Still Rockin' It - Cheryl Lee
Still Rockin' It - Cheryl Lee
What has Pete Murray been up to lately? OR From Barbecues to Breakout Albums
Join Cheryl Lee - That Radio Chick on STILL ROCKIN' IT for news, reviews, music and interviews with some of our favourite Australian musicians.
I chat with the iconic Australian singer-songwriter Pete Murray on the Still Rockin' It Podcast. Get ready to hear Pete's inspiring personal journey into music, which began unexpectedly at the age of 22. A pivotal moment—the sudden passing of his father—sparked Pete's passion for music and his appreciation for life's precious moments. Despite not having a musical background, Pete picked up a guitar and soon found himself performing Neil Young and Crowded House covers at barbecues. We explore the success of his breakout album "Feeler," which includes beloved track "So Beautiful."
But that's not all. Pete shares exciting details about his latest projects, including a humorous video idea with tennis stars and his uplifting new single, "Wouldn't It Be Good." He teases his upcoming tour across Australia and hints at his first-ever solo tour.
We discuss his musical inspirations, including those shared with his son, and his love for smooth rum on tour.
Don't miss out on the chance to have Pete perform in your own home through his "Play at Your Place" competition—a unique opportunity for fans to reconnect with this independent artist. Tune in for an engaging conversation that highlights Pete's unwavering connection with his audience and his ongoing musical evolution.
What has Pete Murray been up to lately? Let's find out!!
Get out when you can, support local music and I'll see you down the front!!
Visit: ThatRadioChick.com.au
That Radio Chick Cheryl Lee here. Welcome to the Still Rocking it podcast, where we'll have music news, reviews and interviews with some of our favourite Australian musicians and artists. Today we speak to one of Australia's most enduring and endearing singer-songwriters, who has sold over 1.2 million albums, amassed hundreds of millions of streams, released three ARIA chart-topping albums, 17 ARIA Award nominations emerging with his debut full-length album, the Game in 2001,. His breakout sophomore album, feeler in 2003, cemented his status as one of the all-time greats, with hits along the way, including Better Days, fieler, opportunity and so Beautiful. I speak of the much-loved Pete Murray. To catch up on podcasts from other favourite artists, simply go to thatradiochickcomau. You're with Cheryl Lee and today I'd like to welcome into our Zoom room Peter Kenneth Murray. Thanks for joining us, pete.
Speaker 2:Yeah, nice to be, here.
Speaker 1:I think this is the first time we've ever sat down and had a chat, so it's lovely to meet you, I believe. So, yeah, you too, and thank you for spending some time with us. We've got some exciting things to talk about a new single, a new video, a tour but if we've got time to make a quick trip backwards before we go forward, love it, love the idea born in chinchilla, then moved to brizzy.
Speaker 1:Peter is music in your dna. I know you're a little bit of a later starter than most, but are you from a musical family no, no, it's never.
Speaker 2:Uh, there's no music in my family at all. Um, before I started, before I picked up a guitar. So, uh, dad was a watchmaker jeweler and mom and dad worked together in the shop there. Mom said you used to play a bit of harmonica years ago. That's about the only musical, and my sister learned a little bit of a little bit of um keyboards, but it didn't really retain too much of that knowledge, I think in the early years. But no other music. My great-grandparents were trapeze artists in the circus, but just not music.
Speaker 1:But there's entertainment in your bones by the sound of it.
Speaker 2:That's right, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, as I said, you started to learn guitar at age 22, which for most pop stars, rock stars, country music stars is actually quite late. You sadly lost your father at 18. Now it it's never a good time to lose a parent, but 18 as a young man, how did that affect you?
Speaker 2:yeah, I don't think it's any great age to lose a parent, you know, I think. But as a as a young man 18, and losing your dad, I just was starting to get to know him really as a friend.
Speaker 1:And as an adult.
Speaker 2:Yeah, as an adult and I think I had two months before he died I went out for my mum and dad took me and a couple of friends out for dinner and I remember just having my first alcoholic drink with him. You know, and, and talking as an adult, I was in grade 12 and I remember thinking that's, you know, it's really cool to have that different relationship with him rather than what I've had before in the past. You know where you're, just the son and and the father. So, uh, and then you know, two months later he was taken from me.
