with my soul i am free
my journeys a constant dream
that ends in the ocean but starts in the stream
my soul it so longs to be
So sings the poetic voice of Dave Baxter, the man behind Avalanche City, a delightful indie rock group out of New Zealand. They are a group who’s music moved in and took up residence in my heart with the very first listen. As the fates would have it, a mere week after happening upon them accidentally, they came through Austin as part of their first and very brief US tour. They were magical. Their album, Up From Below is a beautiful arc of emotion, ranging from whimsical tunes like Love Love Love to the more melancholy Love Don’t Leave Me or The Citizens. It is delicately balanced, simple but rich in instrumentals, and has a way of lifting my very soul up from below. The use of the “Manjo” (combination of mandolin and banjo) rounds out this sound of wonderful band. I was lucky enough to interview Dave and hope that he and the band will be able to make it for SXSW 2012 (they have been invited!).
1. Avalanche City began as a solo project. What made you decide to bring on additional musicians and instrumentals for touring?
Well, I loved playing live as a solo artist. It was so easy. All I needed to bring was my acoustic guitar. I've been in bands all my life with big heavy amps and drum kits and stuff, so being a solo musician really appealed to me for that reason. Every now and then I'd invite friends to play live with me and it felt great adding more scope and dynamic to the songs. It was when I started to record my album that I realized I had started to go for more of a band sound with my songs. I then started thinking of musicians to play for me. I love the sound of the band live. They're amazing musicians and each one of them brings something special to the live environment. So now I'm back to where I started, lugging around heavy guitar amps and drum kits.
2. Will having these new members of the Avalanche City "Band" change the way you approach your next album?
Yeah definitely, I've found I approach writing now with more of a band perspective. I'm not just writing everything on acoustic guitar anymore.
3. I am a big fan of "Our New Life Above The Ground," which seems to have clear themes of love, possibility and adventure woven throughout. What was your inspiration for this album?
Haha, it's nice you picked up on that. Adventure is a big part of what I long for most in life, I think. And at the time of writing that album I felt really trapped and a little in despair. So a lot of that came out in the music, hope and love and adventure. Since then I've had a lot of adventures but I don't think that'll stop me writing about those things.
4. You reference the weather a lot and it plays a key role in the emotion of a song. What is your favorite kind of weather?
Hahaha, my favorite weather is either beautiful and sunny and warm. Or incredibly stormy and wild.
5. You just finished up your first American tour, even though you don't have your album available here yet. How was it? What were you most surprised by?
I was surprised at how much I absolutely loved it! It was great. The States gets a bit of a bad reputation overseas from the media etc, so it was hard to know what to expect. We traveled to a lot of different places over a period of 3 weeks and met a lot of people and I can tell you, the people we met were beautiful and lovely people. It was sad leaving them and I hope I see them again. We ate great food and the landscapes blew me away.
6. When will your album released here in the States? (she asks hopefully...)
That's unconfirmed yet sorry
7. It is clear that you area man of optimism, excite for love and adventure. What futures and adventures do you see for your band?
Well hopefully I get to travel more overseas and meet more great people. I'd love to come back to the States again and by the sounds of things I'll be back early this year.
**While their album is not available in the US (yet!), it is worth listening to on youtube.
