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 RAVE chats to ANDREW KIDMAN of surf-film scorers THE BROWN BIRDS FROM WINDY HILL.
Brown Birds From Windy Hill seem to be strongly associated with the ocean and surf culture, but your name suggests association with Essendon FC. Is this contrast indicative of anything in particular?
Not really. I grew up in Canberra watching the mud battles at The Windy Hill footy ground on TV. Windy Hill was like the holy land for me. It seemed working class and real. I went there with my Dad a few years ago; the wind whipped through the empty concrete stadium, it was so cold. I could feel the history and the thousands of people that had watched the Bombers play there. Maybe it’s about something I never got to experience first hand. I just like the name, it evokes something, it’s long and people keep telling us to shorten it but that’s not going to happen.
How does the term ‘surf-folk’ sit with you?
It doesn’t sit that well with me. I wouldn’t want people to think that this is what our music sounds like or what we are trying to do. Folk music for me is Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie or currently The Felice Brothers. Folk songs are steeped in elements of protest, struggle and story telling. "Surf Folk" doesn’t sound like this to me, more like ‘wave singing carolines’. Can’t say I’m a huge fan of it.
You have toured with Andrew Morris, played Splendour In The Grass and now return to the South East with Pico. What do you take from each of these – quite diverse – live experiences?
Andrew: We just try and bring the songs to life as best we can. The band’s been together for about three years now so we’re really getting to know each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Knowing where to leave space for each other. The best thing about touring with others is you get to see their take on it, how they do it. There’s always something to learn, it’s super inspiring. I’ve seen some great stuff at the big festivals backstage, how people deal with their instruments and other band members.
There is a long lost Vanilla Fudge clip that reminds me a little of your Three Sails To The Wind clip. Where does the appeal of old black & white coastal footage lay?
I just like watching the ocean explode. When it’s big like that it feels like the world is black and white, especially on the central coast in California, everything is so grey, cold and big up there. Patrick Trefz made that film clip for us. He lives up there, and quietly goes about his business filming the soul of what they call ‘Steinbeck’ country.
Your music leans loosely toward the cinematic – was that the appeal for your association with Searching For Michael Peterson?
For sure, I love doing soundtrack stuff, bringing motion to life with sound. For me it’s the perfect thing to do. That’s why I’ve always made my own music for the films I’ve made.
What was the effect of having your tunes used on ABC TV’s East Of Everything, and do you see your music in future moving-image projects?
It was good just to meet Greg Walker/Machine Translations and do some work with him. He’s a great guy and super talented both as a muso and in production. I just finished making this film about the ocean with the Spunk Record label and their artists. I worked with Greg on that as well. We’re actually touring the film in July and playing live to the visuals from it. Greg is going to be touring with us so it should be a lot of fun.
BROWN BIRDS FROM WINDY HILL support Pico at The Miami Shark Bar on Friday Jun 12 and The Great Northern on Saturday Jun 13. www.myspace.com/thebrownbirdsfromwindyhill
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