Melbourne’s Bakers Daughter (aka Alyce Platt) has returned, but for this artist, everything is new. Reframing her past, Bakers Daughter presents her original music and artistic pursuits through the lens of the Indie-pop artist she is so highly regarded as by her peers and critics alike. With a show this month in Forte territory, we sat down with Alyce to talk all things music.
Hi Alyce, thanks for taking the time to chat. Well-known for your role in Sons and Daughters and Sale of the Century, when did you begin the venture into music? Or has it always been there for you?
Music has always been there for me. I started playing guitar when I was eight years old and wrote my first song when I was 12 years old. I released my first EP, Cowboys in the Attic under the name of Bakers Daughter in 2000. Peter Farnan produced the EP.
Can you tell us a little bit about your band Bakers Daughter – how did this all-star band come together?
The players in Bakers Daughter are the same musicians who recorded on my Funny Little World Album and then went on to become my live band – The Fish Shop Collective.
We hear you’re working on new material. What can you tell us about that one?
The new material is a combination of tracks I demoed years back when I recorded my Beautiful Death Album. Glenn Lewis (co-produced and engineered Beautiful Death) and I recorded some of these tracks then. Pete Farina, Clare Moore, Stephen Hadley and I have re-worked some of them and will be recording them with some new material next year.
What stage are you at in terms of completion?
One of the tracks – FARAWY SONG will soon be released as a single. I recorded it with Glenn Lewis and we have re-mixed it and Lindsay Gravina at Birdland Studio in St Kilda mastered it in September this year.
Who have you worked with/are you working with on production and mixing?
I have worked with J P Shilo. He produced my Beautiful Death Album. Glenn Lewis, produced FARAWY SONG (soon to be released single) Roger Bergodaz, Stephen Hadley, and I produced Funny Little World Album and Peter Farnan Produced my Cowboys in the Attic EP.
It’s said that your music blurs the lines of reality and make-believe, what’s involved in the writing and creative process?
Inspiration for writing comes from personal experiences and observations. I sometimes bend the truth (active imagination) to tell the story or expand on an insight.
You’re heading to Palais-Hepburn in Hepburn Springs mid-December. Have you ever visited this part of the country before? What are you most looking forward to?
Yes. I love performing in regional venues. I have performed at the beautiful Scrub Hill Church a couple of times and loved it! We had lots of lovely local people who came to see us there as well as some lovely well behaved dogs!
Are you more at home with your music on the stage, or in the studio?
I do love the studio… but there’s nothing like a live audience to bring you home to honesty, authenticity and connection.
Who are some of the artists you turn to for inspiration and motivation?
Cat Power, Mazzy Star, Dusty Springfield, Linda Ronstadt, Billy Holiday, Lou Reed, Leonard Cohen.
When & Where: Palais Hepburn, Hepburn Springs – December 15. Tickets via Oztix. Check out the event on FB
