Pyke revisits Feeding the Wolves with a regional tour reaching Berninneit
Josh Pyke exclusive: The release of his next album, Kingdom Within.
DOUBLE J presents Josh Pyke on the Feeding the Wolves Regional Tour, set to hit Berninneit on April 18 at 7 pm for an intimate solo storytelling performance commemorating Josh’s first mini album, recorded 20 years ago; an album that marked the transition of music into Josh’s full-time career.
In an interview with Josh, he explained that in revisiting these songs released in 2005 - songs that were recorded in begged and borrowed music studios around Sydney, sometimes even at his parents' house - including “Middle of the Hill,” “Private Education,” and “Gold Mines,”- will be nostalgic, they’ll be performed in a stripped back version, using vocals, guitar, a loop pedal and a stomp box, this tour is a solo show where he can share the story behind these lyrics.
“The nature of this show is an opportunity to tell stories about the songs and talk about that tumultuous, exciting and beautiful time in my life,” said Josh.
“20 years ago, I was an independent musician who’d just signed to Ivy League Records and was on a path to being a full-time musician.”
Josh’s lust for music began at a young age – he joined his first band at the age of 12 and started guitar lessons at 15. He moved from small garage punk bands in his teens to becoming a solo artist with four ARIA awards and seven studio albums.
“My writing and skills as a producer have evolved over the years,” said Josh. “I’ve produced or co-produced all of my albums to date, and I’ll be releasing a new album this year – one that is a little different; different in that I created voice demos of these songs, very simple with just acoustic guitar and vocal demos, and I took them to a studio in Byron, to a good friend of mine, Chris Collins, who’s worked with Matt Corby and Royal Otis, and he’s produced this album and put his fingerprints all over it, and I think that’s the important thing about creativity is to shake it up and keep the art fresh and moving.”
Josh explained that as an artist, it’s easy to fall into your own pattern. “I’ve got a studio at home where I could have made the album myself, but for my own artistic practice - to get out and push those limits is a good thing,” he said. “The next album, 'Kingdom Within,' will be launched in the coming weeks.”
Beyond music, Josh is a prolific children's author. He’s published 12 books and teases a new title, “Auggie, the Corgi, and Jane, the Great Dane,” due in August. “That’ll be my 13th kids' book out through Scholastic, a whole other side to my career that I take very seriously.”
Josh explained that the thing about being a creative in any capacity is that failure and rejection are a part of the course. “You need to learn from it and keep going.”
In the past two decades, Josh has signed and toured both nationally and internationally, playing in venues across the UK and Europe, but re-visiting this tour after performing in capital cities last year, Josh wanted to extend this show to regional venues, with the idea of finding particular theatres and venues in more intimate settings.
For tickets to the regional tour, Feeding the Wolves, visit basscoastculturalvenues.com
