We had the absolute pleasure of catching up with one of Australia's finest singers and songwriters, Josh Pyke. We talked all about his musical upbringing, what Inspires him to play music and much more. Enjoy!
J.P: I was just very much just compelled to do it. As a kid, I wasn’t into sports or anything like that, I just had an affinity for music from a really early age. I was interested in listening to music, and my parents had a great record collection, so I listened to a lot, and there was just something about it that was extremely attractive to me.
When I was about 12, some buddies of mine had started a rock band in primary school and they asked me to join as a singer because they knew I could sing. It was just an instant combination of fear and love at the same time, performing live. It was this addictive feeling of doing this thing, and sort of realizing I was good at it, which was an unusual feeling for me. I was never any good at sports, so I wasn’t a guy that discovered I was good at running or kicking a ball, but when I did this thing, it just kind of all fell into place. From there, I was completely addicted, so from the age twelve onward it was all I really thought about or aspired to do. It was as simple as that. All the way through high school, and then after high school, I was just committed to making it work a, it took another 8 years, but that’s what I was focused on doing.
J.P: I would say that the guitar was more just a tool. I love guitar, I always play guitar obviously, but I wouldn’t say I’m passionate about guitar playing. I’m passionate about the production of music, but the guitar was really more of a vehicle to get these ideas out of my head, and I seemed to have a pretty good natural ability as opposed to the piano and stuff like that, which I’m no good at. It was almost a bit of a lazy option, I was like, I can kind of play this for some reason and it allows me to get these sounds that I’m hearing in my head out and into the world. So, it was a bit of a functional decision rather than a passion decision.
J.P: It was very much teaching myself. I had piano lessons when I was about seven. I basically cheated. Every week, the teacher would give me a piece to learn from a book to read the music and I’d get her to play it once and then I’d try to remember it. Then she’d go away and I’d pick it up from ear. Then, she’d come back the next week and I’d be able to play it, but I wouldn’t be reading the music. She eventually caught onto this and was like, “If you want to do this, you have to actually try and learn the music.” So, I quit piano.
When I was fourteen, maybe fifteen, I learned to tackle chords on the guitar, and then I had about six months worth of guitar lessons at my school. Then, I quit that as well because I learnt as much as I needed to know in order to start writing songs, which is actually what I was interested in. I wasn’t interested in becoming a great guitarist. I just wanted to know enough that I could play chords and write songs. And then from there, I’m self-taught really. I can play piano a little bit now, drums and bass too, but that’s just from practicing and being interested in it.
J.P: I would say it’s still very much an evolving process cause I don’t really have any kind of set method. If I was told to sit down and write a song with somebody, which I’ve done many times, like pop writing and stuff like that. In that context, I can sit down and we’d muck around until we’ve done something that kind of piqued our interest and then we’d work on it in a methodical way.
When I’m writing for myself, it really needs to be coming from a very organic place, so it is basically like sitting around waiting for lightning to strike and kind of noodling around and creating an atmosphere or an environment where you have a better chance for that lightning to strike. For instance, I have a studio at home and I go down there four days a week and I just kind of muck around. But, I actually find that I probably do more writing on the road than at home.
What I’ve realized over the years is that opening yourself up to new experiences, new sights, getting out of your comfort zone, and getting out of your habits is probably the best way to create an environment that’s good for proper, organic, emotionally-fueled writing. Then, I take those ideas back to the studio and refine them.
J.P: The biggest one lately has been the most recent Sufjan Stevens album. It’s just an incredible album, and emotionally very raw. It’s just amazing. It’s a mind-blowing album. In terms of new music, so that’s the one I’ve been absolutely flogging lately.
J.P: It’s kind of all the classic stuff: The Beatles, The Beach Boys, things like early Billy Joel, Jackson Browne, Simon and Garfunkel, all that kind of stuff. I was mostly interested in lyrics, even as a kid. Storytelling, all of those things where I could really visualize the story that was being told by the songwriter. One thing that I really loved to do was just to lie down and listen to records and imagine the whole thing played out in a film.
