Those that saw the songwriter at Town Folk Festival caught a glimpse into A. Savage's Several Songs About Fire files.
Andrew Savage co-fronts the popular band Parquet Courts, and yet it’s his personal musical project, A. Savage, that he and I find ourselves talking about over zoom. With two full-length LPs under his belt, of which Several Songs About Fire, the latest release came out a year ago, and a series of EPs, Savage’s songwriting prowess is starkly apparent.
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Just this year he released the jangly and meandering The Loft Sessions, a collection of four songs that bring to the forefront his storytelling capabilities. Savage, amidst residencies in New York and shows around the USA has just played a headline slot at the Town Folk Festival, hosted in Djaara/Castlemaine on Saturday 16 November with an upcoming show this weekend at The Sound Doctor in Anglesea on Saturday 23 November.
But it is the monumental fact that this will be his first tour of Australia under the performance name of A. Savage that resembles a step forward for the musician.
“Despite coming to Australia multiple times before and having many friends over there, this will be the first time I do A. Savage shows in the country,” says Savage. “I feel very happy that I get to go because it’s a much smaller thing. It’s my name, but most people know me as the guy from Parquet Courts, so I’m glad that I’m getting to be in Australia with this project.”
“The opportunity to play these other songs is so great, and if it’s like anywhere else, then the people who like Parquet will probably like a few A. Savage tracks too.”
It will be an opportunity to truly experience all that A. Savage is sonically. He intends to share tracks from all of his releases, alongside playing covers, and even the occasional Parquet Courts song.
“Well, there’s only two records,” he says. “So I’ll certainly be playing stuff off of Thawing Dawn as well as Several Songs About Fire, and the new EP release too. On the odd occasion I’m playing songs from Parquet Courts, and from older bands as well.”
“I always like to throw a cheeky cover in when I can. I’m about to embark on a tour where it’s just me and my guitar, and there will be certain shows where that’s how my songs are arranged in Australia too. Some shows I’ll be solo and others I’ll be playing with a full band. So then when it’s just me and the guitar it’s kind of a bit like an A. Savage review.”
For Savage, the difference between performing live as a solo singer/songwriter and with a band backing him up is distinct, and yet both of those forms of arrangement provide fulfillment.
“My songs can always be scaled back down, and when you do scale it back down, there’s something there that is very unique as a performer, when it’s just your voice and a single instrument. I like it because I can physically feel the way the guitar radiates against my body, which is also singing.”
“But then also touring with a band is so rewarding. I toured quite a bit with the band that I had for the Several Songs About Fire Tour. There were six of us and it was just really great. It sounded really big and everyone’s a terrific musician that added their own spin on it.”
This tour is set to be an exceptional one for A. Savage, but it all seems a bit tainted by the ongoing conflict that is occurring in Palestine and Lebanon, a topic that is popping up in the everyday for him.
“There is a large Palestinian community in Marseille where I live,” he says. “So there’s a lot of solidarity. It’s an important thing for me to make my voice heard on that issue because I think that people feel scared to make their voices heard on it, and I think one thing that I can do as a performer is to use my voice to draw attention to what is taking place.”
There is a sense that A. Savage embodies this attitude too, and in spite of the time limit we adhered to, utilising his voice to speak up for the rights and lives of others seems something he will continue to strive for going forward.
Tickets for A. Savage shows in Australia are now on sale.
