Emotions run high as band

pens verse to new release

By SHIRLEY BROUN

“FIVE grown men talking about life and emotions is an amazing experience. You get to see each other’s soul.”

This was the way Dogwood Crossing lead singer Tim Earle described the band’s experience when putting together their latest album `Here Lies Freedom’, released early last month.

Dogwood Crossing is rocking along since the release of their Fear of Change album in 2011.

On September 19 the Aussie rock band celebrated the launch of their new single off the album `Hold My Head Up High’ which followed the rapid charting success of three tracks from the album.
“We trialled a few tracks on Triple J and ended up with three in the top five. It was such a huge surprise. We had a good vibe about the songs but you never really know what people will think until they are out there,” said Tim.

The new single Hold My Head Up High evolved during a visit to the Gold Coast where the band was performing at the iconic Billy’s Beach House which has now closed its doors. “I had started work on the song but it wasn’t until about 2am one morning when I was speaking with a musician mate over the phone who was going through a tough time that it started to come together.”

“The song is about how amazingly resilient and strong someone can be in the darkest of hours and keeping your head up through the whole experience. It was probably the most difficult to write lyrically speaking because we were trying to piece it together with very limited time while on the road. I finished writing the last verse on the phone with our friend at 2am the night before our Gold Coast show.”

The result was a perfect rock song which is proving to resonate with fans around the country.

The album was a collaboration of all five members of Dogwood Crossing. They include Tim Earle (lead vocals), Damien Veness (acoustic guitar), Ryan Ether (lead guitar), Chris Shevelling (bass guitar) and Jason McNabb (drums). Hailing from the Queensland Fraser and Sunshine Coasts the boys have a wealth of experience and believe the decision to combine their writing abilities on the new album was the best idea yet!

“The tracks have a piece of all of us … our best bits,” said Tim adding that all were best mates and took their music seriously. “After all, music is the last platform for freedom of speech and to do it together as friends is one of the best things you could do.”

Tim excels in writing the lyrics to a song. “When the guys come in with a structure I listen to the sound and work out how it makes me feel. My emotions usually point me in the right direction.”

Dogwood Crossing is a dynamic Aussie rock band reminiscent of classic rockers such as The Screaming Jets, Powderfinger and Butterfly Effect but infused with their own unique style.
Australia first stood up and took notice when as newcomers on the scene they released the album `Fear of Change’ in 2011 which also attracted a finalist position in the coveted Music Oz Independent Music Awards the following year.

The singles previously released from the record have all hit some great charting success. Little Birdie made its debut at #22 in Triple J’s Unearthed Top 100. It also hit #4 in the charts, and the subsequent singles also peaked in the Top 5, with Silence hitting #1 and Fight sitting at #2. The album is a hard-hitting stand-up mix of ghostly ballads and fast paced rock, with a sprinkling of dirty blues thrown in for good measure.

“There are quite a few different sounds to Dogwood. We don’t mind the odd ballad in with the rock. If structured correctly it can bring a lot of emotion to the performance. Hard rock is one path which can be broken up with a bit of blues and ballads,” said Tim.

Tim has no illusions that success comes after a lot of hard work. “I remember Adam Brand once telling me it takes 10 years of hard work to become an overnight success. And it’s true.”

“Performing is something you can’t half do. It needs to be a solid effort and while You Tube and TV shows can help along the way nothing can beat the good hard slog. The first album put us on track and the air play sealed it for us. All of a sudden we realised this just might work.”

Tim added the real success was standing on stage playing with an audience in front of us enjoying it. “That’s real success.”

Having just appeared at the Caloundra Music Festival Dogwood Crossing are looking forward to taking their music on the road across Australia and New Zealand in February next year with a European tour planned for late in 2015. They have also started work on their third album. Don’t miss Dogwood Crossing when they next visit your town or in the meantime, grab a copy of their latest single or album.

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