Ukulele Queen of the Bellarine, Sarah Carroll, is back once again with a cracking new record with her acoustic duo, Soft Gold. It’s been quite a few years in the pipeline but this project is definitely a change to the other bands that Carroll has been involved in over the years. A collaboration with Melbourne guitarist Marcel Borrack, Soft Gold has over the past few months in the lead up to the release of this record drawn heavy comparisons to acoustic duos such as Gillian Welch and David Rawlings.
In the lead up to the coastal launch at the Piping Hot Chicken Shop on Friday the 21st of March, I sat down with Sarah to have a chat about her stellar career and where Soft Gold is likely to develop to into the future.
Soft Gold began in 2006 when Carroll decided to do a national tour with Dan Warner and Borrack as a three-piece band touring all around the country. From hearing outlandish tour stories from those shows, this collection of songs, although has taken quite some time to get together, is a blissful listen and has well been worth the wait.
“That tour was Marcel’s first tour ever and it was a real baptism of fire for him, I think. I don’t think he would have done it if Dan and I hadn’t of been there. Even though we all got sick on that tour and Marcel was hospitalised with pneumonia, it was the start of what we are embarking on today. We hadn’t booked a national tour off our own backs before, and so it was a very eye-opening experience.”
Although since that tour Soft Gold had been put on hold to make way for the other band projects, Carroll and Borrack decided to reignite the flame and headed to South Australia to lay down this record at My Sweet Mule.
“Recording at My Sweet Mule was about the most relaxing recording experience I think I have ever been involved with. I listen to ‘Mermaid Money’ and kind of chuckle at nearly how asleep my vocal sounds. There was no stink of fear or pressure to record and get these tracks down. It was recorded live with very little overdubs and I think that does wonders to the album because it’s a direct representation of how we sound live. We re-recorded a couple of tracks later on, but the foundations were laid down in two days.
“Chris Parkinson is one of the loveliest people on the face of the earth and really made this the most relaxed recording experience. All we had to do was get into the zone and go for it. It was really relaxed,” Carroll said about the quick recording process.
Although not a direct influence on these recordings, Carroll admits that most recently she has been listening to the likes of Joanna Newsom, Nick Drake and Bill Callahan. You will be able to see what she means when the band hits the Chicken Shop in Ocean Grove tomorrow night. With support from Ukulele Carnivale, it will be a relaxed and delicate night of tunes – with shenanigans to ensue.
“You know me Tex! I will windmill wherever possible. I think that the two acts complement each other really well and there will be fun, laughter and moving moments, and everyone can be ready for full immersion in duo heaven.”
When&Where: Piping Hot Chicken Shop, Ocean Grove – March 21
Written by Tex Miller