Ed Kuepper, the ex-singer and guitarist of seminal Australian punk band The Saints, has been a performer for over 30 years. Now performing solo and with Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, Kuepper knows a thing or two about the music business.
“Making music can be one of those silly things that can often be unrewarding; but when it works you get a degree of satisfaction that more than makes up for other aspects of the business.”
Kuepper seeks that satisfaction though his latest release Second Winter, a re-imagnining of classic albums Electrical Storm and Rooms of the Magnificent that he recorded over 25 years ago.
“I recorded those songs a long time ago so in a way, I’m actually quite removed from them. I was initially asked to do a tour based around those songs so I had to go back and listen to them and reappraise what they mean to me.” In doings so, Kuepper discovered a depth to the music that warranted further exploration.
“I didn’t just want to recreate the sonic architecture of the songs; I wanted to take the the lyrics and the melodies and present them in a new way, to the extent that people will listen to them and hear completely different songs. In many ways, that has been the response which to me has been very gratifying.”
That gratification he also craves in the live realm.
“It takes a lot of focus and discipline to go out and play the same songs, the same way, night after night, but I wanted to branch out and challenge myself to make each live show different from the next. So now, I never play them the same. I often have to think up things on the spot and that adds something special to the whole live experience.”
Jan 18, 7pm, Notes Live, 75 Enmore Rd, Newtown, $34.70+BF, noteslive.oztix.com.au
