Eaglemont is a jangle rock project from Melbourne Australia and while on tour through South Australia with band Ceres, had an unscripted chat with radionotes and is this episode’s feature guest.
The singer and songwriter had recently released their latest Single ‘Hound’ and shared thoughts on their music as well memories of an important role they had back in school.
To listen, click the green ‘play’ triangle… [note: may take few seconds to load]
(Transcript of Eaglemont chat below, check to delivery in audio)
Chat recorded at Plant4 Bowden, next to water feature that decided to start regularly mid-chat.
IMAGE CREDIT: radionotes
SHOW NOTES: Eaglemont episode
Where to find the show to subscribe/follow:
- PlayPodcast – this link directs you, to the Podcast app on your device (subscribe to not miss an episode)
….or you may prefer to Search “radionotes Podcast” in your favourite podcatcher.
The socials… Instagram – Facebook – Twitter
In The Box:
- Golden Plains – Lucie Thorne (Official Music Clip) off Kitty & Frank (LP – out 26 August 2019)
- 100 Thousand – Navvy, off The Breakup – EP (out 14 August 2019)
- Follow You Down – Charlotte Carpenter [Bandcamp]
- Falling Clouds – Dyson Stringer Cloher (Official Music Video), available to buy/stream here
FEATURE GUEST: Eaglemont
- Official Site
- Facebook – Twitter – Instagram
- Mediocre At Best (Official Music Video)
- We Are a Team – Ceres (Album) [Bandcamp]
- Ruby Gill (Official Site)
- Scar – Missy Higgins (Official Music Video)
- City and Colour (Official Site)
- Back To Good
- James Seymour (Official Site) FEELDS (Official Site)
- Jasper Jones by Craig Silvery (Allen&Unwin)
- In Cold Blood – Truman Capote (Penguin)
- I Am Easy To Find – The National (NME – Review) the Short Film by Mike Mills [YouTube]
- December – MAXON [Bandcamp] or if prefer iTunes – Spotify
- Camp Cope [Bandcamp]
- The Austin 100 – Quivers (NPR)
- Elizabeth Fader [Facebook]
- Phantastic Ferniture [Bandcamp]
- Lindy Burns (Twitter) Burns with Astle (October 2018, ABC)
- Miss Chatelaine (JoyFM)
- Eaglemont delivered a gripping performance… (BEAT)
- Texas – Eaglemont (Sofar Performance) [YouTube]
- Hound – Eaglemont [LinkTo Single]
Discoveries:
- Misery – Darling (Official Music Video) on Spotify
- Ready – Montaigne (Official Music Video)
- Print It, Run, Send It – Horatio Luna (EP – Bandcamp)
AIR Awards 2019 – Winners:
- Best Independent Artist: Courtney Barnett (Official Site)
- Best Independent Album: tied Tell Me How You Really Feel – Courtney Barnett (Bandcamp) with Djarimirri – Gurrumul (ABC)
- Best Independent Single: Native Tongue by Mojo Juju (Official Music Clip)
- Breakthrough Independent Artist of The Year: G Flip (Official Site)
- Best Independent Hip Hop Album: Area Famous – B Wise (Trove)
- Best Independent Country Album: Lioness – Beccy Cole (Official Site)
- Best Independent Blues and Roots Album: Milyakburra – Emily Wurramara (Bandcamp)
- Best Independent Hard Rock, Heavy or Punk Album: Bloody Lovely – DZ Deathrays (Bandcamp – 2017)
- Best Independent Dance, Electronica Album or EP: Confident Music for Confident People – Confidence Man (NME)
- Best Independent Dance, Electronica or Club Single: Beautiful (feat. Winona Oak) – What So Not (Pilerats)
- Best Independent Jazz Album: Animarum – Jonathan Zwartz (ABC Jazz)
- Best Independent Classical Album: Bach Concertos – Grigoryan Brothers, Adelaide Symphony and Benjamin Northey (ABC Music)
- Best Independent Label: Chapter Music (Official Site)
- Gerarda McKenna of White Sky receiving the Outstanding Achievement Award
- AIR (Official Site)
From The Archives: The Earthmen (2016/7)
- College Heart – The Earthmen (Spotify), the 2016 compilation of their music – includes cuts from 1997 album.
