Sarah McCallum - North harbour club: AIMES Award winner interview
"It's very personal. I feel the title of the album sums it up perfectly. It documents a strange time in my life and I think that confusion comes through in the sound."
Miss Little
When Things Fall… perfectly
Three time AIMES Music Award winner and North Shore musical darling Sarah McCallum is set to release her long awaited album "When Things Fall Apart And Into Place" under the guise of her alter-ego, pop persona and band, Miss Little.
Now based in Sydney, Sarah is an accomplished composer, arranger and producer. Late in 2010 she won the Crowded House lyric writing competition after Neil Finn and band ran a global competition where they put up the backing track of a song they were working on minus any lyrics or melody. The competition was to finish the song adding melody and vocals to the band’s track - and Sarah’s entry won. The band was so impressed by Sarah’s vocals that they asked her to get up on stage with them at the Hordern Pavillion in Sydney earlier this year.
Not your usual pop musician, Sarah grew up in New Zealand and made a name for herself as an award winning choral composer. Her father is a folk singer and her brother a saxophone playing dance musician, but it was her mother’s Classical violin playing and piano teaching that introduced Sarah to the classical world. She gained ATCL in oboe at the very young age of 15 and also topped the country in both school certificate and Bursary music. She was the first person to receive the NZ secondary students choral composing award and gained a BMUS from Auckland Uni.
Sarah’s pieces have been sung by choirs around the world and her work “The Moon’s Glow Once Lit” featured on the 2006 Voices NZ CD, which won best classical album at the NZ music awards. In 2007 Sarah received a silver medal at the New York advertising awards for the music she composed for the All Blacks “Black Blood” campaign.
Sarah has provided string and brass arrangements to many Australian albums including Andy Walton, Uncle Jed and Johanna Cranitch and produced E.P’s for the Rougue Balloon, Katie Merryweather, Johanna Cranitch and Rosie Catalano. Sarah is also featured singing on Mr Percival’s album “Microphones”.
Channel’s Michael Campbell spoke to Sarah as she got ready for the imminent release of “When Things Fall Apart And Into Place”, to talk about writing and recording the album, its unique sound and where it is to from here for Miss Little.
How would describe your music as Miss Little?
The music of Miss Little is definitely hard to pin down. I don't think that's a bad thing. I like a lot of different styles of music and on this album you hear a lot of those influences coming out, sometimes in weird combinations! Overall I just try to write as honestly as possible and Miss Little is about presenting my findings in a song format. This particular album has some clear quite beautiful moments and then some really gritty, uncomfortable moments. I think this reflects how I was feeling at the time.
Is Miss Little a Sarah McCallum solo project or is there a band? What about live?
Miss Little is just me up to a point. I write the songs and make the decisions but then I produce my albums with my husband Richard Belkner and I now have a wicked band so I am trying to make it more a band thing. It started out as a duo in 2005, then I was solo for a couple of years with looping pedals and things but I got a bit lonely and sick of technology so started putting together my dream band, I'm very lucky they said yes! Evan Mannell plays drums, Neal Sutherland on Bass and Matt Keegan on saxophone and effects. Matt just won the Freedman fellowship in Australia which is a very prestigious jazz award. All of the boys are unbelievable and well respected musicians in varying fields.
How long have you been working on When Things Fall Apart And Into Place? What was the writing and recording process?
It's taken 3 years to get it to the point where I can hold it in my hand. I would never choose to take that long to make a record but this one really conducted itself and I was a bit of a passenger! I didn't even plan to make it. I was feeling a bit lost and confused and so Richie suggested I come into the studio just to do something, maybe even just some demos for me to take overseas. I would wake up in the morning and decide which song I wanted to record and by the end of the day the song would be finished. We tried to record more than one song in a day but it wouldn't happen. One song a day it was! It was funny. 9 days and 9 songs went by and on the tenth day I woke up and didn't feel the need to record another song and so I had an album pretty much finished! Whoops!
What were the challenges and highlights?
The challenge has been in having to be patient. After the initial recording of all the songs was finished, I moved to London for four months then moved back to Australia, married Richie, then waited a year and a bit for his wonderful Vintage Neve mixing desk to arrive from Nashville and be up and running. In hindsight it was definitely the right decision but I'd be lying if I said it was easy!
By that time, I wanted to redo some of the vocals and add some more drums so we did that. But pretty much what you hear is the original recording. Then I made myself be very patient as my one goal was not to release the album myself. I didn't want a big box of Cd's sitting in my living room!
We finished mixing and mastering in November 2010, I confirmed release with my little label in February 2011 and then the record was printed and officially released in July.
The highlight was having it finished! Also that I made a very intuitive record that has nothing to do with trying to be popular. It is what it is.
What does this album mean to you?
It's very personal. I feel the title of the album sums it up perfectly. It documents a strange time in my life and I think that confusion comes through in the sound. I had broken up with my long-term boyfriend and drummer, made this album by accident and then ended up marrying my engineer! It represents transition and how hard and beautiful that can be at once.
What have the critical and commercial responses been like to your album?
Really good so far. I have had some good reviews and responses from people I respect so that's made me happy. It's definitely not what I would call a "commercial" album so it probably won't make me the next Lady Gaga.
Also, in Australia, are you getting much airplay and support from the industry over there?
I have had great support from FBi radio here in Sydney, which is the coolest radio station. I love them a lot and it's nice they like me too. It's a hard industry and I'm only just at the front door of it. I don't think you can ever understand it properly. There is an element of luck involved and you want to be able to control it but you can't. I feel it is building up slowly though and my plan is just to keep going and make more albums. I figure even if I have a very slow building career I will have lots of fans by the time I'm 80 just through perseverance!
How much support are Laughing Outlaw Records giving you? Are you signed or is this a distribution deal and you’re independent?
Loosely speaking I am "signed" to Laughing Outlaw which is an independent label. I still own and control all my music, they are helping me get it out there. They distribute through Inertia which is a large and good distributor, but they are more than just that. I love having people to work with, it's making it easier even on this small level, especially mentally. I don't feel so alone! What a sook! I'm getting better at asking for help and this has been a big step for me.
You mentioned plans for a tour – are these confirmed, are you going to be coming to NZ? The Shore?
I'm hoping to bring my band over to NZ sometime soon; it is hard though because I don't have financial support. That is the clincher really. On an independent label you own and have control over your art but you don't have any money to play with! It forces you to be a creative business person though which can lead you down some interesting paths!
I assume your focus for now is Australia and New Zealand – will you look to Europe or the US further down the track?
I did some good little gigs when I was in London and I hope to go back next year now I have the album. I produced and arranged some tracks for Johanna Cranitch, a great Australian singer based in New York who is desperate for me to come over and play so hopefully that will happen too. But yeah the plan is to get the band round Australia and NZ this year.
Where to from here?
I've recorded the bulk of an EP that I am about to write string parts for and have started thinking about the next album. I write a lot and always feel behind in documenting so it's nice to have the current album finished artistically so I can move on. I'm concentrating on trying to get some good gigs and keep building the awareness of Miss Little.
I just finished an orchestral commission for The Westlake Symphony Orchestra, my old High School's orchestra. I love writing classical music so I will start something fresh in that area soon too. I have been doing a bit of string and brass arranging for other people's albums, so I hope to get more of that work. I have a choral mass to finish as well so there is plenty to get on with!
Is there anything else you want to add?
Thanks for the interest in what I'm doing. I feel like this
is just the start of something. I'm going to be around for
a while so you'll get the next instalment soon!
If you want to find out more or buy the album visit
www.misslittle.com.au or www.laughingoutlaw.com.au
Doing what I love doing
