If you have already read our review from last weekend’s fabulous 10th Anniversary Ravo Blues & Roots Festival then you will know just what an outstanding day we all had at The Ravenswood Hotel, on the banks of the Murray River here in Perth. So many of the artist on show could have headlined, such was the strength of the line up but this year it fell to the incredible Black Sorrows.
I had the pleasure of catching up with Joe Camilleri just before he walked out to perform to the sell out crowd, to discuss the announcement that he will be a fully-fledged Fabulous Capretto on the next run of shows, having wowed WA audiences last year with his two guest appearances at Crown Theatre and The Ravenswood back in October.
Sean: Joe ,it’s wonderful to see you back at the Ravenswood Hotel for another Ravo Blues & Roots Festival. All the bands have been incredible today, so absolutely no pressure what so ever on you and the guys [laughs]
Joe: [laughs] Well, the good thing for me then is I’ve only been here for an hour. Joking aside, it’s always great to hear Dave (Hole) play. Last time we did this event Dave was on just before us so I was just sitting there at the side of the stage in wonder lust.
Sean: The first time I saw Dave was at the Bindoon Rock Festival here in WA in ’93 and I was mesmerised even back then. But Joe, you have been such busy man yourself and just never seem to stop. A new Black Sorrows album, ‘The Way We Do Business’ was released late last year – what keeps driving you on to write and produce new music?
Joe: I think there are a lot of people out there like me, I’m one of a big fraternity but I think it’s just because I love doing it. You always put pressure on yourself to out be-what-you-are or to try to find another version of you or whatever the writing concept is. I think my main squeeze is playing live. I’ve been playing since ’64, which is 60 years now and it still doesn’t get old. I know it is a great old phrase but it really doesn’t feel old to me – everything sometimes feels a little frayed around the edges but that doesn’t make it feel old. There’s still something always special about the connection between you & the audience. I think as a writer other elements come into it, I feel as you go through life you have different things to say. The challenges to that are you either let it slide or you write about it in a certain way. I have no interest in writing a memoire or any of those kind of things – I’m more interested in coffee table books with lots of pictures [laughs] but I am also interested in carrying on trying to document things as I see them as I grow older.
Sean: You mentioned playing live and rolling it back to last year we got to see you appear as a guest Capretto both here at The Ravenswood but also at Crown Theatre. It was a real treat for WA fans but now comes the news that you have passed the audition [laughs]…
Joe: If you want to put it that way [laughs]
Sean: …and you’ve been upgraded to a bonafide G.O.A.T for the next tour, and are now a member of The Fabulous Caprettos. How does that feel?
Joe: [laughs] It feels great. You know, there is a little bit of time before this kicks in so I’m really looking forward to that. They are just great players and also great people. You just want to be surrounded with people like that. You always want to be surrounded by a sense of humour, a taste of life and all the things that come with it. In a way the music becomes a backdrop even though it is the most important thing, but it is how you respond to each other, how you want to lift each other up and all these things are vital in this kind of environment.
Sean: I’ve been so lucky to see every guise of The Fabulous Caprettos so far and each and every line up has brought something new to the experience – it really is one of my favourite events of the year. The songbook is one that is near and dear to so many music fans but the one thing that always stands out, and again I witnessed this when you joined the guys on stage last year, is the chemistry. It really does feel like it a group of mates having a laugh, while producing this amazing plethora of music.
Joe: I kind of think that is what the whole thing is about. We’ve all been in some kind of version of that over the years, because people bring these kind of things together but the nice thing about this band is that your all on stage together, it’s an all in brawl – it’s kind of “I’m helping you on that song and you’re going to help me get to the end of mine.” And we all like the songs too, we like performing the songs so it’s going to be new for me on some levels – they are already seasoned [laughs] and I’m the oldest but the youngest kid on the block.
Sean: And of course Gleeso will be warming that tambourine thigh up that gets so bruised and battered throughout the tour [laughs].
Joe: [laughs] That will never be seasoned unless he adds salt.
Sean: I caught up with Jackie (Barnes) earlier today and I know from talking to him in the past that The Screaming Jets song ‘Better’ is possibly one of his favourite songs of all time.
