Hailing from the same part of the world as Van Morrison, if there was a man to cover his music and harness the same emotions behind it, it would be Joe Creighton, and he’s doing just that in his ‘Into the Mystic’ show coming to Ballarat.
Hi Joe, thanks for taking the time to chat with Forte Magazine, how are you and what are you up to at the moment?
Life is good at the moment. I am currently doing my show ‘Into The Mystic’ around Victorian venues and a few interstate. I have recently released my 4th solo album ‘Running Free’ and I have been promoting that and doing radio interviews. I am also writing songs in preparation for another album.
You’re currently touring your Into the Mystic show based on Van Morrison’s music, what drew you to Van’s music and doing the show?
I was born in Belfast and from about the age of 9 lived in a little seaside town just outside of Belfast called Bangor. As a teenager I used to go and watch Van Morrison play with his band, Them. That was a big influence on me as a budding musician. Them were a very exciting band to watch, their performances were always quite dynamic. Back then, in the ’60s there was quite a bit of R & B and blues based music in the top 40 with bands like Them, The Rolling Stones, The Animals, The Pretty Things and The Yardbirds. They were exciting times to grow up in. The world was changing in so many ways and there was a great sense of hope and freedom and I think that is reflected in much of the music that was being created at that time.
And in particular, why Astral Weeks?
Astral Weeks is a great example of this change, it was released around Nov 1968. Van recorded it in New York over just a few days and recruited some of New York’s foremost jazz musicians. There is a feeling of spontaneity in the performances, the lyrics are filled with colourful imagery and the melodies are haunting. It was a revolutionary album as it brought together so many different styles of music and formed a style uniquely its own. It is still one of my favourite albums. Many of us living in Belfast related to the lyrics as Van was singing about the streets of Belfast like ‘Cyprus Avenue’ and ‘The Sandy Row’. I love performing the songs from Astral Weeks because I can get right inside them; I can wear them like a glove. I have walked in Cyprus Avenue, I was even born on the Sandy Row right in the heart of Belfast.
There was quite a bit of civil unrest around that time, is that something that impacted quite a bit on your life? Did you get very involved in it?
It was hard not to at least be exposed to it and it could be pretty scary at times. I didn’t get involved directly but nearly got shot early one Sunday morning by a young British soldier barricaded outside the local police station. A sparrow flew straight into his box and he thought I had thrown something at him. I heard him throw the catch on his gun before he realised what had happened. Phew! He was shaking and in his East London accent said, “I nearly shot you mate, I thought you ‘ad thrown a bomb at me”.
Obviously your career path went in quite a different direction from Van’s. What do you think has been the most defining moment of your career where it reaffirmed the fact that music was the right thing for you to pursue?
There have been a few of those moments throughout my life and we do need them as music can be a precarious career choice fraught with uncertainty and self doubt. The one defining moment that comes to mind is during the opening of Crown Casino in Melbourne I found myself standing on stage doing backing vocals for the late Ray Charles. I had to pinch myself to check if I was dreaming. For but a moment in time I was a Raelette and it felt good. I was in heaven.
Your show Into the Mystic is coming up in Ballarat, is it something just for Van Morrison fans or is it also a really great way to connect with the music he created?
Many people come to my show who are not that familiar with Van’s music but they go away feeling like they have discovered something new. I am very proud of my band whom apart from being wonderful people are also some of Melbourne’s finest musicians. It is an 8 piece band with a horn section lead by the legendary Jimmy Sloggett and they really get cooking on some of these great songs.
Thanks again for taking the time to chat with us, is there anything else you’d like to add before we finish up?
You are most welcome. All I can say is that if you like great music performed by a great band then you will love ‘Into The Mystic’.
When & Where: Her Majesty’s Theatre, Ballarat – April 15
