It wouldn’t be out of place to label Lior Attar a poster child for independent, local music.
The softly spoken and polite Sydney-based musician is feeling accomplished and justifiably so. Known simply as Lior, the singer/ songwriter is well into a career that commenced with the most humble of instruments – we talk to him on the eve of his return to the famed Woodstock Festival about coming up, his recent musical output and exactly why he’s into evolution. “I put my first album out about ten years ago,” Lior begins.
“I started playing guitar from an early age and then in my teens, fell in love with songwriting and worked on releasing my own songs.”
Claiming it was this path of self-discovery and expression that led him to where he is today, Lior started life as a musician gigging with a number of different bands. But during the years he transformed into somewhat of a different musician. “I really embraced the solo aspect of music and was lucky enough to get support from Triple J, which sort of paved the way for really organic growth in my music and the way I’ve evolved as an independent artist.”
Lior remains committed to his craft and is a number of albums deep into a career that continues to evolve and change with each release. And while acknowledging the market for independent artists in Australia can be difficult, he says it’s important to stay focused and driven. “When I was starting out over ten years ago, it was a totally different environment. It was really important to get radio play back then, but now there are so many other ways to get noticed. Radio is of course still a gateway to success although it’s not essential like it once was.”
Importantly, Lior argues that with independence come other challenges – including the requirement to create your own story, as it were. “If you don’t do that, or can’t do that, it can be really hard,” he surmises. Luckily, success hasn’t been particularly elusive for him – and Lior claims it’s all about keeping things original.His latest output then is ‘Scattered Reflections’, the culmination of his experiences over the years. “Each of my albums definitely has a different identity from the next. With this album, it is bound by originality in the way it harks back to the ‘60s and ‘70s, an era that I still have a real affinity and affection for. With every album, I find there is a different way of enveloping my songs.”
The progress of his albums has seen him take in many different genres – the first has a roots like feel, the second is more orchestral and the last perhaps the most eclectic. “My latest album has two faces,” professes Lior. “One is this acoustic, stripped-back style, while the other is more instrumental, orchestral with drums – but they are held together by a common thread and a love of lyrics.”
Lior has numerous other accolades to his name. Notably, he recently collaborated with local composer Nigel Westlake by gathering a number of texts in Hebrew and Arabic and arranging a soundtrack over them. “We wanted to provide an insight into two cultures that have traditionally had a volatile history and deliver a poignant message with it,” Lior explains.
The result was ‘Compassion’, a magnum opus of soulful and culturally-moving music. Recorded with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Lior claims it was a different opportunity to do something outside of the regular, album cycle. “It was one of the best things I’ve done in terms of how it was received by audiences, it was really exciting.”
Finally, Lior is booked to perform at the forthcoming Woodford Folk Festival, one of Australia’s largest and most iconic events – and in fact one of the largest festivals of its type in the world. Established to encompass the depth and diversity of Australia’s cultural, artistic and social expression, Woodford is designed to involve the entire community. “Personally, I’ll be taking a small band and doing a cross section of my music from about the last ten years,” Lior says.
“It’s an eclectic festival and I think stylistically there is something for everyone there. It’s one of the warmest and most introspective environments of any festival I’ve been to in Australia. It’s a very inclusive festival where everyone is encouraged to be involved, and importantly no one is made to feel excluded.”
Written by RK
Lior plays the Woodford Folk Festival, which takes place at Woodfordia from 27 December-1 January.
