Suzanne Vega
Suzanne Vega emerged as a leading figure of the folk revival of the early 1980s that would later open doors for similar female singer-songwriters to achieve commercial success, such as Tracy Chapman and Shawn Colvin, among others.
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With just an acoustic guitar and her voice, Vega sang songs that have been called contemporary folk.
Her worldwide 1987 hit Luka was one of the first songs to tackle the subject of child abuse.
She went on to have further hits such as Marlene on the Wall and Tom’s Diner.
Next month, she makes a welcome return to Australia as part of her Flying With Angels tour.
It’s been nine years since Vega was last on our shores.
“I just love coming to Australia,” Vega told me last week.
“And I love the audiences there.
“The whole place is very exotic to us Americans.”
While Vega will be playing new material off her most recent studio album, Flying with Angels, she said it would be mixed among all the well-known hits, and various songs from her catalogue.
“The last time we came to Australia, I think we were celebrating the anniversaries of two albums,” she said.
“We were doing the Solitude Standing album [from 1987], and then for the second set, we were doing 99.9F° [from 1992].
“So that was a very nostalgic looking backwards kind of tour.
“This time I have a new album, so we’re featuring a lot of the songs from the new album, but also a healthy amount of the older songs, so everyone gets to hear their favourite stuff.
“And we’re also doing some new material.”
Vega said being on the road was difficult when it came to writing songs, but she did jot down ideas if and when inspiration hit.
“Though I have written on tour, generally, it’s too busy and it's too stressful for me to actually do any sustained work on tour,” she said.
“But I will write notes, and if I have a melody in my mind, I'll put it into the phone.
“The phone has helped me to keep track of things so, I will jot things down.
“I use the notes app and I use the voice memo app.
“And then when I’m home, I can then gather everything together.”
While Vega enjoys working in the studio, she prefers being on the road, as that is where she says vital human connection comes into play with the music.
“I love touring and I love live performing,” she said.
“I think there's nothing like it.
“I have trained in other disciplines.
“I’ve done theatre work and I studied as a dancer for 10 years.
“So, I’ve always been drawn to the stage, and that is probably my first love; any kind of stage work.
“But I also like being in the studio too, because that’s also fun, and you can play around with effects that you can’t always do live.”
For more on Suzanne Vega, check out suzannevega.com
Music news
Is there a new Fugees album in the works?
With the 30th anniversary of Oasis’ performance at open-air rock festival Knebworth in England, rumours abound they may make a return to the Knebworth stage to celebrate the performance.
Seventies rock star Suzi Quatro has announced another tour of Australia for November and December.
Quatro has been a regular visitor to our shores over the past 50 years, having clocked up around 40 tours since her first visit in 1974.
The Monkees drummer Micky Dolenz will release a six-song EP titled Timeless on September 4.
Pop-punk band Blink 182 are currently in the studio working on a new album.
Music trivia
What one-hit wonder act is behind the 1997 song Barbie Girl? Answer below.
From the diary … Adrian Belew, April 2006
Nicknamed ‘The Rhino King’ as the result of the simulated sounds of the rhinoceros’ grazes and snorts that appear throughout the title track of his debut solo album, The Lone Rhino (1981), Adrian Belew has been a hired gun for bands such as Talking Heads, Joe Cocker, Nine Inch Nails, Laurie Anderson, Frank Zappa and his most well-known sideman gig with David Bowie.
Bowie’s Stage (1978) and Lodger (1979) albums both featured Belew’s extraordinary emotive sound manipulative guitar style.
Aside from his sideman gig, he’s a respected solo artist in his own right.
In April of 2006, Belew toured Australia for the first time as a solo artist and before that he visited in November of 1978 with Bowie as part of Bowie’s debut Australian tour.
On the day I met him, Belew was running late for his sound check due to his flight from Sydney being late — where he had performed the previous night.
And then, once he had arrived at Melbourne Airport, problems with luggage caused further delays.
When he finally arrived at the Corner Hotel, where we were having the interview, he looked tired, but by the time I ended up doing my interview with him, Belew had become more alert and refreshed.
I found Belew pleasant, gentle and he told some interesting and fascinating stories.
When I asked about his approach to guitar playing, he answered, “to create interesting sounds and colours”.
His eyes lit up when we began talking about guitars, so much so that he paused for a moment, and pulled out his prototype Parker Fly guitar he was using on the tour and began detailing everything about it to me.
He revealed it had six paint finishes and that it was light as a feather, and also told me the guitar never went out of tune. Ever.
He then invited me to have a play of the guitar to see what I thought of it.
So, I picked up the guitar and proceeded to play it, and was amazed at how sleek and light it was compared to a normal electric guitar.
This week’s global music No.1 songs
Australia: Choosin’ Texas — Ella Langley
The US: Choosin’ Texas — Ella Langley
UK: Rein Me In — Sam Fender and Olivia Dean
Fun fact
American country superstar Dolly Parton holds the record for being the first artist in history to score top 20 hits on the US Hot Country Songs Chart in every decade since the 1960s.
Trivia answer: Aqua