- Love Walks in (Official Music Video)
- Whoever’s Been Using This Bed – The Earthmen
Music Mentions:
- Drive – Like Bear (iTunes)
- In This Together – Emily Roberts (LinkTo)
- Rogue Dog – Liv Cartledge (LinkTo)
- Girls On TV – Lauren Jean (Official Music Video)
Minute with…:
- Mojo Juju (Official Site)
Next Episode: Dan Ilic
More details on playpodcast here, thanks to Matt from them.
[Radio Production – notes: Tetsuians chat is under 40 minutes, plenty of space to play many cuts from]
CREDITS
Theme/Music: Martin Kennedy and All India Radio
Web-design/tech: Steve Davis
Voice: Tammy Weller
You can make direct contact with the podcast – on the Contact Page
TRANSCRIPT
For direct quotes check to audio, first version of transcript by Stacy S at REV
John Murch: Eaglemont, welcome to radionotes.
Eaglemont: Hello. Thank you for having me.
John Murch: Firstly, congratulations on a huge amount of touring you’ve been doing. What has the touring experience in 2019 been like?
Eaglemont: Touring for me and my band, I’m lucky enough to have my band on this Ceres tour with me, in essence, I think it’s a privilege. I’m really lucky to be on this tour and everything about it. Even some things that other people might find a little less than enticing, like flights and late nights, early mornings, that kind of thing, I just love it. I want to live in brave, this kind of stuff. So, yeah, it’s the best.
John Murch: Let’s talk about the camaraderie on the road. How have you found that? You’re a bit of a younger generation? Is this something new for you, working together with other people on a face-to-face value?
Eaglemont: I think it is one of the most imperative things about being a musician in the modern era and as a young person. I studied music, and I had to unlearn a lot of stuff about turning every point of communication with other artists and other people in the industry about networking. It is about community, and it’s about finding common ground. And the Ceres band members’ new album is called We Are A Team. So it is the essence of this whole tour, and my musical journey so far is to just collaborate.
John Murch: Well, talk to me about the difference between networking and collaborating.
Eaglemont: It’s more about seeing the value in a person that goes beyond what they can do for you. I think it’s really important to… if you meet someone that you connect with and have a conversation with about music, about life, whatever, it’s not in turn like, “Okay, great, we’ve laid this foundation, who do you know? What can you make happen for me?” Kind of thing. You just treat people as people and not as leverage.
John Murch: You mentioned that you studied music-
Eaglemont: I did.
John Murch: … and that was more towards that?
Eaglemont: It’s more towards, you have to obviously codify something to teach it. So it is more about putting yourself in a position where it’s a step ladder. But progress isn’t linear, and that’s what I firmly believe in.
John Murch: What’s your progression been like since 2017 when the first EP came out?
Eaglemont: Really, really positive and sporadic as well for a while at the start, even up until a few months ago, the band and I were taking every single show that we got offered, which is like the best way I would say to kind of get our foot in the door is to just really play every single show that you get asked to play. It’s been really good, just working really hard and being creative and recording as much as possible and releasing as much as I can within my means.
John Murch: Because the other side of that leaning towards that business side would be get yourself a solid product, do limited number of shows, and get the most bang for buck any way you can.
Eaglemont: Yeah, exactly, yup.
John Murch: That’s obviously not you.
Eaglemont: No, that’s not me. It’s funny, especially being an unsigned, it’s just, it’s me and a computer basically. That’s what Eaglemont is, being that kind of individual person you have to at times, think like, say, a manager would or a booker would, but then also prioritize the way an artist thinks. And my priority is to play music and to create music, not fit it in a profit margin.
John Murch: Talk to us about that delineation of self because that’s what I feel it is when I have artists like yourself, that thing of I am a musician, but I need to be the promoter, the booker as well. How do you do that?
