Michael Dunstan Smoulder Or Ignite Interview

Smoulder Or Ignite

Venturing far from his quaint regional upbringing in the vast Western Australian Wheatbelt, Michael Dunstan has accomplished a huge amount for being only 24 years old. Touring Australia four times and New Zealand twice in the last 18 months, Dunstan has been welcomed with a warm and loyal following, with shows largely selling out. Openly sharing personal past struggles with heavy anxiety, Dunstan hopes that all those who see him perform will leave with a sense of mindfulness, and share a new-found appreciation of the beautiful world in which we live.

Interview with Michael Dunstan

Question: Can you tell us about your music?

Michael Dunstan: Sure can! I guess most of my music is a pretty personal journey, I started releasing music around three years ago coinciding with a time of heavy anxiety where writing and playing music was an immense source of clarity and mindfulness for me. My music is a place where I can flesh out things that I'm feeling or am struggling to comprehend in this world. It is my way of expressing myself in times where words fall short, which is quite often (referring to both positive experiences and less positive). My musical journey has been fairly un-planned until recently and I've never placed heavy pressure on it being a certain thing or sound, so it's still one of the places apart from nature, where I guess I can touch a sense of freedom.


Question: What inspired the track Smoulder Or Ignite?

Michael Dunstan: 'Smoulder or Ignite' is a product of the parting of myself and a dearly loved one, for reasons we couldn't control. Long story short, for the indefinite foreseeable future, we would now have to live in separate countries to each other. This happened overnight.

The track is a positive outlook on the situation, after dwelling negatively on it for far too long. With the situation out of our control for the time being, it is a song of hope, that it's meant to be, then perhaps it will be.
"We've thrown the wood into the fire, now will it smoulder? Will it ignite?"

The revelations in the coming months, that happiness and love is everywhere around us, not just solely in one special person, also heavily inspired the track.


Question: What motivates you most when writing music?

Michael Dunstan: The chance to sit down and take a few moments out of a day to reflect and take it easy, probably motivates me most to write. It calms me, providing me space from my thoughts and feelings. I never intentionally sit down to write a song, rather will jot down what's on my mind, what's in front of me, or what I'm experiencing at the time. The songs usually fall into place at a time when I'm feeling a pretty powerful emotion, either side of the spectrum.


Question: What can you tell us about your forthcoming debut album In The Grand Scheme?

Michael Dunstan: 'In The Grand Scheme' is predominantly about the realisation of our insignificance, and the associated freedom that comes with it. This album was written after coming out the other side of constantly living with fear. Today's societal pressures put extreme emphasis on building one's sense of self, as if the Earth revolved around us as an individual. Truth is, we are so small. How often do we forget we exist on a spinning rock in the middle of nowhere? When we are mindful of our insignificance, we start thinking for others and our surroundings because it becomes more about 'us', and less about 'I'. 'In The Grand Scheme' is a diverse 14 track journey that was a liberating experience to create, and I hope it provides the listener with the same sense of perspective and freedom as writing it did for me.


Question: How does it feel to be compared to Ziggy Alberts?

Michael Dunstan: Comparison's always feel a bit odd, because regardless of who they are referring to, it's not you. However, Zig's got some beautiful music and has done amazing things inside and out of the music world, so it's really a kind compliment. Diving deeper into our songs, lyrics, and instrumentation, perhaps a listener may find there is a more distance between us two as artists than noticeable from at a quick glance.


Question: Which is your favourite song to perform live and why?

Michael Dunstan: Red Moon from the older songs. It's really lively and light-hearted playing it with a band and perhaps a favourite because we've always ended the sets with it. It's a song of hope and positivity, one we can really connect with the crowd, have a sing-along and in general just makes us genuinely happy to play.


Question: What should we expect from your upcoming tour?

Michael Dunstan: This will be the first time we've toured with a 3-piece band, we are really excited to bring the live show to the next level. The shows are pretty intimate, and I'm not going to hold back on speaking openly and personally about what has influenced each song. We are donating $1 per ticket to Happy Monday Co. raising money to support mental health organisations such as Beyond Blue, Headspace and the Kai Eardley Foundation. For us, this tour is about spreading awareness for mental health, promoting happiness and community, and the chance to spread the news on the album is a bonus for the adventure around Australia. We are pumped.


Question: If you could have anyone, in the world, attend a show, who would it be?

Michael Dunstan: Andy Puddicombe, co-founder of headspace. His wise words have changed my life, and always will. I'd probably stop playing and ask him to speak to the audience if he were in the room. Legend.

Question: Do you prefer performing live or recording?

Michael Dunstan: Right at this moment I'm really enjoying recording. It's a pretty wild learning curve each time, and I think you learn a lot about yourself, your own music and I guess it's always an unexpected journey. You never know what you'll walk out with, sometimes things just happen. It teaches you to stay calm and have an open mind, and that's when things flourish.


Question: Which music/artists are you currently listening to?

Michael Dunstan: Currently listening to Andy Shauf's new album 'The Neon Skyline' quite a bit. Ciaran Lavery and Chartreuse a fair bit too! And should probably mention Jesper Ryom too for when the occasion desires something with a little more oomph.


Question: What or who was your inspiration to go into the music industry?

Michael Dunstan: I had a couple events compound my anxiety to a point where I was struggling with consistent panic attacks unable to keep up with my workload of studying physiotherapy at university. The whole experience kind of belted me, and I had a bit of an existential crisis to say the least. I deferred university and focused on getting myself right. I spent a lot of time playing my guitar and singing, and I found a few small gigs back home in rural Western Australia at some Machinery Field Days, and I thought it was amazing. The fact that I could get paid, to sing and do something that put my mind at ease, connected me to inspiring people and let me travel, was mind blowing. I still feel grateful to the same extent, and every hour I invest into my music is still with the same level of enjoyment as when I first started out.


Question: If you could collaborate with another artist, who would it be?

Michael Dunstan: Billie Marten.


Question: What's a typical day like?
Michael Dunstan: Wake up between 5am and 6am, try get a run in if not too busy or tired. 15 minutes of mindfulness on the headspace app on my front porch at home in Perth. Put on a perculator of coffee, check emails. Have breakfast, head for a swim at Brighton Beach, then sit at a little café called Drift Kitchen and plug away at admin related stuff. Usually another swim before heading home, but the last six months I'd say I've planned my life around computer admin time. I'm self-managed and booked at the moment, as my sister has a new bub in the house, so between this and part time retail work I don't have a lot of spare time. There's not much more that goes on other than a few wines or beers with friends in the area really! I love it but, there's some special people in the area where I spend most of my spare time.


Question: What has been your favourite part of becoming a music artist?

Michael Dunstan: Writing and performing songs allows you to meet and have very open and deep conversations with people that you perhaps would never otherwise cross paths with. I feel like it strips away this barrier between you and a stranger at a show, and some of the friendships and conversations I've been lucky enough to have are one's that leave you feeling inspired and very grateful to be alive.


Question: Can you share your socials?

Michael Dunstan: @michaeldunstan_/
www.facebook.com/mdunstanmusic/
https://michaeldunstanmusic.com.au/
Spotify


Interview by Brooke Hunter