Following performances across New York, Los Angeles and London, The Hard Quartet (Stephen Malkmus, Matt Sweeney, Emmett Kelly and Jim White) are heading to Australia, stopping to perform in Castlemaine this month.
Their eponymous debut double album, The Hard Quartet, brings together years of collective influence, inspiration and inhibition but more than anything it harnesses the intuitive nature of these musicians to get inside the song and bring out its best side. As a first effort, it’s an instant classic.
Kelly is a songwriter, guitarist and vocalist best known for his work in The Cairo Gang and The Double, as well as in the company of artists such as Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, Ty Segall, Rob Mazurek.
“We come from such different places and we’ve had such different career histories but I think that now we’re all in a similar place, which is kind of strange to acknowledge,” he said.
Malkmus is a songwriter, guitarist and vocalist best known for his work with Pavement, the Jicks, Silver Jews and Straw Dogs.
“There are older vibes: getting older, it’s less about having to prove yourself,” he said.
Sweeney, a songwriter, guitarist, producer and vocalist best known for his work with Chavez, Superwolf, his music for Red Dead Redemption 2 and his guitar work in the company of a panoply of artists from Guided by Voices and Cat Power to Johnny Cash and Adele, said it just seemed like a really good band for them all to be in for the foreseeable future.
“We’ll go until the wheels fall off. I can’t think of three better guys than these three guys. There’s something sweet and solid about the vibe,” he said.
White is a drummer and songwriter best known for his work with Dirty Three, Xylouris White, and with such stalwarts as Guy Picciotto, Cat Power, Bill Callahan and Venom P Stinger.
“I’ve listened to all three of these people a lot over the years. Playing with them now just feels natural. Maybe ‘natural’ in this situation means it’s not a struggle,” White said.
The Hard Quartet performs from 7.30pm on Friday, January 24 at the Theatre Royal, Castlemaine.