Joe: That’s the magic of the shows and these songs. We are also blessed with a rhythm section that is pretty darn good too.
Sean: Jason [Vorheer] is no slouch either! Just a stage full of so much talent.
Joe: I’ve known Jason for a quite a long time but it was the first time I had played with Jackie, I’ve known his dad since day dot and he is a powerhouse and such a sweetheart too. You can mould and shape anything and everything that you want to get out of it. You really can go as far as you want. You can go to infinity with it, so it is up to you to help create the environment. We were a bit rough with me on the first show but by the time we came here to The Ravenswood we were firing on all cylinders and Jack said to me, “I wish we could have started here”. But it doesn’t matter because it is kind of like a never ending journey.
Sean: To reinforce what you said then, I remember John Starr saying something to me they were tweaking the line up, when Daryl sat out after the first two run of shows and Dave (Gleeson) stepped in. He said to me, “It’s a different kind of fabulous!” And I just loved that.
Joe: That’s a great line.
Sean: Well, before you have to get ready I would love to quickly finish with a couple of general ones if I may.
Joe: Yeah, sure. Of course.
Sean: My restaurant question – if you could invite three musicians, dead or alive sit down at the dinner table with you for the evening, who would you have join you Joe?
Joe: I think Sam Cooke would definitely be one of them, and Ray Charles would be another – I’m from that sort of world really and one of my favourite all time saxophone players would be John Coltrane. I think the four of us getting together would be a nice combo. I would be down the pecking order [laughs] and I would be the one asking the questions. (Puts on a New York accent) -“Hey Johnny, tell me what’s goin’ on!” [laughs] What a wonderful moment, I mean imagine writing ‘A Change is Gonna Come’. Imagine being in the room with Sam Cooke penning that song, during that period of time when there was incredible unrest. Coltrane was breaking all barriers with ‘Impressions’, you know. There are so many other great musicians I could mention.
Sean: You could probably fill a whole restaurant with them Joe.
Joe: Yeah, three is certainly not enough.
Sean: In a world where we all too easily get sucked into playlists, what was the last album you listened too?
Joe: Well, because I’ve been busy writing a lot of stuff now, I’ve actually been listening to a lot of country music lately. So Buck Owens and Merle Haggard have been really big on my playlist right now. I’m not writing like that but I’m just enjoying what it was, because I’ve got a very wide scope of what I love and like… most people have. I’ve got all these albums at home so I pulled out half a dozen that were all different styles of records, Big Joe Turner, been playing Howlin’ Wolf and then I found this Buck Owens record and I thought “I remember this song”, it was ‘I Got a Tiger By The Tail’ and it was funny. They were just funny little songs but they give me a spark. Sometimes all you need is just something like that which makes you think, “I think I’ll hit the piano today or pick up the guitar”.
Sean: When I hear things like that I just wish I had just one musical bone in my body…
Joe: But you do Sean, because you love music. And that is also something strange, sometimes the things you like aren’t necessarily the things that you do. Of course they cross over and cross paths along the way and all the greats have people in their lives that they think were great and inspirational.
Sean: My easiest question is saved until last Joe, if you could be credited with writing any song ever written, what song would you choose?
Joe: [laughs] It’s a pretty difficult one to answer, but I used to be a big fan, and I still am, of ‘Into The Mystic’ by Van Morrision, not because it was mystical or has mystic in the title but because of the passion behind the concept of the idea.
Sean: Well for 24 hours that song is yours Joe – we won’t tell Van [laughs] but the royalties are yours for the 24 hours.
Joe: [laughs] Just the 24 hours?
Sean: [laughs] Yes. Joe, I really appreciate your time for the chat, and even more so with the fact you will heading to the stage for your set very soon. We can’t wait to catch you on the road later this year with The Fabulous Caprettos too. It will be an amazing run of shows, as always.
Joe: It’s an absolute please Sir – thank you Sean.
The Rockpit would like to that John Starr and Starr Special Events for arranging the onsite interview.
Photos by Hunter Brothers Media
