Adalita Srsen is a towering figure in Australian rock music. For two decades she's fronted the iconic rock band Magic Dirt, who have toured tens of thousands of kilometres across the country, supported some of the greatest international musicians ever to tour down under and have released several acclaimed albums - including two that made Triple J's 100 Greatest Australian Albums of All Time list.
Earlier this year she released her debut solo record, Adalita, an album that has received vast critical acclaim, including being nominated for four Jagermeister Australian Independent Music Awards. We caught up with Adalita to talk about her growing confidence as a solo artist, what music she's into at the moment and what she thinks about the future of the live music industry in Australia.
You’ve said in a few of interviews that you really needed to be pushed into doing this solo record, and now that you’ve toured it and are up for a swag of Independent Music Awards - do you feel like you’ve got more confidence in yourself as a solo artist?
Definitely. I feel heaps better about it. I think being in a loud rock band for such a long time, you know I love playing loud. You sort of used to that wall of sound. I’ve never played solo before. Never, ever. So it was a real shock to the system to just shake of those nerves and just get used to the silence and the space. It was pretty full on, so I just had to get over that first and that took me a couple of years but I feel a lot better about it. I feel like it was definitely worth pursuing and I’m really glad I took Dean’s (Dean Turner, the former Magic Dirt bassist who passed away in 2009 from cancer) advice and was inspired by his belief in my work.
So do you think then that you’ve been able to craft your own style and your own voice away from Magic Dirt?
I don’t know about that. I still feel like the same person but I guess there’s no band around me and those big sounds have all been stripped away. I’m still playing electric guitar, I’m still singing about similar stuff and it’s all pretty moody like I normally write. So, I actually don’t feel any different in that way.
But I think crafting the album in the studio was definitely a different experience. I don’t know, I don’t make a conscious effort to do anything, I just sort of do it and it comes out. I haven’t made a conscious effort to evolve a certain sound or anything.
You’re also going to be performing live at the awards ceremony – are you excited for that? Sometimes that’s recognition from the organisers that your music had enough of a significant influence or impact that year that it warranted a performance at the award ceremony.
Oh definitely. I’m completely bowled over. It feels really nice – I feel totally honoured.
Have there been any other Australian records you’ve been particularly fond of this year?
Yes, there’s a Sydney band called The Laurels who have just released an EP called Mesozoic and they’re my favourite band at the moment. They’re sort of like - loud guitars, psychedelic, old grungy kind of shoegazey... Yeah, really awesome sounds and I love that Mesozoic EP. It’s just an album that I love and I listen to a lot. Yeah, definitely one of my favourites.
You’d started writing material for the next record before you started touring the current record, have you got much material ready to go?
No, I’ve only got a couple of new songs I’ve written and I’m not sure they’ll make the record. I’ve started writing in dribs and drabs now and I’ll hopefully go in and lock myself away in a couple of months.
So do you have any set plans to head back into the studio or are you just going to keep demoing for a while?
I haven’t started demoing yet, so I’ll do that first and then hopefully get in the studio next year.
You’re going to be supporting the upcoming Drones tour, are you psyched for that?
Mmmmmmmm (like she’s just bitten into a chocolate cake...). Oh, ho yeah, very! I’m going nuts, I can’t wait.
Obviously Dean was a significant force behind this first solo record. What are you perceiving for the next record in terms of sound, and in terms of arrangement without his influence – have you had any ideas about that?
I think the songwriting process will dictate that. I’m just waiting for that to kind of happen and then I’ll know at the end of the demo stage where that’s gonna go.
You’ve made some pretty gorgeous videos with Adam Harding for the album, how integral have those videos been to record and your solo project as a whole?
Oh very. A lot of the videos were done in my hometown of Geelong. So we visited a lot of those old haunts - Breamlea and the Shell Factory and just some old spots there. They bring back a lot of memories but they also visually look great. I have a real connection to that place and just wanted to film a natural environment and be outside and have a lot of nature in the videos.
Adalita - 'The Repairer'
We shot ‘Hot Air’ first and Adam had a very strong vision of what he wanted and it all just flowed from there. I’m really happy with the videos; I think they’re a great visual accompaniment to the album.
Adalita - 'Hot Air'
You’re someone that is really renowned and revered in the Australian music industry – you’ve been a major figure in the last 20 years and you’ve played a shit load of shows with some pretty fucking epic bands, a couple of albums in the Triple J greatest Aussie list - is a memoir or an autobiography something you see yourself writing in the future?
Oh man, I don’t know. I don’t think for myself, but who can say? I think definitely there should be a Magic Dirt memoir, I think either as a film or as a book or both. Or as a photo book, but I’d definitely love to do that and that’s a dream of mine.
You’ve also been a stalwart in the live music industry in Australia and the future of live music in Oz is obviously a really big issue at the moment – have you seen much of a change in you time performing live and do you have any thoughts on the future of the industry?
Yeah, it’s definitely changed. It feels like it’s a little bit harder for bands to play live. I mean there’re a lot of great venues in Melbourne, but a lot of venues have been shutting down. I know new ones open, but I guess sometimes I worry if it will stick it through. Will people still go and see bands live and will venues still have bands? Maybe I’m being a bit dramatic in my own head but it just seems a bit harder.
Touring regionally is just really, really hard and not viable for so many bands now, which is really unfortunate because the country kids miss out on music whereas before it was still hard but much easier [than] now to go to those country areas. But it’s definitely changed.
It’s a question that I’m sure sick of hearing but I’m kind of obliged to ask, any news on the future of Magic Dirt or are you guys still happy having a rest?
Yeah, we’re just on hiatus I guess. We don’t really have any plans, no. Not at the moment.
What are you current plans post The Drones shows?
I’m doing the Triple J tribute to Nick Cave tour, called straight to you, which is going up the East Coast, which is gonna be awesome. That’s in November with people like Dan Sultan, Lisa Mitchell, Tim Rogers, Bertie Blackman, Muscles – it’s gonna be great. And then I’m doing Meredith Music Festival in December here in Victoria, which is near my hometown, so that will be good fun. And then take the summer off and just write.
Nathan Wood
Originally published at www.vmusic.com.au
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