Shannon Bourne Interview: SXSW 2010

Posted on Mar 3rd 2010 8:47AM by Matt Levin
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Shannon Bourne's second solo release, 2009's 'Dark Things,' brought him into the Australian spotlight, earning high praise across the Outback. The 30-year-old now intends to spread his contemporary blues sounds to Austin, Texas during SXSW. Spinner recently spoke with Bourne about his growing solo career, his weakness for antique guitars and the time he witnessed one of his bandmates have a stroke onstage. Yes, you read that correctly.

Describe your sound in your own words.

Alternative, dark, bluesy, soundscape-y.

How did your solo project form?

The acoustic -- which is what I'll be doing at SXSW -- I was pushed into it. There are times when people can't afford to pay for the band, so you can do a solo thing. More and more I started doing that. I guess it's just wanting to do it -- getting addicted to it.

What are your musical influences?

John Martyn, Richard Thompson, Skip James -- old blues guys I really love. I love the feeling that comes from that music. I want to just take that feeling and inject it into what I'm doing. Scott Walker pretty hard.

What's your biggest vice?

Extremely beautiful vintage guitars. For SXSW, I'll be bringing over a Churchill acoustic -- it's made in Australia. But I have an early '60s gold-sparkle Gretsch, and an early '60s Fender Jazzmaster.

What's in your festival survival kit?

A comfortable hotel. Get some people from your own country around you so you can discover together, I guess. A good pair of walking shoes. A change of clothes and a good place for a hangover breakfast in the morning.

Who was your first celeb crush?

I was never really a celebrity crush person growing up. Right now, it's Zooey Deschanel.

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

There was a time when i was on tour when a friend of mine -- he actually had a stroke while we were onstage. He normally plays quite well but he was making mistakes and it was weird. We went up to the hotel room and I woke up, and he was half-lying on the bed and he couldn't walk. He was trying to get to the toilet. So I carried him. And then we took him to the hospital and he can't move his left side now. He can't play. It was horrible.

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