J.P: Not because I want to, but because I’m a dad now, I’ve got two kids and I tour a lot. When you’re touring, you are playing shows every night. Probably on tour, I get more involved in music than while I’m at home, I find despite having a studio there, and despite being a full time musician that balance between music and also being a present, good dad and stuff like that does take me away from musical focus a bit.
There was a time in my life where I’d be out seeing bands three, four times a week, and then in between that, I’d just be spending all day playing guitar and jamming or whatever. I have less time in my life for that, but that’s nothing to do with a choice. That’s just how life has unfolded. So, the answer is no. I never really have had a break from music or moved on from music. There are just periods where I can’t engage with it as much as I would like to.
I’ve thought about it over the years, if this is something I want to do forever. The answer that I always come up with is… Yes. Even if I stop doing it as a profession, I know that I’ll always make as many records as I can or record as much as I can. It’s just what I love to do. I always take a guitar on holidays I’m always recording little ideas in my phone and stuff.
J.P: That’s a good question. For me, it is my career obviously but when I started, I didn’t aim to have a…Well, I did aim to have a career, but my compulsion to do music was not motivated by that. It evolved into getting this feeling out of my mind and out of my body and into the world, so that I could live a normal life. It’s hard to explain, but I think a lot of musicians would relate to that feeling. You just don’t feel right unless you’re playing music, and I recognized that early on, so it was something that I knew that I was gonna have to do for my entire life in order to feel sane, for lack of better word. And then, it just turned into a career, and I was trying to do that, but I guarantee that if it hadn’t turned into a career, I still would be doing music everyday.
It’s kind of like my first obsession and first love is music. I engage with music in a very different way than, for instance, my wife does, who is a huge music fan. She probably listens to more music than me. When she listens to music, she absorbs it and can kind of appreciate it. When I listen to music, I analyze it and I’m breaking it down and I’m really involved in that listening. So, for me, it’s everything. I can’t disassociate myself from the music that I make and the music that I listen to.
Auditions are about putting your best and most authentic foot forward. Obviously how you show up on the day matters, but almost as much, what matters is the piece you choose. Here are some good things to consider when making your choice.
Try and choose something uniquely you, rather than a choosing something you saw someone else do. It’s best to know your strengths and areas for improvement and work with them rather than emulating someone else.
We would recommend choosing a piece that is impressive enough to speak to your capacity as a musician but not so difficult that a case of performance anxiety on the day will create big problems from you. Pick a piece you started a year ago, one that you have some muscle memory around and develop it for the audition.
Try and pick a piece that your audience will resonate with, obviously for things like if you are trying out for a metal band, don’t do a folk song, but more importantly think about what they are looking for, unique or conventional, edgy or approachable, thematic or understated etc.
If you choose a very well known song people will compare you to the versions they have had before - this can work both in your favour (they understand how challenging the piece is for example) or against you (if your version is not very strong comparatively). Choosing an obscure or original piece can work in the same way, fresh takes can work in your favour as you show something new, but may not be as appreciated by an adjudicator without a comparison.
We hope that helps! Feel free to write/call about any upcoming auditions you have we’d love to help and all the very best with the show.
While we see music as valuable and worthwhile in and of itself, did you know that it has huge benefits for the learner that far transcend just being able to play?
In an age of the quick fix and distraction the process of learning and concentrating on a single project is rare, music provides an opportunity for this.
Learning an instrument assists in developing coordination and fine motor skills.
In learning an instrument your child will develop patience and perseverance, which will assist them as they face challenges in their lives.
Learning music can be mapped out with milestones in the short, medium and long term. Musicians track progress and learn to push themselves further, higher, greater and better than before.
By developing a skill and putting themselves out there in front of their teacher or an audience a musician will rise in confidence to meet the challenges.
Practice routines, exam and performance dates, weekly lessons and guided lessons all help to keep a musician on track and focused on their goals.
Music allows the flourishing of the creative mind, and the free exploration of that side of life, tapping into the inner muse can be a big benefit at school, work and play.
These are just some of the many benefits! There are some fantastic videos on youtube about this to, check them out:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0JKCYZ8hng
