Image: Ben Salter by Jesse Hunniford – supplied.
Author: Bradley Cork
Ben Salter is one of the most prolific songwriters in Australia. Being a member of beloved Brisbane-based band The Gin Club before stretching out his repertoire as a solo artist, Ben has always had a left-of-centre approach that pulls his tunes into the otherworldly. Over time, his musical landscape has grown sharper and more nuanced by sheer force of routine. He has just put out his latest album Sublimation and it’s an adventurous mix of complex narratives and psychedelic acoustics, feeling reminiscent of a Guided By Voices attitude of keeping it eclectic and seeing what sticks. At 17 tracks, Sublimation is part of the catalogue of songs he has racked up since becoming a fixture in Hobart’s Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) where he is a living art installation.
“I think David thought it would be me at a lectern with a pen having quizzical expressions on my face.”
The groundwork for being on display at MONA began with MONA founder David Walsh being a fan of Ben’s song ‘It’s Docherty’, which lead to Walsh funding one of Ben’s records and the eventual move to Hobart. ‘David was coming to shows and always requesting the song ‘It’s Docherty’ from a project I was involved with that was a song cycle about convicts that had been sent to Tasmania. During that time, I developed a bit of an affinity with the place. I would do some sideshows during MONA and David would always want to hear that song. He eventually offered to pay for an album I made called Back Yourself – I recorded that at a house he owns on the coast. Conversely, my wife and I both turned 40 and we didn’t want to be in a sharehouse anymore – we were living in Melbourne and were at a bit of a crossroads. We both really loved Tasmania so we thought ‘let’s just move and see what happens.’’
Eventually, Ben was able to solidify something of a part residency, part art installation with MONA but not in the traditional way. ‘At some stage I had said to David, probably while drunk, ‘you should put me in the museum and I’ll just do what I do which is make up songs and bands.’ There was an element of me maybe thinking ‘wow, what if he did it!’ because people are always trying to get in his ear for a project. But it wasn’t really like that, it was more off the cuff…towards the end of the pandemic around 2021, David was like ‘we’re reopening the museum next year, do you want to do that thing you were talking about?’ I just couldn’t believe it, it was a dream. I love MONA and what they do.’
Turning the creative process of writing from routine rather than coming from spontaneity or inspiration has been an interesting process for Ben as it’s helped to open up his perspective not only instrumentally but lyrically as well. ‘It’s so weird, I will write these words on a typewriter and I will write what I’m thinking, half diary/half riffing on things and then I have to have the guts to sing these words as though I’m meant to do it and it’s like a magic. On the page it’s boring and not poetic or clever but when you sing it, it comes to life in a metaphorical way and other lyrics pad that out. I got a space there and recording set up there and sit there in the museum from 9am-5pm. I pretty much have license to do what I want but I try to be as constructive as I can.’
The move from the mainland to Tassie has yielded excellent work, relationships and opportunity for Ben, his latest release included. Sublimation starts with the delicate ‘Hyperlocalisation’ a song which is based around a quiet acoustic guitar figure. The song could almost lure you into thinking that this album is going down a particular direction of folk balladry, but you would be mistaken. As with Ben’s later work, he has been more methodical and experimental with his approach to songwriting by utilising differing instruments as the starting point or basis of a song. ‘If I was at MONA and tried to just sit there and write the perfect song, I’d just go insane. With my current approach, I might start with the lyrics and then maybe get on the drums and then extend certain bars or parts and then get on the bass and play along with the rhythm and then do the lyrics over the top. As a result, you get these really strange arrangements that are hard to replicate. If I want to play them live I need to go back and relearn them and sometimes I think ‘what have I done?!’’
In the spirit of being influenced by your surroundings, Ben has found the music community within Tasmania to be something very special. It wouldn’t be misplaced to presume that a lot of Ben’s current approach to music has been influenced by the spirit of the music scene that is in Tasmania. ‘Being in Hobart, the place does affect you. Being at that end of the world, it’s cold and you have to make your own fun. And there are no rehearsal rooms – everyone jams in their friends’ garages…I love the playfulness and lack of music industry bullshit that seems to exist. Bands in Hobart are very parochial, having that attitude of ‘don’t go to the mainland…’ I sort of resonated [with] that, growing up in Brisbane that attitude being ‘don’t go to Sydney or Melbourne, gotta stay true to Brisbane.’ That can be detrimental though – anyone who is in a band or is an artist needs to go off and explore other places. Having said all that, the scene there consists of different ex-pats like myself and it’s just so wonderful. So many wild bands, untamed, not trying to pander to any version of themselves that might get them more radio play or might get them accepted more widely.’ Having lived and worked across Brisbane, Melbourne and Tasmania, Ben Salter’s music shows there are no fixed boundaries for songwriting and music making and this is something Sublimation captures in all its subtleties.
Catch Ben Salter performing on any of the below dates to launch his latest album, Sublimation.
Fri Oct 6 – Buffalo Club – Fremantle – WA
Sat Oct 7- The Bird – Perth – WA
Fri Oct 13 – Grace Emily – Adelaide – SA
Sat Oct 14 – Cumberland Hotel – Port Adelaide – SA
Thu Oct 19 – The Eastern – Ballarat – Vic
Fri Oct 20 – Tallygaroonpa Memorial Hall – Shepparton – Vic
Sat Oct 21 – Tanswell’s – Beechworth – Vic
Sun Oct 22 – Smiths Alternative – Canberra – ACT
Thu Oct 26 – La La Las – Wollongong – NSW
Fri Oct 27 – Petersham Bowling Club – NSW
Sat Oct 28 – Link & Pin – Woy Woy – NSW
Wed Nov 1 – Junkyard – Maitland – NSW
Thu Nov 2 – Bar Capones – Port Macquarie – NSW
Fri Nov 3 – The Eltham – Eltham – NSW
Sat Nov 4 – Stranded – Brisbane – QLD
Sun Nov 5 – Banshees – Ipswich – NSW
Fri Nov 10 – George Lane – St Kilda – Vic
Sat Nov 11 – The Old Bar – Melbourne – Vic
Fri Nov 17 – Major Tom’s – Kyneton – Vic
Sat Nov 18 – Shedshaker – Castlemaine – Vic
Sun Nov 19 – Wowee Zowee – Mornington Peninsula – Vic
Sat Nov 25 – Wine Cellar – Auckland
Sun Nov 26 Feida Margolis – Auckland
Wed Nov 29 – TBC – Hawke’s Bay
Fri Dec 1 – Poquito – Wellington
Sat Dec 2 – Le Cafe – Picton
Sun Dec 3 – Mussel Inn – Golden Bay
Thu Dec 7 – Barrytown Hall – Barrytown
Sat Dec 9 – Lyttelton Coffee Co – Lyttelton
Fri Dec 15 – Grainstore Gallery – Oamaru
Sat Dec 16 – Maggie’s -Dunedin
Melody Menu 