You may have never met Gab Strum, but I can assure you, you’ve heard his music. Working under the ruse of Japanese Wallpaper, Gab makes ambiently beautiful tunes, which have the uncanny ability to transport you to a place of uninhabited bliss. Luckily for all of us, as avid fans of live music, Japanese Wallpaper is headed our way for Live On The Lawn in May, bringing with him a whole heap of Melbourne mates to fill our ears with the thing we love most.
“Yo! that sounds good
I’m flying to Sydney in half an hour but if you call me now we can chat for a bit!”.
[x_pullquote cite=”Japanese Wallpaper” type=”left”]I’ve never been to Newcastle before, and I’m really excited![/x_pullquote]And this is how our conversation began. Frantic texts, and colliding schedules with Gab, seemingly living the life, playing shows, showcasing at SXSW, and chatting to me half an hour before yet another flight. Despite the pace, just like his music, Gab is a soft spoken gentlemen, humble, open, and he happily took the time to chat to me about his first trip to Newcastle, the creative process and the music community.
Of Live On The Lawn, Gab’s stance is pretty clear. “I’ve never been to Newcastle before, and I’m really excited!”. But his excitement also extends well past his own headlining set, as he takes the time to compliment his fellow performers, Gretta Ray and Ali Barter.
Ever the humble guy, Gab exclaims “I can’t wait for Gretta Ray and Ali Barter!” and one of the best things about music is the sense of community that surrounds it. I think that’s really the key thing here, about this mini-fest in particular, is the really unique environment which you’ll be able to see these guys live. The Bar on the Hill is wonderfully intimate venue, giving artists just the right about of space to do exactly as they do best.
If you’re an avid Twitter user, you may have caught the banter being thrown backwards and forwards between Gab and the ever wonderful Gretta Ray. “I’ve known her for a couple of years I think, sometimes she plays in my live band, but she’s just killing it at the moment…”. And that she is. If you’ve even passed by Triple J in the last six months, you would have been treated to the delightful folk stylings of Gretta. “She’s just killing it, she’s everywhere,” says Gab, “those songs are phenomenal, she’s such an amazing writer.”
[x_pullquote cite=”Japanese Wallpaper” type=”right”]I can’t wait for Gretta Ray and Ali Barter![/x_pullquote]Of his own material though, inspiration is a slow, yet meticulous process. But thankfully, fans can rest easy knowing that new music is coming. “I’ve been working on this album for maybe eight months or so now, I’m just figuring out how to finish it. It’s getting closer, but it’s definitely not close yet. All the songs are written, I just have to really do all the rest of the work now I guess”. Continuing Gab adds, “I do it because I love it, and because it’s fun. I’m not in a huge rush to really share everything I’ve put out. I’ve written something like, six songs in three years or something like that, I can be really self critical in that sense, not really releasing things until I really feel like they are worth sharing”. But after listening to his back catalogue, it’s easy to see just how much pride Gab takes in his work, and fans will surely be more than willing to wait out the next few months in preparation for new Japanese Wallpaper.
Can’t quite wait out for the new album? Thankfully there are still a handful of tickets left for Live On The Lawn but they’re being snapped up real fast! It’s surely one of those giggos that you absolutely cannot miss!
