Though technological advancement has seen an improvement in music production quality there’s really nothing like the sound you get from live music.
This is exactly what country music star Adam Harvey aimed to capture on his new album ‘Harvey’s Bar… The Backyard Sessions’, which brings to life the singalongs and good times of his home bar.
“It wasn’t a planned thing, it just came about because I had so many people that would come up to me after the shows and they’d say ‘oh man I saw that post you put up on Facebook’ or ‘I saw that picture of your bar’,” Adam said.
“I tell stories about the bar at the shows and people often say ‘God, I’d love to spend a night in that bar’.
“So I figured I might try and see if I can take a bit of that vibe and get that down on tape and take a bit of it to the listener.”
Like his bar, the album – which is due for release on Friday, November 20 – wasn’t a solo project.
“I figured if I wanted to try and capture one of those nights at the bar I needed to get those same people back in there, the regulars,” Adam said.
“I think in one track you can even hear my dog howling in the background and people laughing and carrying on and singing along.”
‘Harvey’s Bar… The Backyard Sessions’ features a host of alcohol themed tracks including ‘Alcoholday’, ‘Yeah I Like Beer’, ‘Misery and Gin’ and ‘The Nips are Getting Bigger’.
They’re songs that feel perfectly at home on a bar themed country album, but Adam found that some people were a bit unsure as to how an album like this would be received.
“I had a couple of people say ‘oh gee you’re going to stir up some controversy’. I said ‘what do you mean?’, ‘oh well singing about drinking and everyone over having a drink at your bar, that’s not very politically correct’,” he said.
“And I thought that’s so true, the world’s gone bloody mad. Everyone does it, everyone gets together and has a drink and a good time, but it’s one of those things that I guess is no longer allowed to be talked about or sang about for fear of being politically incorrect.
“But we love it, we get all our friends over there and it’s not about getting in there and trying to get smashed, we’re a bit old for that nowadays, but it’s just about getting together with your really close friends.
“That bar’s been a really important little hub for our family and all of our friends in the neighbourhood.”
Those that are keen to get their own taste of Harvey’s Bar live can head along to the album launch at Rooty Hill RSL on Saturday, November 14.
Adam is excited about the launch but also has some fears.
“I’m nervous,” Adam said about his first time performing songs from the album.
“You record the songs and you hope they’re going to work and you hope people are going to like it but then this is judgement day.
“If we get a good reaction from the crowd, well then it calms you down a lot because you think ‘OK yeah, I’m on the right track, people are going to like the songs and like what I’m doing here’.”
Adam’s aim is to give audiences the chance to indulge in a little escapism, which will include a replica of his bar brought to life on stage.
“When they come to a show if they can just forget about all their cares and their worries for a little while and have a bit of a singalong and a laugh then we’re doing our job,” he said.
Adam Harvey will be performing at Rooty Hill RSL on Saturday, November 14 at 8pm. Tickets are $15 for children and $30 for adults. For more information visit http://www.rootyhillrsl.com.au or call 9625 5500.
