Credit: Ian Laidlaw
Sydney Observer Catches Up With Australian Singer-Songwriter
Jay Houhlias
Everyone has their Pete Murray moment. He, humbly, with great Australian subtlety and humility, yet potency, has worked his music into everyone’s lives and affected them in ways which only the music itself can explain.
For me, songs like Opportunity – as Pete referred to it, ‘The graduation ceremony song’ because it was played so often at graduation ceremonies – and So Beautiful bring a nostalgia of my early teen years, when my parents would play his CDs in the car stereo on family holidays up and down the coast of NSW.
Coincidentally, Pete’s upcoming tour is playing small intimate venues up along the east coast, as well as WA and Victoria. His new single, Wouldn’t It Be Good has also just been released.
“At the small venues everyone has a great time and it’s a bit more intimate, you’re closer. It will be nice playing these coastal venues and getting back to the grass roots of where I came from.”
Pete’s mission now is living a well-rounded existence of “Work and kids.”
“I try to keep healthy and fit, get to the gym if I can, getting back into surfing. I haven’t had much time to do anything like that because I’ve had a couple of young girls.”
His holistic approach carries over to his professional career.
“I do things where I can, bits of songwriting here and there, I just keep working at it. Then I’ll go spend a couple of days in the studio putting things together, then come back again a few days later. That’s how I’ve done this album, over the last, really, 8 years or so.”
“I think I find having the time to put an album together like that, you get great songs because you’ve got time. It’s not just a rush trying to get something out there…”
“And I just feel better when I’m healthy. You’ve got more energy. I like getting out into the day and achieving things. I don’t like writing all day long. I like doing bits and pieces, then getting outside, keeping fresh, then maybe coming back later.”
“Early on, mate, I spent weeks on end sitting at home writing… But when you’ve got kids, you’ve got a life, and you have other things to do. Now it‘s about squeezing in work where I can.”
Pete is committed to being a positive force in people’s lives, and it seems his own life comes through in his music.
“I try to write songs to help motivate people so they can achieve what they want… be happy, things like that. It’s only fear that stops people from doing things in their lives, and you’ve got to take some risks, and hopefully you’ll be rewarded.”
Pete is an independent artist and believes it’s an exciting time for those like him. “The old days, record labels controlled the industry, and independent artists struggled.”
“These days, the streaming platforms have taken a lot of power away from the labels. It’s put more power in the artists hands. It’s still not easy, but you can put your songs up these days. And you just don’t know what country might like it, or who is listening… The beauty of it is the unknown now, how you can be successful… Now you’re open to the world.”
“But you know, still, you can’t beat good music and good lyrics… Whatever other bells and whistles you put around it can enhance it of course, but the main thing is music and lyrics.”
“If you can play a song on acoustic guitar, belt it out on your own, and that works, then whatever you do around that is only going to enhance the song.”
Pete Murray, fresh from the gym and a surf, on stage with just an acoustic guitar, belting it out at the Manly Harbour Boat Club. Could you imagine anything more quintessential?
More information about Pete’s upcoming tour and single can be found at https://petemurray.com/.
