Isaac De Heer’s latest album ‘Summer’ has been a musical journey, and one which the Melbourne based musician should be very proud of. Speaking about the creative process, Isaac took the time to speak with Glamadelaide about ‘Summer’, and his upcoming Australian Tour.
“It’s so different every time you make an album, the whole process…sometimes songs come to you really quickly and other times you need a bit of space from the material”, says De Heer of his latest release. ‘Summer’ is an album largely inspired by his travels throughout Asia, India, South America and Europe recently, and these influences come through in the album. He had an album’s worth of songs not long ago, but something didn’t sit right so he went off overseas and explored different sounds.‘Colca Canyon’ for example, features the 10-string charango, an Andean instrument traditionally made from Armadillo but in De Heer’s case a wooden version. Its sound is a hybrid between a dobro and a mandolin, giving that distinctive South American flavour. “I fell in love with that sound and wrote a lot of songs with it, as you will hear throughout the album. Also, ‘Colca Canyon’ was written after I got heat stroke at the bottom of a canyon and nearly died!”
‘Streets of Del Mino’ is another song that has a unique story. De Heer had a dream about the song and after waking, tried penning it as best as he could recall. It is an upbeat folk number with crisp guitar and energising vocals. He’s not sure Del Mino as a place actually exists though! By contrast, ‘Pata Snow’ is a traditional Irish folk sounding song, influenced by his trip to West Cork in Ireland. “I was heavily influenced by Irish music when I was there, and I sued that Irish sound with a piano accordion to give it that feel”, says De Heer.
The title track ‘Summer’ was actually a poem written by De Heer’s grandfather and is perhaps one of the most soothing tracks on the album. It is a breezy waltz perfect for sitting outside whilst absorbing nature, drink in hand, and forgetting about the stresses of life.
Another aspect of De Heer’s musical influences through travel is his use of percussion. “Whenever I travel I try to seek out the instruments or sounds unique to that place, and really try to learn something about it. When I was in India I tried to learn the tabla for a few months- 6-7 hours a day, and in South America more recently I found the music amazing and took a lot on board”.
Citing influences such as Bob Dylan, Bill Callaghan, Gillian Welsh and Augie March, De Heer has a sound unlike any other artist and has the courage to explore his own musical identity that, for him, will always be centred on the lyrics and melody. “That’s the thread that carries my music, and I hope people connect with it in some way”.
Hoping to play festivals and in particular Womadelaide, Isaac De Heer discusses his famous uncle Rolf, an Adelaide icon synonymous with the film industry and hopes to call upon his kin for some tips on making videos at some stage. What better guidance than from one of our most celebrated filmmakers!
On that topic, the making of the ‘Spaceships’ video was borne out of a meeting on a train with animator Bernard Sullivan. You can see more of that story here.
Kicking off in Canberra on Thursday 15th May, De Heer is excited about the tour and says that “he’s so excited to start sharing the record on the with the live band, so a lot of the elements that are there in the recording will come across in the live shows which will be great.”
Isaac De Heer comes across as urbane, earthy and has an air of calmness that makes him instantly likeable. Unaffected by all the ‘industry hype’ he says public response to the album has been great and states that “it’s one of those records that people get different things from- it’s very different for every person as to what song(s) they respond to- I find that very interesting.”
Along with things musical, we discuss life in general and what he sees as important in life. Interesting to note is that De Heer works with disabled children at a special school when not recording or on tour, teaching them music as a means of expression. It is perhaps through this experience that he is able to stay so earthed in the music industry. Of this he says, ”It’s tremendously rewarding and I really enjoy it. Many of the students are non-verbal but the way you can communicate and connect through music is amazing”.
Of life and his philosophy, he says ”The most important thing is being open to new experiences, change, learning constantly, and keeping a positive outlook in an often negative world and stay optimistic”. You can’t argue with that!
Get ‘Summer’ here http://isaacdeheer.bandcamp.com
ISAAC DE HEER – THE SUMMER ALBUM TOUR
Thursday 15th May- Front Gallery, Canberra ACT
Friday 16th May- Yum Yum Eatery, Central Coast NSW
Saturday 17th May- Newsagency, Sydney NSW
Sunday 18th May- Green Room Lounge, Sydney NSW
Thursday 22nd May- The Junk Bar, Brisbane QLD
Friday 23rd May- The Treehouse, Byron Bay NSW
Sunday 25th May- Lefty’s Old Time Music Hall, Brisbane QLD
Saturday 7th June- Wheatsheaf Hotel, Adelaide SA Sunday
8th June- Red Poles Winery, Adelaide SA
Thursday 19th June- Grace Darling Hotel, Melbourne VIC
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