Eaglemont: I think it’s a modern reality. I think you have to streamline what you’re doing, especially cost-wise. Like most musicians have a day job that helps keep the whole project afloat. Just reaching out and communicating, I can pinpoint where things started to go in a really positive direction. For us, it was, I reached out to a really good friend of mine. Now, her name’s Ruby Gill. I messaged her saying I liked her music, and then we ended up playing a show together, and then some other people were at that show, and then I ended up playing a show with those people. So it is kind of like a domino effect. The more you put yourself in those positive situations, the more good that can come out of it.
John Murch: And that links back into what you were saying about community as well.
Eaglemont: Absolutely, yeah.
John Murch: It may not look like you have a neighbour, but all of a sudden you have a suburb of people.
Eaglemont: Yeah, exactly. It’s a village, especially in Melbourne where it is kind of like everyone knows each other. You’ve got the most amazing artists and people around you. You can lift each other up and play with your friends.
John Murch: We’re currently in conversation with Eaglemont. Let’s talk about image if we can.
Eaglemont: Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
John Murch: When did you decide Eaglemont, that image would be part of you and your marketing as an artist?
Eaglemont: I think to be… I don’t know, you’d have to kind of be image conscious because you have to know what you are selling and what you’re presenting to audiences and people. But I also think that trying to manufacture an image per se can be really damaging to your creative output. Like, for instance, my first EP was really kind of Country and kind of focusing a songwriter, and then I thought, “Well, the image that I want to be, all the kind of music that I want to play is more electric based and more Rock.” So I don’t know if I changed the way I look, or the way I do things, but I did change the kind of shows that we were playing, and the kind of recording process as well, and who we were working with. And in that way, the image kind of shifts.
John Murch: Did that then define the kind of music you’re writing as a songwriter of which you’ve been since the age of 15?
Eaglemont: Yeah, I’ve always been writing songs, but then also what I was listening to changed as well. So my output was reflective of my input.
John Murch: I want to talk about the honesty of lyrics. I was going to raise this later, but this is a good point to do it because it’s about image, who you are. Samuel is not about a boy?
Eaglemont: It’s an oldie goldie. It isn’t. I wasn’t out at the time, and I fell in love, or I don’t know if it was love looking back now, completely, like head over heels with this person, and I wasn’t out yet. So I wrote the song about her that changed the pronouns and changed it to Samuel, yeah.
John Murch: You’ve had to think about that over the years, haven’t you?
Eaglemont: Yeah, absolutely.
John Murch: And what you did at the time in changing it?
Eaglemont: I think so. I think also like I was a teenager and everything else changes about you when you go into your early 20s. So, of course, the nature of my songwriting changed, and so did the nature of the people that I was writing about.
John Murch: In terms of the level of honesty as a performer, in terms of the identity more broadly, you want to give them music as well.
Eaglemont: Yeah, exactly. I think that audiences and crowds and music fans are intelligent and can sense authenticity when they see it and when they hear it. So it’s my duty to myself and my craft and the people who listen to my music to give them an honest expression.
John Murch: How do you feel about that first EP?
Eaglemont: I feel like it was really necessary and a really important point in the timeline, but it doesn’t really reflect the kind of music I want to make now and, and the kind of way I want to produce things, and, yeah, and the instrumentation. Basically, it was a great starting point, and I’m proud of it, but it’s time to move on.
John Murch: Well, let’s jump to now. The latest single is called Hound, which I believe is unreleased that will be out later in the year. Where’s your mind focused?
Eaglemont: Just like in the same way that the EP was a starting point. Every release I’ve put out is an indication of where I was at that point in time, and my journey as a songwriter and also the control I have over the production as well. I have Hound, which was originally called Don’t Be A Dick, but I had to change the name.
John Murch: You had to change the name.
Eaglemont: Yeah, I didn’t have to, but I thought why potentially alienate some people that might be offended by the title if I can just call it Hound, which is equally as reflective of the song.
