Feature: The Nomadic Decodes “Treading Water”
What was the initial spark or idea that led to the creation of "Treading Water?"
“Treading water” was sparked by a time in my life when I felt much more was possible both professionally and personally! I was in a work environment that was quite stressful and toxic, and personally I had just come through a big breakup. Good fodder for lyrics I know! I was experimenting on guitar with the capo up on fret 8, 9.. and the chord progression sounded cool! I eventually removed the capo and found the vocals worked better! At the time, I was living in Long Island City, New York, and my front window had an amazing view of Manhattan. I had a vision of my body and life generally floating out the window.. and down one of the nearby drains! That gave me the opening lyric to the song "I see a life float out the window… I see it disappear down the drain"
How did you work with the producer or engineers to bring your vision for "Treading Water" to life?
I relocated home to Sydney Australia in February 2022 after 5 years in New York. I got in contact with Dan Frizza in Sydney at Forbes Studios. Dan had previously worked with and been in bands with Miles Thomas (Lior, Ronan Keating, Montaigne) on drums, Oliver Thorpe (The Whitlams, Matt Corby, Meg Mac) on guitar, and Brendan Clark (Meg Mac, Montaigne, Jack River) on bass. Dan Frizza as producer has worked with the likes of Tones & I, King Princess, and Gurrumul. So it was quite the creative team that came together!! I initially prepared an album prep document of chords, arrangements and lyrics. In the studio itself, we carefully workshoped every song, and I stayed very open and flexible to the creative process which was very much a team effort! Some favorite lyrics were cut, some were added, songs were streamlined- and the result is “Treading Water,” and also the other 13 songs that we can’t wait for Nomadic fans to hear!
What has been one of your most favorite memories along the path to making "Treading Water?"
The debate, discussion and overall creative process of making the album! and the Aussie humour and banter! turns out we are all fans of similar comedies- Peep Show, Toast of London, the Office etc! So there was a fair bit of humour involved as well as the music creation!
How did your band members initially come together?
Dan Frizza had previously worked with Miles, Ollie and Brendan, and so brought them into The Nomadic! Miles, Ollie and Brendan have trained at the Australian Conservatory of Music, and played with some of Australia's biggest rock acts, so the musicianship is second to none!
How has your music evolved since you started as a singer-songwriter? What have been some key milestones in your artistic journey?
I definitely feel my music and lyrics have developed and evolved through my "nomadic" life working in Kenya, Somalia, The Sudan, Afghanistan, Indonesia, Israel and Palestine.
Key milestones include the first song release on SoundCloud Jan 2017, a live gig in NY in March 2017, the recording and release of "My Mind is Racing" in Jan 2022; and meeting Dan Frizza in Feb 2022!