Speaker 2:So a different, difficult time and something that, yeah, I think for the next five years I really struggled quite a bit. Actually it was pretty tough to try. And you know, coming into the world, you're out, you finish school, there was no one there really for me to get that advice from, with anything that went wrong, you know, and Dad sort of made all the decisions with our family, I guess, and so he wasn't around anymore to be there. So you're just kind of flying a little bit lost for a while. You sort of lost that important role model. Yeah, oh, absolutely. And it's a shock too, because he had a heart attack, which is very sudden for us.
Speaker 1:So it's yeah, no time to say goodbye or anything no time to prepare. No, no time at all. I think you've said in the past that that's when you realized how precious time was. Is that why you ultimately picked up the guitar?
Speaker 2:age 22, uh well, look, that was all kind of luck really. I remember just trying to. I wanted to find a job that I that would give me time. Uh, because dad worked his whole life. He just sold the business is the watchmaker jewelry shop that he had. He was just sold that and he worked for another guy for 12 months it was a part of the deal and then he was basically two weeks after he sort of finished that, him and mama bought a caravan. They're about to go traveling around the country and he had a heart attack and died. So for me I was like he'd worked his whole life, he's about to enjoy it, the rewards for that, and then it didn't happen. So for me I thought that's not gonna happen to me. I want to make sure that I'm enjoying life and have time. Time's the biggest thing that you don't have, I guess, when people working so much, so like, how do I find a job that's going to give me time? I can still travel the world. I love it. So it doesn't feel like work.
Speaker 3:I didn't know what that was, but I was searching for that.
Speaker 1:You are listening to Still Rocking it, the podcast with Cheryl Lee. I know when Pete worked up the courage to take his guitar to a barbecue singing songs for some mates, neil Young was one of the artists that he covered. Here's a great song from him 1978, from the Greatest Hits album. Comes a Time Back to speak some more to Pete after this.
Speaker 2:Comes a time when you're drifting. With that came music, I guess you know, and it picked up a guitar. It was really just a passion that I'd never had before. So I didn't really think there was going to be a career that I've got. I mean, I kind of thought I just loved playing at first and I was playing at some friends' parties and then a couple of friends said you should go and earn some money, you know, go get a gig. And so I went and did a gig for a while and different things, and then just the story goes I was living in a flat, two bedroom flat, with 19 other Aussies when I was backpacking it's pretty standard back then Sleeping on the floor there was a friend of mine who was playing guitar in the room, which is actually Angus McDonald from Sneaky Sound System, if you know Sneaky Sound System.
Speaker 2:Yep, so Angus system. Yep, so angus and I've been mates for a long time and angus was always playing. He grew up playing guitar and was very talented and he was always. He was singing original and I was playing a cover this particular night and he'd play another original. I'd play a cover, and then one of the girls where we lived she said, oh, I placed one of your songs that you've written and I said, oh, I don't, I don't write songs.
Speaker 2:And he's like, why not? It's like I don't know, I just don't do it. She said, well, you should. That moment, and it was only that thing that happened and that made me start to write songs, and years before that, even picking up a guitar, I had another mate of mine that just we were living together and he just happened to come in my room and say, look, you know, hey, I'm really excited, I'm going to go get some guitar lessons. I've always wanted to do it and I thought, oh well, I've never done that. That sounds great, I might do the same thing. So you know. So, those two moments in my life, pretty pivotal moments, of sort of picking up a guitar and then, you know, deciding to write songs, we know that you were quite the athlete in high school.
Speaker 1:So once you decided that this was your passion and the and what you wanted to do with your life, did you then ever have a plan b, like if this whole music thing hadn't panned out?
Speaker 2:oh, I definitely have a plan b, always have a plan b.
Speaker 2:I think um and I think a lot of musos can find themselves in that situation where they don't have a plan B and they don't know how to stop trying to keep having a career when it's not going to happen for you. So yeah, I was doing natural medicine, so I'd already started studying that. I had done a couple of years and then I went overseas. And that's when I came back playing music and I thought I didn't have the passion to go and finish that off because I think I was just exploring music after travelling overseas and especially starting to write my own stuff. I thought this is something that I could really enjoy.
Speaker 2:But then it got to the point where I moved to Melbourne and tried to make things happen and it was kind of difficult and expensive. Just being an independent artist, it was tricky and I didn't think it was going to work. So I, being an independent artist, it was tricky and I didn't think it was going to work. So I actually started to. I was reapplying back into uni to finish off this course because I thought that's what I'm, I need to do that. So I don't think music's going to work. And then it just all happened. You know, one thing led to another and then it's just like step after step after step, and then music took off.