John Murch: And there’s still an F-word in there anyway, so it’s still offensive.
Eaglemont: Exactly, my first recorded F-word. I think yep every release is kind of like this is where I was at when I wrote it, when I recorded it. And moving forward, this is what I want my music to sound like, and what I want to achieve in my sound, which also ties into image as well.
John Murch: Hound is the latest single, and I get a feeling that it’s just as much about you as the songwriter as it is about the emotions you want from others when they listen to it.
Eaglemont: Yeah, for sure. I think all art is an opportunity to connect. And when I wrote the song, I was feeling pretty isolated.
John Murch: Why is that?
Eaglemont: I guess the material of the song is that it’s about mental health, and it’s about not wanting to burden the people you love or the people around you with feeling pretty dark, which also you shouldn’t do, like that’s what the people that you love are there for. They’re there to support you in dark times. And then it’s about, I don’t know, about connecting also with someone else who might be going through the same thing. If I can potentially have a conversation via that song with someone that makes them feel less alone, then that’s also a big part of why I make music.
John Murch: Because it’s about communication.
Eaglemont: Yeah.
John Murch: And when someone is at that stage, one of the first signs, as you will know is they’ll withdraw from life. Julia Gillard was saying this on FM commercial radio, which was… I was very proud of her for doing that because it’s not an audience that normally hears that message.
Eaglemont: Or what’s the deal with something that’s not covered in sugar?
John Murch: At 8:15 in the morning.
Eaglemont: Exactly.
John Murch: How you think, and I’m not saying it doesn’t, how you think writing a song like Hounds will help?
Eaglemont: I think it will help by honestly just the same thing. Just if it can reach someone who is having kind of negative thoughts and who is going through it. Also, the song is about empathy, and it’s about realizing that everyone’s fighting their own battles and going through their own stuff. So just trying to be mindful that being kind is something that, I don’t know, it doesn’t get talked about enough, and it’s a great quality to have.
John Murch: Alas the alternative title.
Eaglemont: Yeah, exactly.
John Murch: And the lyrics in your song. Is there a particular reason why people are being like that these days and maybe haven’t in the past, or is it just more obvious that people are being a bit of a Richard?
Eaglemont: Yeah, my mum told me to change the name of the title to Don’t be Richard. I didn’t do that. I think, oh, I don’t want to be that person, but like social media, it’s easier to disconnect, it’s easier to have vitriol when someone’s not standing in front of you. Leaving a comment takes one second, but saying something awful to someone’s face is a lot harder. So maybe that’s why.
John Murch: Where do you find the source within you or otherwise for the empathy that you project?
Eaglemont: I find it in the people I surround myself with. The way I was raised, my mother is one of the most empathetic people I’ve ever met. She’s the school principal. She’s a doctor, she’s got a doctorate. She sacrifices just like everyone else does. And, yeah, she’s just a hero doing the best by my sister and I, and my dad is also a very empathetic person too. So it’s the way I am is the way I was raised and by the people I surround myself with.
John Murch: When did you, if ever, and maybe you didn’t, rebel against that nicety?
Eaglemont: I think when certain traumatic events would happen. I mean, trauma changes the way people react to things. And I think it’s hard to try and remain empathetic when you’re going through it.
John Murch: When we first introduced to Missy Higgins-
Eaglemont: She’s the reason I picked up an acoustic guitar, like I think her influence on songwriters and young female musicians is nothing short of like prophetic. I think that she’s so important in the grand scheme of Australian music. I don’t think you’ll hear many songwriters, especially female singer-songwriters that don’t list her as an influence that are in my age bracket.
John Murch: Why is that? Is it just the time that she came on to the music scene?
Eaglemont: At the heart of it, Missy songwriting is the reason why she’s so good. And also, Scar came out, and it was about like A&R guys. It was about a label. So for her to be like, “Here’s my first single. It’s amazing. It’s about you, release it.”
John Murch: On the other spectrum, but within the same camp of sound, City and Colour.
