Interview: Abbe May
After spent the last years developing her own musical style consisting of rock n roll, moody rock with a guitar driven sound, Australian singer and songwriter Abbe May have gained a reputation both nationally and internationally as an intense and exiting live performer.
She just released the first single ‘Design Desire’ from her upcoming second album, due to be released in mid 2011. Get to know more about Abbe May and her music here!
Tell us a bit about yourself; what’s your musical background?
I grew up in a small coastal town in Western Australia where you were either a surfer or a skater. I was neither so i learnt to play guitar at 10. when I was 17 I joined my brothers band…we played really loud Detroit rock n roll.. we idolised MC5…The Stooges… stuff like that. We grew up listening to old school rock and roll like the Beatles, Stones…Kate Bush, Patti Smith…Beefheart..and a good amount of Tina Turner and Aretha too. Plus lots of traditional Irish music as my mother is from Cork.
Do you write your own songs? Who or what inspires you?
I write my own songs and like to collaborate with the musicians in my band with regard to the arrangement of the songs.. I learnt to write by playing in my brothers band. He taught me how to write songs and play guitar in a different way to how i was taught in primary school. We lived together for a year or two and so i had access to his mind, record collection and electric guitars…and his weed.
What kind of music do you listen to when you’re not playing your own?
I’ve been listening to LCD soundsystem religiously lately… I love them. and their last record is definitely the soundtrack to my summer.
You just released a new single ‘Design Desire’ – what can you tell us about it?
the song is about pre-meditated seduction… when you meet someone and know you have old soul chemistry.. maybe even before they do…
Design Desire
How would you describe your music?
rock and roll!
What is the biggest challenge you have faced along the way to your musical success?
what I have learnt is that listening to other peoples opinions is not always the best way to go. i have a few collaborators whom i trust to have my interests at heart…such as my brother/guitarist KT Rumble, photographer Toni Wilkinson, my engineer Sam Ford and Zena Loxton – probably the person who knows me best and whom directs film clips for my songs… I trust their talents and so when they tell me I’m wrong, I listen. I’ve found that, unlike my collaborators, when a lot of people express their opinions they aren’t necessarily coming from a place that respects me. I’ve had to learn to be smart about who I listen to. I’ve become quite good at detecting bullshit.
You have a new album coming out in May; what can the fans expect from it?
It is a heavy rock and roll album with unusual vocals i guess, for this style. I have used a softer, more ethereal style of singing with these songs. Mostly because I felt it worked in an interesting, less obvious way with the style of music.
Do you prefer playing live or recording?
both have the good sides. I like live because it is exciting and instantaneous fun… everything is sort of hanging on a knife edge live…ands often you have to ad-lib on the spot. That can be exciting! I like interacting with the crowd. Recording is good too because you can really manipulate the songs into whatever you want it to be, provided you have an understanding engineer.
How do you promote your music?
I let the record company take care of that!
And lastly; what are your plans now?
Am planning to tour Europe and America. and start work on the next record.
Follow Abbe May on Facebook and AbbeMay.com.
