Saturday Walk of Shame

Ross Henry

Having settled in Sydney’s inner west Ross Henry is a Brit abroad who’s bringing more to this country than your average pom. Unlike most of us* who seem content with sitting around on Bondi’s beach getting as sun burnt as possible Ross Henry spends his days writing and producing music from his humble home studio ingeniously put together using secondhand mics and strange spaces to produce a sound that is as warm, as it is inviting. With In Fields, his latest EP Ross Henry delivers a solid folk album, full of intrigue and imagination.

Thanks to the lovely people of Maths & Magic and the power of email we caught up for a little Q&A to find out more about this folk playing fella.

Hey Ross, what was it that took you from sunny southwest England to the inner west?

I guess I like seeing what’s over the hill. It’s a good thing to do something new or put yourself in a fresh context, you’ll always gain a lot from it. I discovered the inner west upon my first shift at the Enmore theater. It seemed lot more interesting than where I first arrived in Botany, wasn’t a great deal going on there.

Did the move impact the music you make and the inspirations for it?

Well I’ve been studying music for the last few years, that in itself has helped me develop as a producer. In a way I see my music more like little experiments. I love playing with new elements and ideas even more so now. I aspire to just keep learning and developing and that hasn’t changed, oh and to pay the bills with my music would be amazing!

Can you tell us about your recording methods used for your EP: In Fields?

I bought a couple cheap secondhand mics, decked out my state of the art studio (cupboard) with some very basic sound proofing and spent two weeks recording and mixing. I used lots of overdubs and close miked everything. I see each release as a bread crumb in my development so it’s interesting to listen back to the tracks. Despite enjoying the outcome of recording this way, I missed the stripped down performance, so I’ve included live sessions in the EP too.

So what’s it all about? Is there a musical theme that runs through the EP?

I’m a big fan of melody, small vs big dynamics (especially when I play live) and subtly odd rhythm. All of which seem apparent within In Fields. I s’pose it’s a little story about wanting something that isn’t there. I like the live recording best, it’s got more energy, a more organic raw feel.

What’s next for you & the EP (news/tour dates etc?)

I just finished up a few gigs recently in the inner west and I’ll be free from the shackles of education come August. Soon I’ll be locking in more Sydney (and hopefully Melbourne) dates for September/October. I’m also pretty excited about a few electronic/interactive elements that are sneaking their way into my sets. On with the experiments!

Spend a little time to get to more about this guy through his music below and I promise you’ll enjoy what you hear. 

*when I said ‘most of us’ I just meant me…

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