Eaglemont: Yeah, City and Colour. I love City and Colour. I’ve seen him play twice, once was solo at Sydney Opera House, and once was with full band, Sidney Myer Music Bowl. Same thing as Missy. Also, I think I learned a lot about guitar from him as well. I never learned how to play guitar with theory or through lessons. I grew up playing the violin, so when I turned 16, and it was kind of like, “Eh, I don’t know if I want to play violin anymore.” And then I discovered Missy’s music and Dallas Green who’s City and Colours music. I thought, “Oh, I can do this. I can play like this. I want to write songs like this.” Kind of reticent to my own musical journey so far. I started with… I mean, he was in Alexisonfire, which is like a heavy metal band basically. But his solo stuff, all acoustic, first album is like a fully acoustic record. And then up to now, which is kind of like more rockier, which is kind of the direction that I’ve gone in naturally.
John Murch: Talking about playing guitar Back to Good.
Eaglemont: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. The TV series.
John Murch: Did it ever get produced?
Eaglemont: I think so, I think it got released. I think it might’ve been a YouTube thing. It was great.
John Murch: What was it? How did you get involved with it? So we’re talking about a drama web series is what I’ve written Back to Good.
Eaglemont: Yeah, my friend Kat Frank was the leader I think. Yeah, and she introduced me to the people doing it. And they asked if they could use a couple of my songs and I said, “Absolutely, fantastic.” And then I ended up doing also the music for my friends graduating short film. She went to VCA. So I also have a real love of composition and composing in different ways too.
John Murch: Where this music’s being produced, being written, where’s that creative space for it?
Eaglemont: I write most of my songs in my house, or I write lyrics and then come back to it, or whatever. But I’m currently working with James Seymour, who is a producer in his mom’s sewing room in a house in Greensborough. And it’s the best, it’s the most organic recording experience or in producing experience I’ve ever had.
John Murch: And so that’s for the material that follows up from Hound?
Eaglemont: Yes, so Hound, I did at his place and then I got another two songs basically locked and loaded with him. So it’s very easy, and it’s just a wizard basically.
John Murch: When you pick up the guitar, what’s the relationship with the guitar like?
Eaglemont: I think it’s positive, sometimes tumultuous.
John Murch: Did you say tumultuous?
Eaglemont: Tumultuous at times.
John Murch: Wow, that word is so wonderfully old.
Eaglemont: Yeah, I was library captain in high school, obviously very cool.
John Murch: So not if I say library captain?
Eaglemont: Yeah.
John Murch: What does that mean?
Eaglemont: I don’t know, I love books. When I was in high school, I spent my lunch times in like either the library or in the music room that we had. I think they started a library club, and then they were like, “You’re going to be the spokesperson for the library club, promote library club.” And I was like, “This is my life’s work.” I was very popular.
John Murch: Okay, how many members did you get?
Eaglemont: Approximately three, four on a good day.
John Murch: Each day?
Eaglemont: Sometimes a rotating roster, sometimes the same people.
John Murch: All right, what were you reading when your were library captain?
Eaglemont: I think we were reading Jasper Jones, which is an Australian book. Really good, it’s about a lot to do with race relations in Australia as well. It’s so good.
John Murch: Did you grow out of books?
Eaglemont: I don’t think so. I still read a lot.
John Murch: What are you reading?
Eaglemont: I’m reading In Cold Blood again at the moment because I think it’s-
John Murch: Capote?
Eaglemont: Yeah, because it’s a classic, and I love it. I think it’s comfort reading. I’ve just read it a lot and traveling as well, going to new places, reading a book that you know is… my dad always said that as long as you’ve got books, you’ll never be lonely. So I’ve always basically always got one on me.
John Murch: We’re talking physical copy as well, aren’t we?
Eaglemont: Yeah, yeah, no Kindles here.
John Murch: What’s the last song you listened to apart from your own?
Eaglemont: I’ve been listening to the new The National album, I Am Easy to Find, that whole album.
