On Tour… Celebrating The Music Of Tom Waits

Tom Waits is truly one of the world’s greatest and most unique talents, with a stunning back catalogue spanning over four decades and a breadth across smoky jazz, wry balladry and muscular barnyard funk. Celebrating Tom Waits promises a spellbinding journey through Waits’s musical highlights, mining his most memorable moments.

Hugo Race, Dave Graney, Richie Weed and Peter Fenton draw on their own remarkable and personal experiences as profound shapers of the Australian musical landscape to bring the Waits’ catalogue to life. Each will interpret the ‘Prince of Melancholy’s’ brilliant songs and wistful melodies. Wait’s colourful troupe of thespian misfits come captivatingly to life in this powerful, poignant and unique celebration. Richie Weed talks to Rob Lyon about this run of shows.

Another new exciting project playing the songs of Tom Waits. What was the allure, or what drew you into that one?
I’ve always loved Tom Waits, and I’ve always been a big fan of beat poetry and beat writing, people like Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg and that whole era. For me, Tom Waits is the musical personification of that late‑’50s American subculture. What really drew me in was the chance to dive into such an idiosyncratic, unique artist with an incredible catalogue that stretches from those early, slightly off‑kilter Americana records to the more experimental, junkyard‑swampy brass, jazz, fusion, weird stuff. There’s just so much allure in performing Tom Waits. From a singing and performance point of view, it’s a real challenge because he’s so distinctive and so dramatic, he lurches, he moves, he’s this physical, theatrical presence. In addition to celebrating these incredible songs, it felt like a personal challenge, something exciting to take on.

Is there a particular album, or a particular time period that resonates more strongly with you?
It’s always changing. I first discovered him in the ’90s with Bone Machine and then Mule Variations. I had both of those on CD, and they got an absolute thrashing at my place throughout the decade. But for this project, I’ve backtracked, and a lot of the songs I’m doing are actually from the first couple of albums, Closing Time, the debut. At the moment, that one’s my favourite. It’s so story‑driven. The lyrics feel like reading a little vignette about picking up your girlfriend and going for a drive in your Oldsmobile on a Saturday night, or whatever the scene may be. The pictures he paints, the words he chooses, they’re always original, always carrying this wry, slightly oddball comedy, a little turn of phrase that’s weird and funny and wacky. I love that about it.

So how did the opportunity come up? Is that kind of almost like an extension from last time, just saying I’m keen for the next one?
Yeah, pretty much. We had an absolute ball on the Neil Young tour, really great band, really great bunch of people. We felt like we were going into the lion’s den every night, and we had this camaraderie of taking it to a new town and doing it together. It was really cool. At the end of it, Paul, the musical director, said, “Hey, what do you think of Tom Waits?” I said, “Yeah, love him.” And he said, “Well, we might be doing Tom Waits next year, would you be interested?” I went, “Yeah, I’m up for that one.” So that’s how it came about, literally on the last day of the Neil Young tour. I believe the band has done this before, a few years ago, with Hugo, Dave Graney and Peter, but I think they wanted a fourth dude this time and I put my hand up.

What is it about the four of you that makes this concept look and feel like a really good combination?
When I heard those three guys were involved, I immediately thought, yeah. I’m a big fan of all of them, as artists, as personalities, as people. Dave Graney is just awesome and hilarious, and I love his books. Every time I run into him, he says something that sticks with me. And Peter, with his background in drama, plus he and I go way back. When Crow and Tumbleweed first started out, we did a split ten‑inch record together, one of the first things we ever did, so our paths have crossed for years. I haven’t met Hugo yet, but I’ve been a fan of his work for a long time, so I’m really looking forward to meeting him.

When it comes down to it, this whole thing is about drama. Tom Waits is such a hard artist to emulate, he’s got so much personality, so much charisma, that big bad‑wolf voice, all those different personas, plus the acting career. When you watch live footage of him, his presence is incredible. I don’t think any of us are trying to mimic that, and honestly, it would be impossible. What interests me is how those three guys interpret what Tom Waits created in their own way, drawing from the same impetus, the same spring the original work came from.

