Abbie Cardwell returns home to Adelaide with a new album and tour in tow. As things were looking up her label had a financial crisis on the eve of Abbie heading over to the US to starting promoting and touring her album there. Still, to her credit she remains upbeat and positive about what the future holds.
Are you looking forward to touring Australia again and in particular Adelaide? “Yes, yes, and yes. I’ve been itching to get off the damn computer and mobile phone and just PLAY! It’s been months of preparation putting this tour together all on my own and I seriously need to work on my guitar calluses!!!”
What do you look forward to when returning home? “Adelaide is definitely the closest thing to ‘home’ for me. I travel so much and it’s always such a grounding thing to come back ‘home’ to Radelaide town and hang in my fave haunts with my best mates!”
Is Adelaide where your heart is? “Adelaide has and always will hold a very dear place in my heart indeed!”
By Hook Or By Crook is a great album, was it a challenging process to make? “In short…YES,” Abbie summarised. By Hook Or By Crook was my mantra whilst making it, which is why it became the title. I began making it as a solo album on my own in a cottage almost a year before but it eventually evolved into a studio album with a full band. The whole process took almost 2 years to come to fruition. The title track was written on Christmas Eve whilst the last of the mixing was being completed. So, I quickly put it down live on one microphone and low and behold it has become one of the main singles to the album.”
What was it like working with the highly credentialed Nick Didia? “I felt very, very privileged to have Nick involved,” Abbie said. “I just ‘put it out there’ and asked if he’d be interested in mixing the album if I sent the hard drive to him and luckily he said ‘yes’. Nick fell in love with it and rang me saying that it was like Xmas as he opened each track like a present. He started a record label and asked if I’d sign the album to it, which I did and the rest is sad history as the label had a financial crash just weeks before my USA departure. Waaaaaah!”
Do you think it was clear about what direction you wanted to take this album? “I knew I wanted to make a laid-back rootsy album but I let it unfold naturally without trying to dictate where it naturally flowed. It was really the first time I had total control over the whole project.”
Was it frustrating when the label you signed to collapsed financially? “Of course,” Abbie stated. “I was devastated for a couple of weeks but I was also relieved to finally know what was happening as my departure date had been put off a couple of times. Luckily they offered to terminate the contract and free the album legally so I can move forward with other opportunities overseas. Not every artist gets set free so easy, I’m lucky to own the album outright without being ‘shelved’ and not released. I did however look at the whole situation so optimistically that even I’m impressed with myself. In the past I would have let it get me down and out for a LONG time but I just used the situation to my advantage. There I was with no home and no rent to pay and finally the opportunity to just jump into the life I’ve always wanted – music & travel. I figured it was now or never…so I faced my fears and booked a 5 state east coast tour all on my lonesome and I’ve never been happier!”
How hard was it bouncing back from this disappointment? “I just had to jump and not give any more doubts my energy. I could say it was relatively easy because I felt I had no choice…..but I know it’s taken years of music industry ‘knock backs’ to get this thick skin.”
Does it make it harder being open to other opportunities without thinking what might or might not happen? “I have learned the artful balance of optimism and pessimism,” Abbie believed. “I am propelled by my passion and choose to remain optimistic about this industry despite its pitfalls (but doesn’t every industry have a pitfall?). I have a much better bullshit detector nowadays and great intuition so I’m inviting the opportunities to keep-a-comin! If I fall, I know I’ll get back up.”
Is there truth to the saying “As one door closes another opens”? “Yes but you have to open it yourself!!!”
What can fans/music lovers expect on this tour? “Some shows will be solo, some duo and a few with a band,” Abbie revealed. There are even a couple of special Songwriter-In-The-Round concerts that I’ve organised with some of the best Aussie songwriters). But at each gig you can expect to see me ecstatic to be playing my instruments and off the computer finally.”
What’s the next big challenge for Abbie Cardwell? “Loads of challenges,” Abbie forecasted. “New material for the next album, more touring, overseas plans and dealing with more ‘opportunities’ that may require me to get back up again!”
Abbie plays the following shows in Adelaide:
16 October – The Governor Hindmarsh Front Bar (Abbie & Jeb)
19 October – The Grace Emily (Abbie & Jeb acoustic)
For more information on Abbie Cardwell check out her Website and
MySpace
