Paul Dempsey Interview: SXSW 2010

Posted on Mar 2nd 2010 10:50AM by Chris Patin
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For nearly two decades, Paul Dempsey has achieved worldwide acclaim as the lead singer and principal songwriter of the Australian band Something for Kate. In 2009, after an 18-month process of writing and recording every instrument on the album, Dempsey released 'Everything Is True.' Peaking at No. 5 on the Australian charts, the solo release has been lauded by critics and fans as the singer's most accomplished work to date. As Dempsey prepares for a US tour and a trip to SXSW in Austin, Spinner recently spoke with him about the solo album, touring and nanobots.

How would you describe your sound?

A guy with an acoustic guitar getting drunk in a library.

What are your musical influences?

I like lots of different things: Fugazi, Bob Dylan, Black Flag, Gillian Welch, Slayer, Springsteen, Wilco, Neil Young, Conor Oberst, Television, Okkervil River, Alex Chilton, the National, Nick Cave, Talking Heads ... I could go on forever, but I don't think I necessarily sound like any of the above. And I suspect I'm as "influenced" by music that I loathe as much as music that I love. It all gets in there and affects what I do somehow, I guess.

What did you learn about yourself in making the solo record?

I think I learned how to use my voice in different ways that better suit the sentiment of what I'm singing about. I think I got a little better at the arrangements of the instruments, and probably the biggest thing I learned was that playing every single instrument on a recording in a limited amount of time is f---ing exhausting.

Who is the Ramona in the song' Ramona Was a Waitress'? Is she based on someone in your life?

The Ramona in the song is an artificial intelligence, a futuristic "trans-human" waitress, trying to relate to a regular 'mortal' customer about love and loss. I stole the name Ramona from Ray Kurzweil. He didn't mind.

What's in your festival survival kit?

Water, maps, timetables and nanobots -- billions of 'em.

What's your musical guilty pleasure?

I would never feel guilty for taking pleasure in something, but having said that I probably wouldn't put on Napalm Death when friends are around for dinner.

What's the craziest thing you've seen or experienced while on tour?

I always go blank whenever this question comes up. All that comes to mind right now is David Byrne nearly killing me on his bicycle outside a hotel in Berlin.

How will your experiences making a solo record affect the way Something for Kate writes and records in the future?

I really enjoyed pulling this album together with a relatively simple recording set-up in a friend's house on the coast. It was educational and somewhat empowering to just drag a bunch of gear into a room and make it work, and I'm really happy with how it sounds. I think with the next SFK record, we might just avoid recording studios all together and go do it ourselves in a house somewhere. There's something rewarding about inventing your own studio space and then disassembling it and walking away, and it's nice to work in a space that hasn't seen a million other bands pass through already -- a room that's not tired of music, if that makes sense.

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