FINALLY FRIDAY: Trouble with Grunwald

CELEBRATING the new year playing alongside the Living End’s Scott Owen and Midnight Oil’s Rod Hirst at the Falls Festival was just the beginning of Ash Grunwald’s 2013 plans.
“Playing alongside these rock gods was amazing because they know how to make massive sounds,” Grunwald professed.
The blues and roots singer-songwriter told the Independent that his “go, go, go” 2013 would include the final stages of his “most successful tour” when he plays songs from latest album Trouble’s Door at The Wool Exchange in Geelong.
The Geelong gig on February 9 would be like “coming home”, he said.
Grunwald was particularly excited about reuniting with fellow Torquay expat Mia Dyson.
He reminisced about living in Torquay for five years when he connected with Dyson.
“I remember meeting Mia when she was 18 and to this day I’m still friends with her.”
Grunwald credited Dyson with helping him find a “medium” to produce Trouble’s Door.
“Mia put me onto Pledge Music. It’s this great thing where you get fans to pledge money to help you record an album.”
Grunwald said he had enjoyed “doing the solo thing again” with his 50-show tour, believing it had brought him back to his “roots”.
He considered the latest album a departure with its “less booty-shaking songs”, instead focusing on lyrics with “with a conscience”.
“I’ve seen lovely areas of our country being threatened by coal seam gas mining and that really got me motivated to write songs about these issues.
“It’s something I thought about for a long time but I wasn’t confident enough to sing about that kind of thing.
“I thought ‘No one’s going to like this’ but then I decided to let myself off the hook and say ‘I’m a songwriter and I’ll write what I care about’.”
Grunwald said the title track had become his favourite.
The song sounded “really good” when he played it with Owen and Hirst.
But Grunwald said music would be secondary to his life in March when he would become a father for the second time.
“I might put the brakes on the Australian touring for a while ut I’m considering some oversees touring later on.”