This page is dedicated to Julie, a dear friend of mine who passed away in September 2023.
I met Julie when we were both working for the same government department in the records section. Bonding over our shared disdain for management decisions and a love of music, we stayed in touch after escaping to new jobs.
Julie was the kind of person who was genuinely interested in people and things. Her curiosity and desire to learn, along with her ability to connect information, made her a great storyteller.
She could talk to anyone and make them feel like they were the most important person in the world. She liked to laugh, and no matter the months between our phone calls, it was like no time had ever passed. We would spend hours talking and laughing together. Those phone calls, plus the gigs (pictured: RTRFM’s Courtyard Club at the State Theatre Courtyard, 2015) and dinners, are memories I treasure.
The reason I’m writing about my dear friend is this: before she passed away, during one of our last conversations together, she told me that she wanted to leave me some money so I could “pursue my dreams”. The pursuit of which has led to the recording of my album Jumping at Ghosts.
During my sessions at Sundown Studios, my producer Elliot (pictured) remarked, “Not every musician can say they have recorded an album”.
This is not just a statement on how prohibitively expensive it can be, but one about the creative requirements to make it happen.
Of course, you need to have songs, but I believe you also need a certain mindset for this kind of project. This includes the willingness to share your songs and be vulnerable with other musicians, the ability to make more decisions than you ever thought possible on all aspects of the music, the determination to keep going when it gets hard, an understanding of the value of feedback and a desire to keep improving and working at your craft. Not all musicians are driven to create their own music; some of them just love playing it and are damn good at it. Some may never get the chance to realise their dreams of recording music.
If Elliot is indeed right about this, then I am super grateful I could record an album. No matter what happens after its release, regardless of the number of streams, likes, shares or any other arbitrary measure that social media has dreamed up – this album is in the world, and I couldn’t have done that without Julie’s love and support.
I have thought many times that I would give the money back if it could give me just one more day, one more phone call with Julie. She is the person I’ve wanted to tell about my time in the studio and what I’ve learned. The only thing I can do is try to make her proud. I believe it’s our duty to keep those people alive who have passed on by taking what they taught us and using it wisely. I hope I can do that for Julie, staying curious, listening with an open heart, and never forgetting her generosity.