There’s something about a live performance that truly defines a musician. It reveals the difference between the karaoke song writers and the artists who are able to transcend this physical plane using their fingers, their voices and their hearts. I certainly have no right to judge, my only forays into writing music have involved poorly framed Seinfeld references and questionable love for characters from Bleach. But you know what they say, “Those who can’t write music, critique instead”.
Fortunately for everyone everywhere the boys from Georgia Fair are a pair who have some serious musical chops, and today we are psyched to be premiering the live rendition of their song Break. But wait there’s more! We also interviewed vocalist Jordan Wilson about the song, the performance, writing a new album and sex. Happy Monday!
Happy is proud to present the video premiere of Georgia Fair’s Break, live from Hibernian House and the interview with vocalist Jordan Wilson!
For those who don’t know, Jordan and his musical partner Benjamin Riley met while attending high school in Sydney, and formed their musical bond instantly. After sifting through various musical projects Georgia Fair was the one that stuck and has seen the duo release two albums well received from fans and critics alike. In the lead up to the release of the third album due out next year, the band have released the single Break to give us salivating fans a taste of what’s to come. It’s an sensual, intimate, engrossing track, reminiscent of Radiohead’s In Rainbows.
And today we have a super special treat in the form of the band performing Break in its raw, unhinged, double percussion state. Directed by Holly Quinn, the video is shot simply with one source of natural light to capture the band in a state of pure artistry, as if someone had just happened upon their rehearsal and managed to capture it on tape. Usually I’d go into an in-depth analysis of the song, but instead I’ll let vocalist Jordan do all the explaining. Watch our premiere of the video below and keep on reading for our interview!
HAPPY: It was my understanding that the video was shot at The Preatures‘ studio?
JORDAN: Yeah, it’s their space. We’ve been leasing it off them all year really. We moved back to Sydney and when the opportunity came up, every time they go away we kinda sublet it off them and get some work done!
HAPPY: So you guys kind of hijack their rehearsal space!
JORDAN: (Laughs) Yeah pretty much. We were like “Man, we gotta make full use of this!” We love the way they’ve set it all up, it’s no wonder why they’ve done so well is because they have a good operation.
HAPPY: How was it set up that was able to appeal to you so much?
JORDAN: It’s in the Hibernian building, I don’t know if you know much about it, it’ an amazing spot. It’s a really old building full of artists and run-down, but they’ve been there for so long they’ve got the run of the place, so you can drink and smoke and do whatever you want really! It’s great for muso’s.
HAPPY: Ah, so that’s why!
JORDAN: (laughs), Yes, that very subtle reason.
HAPPY: Cool. So I guess you could say the building has a very distinct personality in a way?
JORDAN: Yeah definitely. Break, the track that we did the video with was written in that room and it was really something to get that out. We had literally moved back to Sydney and we didn’t have a spot, so naturally Ben and I gravitated towards our hometown because we didn’t have a spot where we could jam, and we needed somewhere desperately. So when we were in there we just poured out all this work, and Break was one of the first.
HAPPY: So going home to that space really influenced the writing for Break?
JORDAN: Definitely. There were a whole bunch of things going on in our lives that made us say “We’re going back to Sydney and we gotta make it work up here for a little while“. So there was a sense of “Man, things are changing rapidly!“, that’s when music comes, when you just drown into the chaos, it’s quite beautiful.
HAPPY: It’s interesting when I was watching the video – it’s clear now knowing that was where the song was written – that it felt so at home in that room. I could tell from your performances that you felt very comfortable and I think the song took on a much more bolder character.
JORDAN: That’s cool that you picked up on that. We were jamming there all year, so it felt like home. We’ve got our own space now but it took that sort of encouragement for us to go “What do we want? What type of space do we want?” But now we’ve got our own space not too far from there. It’s good to have your own space, just to completely let go. We need a clubhouse, Georgia Fair, we need somewhere to go even if it isn’t work just to sit and talk or just get away from it all.
HAPPY: While watching the video I also noticed the single artwork is on the wall behind you. Was that a very subtle place meant by you guys or did it just happen to be in the room and you appropriated for the song?
JORDAN: We had it in there and we were just like “Let’s just put it up“. We’ve been meaning to get a frame, because our buddy Tosh literally gave it to us when we were playing a show in Melbourne, and he just rolled it up – he’s got art laying all around the house as you can imagine – and gave it to us, so we just stuck it up. But now we really have to look after it, we love it and it’s a beautiful piece, it really sums up our song in a visual way I think.
HAPPY: It definitely suits the vibe of the track. You were talking before about when you wrote the song you were moving between cities and a lot of stuff was going on in your life, could you give me a quick breakdown as to how the song was influenced and the story behind it?
JORDAN: It’s probably more like a – on the surface of things everything looks quite normal sometimes, but underneath you’re asking all these questions about what relationships mean in your life. I know there were relationships that I was trying to make sense of, which I always am to be honest. Like “Where does this relationship fit? What is is trying to tell me?”, and there was a certain sense where something in that track where there was someone trying to teach me how to be vulnerable again, and that’s where Break came from. Because sometimes you need a break to let it out, which I’d love to, it’s just so hard sometimes.
HAPPY: I defintiley get that when I listen to the song. Shifting gears, I saw on your Facebok a post that read “Songs are like sex, an indefinable experience. Flow, struggle, bliss and transendence. Repetitive practise that we never understand or attain, yet enjoyable all the same“. I think that’s pretty cool, for myself I’d throw awkward in there, but you probably didn’t need to know that.
JORDAN: (laughing) Any little information helps!
HAPPY: Well, I just wanted to throw a weird question out to you, if Break was a person what kind of sexual partner would you say they’s be?
JORDAN: Break. Hmmm, I’d say it’s the type of partner that’s stand off-ish and very hard to crack, but once you see the inside it’s the most beautiful fucking thing you’ve ever seen. (laughs) Which makes you come back for more!
HAPPY: Nice! You guys are working on your third LP now, How’s that going so far?
JORDAN: It’s going great! Break was a great opener to that process and how we were gonna go about doing this one. There’s less format than we’ve done in the past, like really getting into what we do individually and learning from a lot of friends that we think are great. I feel like we’ve got the hardest part over with, which is opening it up.
HAPPY: Is there any particular direction you guys are looking to go in, or particular sounds or ideas you have going around at the moment?
JORDAN: Yeah, Ben and I are doing all ourselves from the start which we haven’t really done that before, where the start of the song is built up with computers. So the song comes and to build it up it’s just me and him, so we’re using everything we can. It’s also this sense of “We’re not trying to tick any box or genre rule“. We’re just gonna try and have it until it feels good and sounds good.
HAPPY: And finally, what makes you happy?
JORDAN: I like to see people break through their shit. That makes me happy. If it’s me it’s good but it just doesn’t have to be me, it can be someone else that I love. If something is holding them back, I don’t like to see people subordinating to someone else, so I try to help those people not to do that.
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