Jeff Lang is one of Australia’s premier guitarists and songwriters, with multiple ARIAs, a back catalogue of more than 20 live and studio recordings and numerous national and international tours.
But aside from dedication to one’s craft, Lang has a simple philosophy when it comes to longevity in an industry as strange as music.
“Basically, I think if you’re going to have any kind of longer career in the music game, it’s all predicated on your ability to shorten the time gap between ‘this is humiliating and horrible’ and ‘that was funny’,” he said.
“That, to me, is a way to try to have a long career, to be able to live with that stuff and lean into it in a way.”
Raised in Geelong, Lang began learning clarinet at age eight, but found his real musical voice when he picked up a guitar as a teenager.
“Physically, I didn’t have the same affinity with the clarinet, and I wasn’t hearing it on records, whereas I’d grown up with guitar music in the house,” he said.
“My dad likes players like Ry Cooder and Leo Kottke, there was always a lot of Bob Dylan playing.
“Then the teenage years hit and there were bands I was discovering that were my music, as opposed to my parents’ music. The guitar was prominent on things like Led Zeppelin and Cold Chisel.
“And then when I got my hands on one, it just sort of made sense.”
Lang returns to his home town on Saturday 25 October for a duo show with long-time musical collaborator, drummer and Geelong local Danny McKenna at the Courthouse Theatre.
He said he and Danny had a “conversational, intuitive rapport” built on nearly 20 years of playing together.
“The advantage of playing solo is that you’re free to do whatever you feel like, but playing with a band, you get to have other people’s input and get inspired by what they do,” Lang said.
“With Danny it’s pretty free, we can just wing it and go off the spur of the moment, take a wild left turn if we feel like it.
“And he’s a great guy as well as a great musician, so it’s always nice spending time with him, musically and personally.”
Visit platformarts.org.au/courthouse-theatre for tickets and more information.