Speaker 1:And the rest, as they say, is history Still rocking. The rest, as they say, is history still rocking. The podcast with that radio chick, cheryl lee. I know the other band that pete murray started singing songs of all those years ago was crowded house. Let's have, don't dream it's over'd better get on to the exciting new news Brand new single and video, wouldn't it Be Good? It started as a little riff and it's a slightly new territory for you. Tell us about the percolation of this song.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, look, I wrote this song just on acoustic guitar, played it to a few people. There was quite a few people just saying, oh, that's very John Lennon referring to, I guess you know John used to sing a lot of songs about peace and love, and this song really is about looking at what we're doing and where we're going in life, and wouldn't it be good if we could change. You know and no one has any pain anymore as humans, it just seems to be something that we continue to do to each other.
Speaker 1:The human condition.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So the song lyrically is, you know, a positive way of thinking and a way of change. And great to have that reference of John Lennon of course it's such a big name in music and anything like that. When someone says, oh, it reminds me of that, it's like that's pretty cool, that's a compliment. Take that, it is. Yeah. And I think the other part of the song is I just really started off. I wanted to write a verse that had a nice groove to it, a nice rhythm, and I was kind of listening to some tim buckley, you know some 70 stuff, and getting the ideas of how they played their stuff. Simple, it's just two chords for the, for the verse, and getting that nice rhythm, and then everything just seemed to felt full into place lyrically, just all came together. I never thought that the, the chorus, I think, came first. I thought that's not really strong enough chorus. But once I put the lyrics and the verse together then it was like, okay, now this makes sense.
Speaker 1:So it all sort of happened that way it's been described as john lennon meets jack, johnson and rodriguez I love rodriguez.
Speaker 2:So a lot of people probably don't know rodriguez so much, but there's a great doco on Rodriguez, I think it's called Finding Sugar man. You know, rodriguez is a very underground artist but he's got some great songs, very, very good grooves and very chilled music. You know, I think those artists John Lennon, jack Johnson, rodriguez are really probably the three artists that would describe this song the best.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you could take that as three compliments, I would.
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 1:There's a great video along with it, which is just a really nice relaxed video of you guys playing it out in the studio, but I'm looking for a scoop here, Pete. Now apparently you've got an idea for another video involving a famous tennis player.
Speaker 2:Just a funny idea I had. There's a couple of well-known tennis players that I know. I'm just trying to get that idea together and see if they're interested in doing that with me.
Speaker 1:Watch this space.
Speaker 2:You talk about this, you know doing some sort of little video. Funny video to the guys that are tennis players and suddenly they go oh, I'm not sure about that. Funny video to the guys that they have tennis players and suddenly they're going oh, I don't know, I'm not sure about that.
Speaker 3:You know, the guys I'm thinking of would be very funny for this if, if it happens- we'll stay tuned stay tuned for that one you are listening to still rocking it the podcast with cheryl lee well, I think it's about time we had a listen to the fabulous new song.
Speaker 1:wouldn't it be good, soaked in sunny melodies, powerfully soothing vocals, and then back to find out what else is going on with Pete Murray after this? Wouldn't it be good to stay so high and help the world as we pass by? Wouldn't it be nice? You are off on a tour starting in December, all through December and January. You're not coming to Adelaide yet.
Speaker 2:Well, yeah, it's so funny because I often get, if Adelaide's ever left off a tour, like oh, you're not coming to Adelaide, adelaide, we always miss out. And I was like I'm always going to Adelaide, but this is a coastal run, it's a summer holiday run, so it's east coast and west coast, but I am playing the Hand handpicked festival, which is, I think, an hour and a half drive from adelaide what festival the hand picked?
Speaker 2:very good, so get onto the googleometer and track that down if you want to see pete, because he's not coming to our town I haven't forgotten about adelaide always done some amazing shows there, so we're already talking about talking about doing maybe my first ever solo tour of this country, and that will involve adelaide i'm'm just teasing you. I know you are.
Speaker 1:Get onto PeteMurraycom for all the dates to see when Pete is heading his. Wouldn't it be good summer tour when he's heading to a town near you and you did hear it first here. There is a first ever solo tour in the pipeline when you can listen to whatever you like car, in the shower or wherever you get to listen to music. What's on your playlist? What do you like to listen to? You know what?
Speaker 2:I was in the car with my son. My son turns 21 on New Year's Eve. He's great because he just gives me all this new music that I haven't heard of before. I got some stuff last night and also I'm giving him music that he hasn't heard of before and he's like oh, this is great, dad. So, yeah, I know. So we're sort of sitting there in the car having that moment as father and son and, you know, as great mates as well, and talking about lots of stuff and different music. And the new music I was really liking was a band called um wild rivers. Yeah, american kind of folk, country-ish kind of I would say, more folk, little country in their trio. They were great. I really thought that I was impressed with.
