Will Guthrie

It has been almost a year since Will Guthrie last dropped his anchor in Adelaide when he played two blinding shows, one with partner Erell Latimier as Charlie Charlie and one in solo form. Guthrie, an experimental percussionist/noise technician, whose armory includes various drums, found or home-made junk objects, electronics, mics and speakers, relocated from Melbourne's fertile experimental scene to Nantes, France.

"Most of last year I was working on my new solo CD called 'Body And Limbs Still Look To Light' on the UK Cathnor label and also on a few compositions for a dance piece here in France, so I was busy in the studio with that. I did a few gigs with Charlie Charlie in Finland and some gigs with [N:Q] which is a Nantes Radiophonic Quartet where we all use only radios, interference, etc. Other than that, teaching drums and English. Life goes on!"

Guthrie continues to dedicate his time and talent to a variety of collaborations.

"I guess the more exciting ones for me this year have been with Austrian artist Helmut Schaefer and playing drums in a free jazz/rock duo with saxophonist Sˇbastien Coste here in Nantes."

In Adelaide, Guthrie will play one set in collaboration with local artist Kynan Lawlor, who with his support set last year so wowed Guthrie that he has especially requested to play with Lawlor. Incidentally, that set saw Lawlor pour bottled water onto a large cymbal equipped with contact microphones, genius in concept and execution, from the man that otherwise plays guitar and sings in sludgy pop trio Hit The Jackpot.

Guthrie's sound is multi-textural, detailed and at times grossly raw, lashed with noise. In Charlie Charlie, Erell Latimier contributes cut-up text fragments and other concrete sources. Guthrie, it seems, is himself not averse to the odd 'press play' on the tape recorder.

"I do a bit, not much. I hate the term 'field recordings'. It reminds me of recordings of dolphins singing with boss reverb!

"But yeah, I record stuff often, though nothing so specific. Often I just turn on the mics and see what happens - noise from the street, strange conversations, or snippets of conversations from people who don't know they are being recorded..."

The experimental 'scene' (if you could call it that) in Adelaide is small and variably dedicated. The same people go to the same shows. It is often difficult to reach people that might be interested in seeing a performance.The dilemma, it seems, is not limited to Adelaide, as Guthrie makes connections with his experiences.

"I know exactly what you are talking about. All I can say is that from organising gigs here in Nantes and many in Australia is this - if it is presented in the right way, people come. I don't know what more to say than that. Here in Europe there is more money so advertising is better, but that doesn't mean more people come to the gigs. It still depends on the energy put into the organising. What Is Music and Articulating Space have really proved that in Australia, when it is presented well, people come!" 

Guthrie consolidates my suggestion that in Europe it is slightly easier to make connections with like-minded musicians, appreciators, fans and what-have-you.

"Yes it is, but mainly only because it's really easy and pretty cheap to travel here in Europe. The 'scene' isn't necessarily 'better', just more active in a dense area.

"But I am yet to find a local scene that comes anywhere near as good as Melbourne. Really, I'm not being nationalistic, but in terms of the amount of activity, venues and musicians, Melbourne is great!"

Lenin Simos

Will Guthrie plays with Kynan Lawloe and Marco Gibard-Cher at the De la Catessen on Sun 27 August and with Cameron Wood at the Exeter Hotel (Rundle St.) on Mon 28 August.