About Phil Smith
Why country music ?
~ It appeals to me, esp. as I get older. It’s usually pretty honest as a genre, and it’s focus is on storytelling, which I love.
If everything would be possible (waking the dead included), which two people should sing the ultimate country duet?
~ Patsy Cline and Hank Williams.
What song you ever recorded means the most to you and why?
~ about a friend of mine I knew when I was in high school. He was a few years older than me, and one night he held up an armoured van unloading money from the local casino up in Darwin. The story is very poignant for me, ultimately it’s about loneliness, but it spans several decades, and is like a snapshot looking back of a time when everything seemed possible.
Who would you like to write a song for you?
~ I can only sing about my own experiences, not someone elses.
What is the one thing that readers/fans would be surprised to know about you?
~ I would have had a happier life if I never picked the guitar up.
Give us one country song you never want to hear on radio anymore and tell us why.
~ Achy Breaky Heart by Billy Ray Cyrus. Because it exemplifies everything that is wrong with country music.
What is the question interviewers never seem to ask you and…you wish they would? (Please provide your answer as well.)
~ I don’t know.
Describe the ultimate recording studio (not the technique but the facilities)
~ The studio we just recorded our last record in. it’s called The Barn, and it’s situated west of Brisbane in an area called Plainland. It’s a studio set up in a 100 year old dairy barn. The acoustics are great. The ambience is perfect. It’s away from the city, and there is a small cottage onsite where we stayed. So it’s essentially like taking a break from life and you just have the space to create fantastic music and believe in yourself.
Johnny or June ?
~ Johnny, ’cause he was a badass!
Are you still nervous before going on stage and if so, do you use any “rituals” to calm you nerves.
~ Sometimes yes. When I am I just try to remember that it’s not about me. I am here to entertain people. They have come to see me, and I have a job to do. When I put the emphasis on them, it becomes easy.
What was the most memorable day in your musical career and tell us why.
~ Well, when I had my 3rd album reviewed favourably in the main newspaper of our city by a very good music critic, that was pretty unbelievable. It gave me a lot of self belief, BUT, having said that, the gig we just played to launch my 4th album with a band of friends. That was pretty unbelievable. We waited along time to play this gig. The room was full. And the band was smiling. The energy and companionship on that stage was
