May 29th, 2009 1:18pm
Welcome Ronnie Scott / Interview: Jack Ladder
Ronnie Scott is Australian, but don't hold it against him. Actually, you may know him-- he's the founder of a wonderful publication called The Lifted Brow (this issue, featuring words and music from the Wrens, Spiral Stairs, Neil Gaiman, Carey Mercer, Rick Moody (to name just a few) is probably the best-known). Ronnie has signed on to provide MBV with some great artist interviews... and besides the big (well, in "indie" terms "big") names, he's also going to be shining the light on some lesser-known and independent (and oft-times, Australian) artists. Welcome, Ronnie, and please, folks: no Men At Work/Land Down Under jokes.
In his first installment, Ronnie talks to Sydney's Jack Ladder...
Jack Ladder lives in Sydney and is signed to Spunk, the Australian label for everybody from Adam Green to Yeah Yeah Yeahs (nobody starting with Z, though). He just won something called The Red Bull Award In Recognition Of Outstanding Potential, which is part of the Australian Music Prize, and is worth a solid dollar.
A good point of reference for Jack Ladder is: he's like one of those "sensitive-yet-plain-speaking-young-man" songwriters, except the real deal, and not boring at all. Actually though, his second album, Love Is Gone, is not really songwritery: it's just stompin'.
But "Not Worth Waiting For" is from his first album, which is called the same thing as the song.
Jack Ladder - "Not Worth Waiting For"
Jack Ladder: Why would you want to put up a song that's 3 years old?
MBV Ronnie: I like that one the best. Which is your favourite Jack Ladder song?
Jack Ladder: I haven't released my favourite song. I never get it right. It will haunt me to my grave.
MBV Ronnie: The elephant in the room at any Jack Ladder show is that you are incredibly tall. Actually, the right word is "lanky", almost like a teenager, except you are clearly a grown man.
Jack Ladder: Look, I'm tall, but I don't shop at Big & Tall shops, so I figure I'm still in the sphere of the ergonomic man. I get a lot of dumb questions at the urinal from drunks trying to guess my height. I get enlisted in fake AFL teams and hounded about my basketball career. The tragedy is that I always wanted to ride horses.
MBV Ronnie: I saw you play the Spunk birthday show in Bangalow [at a country town hall in the middle of nowhere, with Spoon, Andrew Bird, and surprise guest Joanna Newsom. Everyone was just having a really excellent time: BYO, locals selling fresh lemonade and baklava in the lobby].
“The tragedy is that I always wanted to ride horses.”Jack Ladder: That was a good night. You were lucky to be there. I was really lucky to be there. The only trouble was we were trying to use a blender back stage to make cocktails, except all the acts were so quiet we had to be polite and wait between songs to turn the thing on. Billy Bragg was there too. He didn't play. He just wanted to talk to Joanna about something.
MBV Ronnie: Do you prefer to do your own tour, or tour to open for people?
Jack Ladder: It's better doing your own tour. I got used to, for a period, opening for international bands that already had a significant following. So I started thinking how easy the whole game was, showing up to play for a full room. But you normally only get paid enough to get to the show, so it's not really sustainable. Doing your own tour, you play longer sets and have your own name on the poster. Maybe even make enough money to pay the band. Much more exciting!
MBV Ronnie: Did you have New Year's resolutions?
Jack Ladder: If I did have them I can't remember them.
MBV Ronnie: Does it seem totally fucking crazy to you that we're about to change decades?
Jack Ladder: Changing decades does sound a little terrifying. I was just settling into this one. But you know what they say: "a new decade, a new pair of pants." So that's something to look forward to.
MBV Ronnie: What kind of pants will you buy in 2010?
Jack Ladder: Dress pants.
Jack Ladder lives in Sydney and is signed to Spunk, the Australian label for everybody from Adam Green to Yeah Yeah Yeahs (nobody starting with Z, though). He just won something called The Red Bull Award In Recognition Of Outstanding Potential, which is part of the Australian Music Prize, and is worth a solid dollar.
A good point of reference for Jack Ladder is: he's like one of those "sensitive-yet-plain-speaking-young-man" songwriters, except the real deal, and not boring at all. Actually though, his second album, Love Is Gone, is not really songwritery: it's just stompin'.
But "Not Worth Waiting For" is from his first album, which is called the same thing as the song.
Jack Ladder - "Not Worth Waiting For"
Jack Ladder: Why would you want to put up a song that's 3 years old?
MBV Ronnie: I like that one the best. Which is your favourite Jack Ladder song?
Jack Ladder: I haven't released my favourite song. I never get it right. It will haunt me to my grave.
MBV Ronnie: The elephant in the room at any Jack Ladder show is that you are incredibly tall. Actually, the right word is "lanky", almost like a teenager, except you are clearly a grown man.
Jack Ladder: Look, I'm tall, but I don't shop at Big & Tall shops, so I figure I'm still in the sphere of the ergonomic man. I get a lot of dumb questions at the urinal from drunks trying to guess my height. I get enlisted in fake AFL teams and hounded about my basketball career. The tragedy is that I always wanted to ride horses.
MBV Ronnie: I saw you play the Spunk birthday show in Bangalow [at a country town hall in the middle of nowhere, with Spoon, Andrew Bird, and surprise guest Joanna Newsom. Everyone was just having a really excellent time: BYO, locals selling fresh lemonade and baklava in the lobby].
“The tragedy is that I always wanted to ride horses.”Jack Ladder: That was a good night. You were lucky to be there. I was really lucky to be there. The only trouble was we were trying to use a blender back stage to make cocktails, except all the acts were so quiet we had to be polite and wait between songs to turn the thing on. Billy Bragg was there too. He didn't play. He just wanted to talk to Joanna about something.
MBV Ronnie: Do you prefer to do your own tour, or tour to open for people?
Jack Ladder: It's better doing your own tour. I got used to, for a period, opening for international bands that already had a significant following. So I started thinking how easy the whole game was, showing up to play for a full room. But you normally only get paid enough to get to the show, so it's not really sustainable. Doing your own tour, you play longer sets and have your own name on the poster. Maybe even make enough money to pay the band. Much more exciting!
MBV Ronnie: Did you have New Year's resolutions?
Jack Ladder: If I did have them I can't remember them.
MBV Ronnie: Does it seem totally fucking crazy to you that we're about to change decades?
Jack Ladder: Changing decades does sound a little terrifying. I was just settling into this one. But you know what they say: "a new decade, a new pair of pants." So that's something to look forward to.
MBV Ronnie: What kind of pants will you buy in 2010?
Jack Ladder: Dress pants.
2/22/10 8:04 pm
Jack Ladder « The Wounded Jukebox says:[...] what TWJ is here for. Grab some of your new favorite tracks below and read a short interview with the Aussie pompadour himself. Jack [...]