John Murch: Have you listened to MAXON’s new December single yet?
Eaglemont: Yes, I love MAXON. It’s the best. It’s a cracker. It’s emotional, and it’s well crafted. And she is a fantastic songwriter and a fantastic singer.
John Murch: And a great human being.
Eaglemont: Perfect human being.
John Murch: Have you been to any of their live shows?
Eaglemont: Did a kind of like a guest spot, and we sang I’m on Fire together by Bruce Springsteen.
John Murch: Where do you enjoy performing live and why?
Eaglemont: Every venue that we’ve played at on this tour has been a dream come true.
John Murch: You’re in for a treat tonight. You’ve got the Cranker here tonight.
Eaglemont: Yeah, I’m so excited. It’s sold out as well, and it’s just going to be the best. When we played at the corner to start the tour off, that was a bucket list moment, but I love playing live anywhere.
John Murch: So many bands over the years have gone through that room?
Eaglemont: That’s the thing. It’s like the venues that we’re playing, I look at on the green room wall, everyone carries a sharpie with the bands. I don’t know. I was playing at the Zoo in Brisbane last week on the tour, and I saw Camp Cope on the wall, and I was like, “Yeah, I love Camp Cope.”
John Murch: The theme of Hound as we mentioned is about being empathetic, supportive. When you’re in that place, what are some of the things that you do to get you to that place where you can contact some mates and friends and get you back on track?
Eaglemont: I think when you’re in that offer, me, when I’m in that kind of position, everything works differently for different people. So I try and ground myself with the people in my immediate life who I know I can lean on and try and do some self-care stuff like going for walks and-
John Murch: Talk us through that, what does self-care actually mean? You mentioned walks?
Eaglemont: Yeah, I think self-care is a term that you apply to yourself and no one thing will work for another person. So for me, I like to get into nature, and I try to write a lot and talk to people who remind me that the world isn’t ending. I also try and, even though it might not be enjoyable, get to the route of the issue. And I think therapy is really important, and it’s really important to de-stigmatize therapy and talking about your feelings because that’s where it’s at.
John Murch: Yeah, a lot of people I’ve heard in the last couple of months or so are talking about going therapy, like everyone’s going to therapy-
Eaglemont: Yeah, it’s great.
John Murch: … like it’s this thing that people do.
Eaglemont: It is.
John Murch: Is it?
Eaglemont: Yeah, I think it’s very important. Even if it’s not like therapy per se, but to have someone who isn’t 100% entrenched in your life and will have an opinion, going to someone who’s objective.
John Murch: We used to call those pubs.
Eaglemont: Pubs, alcohol, I don’t know.
John Murch: Have you ever had concerns maybe for yourself or others when it comes to alcohol?
Eaglemont: I’ve been really lucky not to be having put in that situation personally or otherwise.
John Murch: Do you see it as a bit of a social issue?
Eaglemont: I think it’s completely a social issue. I also think it’s becoming an issue in the music industry, which I don’t know if people really talk about that often, but the amalgamation of live music and alcohol and violence can’t really be understated.
John Murch: See, I was hoping in recent years that just that of alcohol and music, the violence can be anywhere, obviously it can be a cause, they’re out there. But the alcohol and music, I thought we’d got away from paying bands in riders.
Eaglemont: Yeah, some people still try to do that.
John Murch: Really?
Eaglemont: Yeah, absolutely, or even worse like exposure, like can’t pay rent with exposure.
John Murch: For the young folk that are going to get that in their early days.
Eaglemont: Yeah.
John Murch: What are some of the traps that you can fall into when people say, “Hey, it’s for the exposure,” because you say play all the gigs that you can.
Eaglemont: That’s it, that’s it’s. It’s a bit of a dichotomy, yeah. I think you just need to know your worth, and you need to know what is going to work for you and your band and the choices that you make, like in a perfect world, it’d be great to be able to turn down shows when you’re not going to get paid, but sometimes I’ve absolutely been in situations when the experience has been enough, but that’s like very early on. And it really is the same thing, it’s a personal decision for you and your band. But also, if you’re putting other bands and other up and coming artists in that position, you need to take a step back and look at what you’re doing.