Speaker 1:We might play one of their songs. I reckon what's on your rider? Have you got a non-negotiable that you just have to have in your green room?
Speaker 2:I'm not too hardcore like that, hey, but it is nice. I do like a nice rum. I do like having like a Havana rum, jamaican rum, it's just a smooth rum which is really nice. I don't drink a lot of alcohol but I do like rum and soda and crammy with a lime, which is a really kind of fresh. So I don't like cheap rum. So sometimes I'll go on the rare occasion when you do get a cheap rum there or something different, it's like, oh, I don't like that. But I don't kick up too much of a fuss. I'm kind of like a pretty cruisy person.
Speaker 1:So no spinal tap moments, moments then Still rocking the podcast, with that radio chick, cheryl Lee, going to have one of my favourite Pete Murray songs. Now Opportunity, and this is actually the version from the 2010 album A Day on the Green celebrating 10 years.
Speaker 2:I think we've all seen Pete at A Day on the Green somewhere in this big brown land of ours, and then we're back with some really really exciting news to share.
Speaker 1:I love this concept and I have actually entered this competition already, so maybe you'll be coming to Adelaide to my house.
Speaker 2:I could very well be, who knows?
Speaker 1:You've got a competition running at the moment called Play at your Place, offering fans a chance to go into the running to have Pete Murray play an intimate private performance in their own home. I love that idea. Where did that come from? Tell us a bit more about that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, sure. Well, look, I did that about 20 years ago when I first started. I was just talking with management the other day about how good that was and how much I think the fans got out of that, because I'm an independent artist now. I started as an independent artist and I'm now back fully, 100% independent. But when you leave the label, you don't have any data. Basically, they keep all the data. So you're starting again.
Speaker 2:So, for me, I'm trying to build up my data so I can have direct contact with the fans and in doing so, I'm going to be doing things like this you get something because you've joined up to the mailing list. I can have direct contact with you guys, but you're going to get the benefits of doing this competition where I'm going to come and play at your place. All you have to do is sign up and be part of this. You're going to get emails about you know, not that often, but occasionally when we're doing shows. You'll be the first people to know what's going on and be part of that.
Speaker 2:It's just building up that relationship again, um, with those guys, and something like this is a really special thing because you got your hardcore fans that that's their time. So I'm going to go and play like a half an hour set acoustic songs. You tell me what you want to hear, I'll learn it and I'll be there and I'm your act and your place with you and your friends and your family for that time. And it's pretty amazing. So, wherever it is, I've got to get there. I don't know where I'm going to end up yet, but that's the exciting thing too, like I don't know where I'm going to be.
Speaker 1:You could be anywhere, man.
Speaker 2:I know, I know.
Speaker 1:Was there anything else that you wanted to mention, Pete?
Speaker 2:No song, and there'll be a new album coming out next year as well. So that's the uh, probably the only thing to let people know. There'll be more singles coming off this and the album will be released.
Speaker 1:We're looking at maybe october next year, you know so stay tuned october 2025 as well for the new album and in the meantime, get yourself along to a pete murray, wouldn't it be good? Summer tour gig. You never know, I might see you down the front if I can get along to one of the other dates, because hubby and I've got a he rides it, I just sort of hang on. So quite often we'll get on the harley and head off to an interstate gig. So you never know. So I really appreciate you sitting down with me today and having a chat. All the best with the single, the tour, the new album, and thanks again for spending some of your precious time in the zoom room with us today. All right?
Speaker 2:well, nice to talk to you. Might even see you at your place if you win the competition. There you go.
Speaker 1:Oh yes, I've got fingers, toes, arms, legs everything crossed. That would be awesome. Good luck to everyone else who enters. Don't forget to invite me when you win. Exactly good point. Thanks a lot, pete.
Speaker 3:You are listening to Still Rocking it. The podcast with Cheryl Lee.
Speaker 1:Well, I promised, pete, we'd play something by Wild Rivers, so here's a beautiful song of theirs Heart Attack.
Speaker 2:Good gracious you're a heart attack.
Speaker 1:You're with Cheryl Lee, that radio chick. Thank you so much for joining me on the Still Rocking it podcast. Hope to catch you again next time. Get out when you can support Aussie music and I'll see you down the front.