They recorded an album in a woolshed in Takaka and now they're taking their show on the road, writes SCOTT KARA
For Wellington guitar and banjo virtuoso Justin "Firefly" Clarke where you play is just as important as what you play.
"I'm fascinated with rooms and spaces and for me it's so important where music gets performed," he says. "I come from a classical background and play a lot of acoustic instruments so I'm intrigued with acoustics and different types of woods that create different tonalities and all that."
Firefly loves spaces like "this little hall in Paekakariki", just north of Wellington, where the acoustics are incredible, and a quaint woolshed in Takaka, about 90 minutes north west of Nelson.
It was at the latter where Firefly and a collective of his Wellington mates, including singer/songwriters Jess Chambers and Age Pryor, got together to record The Woolshed Sessions during four days in the summer of 2007.
"It was basically a collection of singer-songwriters who were spending some time together, having dinner parties, and it felt like we had a really beautiful blend of energies."
Firefly and Pryor knew the woolshed's then-owner, film director Gaylene Preston; they had visited many times in the past and knew the acoustics would be perfect for recording an album.
"We also wanted to keep things simple because a lot of us had just come out of recording sessions that had taken a long time and we wanted to do something that was honest and straight-up. We wanted to capture that instantaneous element."
The Woolshed Sessions, which came out late last year, is a laid-back and tranquil record awash with lap-steel guitar, banjo, bird sounds, and delicate vocal harmonies. And yes, the fact it was recorded at the woolshed does come through in the mood of the album.
"On the first moments of Hey You [the opening track] if you listen carefully you can hear the birds coming through. And you can hear the ambience of the room, and always that little chatter of birds in the background.
"The concept behind recording it, for me, I was referencing Neil Young because there is something about his recordings that you can't really put your finger on, but they are really special. And Age was probably thinking more about Buena Vista Social Club, and there is an atmosphere in those recordings that you can't put your finger on. And I definitely think there's a good vibe [on The Woolshed Sessions]."
The musicians involved are on tour and play in Auckland at the Montecristo Room, and at the Leigh Sawmill, for the first time this weekend. Nearly a year and a half on from the recording session, Firefly says the songs are more honed these days.
"We're all much much clearer on what we are doing, as opposed to having just written a song on bits of paper, every one sitting down, and then recording it in three takes - and one of those takes ended up on the album. The thing we focus on for the [live] Woolshed Sessions is creating a really unique performance-audience relationship which is quite intimate. We're going for quite a boutique concert."
The album, and the 31-year-old's work with band's like Fat Freddy's Drop, is a cruisy contrast to some of his nimble and often frantic virtuoso guitar playing. He took up the guitar when he was 13 and as a youngster had always played other instruments, including "quite extreme tennis racquet from an early age".
In 2007 he returned from an eight-year stint living in Berlin - on a recommendation from friend and filmmaker Taika Waititi - and while there set about playing and finding out as much as he could about Eastern European and gypsy music.
He worked with musicians from countries like Russia and Turkey, as well as players from Yemen, parts of Africa, and India.
"I think being a New Zealander and a jazz guitarist I had an openness of style and I've never really set myself a style that I've tried to cater to. I've always been open musically to what I'm hearing, so I was able to work with these people quite naturally and easily."
LOWDOWN
Who: Justin "Firefly" Clarke, from Wellington music collective who recorded The Woolshed Sessions
Playing: Leigh Sawmill, Saturday; Montecristo Room, Nelson St, Auckland, Sunday
Album: The Woolshed Sessions, out now
