Mandy Nolan
Fyah Walk will be releasing their third album Spirit Fyah this Friday at the Great Northern alongside the powerful Brisbane band, Bullhorn. Seven spoke with Fyah Walk’s Simon Jerrems.
Tell me a little about what you set out to achieve recording the new album.
To express new creative ideas and give a broader picture of reggae music, of what it is, and what we have played in the past. We wanted to capture a sound close to live performance but add in some extra elements that can easily be done in the recorded atmosphere.
What were the ideas, or inspirations, that you were drawing on?
Well, drawing on modern ‘new roots’ ideas but also reflecting on the foundation style of reggae coming out of Jamaica from the 70s era. The album is songs written over the last few years and so is really what has come forward from those times. Some songs are about music reaching out across the planet and meeting people; some songs deal with social and historic issues such as colonialism and matters of Indigenous Australian justice. There are many subjects: world change, personal journey, spiritual vibes. The album has a more healing quality in it for me.
How did you feel about the finished product? Did anything change much in the recording process?
We are very happy with the finished product. We feel the songs were captured well; it’s easily some of our best work. The sound is really amazing and is owed to our hard work and Jan Muths, our engineer. We recorded everything in the northern rivers and we took longer with this album in order to give our best.
What are the challenges of keeping a band viable and playing in a regional area? How do you overcome those?
The challenges are a few but the rewards are many. It can be hard to sustain at times. I suppose nowadays many people are used to the idea that music is free or something like that, but I feel we are well supported in the northern rivers. There is nothing to overcome; just do what needs to be done, write, rehearse, book, gig… continue and so on.
What do you try to give audiences in a live performance? Does it differ from what you offer in an album?
In a live performance we give all we can and it is about the instantaneous interaction with the people in the Now. The studio is the same in many ways because there is still interaction with life in a timeframe that will not come again… but there is more time to work out the technical stuff and review what you did and see if you can put more life into the music.
What should we expect for your launch?
The launch will be massive with a lot of energy. Bullhorn are our support; they are seriously a great band. I was so impressed when I saw them and so were many others, so they will be epic. And up early, so come early… and then with King Krazy and three vocalists pushing out mad reggae and dancehall vibes, we will follow with a deep, deep roots foundation style set, playing songs never played before. The launch will be huge.
Also appearing on the night is King Krazy spinning roots reggae – with the mighty Blaze Fire Sound featuring live vocals from Dougy, Raz Bin Sam and Jaminglish. With $15 entry and concession $12, the doors will open at 9pm so be there early to see the first band. A deep roots reggae flavour guaranteed!
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
