Josh Pyke Hungry for more
Twenty years after Josh Pyke released Feeding the Wolves, the ARIA award-winner is celebrating his breakthrough mini-album with a one-off concert alongside the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. Ahead of the April show, the Sydney native waxes lyrical about his “watershed” record and wrangling an orchestra.
Words Tobias Handke // Photo Matt Wilson
If one word best describes Josh Pyke, it's authenticity. Several times throughout our conversation tracing the singer-songwriter’s hit-filled career, he mentions the importance of revealing truths and how this has helped him connect with listeners.
“If you write from your heart, people relate to that,” explains the 47-year-old, who is speaking over the phone from his home in Mullumbimby. “Songwriters spend a lot of time thinking about what’s going to work and what’s not going to work. I’ve found [that] the songs that work are the ones that have come from a place of authenticity. [People] can feel it in the songs and that stands the test of time. I think it’s as simple as that.”
Pyke is quick to point out that being genuine doesn’t guarantee success, but looking at his musical journey, it’s fair to say it’s served him well. Across his career spanning 25 years, the Sydney-born soloist has released seven Top 20-charting studio albums, won five ARIA Awards and written several acclaimed children’s books. This year also marks the 20th anniversary of Pyke’s first major label release, Feeding the Wolves. Today, he calls the seven-track mini-album, which he recorded between his childhood home and a studio in Sydney’s notorious Kings Cross, the “watershed moment” of his career. “It was a real period of growth as a songwriter,” he reflects, unpacking how the challenge of creating the LP helped him flourish as a musician. “All the songs were written around the same time. To still play most of them 20 years later and feel like they’re still relevant is amazing.”
Released in November 2005, Feeding the Wolves peaked at #64 on the ARIA Album Chart and featured fan favourite song ‘Middle of the Hill’. The track was also nominated for Best Pop Release at the 2006 ARIA Awards and came in at #19 on the 2005 triple j Hottest 100. But the song’s success could have been quite different if Pyke hadn’t stayed true to his vision.
“I remember having conversations with my manager at the time about whether or not we should take ‘Middle of the Hill’ to a pop producer and rework it as a pop song,” says Pyke. Thankfully, he resisted. “The song is very personal. I’m grateful I stuck to my guns because it’s the song that broke for me. It’s still one of the ones people love the most.”
Pyke says he was in “the thick of it” during the making and release of his debut mini-album. The then twenty-something juggled full-time work in a record store with being flown to Europe for showcases and touring Australia in support of his musical heroes, John Butler and Eskimo Joe. It reached a point where Pyke had to fully embrace life as a working musician: “I quit my job, packed a suitcase and left for the next two years just touring,” he says.
When we ask him if he's aware of how quick his rise was in those early years, Pyke pauses before answering: “I appreciate it now more than I did at the time – it was only after three albums that I [could] take a moment to reset and refresh. I look back on it and it was pretty amazing. I didn't just leave high school, sign a record label and take off. I lived a bit of a life, so I think that held me in good stead to not let it all go to my head and blow it."
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Pyke recorded Feeding the Wolves with acclaimed producer Wayne Connolly (You Am I, Custard, The Fauves). Becoming both a good friend and mentor, Connolly has worked with Pyke frequently throughout his career, lending a helping hand on his first three studio albums, Memories & Dust (2007), Chimney’s Afire (2008) and Only Sparrows (2011).
“I’ve worked with Wayne so much over the years, and he’s an incredibly gifted engineer,” Pyke gushes. “He really understands all the science of the analogue gear [and] he’s so generous with his knowledge. I had a little studio set up at home, so I’d done a lot of the demos and stuff [there]. Wayne helped me understand how to take things to the next level and it allowed me to produce Chimney’s Afire by myself. It was a real dream come true working with him.”
To commemorate the anniversary of Feeding the Wolves, Pyke is performing with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra (ASO) at Festival Theatre in April. He plans to play the mini-album in full, alongside fan favourites from his extensive discography. Having previously worked with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra (SSO), Pyke can’t wait to partner with the ASO. “I’ve been so pumped to do more orchestral shows ever since I did the SSO gig,” he says. “That was just one of the highlights of my career – hearing my songs in that context.”
Pyke is currently working with the ASO to create arrangements for Feeding the Wolves tracks that are outside of his previous SSO performance. Candidly, he confesses that working with an orchestra is confronting, in part because he’s cut his teeth as a soloist. “But it’s also quite an intimidating practice because I don’t read music,” he says. “I didn’t understand how orchestras work. I’ve had a bit of experience now; I’m feeling more comfortable. It’s very inspiring and fills your cup creatively. I feel so grateful I can still say that 20 years [later].”
Following his ASO concert, Pyke will travel to Europe for an eight-date tour also celebrating his debut record. He’ll then return his attention to the latest album he’s working on alongside good friend and award-winning producer Chris Collins (Royel Otis, Matt Corby). The singer-songwriter is tight-lipped about the project, only letting slip that he’s enjoying the process so far. “We’re just experimenting with some sounds and songs, seeing how it all shapes up. I’m really excited by what we’re coming up with.”
Then, in a moment of reflection, Pyke’s train of thought comes full circle. “People have told me the most incredible stories about how my music has helped them through times or has meant something to them. I think that’s about authenticity,” he muses. “If anyone was going to take anything from [my career], I would like them to think of me as a hard-working musician that threw my hat in the ring, put it all out there and pursued things in an authentic way.” After speaking with Pyke and listening to his music over the years, it’s hard to disagree with that sentiment.
See Josh Pyke with the ASO at the Adelaide Festival Centre on April 24. Tickets on sale now via aso.com.au.