John Murch: What’s driving your music career?
Eaglemont: I feel like it’s my – not to go too far into it – my purpose. I think nothing gets me up in the morning more than knowing that I get to create music.
John Murch: When you say purpose, that comes with a bit of a white.
Eaglemont: It does, yeah.
John Murch: Without prying too much, is it the number one priority then?
Eaglemont: My number one priority is the mental and physical wellbeing of myself and the people around me. The second priority is being fulfilled and content and try… I mean, I’m going to be making music for my entire life, and the concept of maybe making a living out of it is enough to keep me going.
John Murch: What’s that plan that you’ve got in place to make sure that your dream, your drive, your purpose can be fulfilled?
Eaglemont: It’s a bit chaotic to be honest. It’s like equal parts like luck, and talent, and community, and opportunity. It’s putting yourself out there and having belief in yourself and striving to create the kind of music and image as you were saying that you want, therefore like the life that you want.
John Murch: I’m at 20 something, I’ve just come out of university, I’ve done a double degree, this is hypothetical. I have one or two journals full of lyrics. What am I doing next?
Eaglemont: Play live, practice. And when you’re confident in that, go to open mic nights, or even play some cover gigs, play supports. Basically just play until someone says, “Do you want to play with me?” And then you say, “Yeah.” And then someone else sees you. I mean, my experience, I can’t speak for anyone else, but I basically, I came out of uni with four or five songs and asked a lecturer of mine, “I want to create an EP,” like how I do it? And then she gave me the name of the person that I recorded the first EP with, and then I talked to him about it. And it was kind of like trial by fire, you know? So you’ve got to figure out what works for you and also your trajectory, like do you want to be a songwriter and that’s it, or do you want to be a performer? So you need to know what direction you’re going. And I think having a vision is important.
John Murch: You said you came out of uni, was there a particular degree?
Eaglemont: I did a bachelor of music.
John Murch: You went to uni to learn the craft?
Eaglemont: Yeah, well, I kind of ended up after high school. I had a few different avenues. I was thinking about going down, and then I sat down one night with my parents and had a discussion about where I want to be in 5, 10 years and what I want to be doing, what I think is going to make me happy.
John Murch: But what is your plan for the next 5, 10 years?
Eaglemont: I love playing live, and creating music, and meeting people, and collaborating. I want to do an album and play shows, like the shows that we’ve be playing on the series too have been blowing my mind. It doesn’t really matter if I’m playing to like two people or 800 then. As long as I’m playing, I love it.
John Murch: What’s your view on knowledge? What’s the best way of sharing knowledge?
Eaglemont: I think that education and knowledge is the answer. My mother has a doctorate is a school principal, and knowledge is, I wouldn’t say, I mean, it’s power, but it’s also like when everyone is educated and everyone has access to the same resources and the same literature education, then everyone can become an equal footing.
John Murch: How are you feeling about marriage equality now that it’s been achieved within Australia?
Eaglemont: I’m still kind of mad about it to be honest. I’m a gay woman, and to think that marriage equality wasn’t a thing until a year ago is quite frustrating and quite maddening, but also to realize that I’m lucky to be in a country that accepts who I was born as.
John Murch: Without pressing too hard on it, you did say there’s still anger as someone who is quite positive and empathetic.
Eaglemont: Yeah, I’ve got a temper.
John Murch: Really?
Eaglemont: Yeah.
John Murch: Not necessarily the temper, although it may be part of it, the anger you still feel about the issue?
Eaglemont: I don’t know, it’s like, say, like marriage equality has been passed thankfully as it should’ve been forever the end. But I still have so many people in the queer community who still face hardship regardless of gay people being able to get married. So I think it’s also a system that needs to be kind-of dismantled and put back together. It’s not necessarily like a bandaid fix saying, “Okay, you can get married, but we’re still going to treat you like shit.”
