Scott Spark Tag Along Interview

Scott Spark Tag Along Interview

Featuring the world's cutest alarm clock, the song's video and accompanying iPhone app (never be late to work to see your idiot boss again!) have been put together with cartoonist and illustrator Oslo Daviswith the track premiered at the recent TEDx Sydney and already added to theDouble J playlist.

Scott Spark sings about strategies for outsmarting death, love, wanderlust at Christmastime and life's variety of screw-ups, while plinking the keys of anything that has them. His sound is like a threesome between Harry Nilsson, Fiona Apple and ELO. Throwing trend to the wind, Spark creates unique commentaries and poignant life observations that transcend genre.

'Muscle Memory is about the tension between wanting to belong and wanting to escape, and how that defines all our relationships and motives," he says. 'It's about how love twists and turns – from uncomplicated to complicated, and back again – so easily."

Muscle Memory was recorded in Los Angeles with US-based Australian engineer and sound producer Ben Tolliday, who has worked on productions with Alanis Morrisette, Wolfmother, the London Symphony Orchestra and Guy Sigsworth (Björk).

Interview with Scott Spark

Question: How would you describe your music?

Scott Spark: Out on the highway, in your car, around twilight, the blue hour. Hatching an escape plan, and learning how to belong.


Question: Did you have any pre-conceived ideas about the music industry?

Scott Spark: Sure. I grew up in the 90s, when almost every music artist expressed gripes at some point or another with some aspect of the industry. So, I knew it was a dicey, fickle, high-risk sort of environment. But that hasn't deterred me. The songs are my concern. The songs, and the people they find.


Question: Do you write your own songs? What's your inspiration?

Scott Spark: I do indeed. Writing songs is one of life's simple pleasures. It can also be a giant pain in the butt too, when you get the sense you're onto something, and then elements don't quite materialise. But, I remember feeling the urge to write ever since I was about 13 or 14. I was sitting piano exams, and supremely frustrated, because rather than perfecting what was written on the page, I wanted to rework classical music into my own creations. As for inspiration, I think the greatest motivators are things you feel strongly about. Anything that stops you in your tracks. It's about making sense of life's struggles; articulating what kicks what you in the gut; and seeing if that resonates for other people too.

Question: What music/artists do you listen to when you are not playing your own?

Scott Spark: It really depends what I'm doing. There are certain artists that translate into any space. Bjork is one of those. If I'm hanging out at home, Fiona Apple, Aimee Mann, Rufus Wainwright, Elliott Smith, Nina Simone, Gillian Welch, Beck, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Frank Ocean, Bruce Springsteen, Radiohead, David Byrne, Kate Bush, Elvis Costello, Fleetwood Mac, John Lennon, Tom Waits, Lou Reed, Tori Amos, PJ Harvey, R.E.M., Neil Finn, Nick Drake, Randy Newman - I could go on, but these are the kind of artists whose back-catalogues I can disappear into. If I'm moving my body, attempting to break a sweat, that's a different matter. Robyn, Yan Wagner, Sia, New Order, Pet Shop Boys, Hercules and Love Affair all help with that. If I'm looking to escape reality altogether, I'll opt for Boards of Canada, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Michael Nyman, Philip Glass, Dirty Three, and the Brodsky Quartet.


Question: What's next? Tour/Album/Single?

Scott Spark: I'm packing bags and checking gear for my album launch tour. It'll be my first chance to play songs from 'Muscle Memory' for people, live on stage with a band. Rehearsals have made me really excited about the shows. We'll be playing The Toff in Town (Melb) on Thurs 07 Aug, The Vanguard (Syd) on Thurs 14 Aug, and Brisbane Powerhouse on Fri 05 Sept (http://www.scottspark.com/shows)


Question: Was there a moment you contemplated throwing in the towel?

Scott Spark: Um... I bought a new mattress recently, and it's surpassed my expectations. There've been some winter mornings when I've formulated plans to remain in bed for the rest of my life. But, I managed to thwart them.


Question: Do you prefer performing live or recording?

Scott Spark: Nothing beats being with an audience, and playing songs live. But then, hiding away in a studio for months can be life changing in its own way. It's transformative. You're taking things that are in the ether - ideas, sounds, intentions - and committing them to form. Sometimes that's easier than you anticipate. And other times, you feel as though it's beyond you. But if I could spend every day in there, I would.


Question: What/who was your inspiration to go into the music industry?
Scott Spark: Creating music by yourself or a few friends is a great thing. Sharing it more widely is a different thing. The songs take on their own life with other people that you don't control. I remember hearing 'Golden Brown' by The Stranglers for the first time when I was 13, and it blew my tiny mind. I couldn't decipher exactly what I was listening to, but it mesmerised me, and I loved it. It's still a favourite of mine. There are so many album's that have defined periods of life for me: tumultuous high school years with Radiohead's 'Kid A', Bjork's 'Homogenic' and Tori Amos's 'Boys For Pele'; unrequited love with Gillian Welch's 'Time (The Revelator)'; moving out of home to Rufus Wainwright's debut; discovering a new life in Hong Kong to Beth Gibbons & Rustin' Man's 'Out of Season'. To experience these connections, and have someone else's creative work become so significant to me... that's something that thrills me. And it's something that I aspire to. In my own way, I want to contribute to that exchange.


Question: What is the biggest challenge you have faced along the way to your musical success?

Scott Spark: Avoiding seeing images of what I've worn on stage in the past.


Question: What's a typical day like?

Scott Spark: Days vary - thank god they vary! But I mostly enjoy spending time at the piano in the afternoon and during the evening. That's when it feels best for me. In fact, as soon as I finished writing this, that's where I'll be.


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

Scott Spark: Getting really used to throwing myself out on a limb. Whether it's breaking into university auditoriums to find spare pianos to rehearse on, playing my first live performance on the radio, playing a friend a new song that I wrote for them, or sleeping on the floor for three months in LA to record my latest album. Music continually encourages me to take risks and be vulnerable, to pursue discovery and new relationships. Sure - if I'm honest, it can get scary. But overall, I'm immensely grateful for that.


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

Scott Spark: Oh lord. I reckon working with David Byrne, having him produce an album would just be an absolute dream.

Question: What message would you like your music to say to your fans?

Scott Spark: There's always room on my piano bench for you.


Interview by Brooke Hunter