She was Born to Do This
St Martins, Mullumbimby | Friday | 6pm | $20 pre sale, $25 at the door
Some musicians fix you to the floor, give you goosebumps, and touch that place that says ‘you are part of this, come with me’. Áine Tyrrell is one such musician. After 18 months in the making, Áine releases Return to the Sea.
Your sound has changed in this album into something that is much rockier, much more of a call to arms… what brought about that change in your song writing and in your playing?
I would call it a progression more than a change, a becoming of more of myself as a songwriter and performer. Trusting my power to relay these songs in the way they were asking of me and trusting in the creative partnership with my producer, Mark Stanley.
Do you believe politically motivated songs motivate people to change?
Hell yes. They always have been used for that and they personally inspired change in me. So I am a believer. Folk music is music of the people and in its pure form the genre has to speak of the people and all that we are collectively going through as humans in this time, space and place.
How do you want people to feel when they hear your music? Do you have a story you want them to take home?
From its very conception, we designed this album to make listeners personally and collectively, as humans, want to reach for more. From the lyrics, to the outros, to the choices in instrumentation we always came back to the mandate of reaching because we are living in exciting times where change is happening by the day and the people do have the power. Sometimes we just need to be reminded of that.
Tell me about writing Born to Do This… it’s such a stirring song that brings people – mainly women – to their feet!
Born To Do This is a song that gives us all permission to take up space in this world and be who we are. It’s also a song that gives us permission to be angry at the things that stop us from achieving our potentials. The song was written to be inclusive of all genders, as we aren’t getting out of this without each other. It particularly resonates with women, I think, because it was my own raw response to being a woman these past few years and being part of campaigns and witnessing sisters all over the world fire up. The song is my roar and it turns out a whole lotta people like roaring with me.
How has your integral relationship with musician and producer Mark Stanley helped in growing and evolving your sound? How important is it to have someone like this in a musician’s ear?
Is he really intuitive? Does he ever suggest things that you never thought of, but were perfect?
Collaboration is such an exciting part of the creative process and it drove both Mark and I to dig deeper and push each other completely out of our comfort zones on this album and we hit some magical places. As David Bowie said “Go a little bit out of your depth. When you don’t feel that your feet are quite touching the bottom, you’re just about in the right place to do something exciting.”
You are an International Finalist in a very prestigious music comp! One of the judges is Tom Waits! Who else is in the category with you? Tell us a little more?
In This House made the finals of the International Songwriting Competition and is the only Irish or Australian song in the Folk/SingerSongwriter category. Other Australians like Missy Higgins,
Bobby Alu, and Sahara Beck are nominated in other categories.
Tell me about the launch – you have a kick arse band around you– with Angie Hudson, Tom Whitaker and Mark Stanley – what else can people expect for Return to the Sea launch!
I’ve been waiting for this launch in Mullum. There is a certain magic that I know Mullum will bring that I wouldn’t want to miss. Emily Lubitz and the Bunyarra Culture Collective are so inspiring and deadly and I feel so damn lucky to have them sharing their particular magic in the same hall as me. My band are a bunch of dead-set legends and we only have 2 band shows left on the tour, so this one is gonna rock. We have some surprises, a children’s entertainer Shorty Brown, and catering. Why would you miss it?
Friday at St Martin’s Hall in Mullumbimby, Tix are $20 presale or $25 at the door. Kids are a gold coin donation with Shorty Brown to entertain. Dinner from 6pm.
Tix at ainetyrrell.com
