Illustration by Geoffrey A Thorsen

PETER EMPTAGE: PADDOCK.

“I’m really lucky to have a job. I think it’s really good to have your bills covered and not necessarily make a living off music. It’s pretty murky waters when you’re setting out with the sole intention of cashing in on your arts and crafts.”

I’m caught off guard by Pete’s positive aura. He’s worked in disability for 8 years and is delighted by that. Unlike most of the burnt out health professionals I’ve met, he seems spiritually revitalised by living.

On the other hand, Pete’s primary band Paddock is often devastatingly intense and visceral, only interspersed with a big grin when he isn’t delivering lines. In fact, everyone who attends a Paddock concert sits glued to the performance, like they just might learn something. The controlled vocals sound unmistakably ‘Australian’.

MS: So, is the rest of the Paddock improvising a lot of the time?

PE: They mostly make up what they are doing. It’s a largely a go-for-it affair. If it really fucks up, it can often turn out better than what I came up with. They are good at fucking things up, in a pleasant way.

And how do the songs come to life?

For Paddock I write the words, but there is no formula set in stone of where songs go. So far, I’ve come up with the words and things are built around that.

The song writing process is varied, really varied. It’s different depending on where the impetus to write a song came from. It may come from some garbled melody or it could come from some rhythm slapped on your thighs. I feel like that’s the exciting parts of coming up with songs, it’s not necessarily a clear route to anything in particular, so as long as you’ve got the impetus to make something, the end point will. That’s the beauty of it. It’s an infinitely exciting craft. It’s something you can chip away at.

So why do you continue with songwriting?

Something I feel like could be interesting to work on in songwriting is to blow up a little bit of the structures that singer-songwriter material often has embodied in it; verses, choruses and bridges – but the bands are freed up to improvise because people feel more fluent and less inhibited. Outside the form of rapping or spoken word or poetry, I guess you don’t often hear singer songwriter material changing from gig to gig, that’s the one part of the music that is cemented in. I would love to be able to write in a way that words or sounds of the voice could be the same quality dynamic and engaging in the present moment as the music. I’ve also just been getting back into Public Enemy. Chuck D is the king.

I hear your lyrics and think there are sometimes parallels between your work in healthcare and your words?

I guess it’s a part of my lived experience, so there’s definitely influences had on my life. It’s similar to music, there’s a real human element to it. Its a community based job, you get to work closely with people and hear where they’re at.

For words, its nice just hearing how people speak and people’s stories. That’s one part of the craft of writing words I really love – just narrative, abstract writing that plays more with sounds like ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues’ or something like that. Its got intention but it’s not always clear what it’s driving towards. It’s more working with big picture stuff or a mood. I don’t think you need to always set out knowing where you’re trying to get to….

Read more below.

Is it difficult to approach recording without an audience? Is it the same process or do you do overdubs? 

By and large they’re mostly live recordings and there’s nothing too overly scientific about the process. To be honest, for Paddock recordings to date, the goal has been to share a limited run of things with friends and family because it’s something I personally really love doing, making songs, and I felt like in a way if I’m burrowing away in my bedroom and not being involved with family or friends it would then be nice to repay them with a souvenir of what I’ve been spending time on.

So that was the goal of your recent EP, A Real Farmer?

Absolutely. For this tape especially and an earlier tape. I want to keep making them. Often the time you set aside to make a tape is golden time. You get a weekend somewhere nice and eat food and hang out with your friends and play music. So, in short it hasn’t been an overly produced thing. I’m not saying I’m not open to seven layered harmonies…

What’s happening with Paddock in the next year?

The most exciting thing is we were awarded an artist in residency by the Taipei city council. We’re all going over there with the intention of making, who knows what. It’s a pot-luck thing, but if you put in a good case they have a space for local artists to work in studios, but they also put a word out on the internet for international artists to apply, live there for up to three months and make whatever –  sound art, sculpture or visual art. You need to to put on an exhibition or a performance while there and invite people from Taiwan back to Australia.

Have you achieved what you wanted out of Paddock?

In some respects its been all about friends. Enjoying the process of making songs together is a win. One thing I’ve thought, and verbalised a couple of times, is if there is anyone who offers us the chance to play, to always say yes. I guess the goal would to be eighty five, toothless and still writing songs in whatever way, shape or form and knowing those guys. Imagine the silly tales you’d have of the magic shows you’d seen at Dane Certificate’s, the dog performances.

I want to get better at songwriting. I want to keep exploring different ways of making sound, not particularly for singer-songwriter stuff. If you come up with a word and get someone else involved – it’s as good a reason as any to get together with friends. Making music with people is addictive. I love that.

Paddock have released three EPs, all are available for free download. Listen at Paddock’s Bandcamp page.