Lou Bradley breaks on through to The Other Side

With a guitar in her hand and a song in her heart, Lou Bradley launches her third studio album The Other Side at Wilsons Creek Hall this Saturday.

The girl is the quintessential quiet achiever. Since her courageous/opposite lifestyle move with her family of five from Sydney’s northern beaches to Huonbrook in the hills of Mullumbimby in 2000, she has forsaken city life for mountain country, something reflected in her music.

‘I remember writing my first few songs and deciding that I wanted to make a professional recording. I was so excited about what I recorded that I remember seeing John Butler in the streets of Mullum and had to give him my little EP. It was shortly after that I received the inaugural John Butler seed grant. It was then that I decided take my career seriously,’ says Lou.

‘Although the local music scene is fruitful, I always knew that if I were going to get anywhere with my music, then I would have to step up and beyond it. So I did.

‘I set myself a task to learn about this mountain music that I was apparently writing. After I realised that mountain music actually came from the mountains and had a very long history, dating way back to the early 1900s, I felt comfy in what I was writing. So I went to the best country music producer in Australia – Rod Mc McCormack. I sent him my demos for a full-length album, thinking that he would at least brush me aside, but he didn’t. We made an album. It was ARIA nominated. Nobody knew who I was. It was brilliant. It really helped me believe that the ‘system’ may not be rigged after all!

‘So then the roller-coaster began. I got bounced around like a pinball a bit. Signed a record deal for my next album with none other than EMI! I always secretly dreamt of doing that. Little did I realise that the economy was crashing. I took my eye off the ball, lost my farm in Huonbrook, EMI died… It was a total dead end!’

Tough times, but after all, ain’t this the stuff of the best country songs?

‘After losing everything, I decided to pack it in. Then one day I was waiting for my youngest daughter to finish her netball training and I was in the car where I was in my PJs reflecting on all the heartache and loss that had come before, when I thought once again about the music industry and whether or not it was worth my while. Distant thoughts of my children telling me in the toughest times, even once we had lost our family home, not to give up, came to me and tempted me to give this one last try. So I took out my iPhone and safaried local producers. I thought WTF. Maybe I should try local again. Full circle. I’ve heard we have world-class producers. Whatever. The first name I came up with was Anthony Lysenko. Apart from my checking him out and deciding he was pretty hot, I looked at his accolades: George Martin (The Beatles), Elvis Costello, Pete Murray, Busby Marou. So I emailed him from my phone, introduced myself and said I had about $5 if he was interested in making an album! He wrote back pretty much straight away saying that it was one of the best emails he’d ever had and wanted to meet me straightaway! So we met and started making an album. And what a journey it has been!

I was pretty bitter about the music industry and damaged still from losing our home, so I knew this album would be very different from the others but I was determined not to conform.

‘The album took me two years to make. I had to save every penny including busking and pumping petrol to pay for it, and it actually evolved as I did, and by the end of it I felt like I’d reached the ‘other side’ of whatever the hell I was going through. Hence the title I guess!’

Catch Lou Bradley at Wilsons Creek Hall on Saturday. Tickets are at The Bookshop Mullumbimby, Wilsons Creek Public School or on the door on the night. $25/$18 and 12 and under free. Tickets include soup and bread. Doors at 6pm.