Pico -- Sydney Surf Soundtrack King Interview
The Morning Sun shines on the Northern Beaches as the true sound of the surf returns - Pico.
The name Pico may not be familiar to you… but if you’ve ever enjoyed watching a surf movie there’s a good chance you will know his music. After all, it’s not every musician who can claim to have provided the soundtrack to more than 20 surf movies…many of them regarded as classics of the genre.
With the release of his latest album Morning Sun, Pico is once more stretching his creative boundaries, offering a collection of new songs that takes the listener through the ebb and flow of human emotions.
With a national tour underway, including a show at the infamous Old Manly Boatshed, we caught up with Pico to discover his thoughts on this album, his hopes for the future… and just why everyone wants to compare him to Jack Johnson.
OM: You’re currently embarking on a national tour for new album Morning Sun. From everything I’ve read it seems there is a real sense of this being the start of a new chapter in the Pico story. I was wondering whether you’re also getting the sense that you are beginning a new stage in your career?
Pico: Yes, I think that’s right, for sure. I think that I’ve got an album that I’m absolutely happy with.
I’ve also got the new band up here (in Coolum) as well, which is a band full of local people. You know, unlike before, I don’t have to travel down to Sydney just to play with people down there anymore. This time I’m able to actually rehearse where I live, right out here in the countryside. It’s totally different with cows and everything! And there are no neighbours either… it’s really, really special.
So yes, it feels like I’ve kind of found where I should have been… or where we would all like to maybe be, you know. It’s really peaceful here and I think that reflects in the music.
When I was living in Avalon on the Northern Beaches, we used to sometimes have to travel an hour and half, right into the guts of the city, just to rehearse… and that sort of thing totally didn’t reflect where I was coming from musically.
OM: The surfing scene has been a big part of your culture and of your up-bringing and that also reflects in your music. However, it seems that because of that there’s almost a knee jerk reaction to liken your music to guys like Jack Johnson and Donovan Frankenreiter. I have to say though, when I listen to this album I get a sense that the song-writing is on a deeper level than those acts. I was wondering how you feel about these comparisons being made?
Pico: Yeah, it’s funny when people say that… and it does happen a lot in live interviews and on the radio, and it’s… well, my music was around for about 4-5 years before those guys came onto the scene. I also think I’ve also got a heavier side to my music as well and that some of my songs are in complete contrast to their style.
I guess it’s just become a label that people want to put on me because we are basically in the same genre…but then completely different in another way. I mean, I guess it’s no secret that where we are similar is that we all surf… and basically it’s surf music that we make.
OM:You say that it’s surf music but I when I listen, I definitely get shades of very established artists, in particular Neil Young and in the timbre of your voice I hear Nick Drake. Are these the type of artists you draw inspiration from?
Pico: Yeah, I think with the timbre in the voice, that’s something some singers have.
I think Eddie Vedder has a similar timbre to Nick Drake and there’s a few other people who have a similar sound when they sing those deeper notes. That similarity with my voice has been mentioned a few times in my stuff and I think it’s probably about right.
I also can’t say I mind the Nick Drake comparison… I kind of like his voice, you know.
OM: You are often associated with being the guy whose music is ‘the sound of the surf movie’, having written soundtracks for some classics. How important has that exposure been for both you and your music and how important do you think it will be with the release of this album?
Pico: I think it’s given me a really great advantage and has been really important. A lot of people have grown up on that music and a lot of people have said to me that the music in those movies has provided almost a landscape to their years growing up… to their life.
It may be that those were the movies that they used to watch when they were getting psyched up for a surf, or when they were dreaming about going to different locations. People have said that the music was the background to those sorts of things. And it’s kind of been a worldwide thing as well, you know. It’s happened in Japan and America as well. So in that sense it’s been really good.
It’s also been great that these are movies that have become kind of classics as well. You know, you can’t buy history but when you find you’re involved in it, it’s quite a special thing. These days a lot of movies have become these mass-marketing tools, but the ones from 8 to10 years ago are not necessarily about that.
OM:With this new album it seems that the music has a wide crossover appeal. I was wondering if you were conscious of this and whether you were intentionally trying to break away from the ‘surf movie’ tag?
Pico: Not really. I think it was just a state of mind that I was in at that time. It was quite a full-on period where I was in a relationship and there were these massive highs…kind of the best times of my life. And then, after 4 or 5 months, I realised that this person I was with had a serious problem with depression. I think the music kind of reflects both the happiness and the ups and downs of that period.
I actually worked really hard with her and she even ended up writing some lyrics on a couple of the songs as well. The song Rise Up kind of deals with what she lived with.
The long and short of it is that this time started off very happy, then it got a bit deep and then, at the end, we beat what she was going through!
If you read the lyrics on the last song (Rise Up) you can see where she was. The great thing is that now, every time she gets back to that state, we can look at that song and she kind of jumps straight back out again.
OM: You mentioned that you grew up on the Northern Beaches. Do you feel that growing up around the ocean and being in that environment had an impact on your song-writing?
Pico: The ocean definitely reflects where you are mentally and I think it gives you peace of mind. I definitely believe that does reflect in my music.
OM:And on a musical level, who inspires you when you are writing your own songs?
Pico: Neil Young is probably one of my all time fave artists, especially in terms of the respect I have for him as a lyricist. Also Bono. In his early days, you know, his lyrics were just… well you couldn’t get anywhere near him! And maybe also Matt Johnson of The The. And then there’s bands like Gomez… I just really love what they do with their music.
OM: On Morning Sun you have collaborated with some very famous musicians. I was wondering how these people became involved in contributing to the making of this album?
Pico: That all came with D.C. who produced the album. He actually plays in a band called The Ghostwriters and that band makes up most of the guys who are on the album. That includes Rob Hirst from Midnight Oil and then there’s Tim Gaze as well. It’s quite incredible for a solo artist to have all these great people around.
I mean, I basically had a whole band that’s used to rehearsing with each other, which made it so much easier. And as a result these guys brought so much experience and passion to the album. I think they basically had a good look at what I had done before and where my mindset is, and found that it fitted in with where they are as well.
OM: So do you think that having those guys coming in changed the way you originally envisaged some of the songs sounding… and did you find the music going in directions you hadn’t expected?
Pico: Oh yeah! There were a couple of songs that definitely went places I hadn’t thought of taking them. Because I play quite differently to their style in that I write songs very basically and, sometimes, it leaves them quite open to other people’s interpretation as a result.
But the guys didn’t go crazy. Instead they added some touches which are really, really tasteful…and there’s stuff I wouldn’t have thought of that really comes with their years of experience.
I mean you can hear guitars that were used back in classic songs like US Forces. I mean you can hear those guitars on this album! At times it was like wow, did I just rip something off?” And the answer would be ‘no’. It’s just that guitar sound was on that original song…and that’s also the same person playing it!
OM: What is it about this particular album that makes you the most proud?
Pico: I think it would have to be the songs themselves. I’m just really happy with the songs on there.
When writing I always used to look outwards with my songs rather than inward. So it was special to me that I was able to draw from inside and maybe look a little more inside than I have done before... (laughs) and maybe stop writing about other people’s lives.
OM: What does the future hold for Pico now and what are you hoping for from the release of Morning Sun?
Pico: Well first there’s this tour to do and then we are going over to Japan. It also looks like we will be hoping to tour over there as well, which is pretty exciting. And then I might be looking to do some more music with movies too… but not just surf movies. We’ll have to see how that goes.
Pico will be returning to his Northern Beaches roots to play at the Old Manly Boatshed again on June 25th. For more information on this and other dates on Pico’s Morning Sun Tour, click here.