Premiere: Luke Yeoward Shares Stripped-Back Video For 'Gainesville'

Roughly four years after the disbandment of his group King Cannons, the now Melbourne-based frontman Luke Yeoward has released his debut solo album. Titled Ghosts, the 11-song record was laid down in a Los Angeles studio with J Bonner (ex Aggrolites, currently Black Emeralds), in just three weeks using vintage analogue equipment. This straight-to-tape approach helped Yeoward keep an energy and rawness to his songs that nods to his influences - which include the likes of Chuck Berry, Bruce Springsteen and Joe Strummer. With an album release show on hometurf lined up for later this month, we have the pleasure of debuting the intimate video for 'Gainesville' which you can watch below, and then read our interview with Yeoward...

You recently released your first solo album Ghosts... what were the main differences in putting this record together compared with working with King Cannons?

The main difference in the solo template compared to working with a band like King Cannons is I get to do what I want without compromise. Especially now that I am operating independently without a label. So when it comes to writing and recording, I get to have the final say. This suits my personality very well! Haha. I'm always quite particular about what I want to hear. Making this album is a totally different process to working with a band as l've co-written so many songs for the record with other artists as well. This meant I had so many different ideas and vibes that took me to places musically I don't think would have gone in the confines of a band!

You recorded the record over a month in the States in an analogue studio, can you tell us a bit about that experience?

I wrote and recorded all the tunes for this record over a month with no preconceived ideas in mind. I spent my time co-writing with different artists on my journey and I pretty much finished a song every couple of days. My brother J Bonner convinced me pretty early on in the process that I should track everything analog in his garage and I thank him for that! J ended up co-producing the record with me, and it was easily the most fun I've ever had making an album. The whole process was incredibly inspiring and opened up a whole new can of possibilities and limitations. I loved the simplicity of recording live with only 8 tracks on tape to work with and the sounds we could get using vintage mics and equipment. The focus was put on the performance and the heart and soul of the songs. This was integral to the sound and feel of the album.

What were the key things you were looking to achieve with Ghosts... musically, thematically, or otherwise??

To begin with I had no ideas set in stone. The whole concept was to just wing it and see how it unfolded. This enabled me to be Johnny on the spot and incorporate all the different thoughts and feelings as they arose into my writing. I had to have faith in my own abilities and that lead to the album being what it is today. A mashup of all the kinds of music I love. From punk, reggae, world music, rock and roll, Americana and soul.

What’s the story behind ‘Gainesville’, how did that song come together?

J and I were sitting around out the back of his house, I was playing the guitar and he was playing the Djembe and the musical core of the song just came out of nowhere. When I was writing the lyrics for this tune, I had just found out that a good friend of mine had a road trip planned to visit her family across the other side of the country, but the day before she left, the law caught up with her and she had her license taken. This was the inspiration for the songs lyrics. GAINESVILLE could be anywhere, but I liked the way it sounded, and it's also the home of Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers.

The video looks great, can you tell us a bit about Ghost Sessions?

Thanks! J had borrowed a camera from a friend so we could document some of my recording process. When I got back from LA my friend Agostino Soldati edited some of the footage together to create these online videos for songs that weren't going to be released as singles. I just wanted to express a bit of an insight of environment I was in and give people a more in depth look into the different kinds of tunes the album has on it.

You’re coming home to play a record release show soon! What are you looking forward most??

Yes! At Whammy Bar on 20th May I play my first solo acoustic show in New Zealand. The last time I performed in NZ was with King Cannons at The Powerstation and The Kings Arms. I'm looking forward to playing material new and old in this stripped back way and being able to to relax and tell people about the songs too! Yes! At Whammy Bar on 20th May I play my first solo acoustic show in New Zealand. The last time I performed in NZ was with King Cannons at The Powerstation and The Kings Arms. I'm looking forward to playing material new and old in this stripped back way and being able to to relax and tell people about the songs too!

Luke Yeoward will be performing at Whammy Bar in Auckland on Saturday 20th May, head over here for more information and to buy tickets.