Liam Finn
Liam heard about my work from Jessie Stein. I received a mail from Liam
mentioning he was very interested in my instruments and wanted to have
particular odd instrument like JessieÕs. As an introduction to his work he had
included this YouTube movie of one of his performances.
I watched it and thought: ŌUh-ohÉÕ
Not that I didnÕt like the song. On the contrary, it was
pretty good actually. The choppy played verse kind of reminded me in a way of
FruscianteÕs older solo recordings. I like quiet some out of the border
singer-songwriters, but my idea is; I canÕt make anything appropriate for them.
ItÕs mainly vocal music based on guitar chords and my work is not very suitable
as a guiding instrument, more for arrangements or for solos and intros. But
than the movie arrived at 1.28 and I watched fascinated for another 6 minutes,
smiling when it ended. Finn was an exception to the rule and challenging to
invent something for. His live shows are breathtaking and more visceral than
his studio album. it could be described as a cross between Elliott Smith and
Lightning Bolt. Not that loud, but Finn is rather edgy and far more
experimental than just a singer-songwriter humming along on some chords.
I proposed him a Springtime stereo guitar as an enhancement
for his multi-looping technique, but he preferred a weirder instrument with a
unique new design. I had made proto drum guitars in 2005 and mentioned
those too as a part of the available instruments. He was very interested in
those to include in his live shows.
A few hours later I found out on Internet he was the son of
Neil Finn, the lead singer of Crowded House. LiamÕs work has the same the high
quality easy listening (at least for me) pop tunes, but his father had a second
good influence on him and had given him at the early age albums of Pavement,
Fugazi, and all kinds of other indie classics. He blends his fascination for
experimental cutting edge noise rock with his songs in a convenient way. I
consider that mixture the most exciting aspect of his work. Pulling being a
singer/songwriter out of a boring introvert corner.
I met him a few months later when he had a show at the
Crossing Border Festival. I had brought one of the primitive drum bar guitars
and the one in progress IÕm making for The Dodos. Excited about the concept he asked
if he could borrow the proto for his performance. He went on stage with the
instrument and half way the gig he did an improvised session leaving the
audience in total mismay, followed by a standing ovation. Afterwards his
performance was regarded one of the highlights of the festival in the Dutch
reviews. I was blasted too by the sound coming from my own instruments. I had
only heard them in small rooms. But in this surrounding all kinds of
interference and difference tones started buzzing around. Doing it all alone,
he was sounding like a Glenn Branca symphony, or Sonic Youth in their wild moments or maybe
even a loud droning didgeridoo in a certain way. Excited about the results he
had booked with it at this untrained improvisation I allowed him to borrow the
instrument for his brief European tour and got it back one week later. Two
YouTube clips appeared of other improvisations.
Roter Salon, Berlin 26-11-2008
Paradiso, Amsterdam 28-11-2008
Although exciting to watch at home, itÕs a bit similar like
occuring at Rhys ChathamÕs Guitar Trio.
The sound spectrum appearing at these performances can only be experienced at a
loud volume being present in the venue where it is performed. On YouTube at
home youÕre missing the effect of the difference tones and the overtones. But
the movies give a good impression of the fun heÕs spreading though and
therefore a good injection to attrack people for his shows.
I continued working on the drum guitars for Liam as well as
The Dodos. It took me months to figure it all out and had a lot of hesitating
moments about several aspects. Luckily I was able to finish his one the day
before he arrived in May Õ09, soldering and stringing it a few hours before
traveling to his Utrecht gig. I called the instrument the Tafelberg II. Again he did an out of the
blue session, this time turning it into a Bulgarian sounding movie soundtrack.
The girl who filmed the Paradiso show again filmed this first try-out and
uploaded it to YouTube.
Tivoli de Helling, Utrecht
3-5-2009
More in depth instrument information about the Tafelberg II
is readable in the chapter about the
instrument.
Allmusic Biography
Liam Finn lives and performs in the lengthy shadow of his
famous father, Neil Finn of Crowded House and Split Enz -- a man who seems to
be able to write memorable pop songs as easily as other people write shopping
lists. Finn the younger succeeded in making a name for himself while still a
teenager as the lead singer of the quirky rock band Betchadupa, formed after he
met bandmate Matt Eccles during a beach holiday with his family. They recorded
two EPs and two albums -- The Alphabetchadupa in 2002 and Aiming for Your Head in 2004 -- before taking an informal
break, with Finn in New Zealand while the rest of the band resided in London.
In 2007 Crowded House re-formed and Finn the elder asked Finn the younger to
join their touring band, which he did beginning with their reunion gig at that
year's Coachella Festival. Later that year, Liam Finn released a solo album, I'll
Be Lightning. The
album was recorded in Neil Finn's Roundhead Studios, using analog equipment to
give it the spontaneous feeling of a demo recording. Most of the instruments
were played by Liam, a sound he re-created during his following tour through
looping with an effects pedal as he moved from instrument to instrument, with
E.J. Barnes performing his backing vocals. Popularly received in New Zealand
and Australia, I'll Be Lightning cemented Liam Finn's status as a formidable talent in his
own right.
Discography
I'll Be Lightning, Transgressive Records, 2007
With Betchadupa
The Alphabetchadupa, 2002
Aiming for Your Head, 2004
External
links
Go to List of artists IÕve built instruments for
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