After nearly 20 years with FourPlay string quartet rock band, Lara Goodridge knows how to keep an edge.
‘It requires constant re-invention!’ she says. ‘At the moment I am really busy – I am in three bands. I was just in Byron touring with Miriam Lieberman – I play with Abby Dobson in Baby et Lulu – and of course there’s FourPlay!’
So how does a busy mother of one manage to keep pushing that creative edge?
‘I just step into each one as they come up. I think the hardest thing sometimes is the timing, because FourPlay is putting out an album in October – that is printed and pressed and ready to go – and Baby et Lulu is going to record in October, so we have a new album out next March!
‘The new album was recorded and produced in Sydney with Tony Buchen. He is working internationally nowadays – he is a great producer with whom we have great simpatico. He recorded the Baby et Lulu album and will do the next one. The FourPlay album we have just done (The Machine) is the first 100 per cent original album we have done.’
Originally the band focused on creating unique covers with the odd original. Now there’s a lot of odd originals!
Having just returned from playing Carnegie Hall, Lara believes that FourPlay is on a good roll. ‘We are happy with this album.
‘It’s nearly 20 years now. I guess the thing is that we are not someone trying to be charting and it’s not about how old you are when you listen or whom we are catering for, and not specific, and
we try to re-invent ourselves and try to develop.’
FourPlay rely on each other’s creative simpatico.
‘We like to jam together and this is how we developed this album by jamming. All our albums have covered a wide range of genres and we all love to listen to such different things. When we are putting a set or album together, we aren’t as calculating as we want one rock, one pop, but we lean towards doing a jazz feel, then we’ll go let’s do a ballad and we start to explore those parameters and keep working on those until we get a song happening.’
While FourPlay continues to go great guns, it seems Baby et Lulu can’t put a foot wrong either.
‘This is our first Mullum Music Festival and we are really looking forward to it. Festivals are great for punters and musicians because musicians get to see each other and hang out. Things have been going so well for Abby and me. Every time we play in Sydney we sell out, which is so awesome, and it’s with so little effort that it means it has a life of its own. We play every six weeks or so at Camelot and it’s so great to have repeat offenders along with new people each time!’
Lara Goodridge and Abby Dobson have come on board as part of the Mullum Music Festival’s Youth Mentorship Program.
With so much experience managing her career, Lara has a lot to offer to young and aspiring vocalists.
‘It took me years to really find my own voice and my own place. When I think back to twenty years ago to how I feel about it now I remember that it was very scary. You have to do it for love and you have to be able to do everything: social media, website updates, personal management. Gone are the days when you had someone doing it for you. You need people skills, you need to turn up on time, you need to be professional, and you need to treat your talent with respect.
‘I would say play as much as you can, play as many gigs as you can!
‘I have spent many years being insecure about myself and what I have to offer, but what I have come to realise when people ask me to play with them is it’s because they want me and what I bring. I am not just a session violinist – I realise now that every musician brings their personality and flavour, and that’s what you should develop, because that’s what people want.’
Resilience is one of the key attributes any musician needs to survive the long haul.
‘Being a musician takes a lot of risk. It is very hard for any artist to believe in themselves and, if you get knocked back, you have to find a way to take that on; you have to love what you do, and take rejection with grace. You are not always the right person for a gig. It’s about forging your own path; you have to keep looking for ways to do things.’
Lara Goodridge plays with FourPlay and Baby et Lulu at Mullum Music Festival this year.
Youth Mentorships are now open for application in vocal, band, singer/songwriter and under-15 sections.
Mentor for band is Declan Kelly, for singer/songwriter it is Ash Bell, and under-15s will enjoy the wisdom of Sal Kimber.
Winners get a rehearsal/mentorship with their category professional, a ticket to the festival and a backstage pass to their mentor’s gig, as well as a 20-minute spot at the festival. Also, all entries are eligible to be chosen as directors picks and selected to perform a song during the festival.
For applications and program information (closing 4 November) go to www.mullummusicfestival.com.
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