Features : Scott Wilson Interview

Scott Wilson is an ace guitarist, songwriter and producer based in Melbourne, Australia. A former member of the award-winning ‘Dan Sultan Band’, Scott decided to hit it solo to unleash the true beast within!

His decision resulted in the recent release of his excellent debut album Stompy And The Heat, a scorching mix of organic roots rock, country, R&B, rock ‘n’ roll and surf punk.
We pinned Scott down for an interview.

Music-News:
Scott, at what point did you decide to release a solo album, and what has the reaction to Stompy And The Heat been so far?

Scott Wilson:
I have been wanting to do my own album for what seems like forever! I was 75% finished on my own album when I met Dan many years ago, and that became his first album. It went well like that so it stayed like that. What I'm doing now is the music I love; it may not be for everyone but I am a lot more comfortable with this album than anything I have done in the past. The album has been received really well so far. To release a rowdy rock 'n' roll album in the current musical climate is probably questionable, but I just don't care!

MN:
Your mate/colleague Pete Marin was aboard for your solo project. He obviously shares your taste in music?

SW:
Touring with Pete for years, we would always discuss and play the music we loved. We both dig 1960's sounds like The Small Faces, The Sonics, The MC5, The Seeds and The Stones of course. It was a great time for drummers and guitar players, before things got too silly.

MN:
Please tell me a little about the other musicians on our album, especially vocalist Bow Campbell.

SW:
Bow Campbell is from a legendary Sydney band called ‚Front End Loader’. They have been around for about 20 years and nothing has ever been able to touch them. They are kind of like our version of Motörhead. I asked him to sing the STOMPY and he was up for it. He did a great job! Garrett Costigan is a great pedal steel player, and I was very happy to get him in to do three songs. Emma Donavan is an indigenous soul singer who helped out on one song. She is the best, I mean that.

MN:
Did you know from the outset which musicians you wanted to have aboard?

SW:
Not really. It was just Pete and me for the initial sessions, and I kept adding parts myself. I had all the vocals down and then I decided that I wanted a singer! The guests were called in to do the things that I could not do... they are my friends, so it makes it hard for them to say no.

MN:
You’ve written all of the songs on the album except one, what fell into place first – the lyrics, or the musical arrangement?

SW:
No pattern really. Most came easy, some did not. I scrapped two songs midway as they were too clever and replaced them with Badaling and Zombie. The whole album is really an experiment in simplicity and minimalism. It’s a challenge to make something new and (hopefully) interesting with very few ingredients.

MN:
Your songs have a wicked old-school, raw and organic feel to them. Was it difficult to ensure that raw quality remained throughout, without running danger to have tracks that sound the very opposite of overproduced…

SW:
That is always a concern. So many times, the energy of a band goes missing in the studio. Efforts to dirty it up with studio tricks are usually unconvincing. We use weird old vintage instruments and record them with lovely old studio gear. That said, the performances are the most important part.

MN:
I’m particularly intrigued/amused about the lyrics for ‘Badaling’ – a song about a boy from Outer Mongol who tries to find a way over the Great Wall in search for special ladies, and food that doesn’t come from a Yak…

SW:
I was in Badaling (it's near Beijing) years ago checking out the Great Wall and that song just came to me. I could imagine this guy wanting to improve his situation; he has heard about the cool shit on the other side. I suppose that song could have been set around the Berlin Wall, but the costumes would not be as interesting.

MN:
What prompted your to include a cover version of Merle Haggard’s ‘Honky Tonk Night Time Man’ on the album?

SW:
I think most albums should have one cover. If you can do justice to a classic song, you show that you mean business. A Merle Haggard cover is a heavier concept than say, a Phil Collins song. ‘Honky Tonk Night Time Man’ is a vampire song I reckon.

MN:
The album cover photo is a brilliant mix of pulp fiction and B-movie trash. Was the concept your idea?

SW:
I found that picture many years ago and always thought it would make a killer album cover. We found out where it was from and we got permission to use it. It's from a 1972 biker film called ANGEL'S WILD WOMEN. The woman’s name is Regina.

MN:
What’s next for you? Any plans for a European tour?

SW:
We would love to come to Europe! We are waiting for the call that says STOMPY HAS GONE HUGE IN THE UK, GREECE, DENMARK AND EVERYWHERE ELSE!! GET ON A PLANE NOW.

MN:
Cheers for doing this interview. Let’s hope London will be calling soon, so we can all go paint the town red.