I meet blues musician Ash Grunwald on Australia Day, a few hours before his gig in The Rocks. Ash lounges on a couch, with aviator sunglasses nestled in his dreadlocks and a guitar at his side.
As I approach him, I tiptoe around a trail of plastic dinosaurs strewn across the room.
The dinosaur toys belong to his daughter Sunny, Ash tells me.
“How old is she?” I ask, taking a seat.
“She’s four years old. Wouldn’t it be funny if I said 16?”
Ash is in town for the Festival of the Voice, an Australia Day concert that also features Gurrumul, Sietta and The Preatures.
“On Australia Day I don’t usually go crazy with streamers and what not. But I have in recent times because I do gigs. I love playing festivals and celebrating.”
Ash relaxes before the Australia Day gig Photos: Yves Margarita
The performance is to take place in Dawes Point Park, a location that boasts the Harbour Bridge as a picturesque backdrop. But the outdoor stage means that artists must contend with the temperamental weather.
“That crazy wind out there; it’s insane!” Ash laughs. “Although it did strike me that there’s a really good chance people could say, ‘I saw Ash Grunwald and I was blown away’.”
I recently watched Ash perform at Falls Festival in Lorne. He whipped the crowd into a dancing, stomping frenzy with his bluesy cover of the Gnarls Barkley song “Crazy”. What other musical tricks does he have up his sleeve for his upcoming set?
“I do this little version of “Ain’t No Sunshine”, the old Bill Withers song. I used to sing it to my daughter when she was young as a lullaby. I think that song will be good with the families, a common cover that I can chuck in.”
Ash is on dad-duty today while his wife, Danni Carr, is playing shows in a country band in Tamworth. I ask how his daughter has dealt with the Australia Day crowds in Sydney.
“She finds herself in that kind of context quite often, so it’s like any other day. We’re travelling from gig to gig, in the hubbub of that kind of festival experience. That’s our life, so no explanation required.”
But personally, Ash is somewhat troubled by the connotations of Australia Day.
“I am happy to celebrate Australia but I do also recognise that it’s a very contentious day.
“I’m very proud to be Australian and I think there’s some amazing things about this new nation of Australia. But I think it’s also an Invasion Day, and I can’t imagine what it would be like to be Aboriginal on this day.”
Ash at The Rocks on Australia Day Photos: Yves Margarita
Ash has also been reflecting upon his family’s future and the potential of his music career.
“I’m at a bit of a crossroads,” he says.
This year will include overseas touring, with trips to England and Canada, and a new album planned for the end of 2013.
To top it off, Ash and his wife are expecting a second child in March.
“I play a lot of overseas shows and I could maybe kick that to the next level, but I’m just wondering whether I want that or not with a young family.”
For Ash, the gravitational pull of the overseas market is strong, and international audiences are a joy to play for. In his experience of overseas touring, he has observed incredible parallels between crowds.
“Take two countries like France and Japan. While I don’t talk much in between songs there, it’s amazing how similar the crowd reaction is once you start playing,” he says.
“It’s always spun me out that we focus on the differences between people and cultures, but we’re all humans and we’re so much more similar than we realise.
“It’s remarkable and it probably does tie into the idea of Australia Day.”
More information at Ashgrunwald.com
