Prodigious blues-man Ash Grunwald has spent a large part of 2009 roaming the world with his live show. In the early days of the New Year, the multi-instrumentalist will head to the Mornington Peninsula for the Solar Music Festival. FL finds out what he has in store for the set.

Earlier this year you released the Fish Out Of Water album. Do you feel that record is the best representation of you so far?
Doing an album is about creating something new and then you sort of start to change what you do live, to fit the new work, I guess. But Fish out of Water is definitely an album in the direction I wanted to go and I am going to keep pushing in that direction – fusing of beatmaking with bluesy music.

Was it heartening to see Fish Out Of Water nominated in the Best Blues and Roots Album category of this year’s ARIAs?
Yeah, I’m stoked. This will be my fourth nomination so we’ll see what happens. It would be great to win one day, but obviously you don’t make albums to win ARIAs, so I’ll just keep trying to churn out my best work and have fun doing it.

You’re recently returned from the festival circuit in the UK and Canada. Tell us a bit about how that tour went.
It was really good – both places were heaps of fun. Both England and Canada have really full on festival circuits, and it’s still early days for me over there but it was definitely fun to be a part of. In England, we did a fair few festivals and a really fun one in Belgium and then some shows in Ireland as well that were great. I’m hoping to go back again next winter and do the festivals again, because it’s such a great experience.

Am I right in thinking you’re heading back overseas in December?
Yes, I am just doing two gigs in England, but really I’m doing it to finance a surfing trip in Morocco that I am looking forward to. I have been gigging my ass off this year and it will be fun to unwind at the end of the year and see a different culture and hopefully get some good waves.

You played A Day At The Park in Cronulla last month. Was it exciting to be back here performing in the spring sun?
Yep, that was a really, really fun gig. It was a busy time for me because I had flown to Sydney a few days before to do a surf trip thing for FUEL TV with Occy and Ozzy Wright, which was heaps of fun. I got really sick halfway through the trip and had to fly back from Ballina to Sydney again for ADATP.

I was still feeling a little sick beforehand, my throat was really sore, so I had a couple of whiskeys to sort me out, and got on stage and it was a great vibe. Benny and Kanchana were ripping and it all went really well in the end. The crowd really got into it and it was great to see everyone bouncing in Breakout, which was awesome.

FasterLouder’s reviewer for A Day At The Park noted that you had a few more musicians onstage than the last time he saw you perform. Are the new players a recent addition?
The guys have been playing with me since the start of the year. I have played off and on with Benny for the last 6 years here and there, and Kanchana has been playing with me for the past year, starting with festivals and stuff over the summer, but it has really settled into a tight little band now with the three-piece.

It’s really fun to have Kanchana basically DJing, playing the beats – including some of the beats from the album – and African percussion, and then Benny smashing car doors and drums. It gives it a bit of a primal energy with hip hop flavour. It’s also a great to have the live show represent a little of what I am trying to achieve on the albums, as opposed to my shows from my solo days.

Is the live show an ever-developing beast? Do you feel you’re always learning?
Yes, for sure. Quite literally with the gear that I use, and now having Benny & Kanchana to bounce ideas off. Bringing in the computer element with Kanchana – we’re always nerding out on the laptop; looking at keeping it really fresh and always evolving. Even though I like elements of bluesy music and have appreciation of the older blues stuff, I also love gadgets and technology, so it keeps us constantly moving.

In the early days of January, you’re set to play the Solar Music Festival in Victoria. The festival’s line-up is quite diverse; does that present an extra challenge for you?
I pretty much just play it how I feel on the day. I don’t really come into any gigs with too many preconceived plans. I don’t even write a set-list, I just feel how the crowd is feeling at the moment that I get on stage. I don’t really think about the line up very much. We’re really looking forward to smashing it at Solar, a good festival is just a great celebration, so we’re looking forward to celebrating at Solar.

You’ve had so much experience playing festivals over the years. How different is the energy compared to your own club shows?
It’s just really amplified at a festival. You can get a really good intimate vibe going at shows, but most of my shows I try to get that festival atmosphere going if we can. It’s better these days, because people come with a pre-conceived notion that the show will be a lot of fun. But festivals are great with the crowds; they’re always really exciting. The adrenaline at a good festival is pretty crazy.

Ash Grunwald plays Solar Music Festival at Mornington Racecourse on Sunday 3 January 2010.