CHRIS HARMS

CHRIS HARMS: The Empire’s New Clothes seems to be a record born from a very distinct concept – when where the seeds of what it would become first sown, and what particular events inspired it?

PHIL MONSOUR: The final impetus to begin the recording of The Empire’s New Clothes was the bombing and invasion of Lebanon in August 2006 (the country my parents migrated to Australia from). A number of key songs on the recording were a response to these events. Previous to this, the album title track was written a couple of years earlier after the invasion of Iraq. I also had a few key concepts and stories about the situation in Palestine that became songs, and the project idea was to bring them all together into a cohesive recording. I had an old song (A Long Way) that I had recorded with a band called The Cutters in the early 1990 (after an earlier war and invasion of Lebanon). I used it to try and complete the circle.

Earlier I had also began performing at a number of fundraising events and appropriate venues, a selection of songs that reflected my family background and a range of events and circumstances in the Middle East. These concert events allowed me to place the songs in a context with story introductions and a backdrop of accompanying video images.  The music also gained purpose through the fundraising and in the last few years we have sent over 20000 dollars as development and emergency assistance to people in the Middle East.

CH: Did you gather lyrical source material from interviews and personal conversations, or were you extrapolating from reports and accounts that you’ve read?

PM: They are the product of personal conversations, travel experiences and many accounts and reports. I think my family’s history has given the stories of others, a personal relevance, and a familiarity with the shared and personal narratives that some of the songs are based on.

I also spent some time reading the work of a range of Arabic poets such as Mahmoud Darwish who died this week and will never see a free Palestine.

CH: Musically, where are you deriving the most inspiration from currently? How important is to you to keep challenging yourself as a musician as well as a songwriter and lyricist?

PM: Musically The Empire’s New Clothes was a exciting new method of recording as I did not have a band and the people who worked on the recording just received a phone call from a man on a crazy mission. I sourced the musicians based on friendship, affinity to the concept and shared musical vision. The members of the band only meet when we decided to launch CD as a live band.

Not being tied to a band gave me the freedom to not only choose the songs and package the release personally but also to do what ever I wanted with the arrangements. If a song required ten voices I just collected the people to sing.

Because the lyrical concepts are quite distinctive I wanted to make the best rock album I could afford.

I always have an ear to music that casts a critical eye on the world, or musicians who use their music to work with communities and people seeking change and a better world.

CH: Do you see yourself as being part of the long tradition of political musicians with a defined cause to support, or is what you do more a personal expression of beliefs that you hold?

PM: It is the link between music and political that keeps me going (and it probably has not helped my music career). However I can look back to not only hundreds of performance in pubs and festivals here and overseas but also many performances at rallies large and small, fundraisers large and small, May Day marches, picket lines and meetings.

The Empire’s New Clothes is a CD that attempts to focus through a prism of identity and politics the things that set my music apart. Although this album is very focused on a common theme I have supported solidarity events around many other issues at home and abroad.

CH: I understand the DVD made from the upcoming performance will feature supplementary material including ‘interviews and information about struggles in the Middle East’. How long have you been working on putting this material together, and who have you involved in the process?

PM: I have been using back projections and images for a number of years and the experience of working with people to organize fundraisers and solidarity events has put me in touch with a range of people with diverse experiences and views. Making the DVD is an attempt to better contextualise the songs with images and stories and bits of information and hopefully add a new dimension to the songs and help people make sense of them.  I have a young filmmaker who is making it happen.

CH: How important is it for people to be reminded of the ‘human stories’? Are Australians as a society in danger of becoming too alienated from the suffering and struggles of others?

PM: Music is such an exciting way of giving a human dimension to far away events and express empathy for other people. Hopefully this CD and these music events help give a small voice to the other side of the story.

Fear and racism have often been used as a method of control in Australian politics but most people when given the human version of the story are open to great acts of humanity and sympathy. The peoples who are demonised in countries like Australia really only want dignity and respect a decent life like all of us.

CH: Xenophobia has been quite overt in New South Wales recently, although it exists in pockets throughout Australia – what do you think is the best way to combat narrow-mindedness in the community?

PM: The song Fresh Blood On The Wattle was an attempt to reflect on these events and how a country that can appear relatively harmonious can quickly descend into a climate of fear and violence if powerful people and forces continually use someone’s background or religion as a method to divide and rule us. 

CH: What do you hope people will take away with them after seeing you play and hearing your music?

PM: In the end it is just music and in itself it will never change the world. But maybe it can help bring to life the stories of people ignored or marginalised, and celebrate the determination, resistance, dignity and the hopes of ordinary people.

CH: What’s next for you after the Ahimsa House show?

PM: Looks like I will be doing something at the Brisbane Multicultural Festival in October. I am also working on some similar solidarity events down south. It would be fun to do a few mainstream venues with the band if that happens.

I also am organising a gig in Brisbane with Alistair Heulett from Scotland and Dave Rovics from the USA for the end of the year, and I have just about completed a solo recording of acoustic songs that I hope to release in November.

PHIL MONSOUR performs THE EMPIRE’S NEW CLOTHES at Ahimsa House on Saturday Aug 23, with 20% of CD sales going to Union Aid Abroad APHEDA projects. The performance will also be filmed for production of a fund-raising DVD. The $25/$20 entry fee includes a Middle Eastern meal.

Be first to comment on this article

Write Comment
Comments are submitted for possible publication on the condition that they may be edited. Poster's IP addresses are logged.
Name:
Comment:
Code:*