With a new album, 'The Heartland Hurricanes', recently released Australian born, Nashville based singer-songwriter Daniel Champagne returns to Oz to play the Adelaide Guitar Festival in August.
Are you looking forward to returning to Australia?
I always love coming back home to Australia. I was actually there recently for a headline tour in March, so this trip I'll just be playing a few festivals and some side shows on my own. There should be a bit of down time too, so I look forward to hanging out with some friends and family, plus visiting a few of my favourite cities... like Adelaide.
What do you miss most about Australia?
The people and the places. I've been around Australia so many times now that there's a little family for me in every city now. I miss them all the time, but it's always a good excuse to get back there for a tour.
What motivated your move to Nashville?
I've been touring Australia since I was 18 and though I absolutely love it there, with such a small population it doesn't take long to start feeling like your going in circles. I really want to be playing every night and there's no better place in the world for that than America. Nashville in particular was the obvious choice. My management is based there, it's pretty central to most of my touring and it's just an incredible music scene for any musician to be part of.
How important has Nashville's musical heritage been to your songwriting?
It's just amazing to be around so much creativity. Obviously the traditional country thing is not really what I do, but sometimes you can learn more from something that's got nothing to do with you.
Your new album, 'The Heartland Hurricanes', is a completely solo, live-in-studio record. Why did you decide to take this approach?
Because for eight years I've been out there touring the world completely solo; just me and a guitar playing my songs, so it made sense to try and get that down on an album. To be honest I wish I'd done it sooner. The response from fans has been really overwhelming on 'The Heartland Hurricanes'.
What sets this new album apart from your previous releases?
The fact that it's completely solo. Also it's very immediate. I literally walked into the studio and threw it all down in three nights. There wasn't a lot of thinking or second guessing. Just feeling and what I felt during those sessions.
When you tour 'The Heartland Hurricanes', will it be just you on stage or will you be accompanied by a band?
Just me by myself, with my guitar and a group of songs that I feel like playing on the night.
What can audiences expect from your Adelaide Guitar Festival appearance?
There has always been two main parts to my show. A guitar driven, more experimental side and a softer, finger picking and strumming side. But being a guitar festival, I think I'll definitely lean towards the guitar playing side of things. And there might be a few new songs to air by then.
You started writing songs when you were 12; can you remember/ still play any of them?
Just fragments. I think my mind has blocked most of them out, out of embarrassment for my future self.
How has life on the road affected the songs you write?
Most of my songs come from my life and the people in it. So seemingly, as I spend my whole life on the road it effects just about everything about it. Touring can be a real roller coaster and you get a lot of different points of view to write from.
What have been the biggest changes since you started playing and touring professionally?
I've been doing this since I left school, so I don't really have anything else in adult life to compare it to. I guess not having a home, doing your own laundry and spending a strange amount of time at truck stops in the middle of nowhere would be three things.
Do you have any advice for young musos?
Always put the music before everything else that you face out there. Don't expect things to happen over night. Work hard but enjoy the ride. Try to call you mother every now and then.
Daniel Champagne plays the Melbourne Guitar Show 6-7 August as well as Space Theatre 12-13 August as part of the Adelaide Guitar Festival and the Gympie Music Muster 25 August.
