By CAMERON MCCULLOUGH
After returning from a massive tour of Canada including shows at the Winnipeg and Vancouver Folk Festivals alongside the likes of Wilco and Jose Gonzalez. Ash Grunwald has released Second Guess, the latest single from his forthcoming album NOW. Adding to this announcement Ash Grunwald will launch NOW, his forthcoming, 8th studio album with an impressive 28 date national tour throughout September and into November including, metro, rural and festival dates.
Second Guess encompasses the essence of what made Australia and the rest of the world originally fall in love with Ash Grunwald and his music. With an overflow of groove from the opening riff, paired with tight percussion and a unique moog synth bass line, Second Guess hits you off guard with an attack of the aural senses, It’s all Ash, it’s all-new and it is NOW!
Produced by Nick Didia (Pearl Jam/Springsteen/Rage Against the Machine) from studio 301 in Grunwald’s home town of Byron Bay, NOW is set to stand as a sonic landmark in Ash Grunwald’s career as a respected Australian roots musician. Grunwald delves into a more experimental and modern approach explaining his intention was to create a “modern psychedelic, sci-fi, swamp rock, blues album, if there is such a thing”. Drawing inspiration from collaborators Ian Peres (Wolfmother) on synth, Pete Wilkins (formerly Blue King Brown) and of course Nick Didia, Grunwald aimed to approach the album with a traditional power trio reminiscent of seminal acts such as Hendrix and Cream.
“I wanted to go in there with a traditional power trio like Hendrix but use a synth player instead of a bass, Ian Peres brought that and a whole lot more playing a fair bit of rock organ in there which is something that he honed whilst playing in Wolfmother. In the studio we used a whole lot of our own effects, for example I had the same vocal effect that I use when I play live. While doing vocal takes I had a guitar delay pedal on a music stand that I would tweak to the feel of the song, if I got it wrong, we did it again.
“The effects where very much part of the music, which Nick (Didia) encouraged. Nicks approach was to basically coach the band into doing the best possible performances as he pulled the sound he was chasing in real time. The aim was for the end product to be as close as possible to e what we were delivering live in the studio.”
With the current climate of the music industry making it difficult for independent musicians to record, release and market music to the standard of major commercial recording artists, Ash Grunwald’s forthcoming release would not have been possible if it wasn’t for the support of his fans through crowd funding phemononem Pledge Music.
The campaign will continue to run until the album release on 25 September giving fans the opportunity to pledge on unique experiences and exclusive offers including meet & greets, music lessons, VIP packages, intimate house concerts and more! With a desire to be socially and morally responsible and conscious, Ash Grunwald will donate 5 per cent of all profits raised from his Pledge Music campaign towards 350.org, an organisation working towards building a global climate movement to eradicate the use of fossil fuels and to create a sustainable future.
Ash Gunwald will entertain local fans on Thursday 24 September at The Grand, Mornington.
Tickets at ticketebo.com.au