John Murch: So someone who’s a bad empathy and very considered as well, I feel, how are you going to use your music experience? Is there a way that you can use your music experience to make lives better?
Eaglemont: Absolutely. I have a small platform, and the kind of the songs that I sing and the things that I sing about, I don’t shy away from no matter who I’m playing or playing too. I have a song in my set list that’s not out, it’s called Heteronormative Nightmare. And it’s about going to my year 11 with my formal date, and sitting in the back of a car with him and realizing that I’m gay in that moment. I’m not like seeing anything radical like a couple of my songs have a bit of vitriol in them about my own experience as a queer person. But that song in particular, it’s just like normalizing the fact that like, yeah, like gay people have experiences and like this is my life, but like not necessarily in a bad way, is also a way of like if there isn’t a queer person or someone who identifies as part of the LGBTQA spectrum, then that can be like, “Okay, cool.” Like I’m not just equally mad about this with you, this is an experience that I’ve also had, and it’s funny.
John Murch: We need to get to a stage I would think that how a singer-songwriter identifies isn’t the main issue. How does the public engage with queer artists at the same time as not making it about the label?
Eaglemont: That’s it. I set the precedent as the artist, the things that I sing about and the things that I write about are things that I might necessarily like not want to have a conversation about, but also might want to as well, in the same way that a crowd can or members of the audience can relate to me, they can not relate to me, and that’s just the way it is. As the opener on this tour as well, I feel like the crowd didn’t really owe me anything other than respect. They don’t owe me their attention or their love because they’re there to see Ceres, but they do owe me their respect.
John Murch: You’re doing your own headline before this is released. In fact, you’ll be doing your own headline gigs, totally different atmosphere. This is where you will be the focus.
Eaglemont: Yes, it’s going to be a bit of a turn-table. It’s going to be great.
John Murch: Who are you looking forward to playing alongside, more generally speaking?
Eaglemont: Yeah, the support for the show, a fantastic band called Quivers, who just came back from South by Southwest, and Elizabeth Fader, who is a member of Fantastic Furniture.
John Murch: I’ve actually listened to the Quivers because NPR does like 100 songs.
Eaglemont: Yeah, yeah, they did a-
John Murch: Yeah, and like Quivers, just the name of it, I went, I’ll give them a listen. And they were really good.
Eaglemont: They’re the best. And they’re great people, and Sam is a fantastic songwriter. And I’m still amazed that they’re playing the show with me. I like to play with people that I admire, and I really admire them.
John Murch: Why is that? Is there a bit of nerves, like healthy nerves by doing that?
Eaglemont: I played elite sport for a while when I was a teenager. I played softball.
John Murch: Excellent.
Eaglemont: I think that playing with people, when I played sports, playing with other good players makes you lift your game. And in the same sense, I like playing with artists who I admire and who I think artistically are brilliant, so I can feed off them.
John Murch: It was a while ago, but I didn’t get to hear it. I want to know what your experience was a couple of years ago of walking in the studio and performing for Lindy Burns.
Eaglemont: The best. Do you know how I actually came to be in that studio?
John Murch: No.
Eaglemont: My family live in Perth. And I created the EP CDs, sent one to my dad. And then he took it upon himself to do a little bit of a drop, a little bit of a, I don’t know, round robin. One of my CDs ended up in Lindy Burns’ office and she texted my dad and was like, “Hey, this is great, do you want to text your daughter and get her on the show?” And so then I ended up just going into ABC, like what is my life? And talking to Lindy Burns, who is just an icon, living legend. And I was just there with my acoustic guitar like eh, eh.
John Murch: And then you’ve got to speak to Katie Purvis as well.
Eaglemont: Yes, with Miss Chatelaine.
John Murch: Exciting times.
Eaglemont: Exciting life, living the dream, loving it.
John Murch: It’s been an absolute pleasure.
Eaglemont: It has. Thank you for having me.
John Murch: Eaglemont, thanks for your time.
Eaglemont: See you soon.