his guitar, the songs performed in an acoustic nature, differing a
little from some of his previous work. We talked about some very
interesting topics, culminating in Tommy's view of the role the
Internet will play in the future of music.Tommy Emmanuel story / interview
For many years a favourite of Australian music fans, Tommy Emmanuel made the journey from his childhood in country New South Wales through to world renowned guitarist, respected & applauded by both music listeners & his fellow guitarists.
Tommy was recently on Australia doing promotional work for his new
album Only, which features Tommy &
his guitar, the songs performed in an acoustic nature, differing a
little from some of his previous work. We talked about some very
interesting topics, culminating in Tommy's view of the role the
Internet will play in the future of music.
Opening up, I asked Tommy about the different nature of the music on this album when compared with the previous releases.
"Certainly a lot of people are going to ask that & I think the only answer I can truthfully give is that it's really the first time it's been just me & my guitar on record. We recorded it in the North of Germany & it was a great working environment. I had the people I wanted working with me & I like the way it sounds."
Indeed, a lot of people who are familiar with Tommy's work prior to this album will notice the difference. Some of the songs are quite introspective, which Tommy covers nicely.
"There's a lot of ways people express things emotionally & I think my expression has always been through music & in particular, the guitar. If you listen through the album, you'll notice some songs have a real mood change to them. Mombasa was written just after I'd visited, funnily enough, a child I sponsor in Mombasa I the time I spent there, while Dusseldorf is a different sort of sound & mood. I've always written songs as they've come to me, not really from the point of view of having to sit down & write a song about anything in particular."
Always a crowd pleaser, I asked about the differing attitudes in the people who go to see him in performance, having heard horror stories from other bands about playing outside their own country.
"Well, there are certainly different feelings when you go out to play, but I'm almost always a concert hall player, so the people who are there aren't there in the same way that people who see a gig at a pub are. The people who come to see me are always there just to seem me. They're always very pleasant, like in Germany where once there was a banner hanging over one of the audience boxes which said 'We Love You Tommy', which just makes you feel at home right away. Audiences all over the world certainly have been very good to me."
Tommy has been living in England for the last couple of years & I asked the reasoning behind that move.
"Firstly, I'd have to say that whenever I come back, go out to the home town, it really feels like home. But the move overseas was really so I could spend more time with my family. Being based in England gives me a very good base to work out of. It's nothing to do with Australia, just that here, we're still a little isolated from the rest of the world distance-wise."
Lastly, Tommy was interested in the possibilities of the Internet, with some very interesting views on the future of the music industry.
"Things like the Internet are certainly offering people incredible possibilities & I think in a few years time, that;s where people are going to get all their music from, but things like MP3 are still too limited in their protection of the artist for me to want to get involved in that at this stage. Still, I think the labels will work things out."
Check out Tommy's latest album Only out through EMI or catch him on tour later in 2000.
