Sydney-based band Josh Orange have released their new album Birds For The Bayou and play Whelan's of Dublin with special guests Pete Holidai and Gavin Glass on 7 August. We asked Gordon Burke of Josh Orange the BIG questions . . .
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The son of The Royal Showband guitarist Fergus Burke, Gordon grew up surrounded by musicians and joined Dublin band Both Ends Burning as their drummer.
He went on to form Suddenly Smith and in 1997 he moved to Sydney and formed the Josh Orange with his friend Andrew Wass.
Birds For The Bayou is their fifth and follows the Midnight Lights LP, which spawned hit singles and sold-out live shows.
Tell us three things about yourself . . .
I live in Sydney Australia but was born and grew up in Drimnagh in Dublin 12. My Dad was the guitarist with the Royal Showband. So, I grew up surrounded by musicians and went to loads of sound checks as a kid always jumping on the drum kit. I got to hang out with Paolo Nutini recently after his Sydney show and we had a great chat, he is such a nice guy and so down to earth, he even popped his personal number in my phone, I haven't used it yet lol.
How would you describe your music?
Birds For The Bayou is my fifth album with my band Josh Orange, and I have reached a point with my songwriting where I am not afraid to open myself up, I don't try and write a song to fit into any format, I try and get out of the way of the song and just let it become whatever it wants to become. It's very honest in that way. The Bayou is way off the mainstream, and the songs are birds. There is always a great deal of culling and we had over 40 songs that we brought down to 11 for this record. We call it Folk Rock.
Who are your musical inspirations?
I grew up on The Eagles and I am a huge fan of their songwriting, I adore Johnny Cash and Tom Petty. But inspiration can come from lots of places, literally. I remember walking down an escalator writing a song in my head and fell over at the bottom, straight on my face.
What was the first gig you ever went to?
The Cure on the Disintegration Tour at the RDS and it blew my mind. I immediately started to try and write songs after seeing that gig and I still adore that album.
What was the first record you ever bought?
Sinéad O'Connor - The Lion and The Cobra. She was a huge inspiration and just an incredibly gifted artist.
What’s your favourite song right now?
I tend to use Spotify to listen to music but I did invest in a turntable recently and bought some vinyl. I have had Bruce Springsteen's Darkness on The Edge of Town on high rotation. Of the new music around, I really like an Australian artist by the name of Riley Catherall and his song Leave Me Out To Dry.
Favourite lyric of all time?
"Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose" - Kris Kristoferson.
If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Under Pressure by Queen and David Bowie.
Where can people find your music/more information?
I will be flying home for a Whelan’s show on 7 August and my new album, Birds For The Bayou, is available on all streaming services by my band Josh Orange. We also have a website joshorange.com with links to all our socials.
Alan Corr
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