By CHERIE DONNELLAN
THE stars were certainly unaligned when Lawrence Greenwood attempted to return to recording music.
The Melbourne singer-songwriter dumped his moniker Whitley, under which he had recorded solo and band tracks, and announced his permanent move to London in 2010.
But when he returned to music to record latest album Even the Stars are a Mess he encountered one misfortune after another.
“One time I tried to record the London underground was right next to studio, which was too noisy. Another time a pub underneath the apartment I was recording in got granted a 24-hour licence.
“In Peru I got really sick and in Italy there were electrical problems and problems with running water.”
Greenwood, who described himself as stubborn, said the consistent disastrous circumstances made him more determined to complete the album.
“It was a challenge to rise to and I don’t like to fail.”
He pushed the limits and managed to record in a church in Tuscany.
“It’s kind of good to do something outlandish,” Greenwood mused.
He said his 19 October gig at Geelong’s Barwon Club would be “pretty chilled”.
“It’ll just be me and the baritone [guitar].”
Greenwood was unable to identify a favourite song on his nine-track album, the focus of his solo show.
“I can’t pick one. I kind of like all of them. That’s the reason it’s a nine-track album.”
He eventually singled out first track The Ballad of Terrence McKenna.
“It’s a very natural song,” Greenwood said.
“It wasn’t intellectual, it just came out. I scribbled it down quickly and forgot about it.
“It seems like a stranger to me in some senses and I like that.”