I think that’s the best approach: don’t try to be him, but come at it with the same level of drama, heart, and soul. And I know those three will absolutely do that. I’m just excited to learn from them and be part of their gang.

It’s going to be interesting to see who gets what songs, and which ones gravitate to certain people within the group. Do you have any particular songs that you’re really keen on playing, or is it just all about the experience?
I’m totally keen. I feel like I’ve drawn the Willy Wonka golden ticket and ended up with five absolute crackers. My favourite at the moment is Hold On from Mule Variations, I’m really looking forward to singing that one. But honestly, there’s not a dud in the bunch. There isn’t a single song where I think, I don’t really want to do that one. They’re all amazing in their own ways. The most challenging one for me is Chucky Full of Bourbon, because it’s sung in that whispery growl. I’m working on it, and I’m confident it’ll be great, but it’s definitely a different realm, a different lane for me to walk in and I’m really digging that.

How do you approach the rehearsing? Do you have to listen to the songs quite a few times to get the overall feel before you tackle it and put your spin on it?
Yeah, I’ve been at it for months. We were given our songs around February, and since then I’ve been working on them every night. At first it was just singing along with the recordings, and then I started working them out on guitar and playing them without the track. When I moved into that second phase, just playing along on guitar, it naturally shifted a little into my own lilt, my own way of doing it, without me consciously trying. That was pretty cool. Then playing with the band is different again. It’s been a real deep immersion, doing it night after night for so long. By the time we all come together, everyone knows what they’re doing, and it’s just about fine‑tuning the nuances and making sure we’re all on the same page.

I know you can’t reveal surprises, but are there going to be plenty in store that will really surprise people who are coming along to see this show?
It’s hard for me to say. I’ve got a couple of little personal things I’m planning to do, but I’m not letting those out of the bag and I’m sure the others have their own surprises, it’ll probably be a surprise for me too. Right now, even in rehearsals, it’s purely about getting the songs right. But people are already talking about, “Yeah, I’m gonna do this,” or “I’m gonna do that,” so it’ll be exciting to see it all come together.

Beyond this tour, are there plans for Tumbleweed, or have you got any other projects on the go?
Yeah, I’ve been doing heaps lately. It’s been great because it’s been quite varied. I’ve been doing a lot of touring with my solo band, Band of Strays. We’ve just done a Queensland tour, that was great, and did the Chronology Jazz and Blues Festival on the weekend, and that’s like a six‑piece band with the pedal steel and organ and guitarist and drummer and bass player. So I’ve been enjoying doing that. But I’ve also been doing some duo stuff with Ben Nightingale, just on acoustic guitar, doing a few gigs doing that, and some solo stuff just on acoustic. Tumbleweed have some shows coming up with Spiderbait for their thirtieth anniversary of Ivy and the Big Apples. That starts end of July and goes through August, so that’ll be cool.

I’ve also been working a little bit… well, I finished the album that I was making with Arctic Lake, which is sort of like a band comprised of a whole bunch of people, like Ricky Maymi from Brian Jonestown Massacre, and Zia McCabe from Dandy Warhols, as well as a Sydney guy called Tony Rumble. So yeah, that’s all wrapped up and waiting for that to come out. So there’s been a whole lot of different kinds of things, and it’s been really interesting and fun.

Is that something you’re looking to tour? That just seems like quite an ensemble of artists there.
A: It’s a good ensemble, and I know that Tony is really keen to tour it. I’m up for it. I think the challenge there is getting everybody to align, especially the two international people, because they sort of have big touring schedules and whatnot. But hopefully that does come off. The way it’s been recorded and put together was very sort of taking advantage of them when they were in Australia, and going, okay, we’ll grab you for a few days, and you do your recording here, and they’ve been doing that for a year or whatever. But there’s been very little all‑in‑together, and so I’d like to experience that.

Interview By Rob Lyon

Catch Celebrating Tom Waits on the following dates, tickets from Metropolis Touring…