this beautiful spot with a little beach that you can only access by boat. So the plan was for me to get in my little dinghy, head out into the bay to get to the beach spot, light a fire, drink whisky and look sad and pensive. No acting skills required there!

The issue was that we needed to stay on that beach until the sun went down to get the best light with the fire going etc.  We’d filmed the boating scenes and got to the beach and lit the fire. So I sat down by the fire with the Uke and started drinking the whisky and getting into the vibe of the scene. 

Tom, the director does the whole “Thats great! Could we just do one more of you swigging the whisky, I think we can do better.”  So I’m swigging the whisky on command… On and on this goes. “One more! One more take!”.  Until finally the sun goes down and Tom calls “Thats a wrap!”.  

I stood up and then sat straight back down, I was well sauced. The bottle only had a splash left in the bottom.  “Lets get these boats back in the water! I’m freezing!” I shouted.  (it was the dead of the Tasmanian Winter and the sun was gone).  My Drew and Pete are laughing at me hard. They grabbed me by the arm and held me up and Pete says “There is no F$%&ing way you are driving that boat back to camp mate” and so he jumps in my boat and I’m just laying on my back in the boat with my eyes rolling around in my head.  We got home safe.  I do have this beautiful memory of absolutely still waters on the way back and the sky filled with stars on the clear night, knowing we’d made something special.

 

Touring Fun: You’re currently on tour, what’s one thing you’re most excited about—local food, beaches, or maybe a legendary venue?

Touring is by far the most fun part of putting out an album. So much work goes into everything before hand. Once the tour is on, its just about putting on the best performance live that you can.  The best and most exciting part is the live performance. Plus I have loved coming out after the show and chatting with fans and hearing their feedback on what the songs mean to them.  That human connection is deeply important to me so its been an eye opener to hear from people firsthand about how the songs are affecting them.  Aside from all that, its food. Yes! I’m loving the change of scenery each day and the restaurants to choose from! 

 

Fan Favourites: If you could pick one song from Black Dogs and Songbirds to perform live that you think will really resonate with the fans, which would it be and why?

“I Can Be Your Lover”, has been a really resonant song with fans at live shows. Each verse of the song is like a polaroid snapshot of little moments in my life. 8 yrs old, 13 yrs old, 18 and 29.  Little moments that shaped me in different ways.  It has a lot to say in a few words, so there’s room for people to fill in the gaps.  It’s about recognising that all of these little events that shape you can damage you too. Theres a line there “I hope you can understand, I cant be your friend. But I can be your lover, over and over again”, which is supposed to mean “I’m a little messed up here, I cant quite put my finger on why, but I’m doing my absolute best to be here with you right now”.  

It’s resonated with people at live shows because it takes people through that journey and they shed a few tears but smile too. 

 

Pre-Show Rituals: Do you have any quirky rituals or routines you do before going on stage? We need the juicy details!

It’s not that exciting! Haha.

I’m not really a smoker. It’s a long time running joke with my mates.  At home I would barely touch a cigarette.  But when I’m touring, I’m smoking. So back stage before going up, I’m chain smoking rolled tobacco.  I’ll have 2 or three vodka or gin lime and sodas and off we go.  Has to happen first. 

 

Unexpected Covers: If you could cover any song (regardless of genre), what would it be and why?

At the moment, that would be “Running Up That Hill” by Kate Bush.  I’ve worked out a tuning on my 12 string guitar that suits my vocal range and found a way to play this one acoustically a bit more laid back at the start and that just builds and builds up into the bridge and choruses at the end.  I think its sounding good, so lets see where that goes.

 

Touring Antics: What’s the funniest thing that’s happened to you on tour in the past?

Sometimes my wardrobe choices are not ideal.  I recently played at the Brass Monkey in Cronulla NSW. And it was a super hot day.  Out the back in the green room I was getting ready and chose to put a beanie on.  I’m from Tassie, so its usually cold.  So I mindlessly put on the beanie, then step out on stage under the lights and immediately regret it. It was bloody boiling.  And so I’m sweating from there.  Like, pouring with sweat.  But I’m not a quitter, and the guys backstage are laughing and telling me I’m an idiot for wearing the beanie. So I left it on all night including after the show chatting with people.  Didn’t take it off til I was back in the van.  Its all learning. 

 

Looking Ahead: With the album around the corner, what’s the one thing you hope fans take away from Black Dogs and Songbirds?

A vinyl, a CD and a Hoodie. 

No, seriously I’ve put this album out for myself really. A lot of blood sweat and tears have gone into the making.  But the end result with the finished record was the best feeling. And so for me, I feel like my work is done. Whatever happens from here is like an experiment. I’m genuinely curious to see what happens.

The album title “Black Dogs and Songbirds” is a metaphor for the waves that life bring us.  Sometimes crushing lows when the black dogs are in control, sometimes lofty high’s when the songbirds are there.  The whole album carries this theme of light and shade and should be listened to as an album.  On headphones and up really loud for the full experience.

So I guess what I want fans to take away is that (again) my work here is done.  You can listen and experience this album in your own way, let the songs take their own meaning for you and I hope we share a connection through the songs.  Enjoy.

 

Black Dogs and Songbirds is out this Wednesday October 30

https://gyro.to/blackdogsandsongbirds