Canadian singer-songwriter Dylan Menzie will grace the Australian Music Week stage in Sydney in November.
With a voice and compositional style that has garnered him critical acclaim at home, the young troubadour already has two full-length albums to his name, the most recent being 2016's 'Adolescent Nature'.
How are you feeling ahead of the Australian Music Week (AMW) conference?
[Dylan] I feel great. It's always a little nerve-racking to head somewhere you've never played before, but I normally don't get too nervous before a show or a conference.
It seems that I always get that sickening, nervous feeling after I play. I just analyse my show so much (What went wrong? How to do it better?) that I get sick about it.
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Will AMW be your first time in Australia?
Yeah, it will. I've always wanted to go but never found the right time; finally the right time is here.
Being from Prince Edward Island, where no animal you find can kill you, I find myself worrying about [Australia's] deadly animals a lot, haha. I keep having this recurring thought of driving a car and seeing a venomous spider in my peripheral vision on the roof.
What's the first thing you think of when someone says 'Australia'?
I have an uncle who moved to Australia when he was young and has been there for the majority of his life. He lives in Melbourne, so that's definitely the first thing I think about. Second thought is the Great Barrier Reef. Then the venomous spiders haha.
As an artist, what is the most important thing for you when attending industry events such as AMW?
Meeting people is definitely my number-one priority when at music industry events; making friends with musicians and other industry professionals is really what they're for. I also love to actually see the place I've travelled to instead of just getting absolutely engulfed in the conference. I'm hoping to do a bit of surfing when I get there.
Are there any Australian artists or acts you want to check out while you're at AMW?
I kind of like the idea of heading over without a specific act in mind and just seeing who I end up discovering while I'm there.
What experiences as a Canadian performer will you be sharing with the AMW conference audiences?
I'll likely end up talking about how massive Canada is and how long it takes to tour it, which I'm sure Australia knows all about.
And what do you hope to take away from the conference as a musician?
I would absolutely love to start working with an Australian booking agent at the end of this conference, but that said I'm just leaving the door wide open and letting whatever happens happen.
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Who are some Canadian acts we may not have heard and should be listening to?
There are too many to list here, but off the top of my head I would suggest Bahamas, Hey Rosetta!, and KINLEY.
Can you tell us about the next album you're working on and when we'll get to hear some of your new music?
I've been writing a lot about connection and how everything about your personality comes back to whether you connect to something or not. Everything from the clothes you wear, the music you like, the people in your life, everything about yourself stems from what you connect to.
We connect to inanimate objects too. Your house, your car, instruments, trees, rocks, anything at all trying to connect to it. We personify objects and give them a soul as a result of connecting to them. I've been trying to write an album about that concept. I get so excited about new material that I just can't help but play it, so I'm sure I'll be testing new songs while I'm in Australia.
Can we expect you back in Australia sometime soon for a headline tour of your own?
I hope so! Ideally I would love to come back in March and April next year to play some festivals, but I'm open to anything.
Dylan Menzie Shows
Thu 2 Nov - Croydon Lane @ Australian Music Week (Sydney)Fri 3 Nov - The Brass Monkey @ Australian Music Week (Sydney)
Mon 6 Nov - Leadbelly @ Australian Music Week (Sydney)
Dylan Menzie supports The Audreys
Sat 4 Nov - The Milk Factory (Brisbane, 3pm & 8pm)Sun 5 Nov - The Gov (Adelaide)
Wed 8 Nov - Lizotte's Newcastle
Thu 9 Nov - The Brass Monkey (Sydney)
Fri 10 Nov - Heritage Hotel (Wollongong)
11-12 Nov - Leadbelly (Sydney)
