I love it when an artist connects with me after I have reviewed their work. Recently Andrew Tuttle aka Anonymeye got in touch after I took some time to consider his recent work on Twice Removed Records - Six Improvisations for Computer and Guitar. We got chatting and I asked him if he'd be up for completing my wee blog interview ... he was and this is what he had to say:
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1) Who are you and what do you do?
My name is Andrew Tuttle, and I’m based in Brisbane, Australia. I perform abstract-folk music under the moniker of Anonymeye (www.anonymeye.com). Anonymeye combines elements of folk music, minimalism, country music, and any number of other “experimental” and “folk” sub-genres to create music that veers back and forth between improvised and composed works. I create Anonymeye tracks and perform live with instruments including acoustic guitar, computer, synthesiser(s), banjo, oscillators/electronics, with the occasional element of voice, piano, harmonica, toy zither, and so on.
Anonymeye is a primarily solo project, however I’ve had the good fortune to collaborate with old and new friends on live performances, studio recordings, and re-workings of existing tracks.
As well as Anonymeye, I organise tours and events for Micronations Touring (www.micronationstours.com), and have recently been appointed as Co-Director of New Weird Australia (www.newweirdaustralia.com), an excellent online resource for new, eclectic and experimental Australian music.
2) What are you working on at the moment?
I’ve had a little bit of a break over the holiday period - the combination of heat, a chance to relax, and test match cricket have been a nice little reset. I’ve been working on re-configuring my live performance to create something that is both more “visual” (less furrowed brows, mouse clicking, etc) for audiences, and more “tactile” for me. I’m also working on a fourth Anonymeye album, (very) tentatively titled 4064 (named for the postcode I have written the album in). Hope to get that mixed, mastered, and released before the year is out.
3) Who inspires you?
- Name an artist who has inspired you.
The band Matmos have been an inspiration to me for years now. I really admire how they put themselves into challenging and difficult circumstances to create new works, and that no matter what they come up with, they don’t repeat themselves. That is really hard to do!
- Name place that has inspired you.
My home city of Brisbane is a constant artistic and personal inspiration. There’s a lot of great cities, landmarks, and places that I’ve been lucky enough to visit over the years as a traveller and as a musician, but there’s something that keeps me coming back to Brisbane. The city isn’t perfect by any means, but there’s enough great music, art, and people to have convinced me that the grass is actually greener on this side. Plus, Brisbane doesn’t get particularly cold - which is a bonus.
- Name some "thing" that has inspired you.
I’ve found over the past few years that cricket is a surprisingly large inspiration on my music creating process. After growing up with the sport, rejecting it a bit in my late teens and early twenties, I’ve come back around to it again the last five or so years in a massive way. I love the idiosynracies of the game, the beautiful moments, and the absolutely weird ones. The sport also requires a fair bit of patience to watch, and I really do like that.
4) What drives you to do what you do?
The fame and money of performing instrumental, beat-less, square peg in round hole music. Boom boom ting. To be honest I just really enjoy making music on these instruments, and while I do branch out into other forms of music making and instrumentation, there’s something that brings me back to playing around with acoustic instruments and the computer. I do love playing live, despite some frustrating moments, as it allows me great opportunities to meet wonderful, creatively minded people, and travel in a different way than the “regular” tourist.
5) What values do you wish your creativity to express?
That’s a hard one - I don’t need to necessarily dictate or know how people react to what I do. That said, I’m one for positivity, collaboration, furthering of old and new friendships, and having a happy time, so hopefully this all comes through.
6) What role does community play in what you do?
Even though Anonymeye is primarily a solo project, community is such a large factor in the music I make, the shows I organise, and the things that I do in general. I love that music is such an excellent conduit for meeting intelligent, fun, friendly, funny and talented people - and that all of these people are always interested in furthering themselves personally and creatively. I’m definitely inspired to push myself harder to do new things by all of the great people I get to catch up with regularly and intermittently.
7) What is next for what you do?
As mentioned before, I’m currently working on a new album, which I’ll hopefully finish and find a home for in the first half of this year. I’ll be performing and touring a whole lot more in 2013 as well, with shows coming up to support my most recent EP Six Improvisations for Computer and Guitar (out now on the most excellent Twice Removed label), followed by a fairly extensive Australian tour mid year, and possibly some shows in the USA later in the year if everything turns out as I hope it does. Definitely keen to make it back to the UK and Europe too!
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Thank you Andrew!
I've embedded the bandcamp player for Six Improvisations for Computer and Guitar ... please take time to listen and, if you can, support Andrew by buying his music. I, for one, loved it ... I said it was:
... deep music that rewards any listener who is prepare to dive in and become immersed in the sounds presented. Whilst not demanding your attention, Anonymeye certainly rewards the attentive.Enjoy.
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