Jodi Phillis is a woman of many talents, including singer, songwriter, musician, graphic artist, and mother.
And she is a woman of many musical tastes. Following the swirling guitar pop & crunch of the Clouds, she brewed a
pleasing folk and alt-country concoction with her band the Dearhunters, and infused a variety of
acoustic-accented flavors throughout her 3 critically acclaimed solo albums, the most recent appearing in 2003.
Now she is ready for another feast for the ears, collaborating with her former Clouds bandmate Trish Young as,
appropriately, The Girls From The Clouds with a new EP "Lalalala" released on Candle Records on November 14.
Fans hungrily lick their lips in anticipation of the upcoming release launch concerts in Melbourne on the 3rd of
December, and Sydney on the 16th. Jodi graciously took the time out of her busy schedule to chat with
SilverLinings about her music, new band, and life beyond the Clouds.
So, who among you gets the award for Best Reunion Idea of 2005, by a landslide? (Apologies to The Bats.)
How did it come about?
Are the Bats reuniting?? I played with them once in 1988 I think,
because Kay had just had a baby and little Rose (I think that's her
name) was too sick to travel so I played guitar at their Melbourne
show. Bit of trivia for you! Anyway, I think Trish and I had just
been talking about the idea for quite a while and it just seemed like
the time was right. We started sending demos of songs to each other
that we had lying around and it evolved that way.
You've released two lovely & acclaimed solo albums during the 2000s and each frequently explores introspective themes,
both happy and sad, particularly on your most recent “For Lovers, Artists & Dreamers” which you recorded while pregnant
with your second child. However, the new EP “Lalalala” by The Girls From The Clouds is all about the
brighter & lighter side of life, isn’t it? Is this a reflection of your current outlook, or did you simply
decide it was a good time to rock out?
I guess for me, I have my solo albums where I can go very deep and
personal and quiet so it was a chance to do the opposite which felt
like the right thing. It's like a whole different world which is
exciting and fun and I like being able to travel in and out of these
worlds. Trish also has quiet and moody songs but when we were sifting
through the songs we presented each other with, we felt that as it's
only an EP, we should keep it consistently up, which is different to
what the Clouds would have done. They would have had 5 songs all
completely different from each other!
When you’ve addressed personal issues and ideologies in your lyrics, have you found that expressing yourself
through your music helps you work through internal conflicts and emotions?
I'm not really aware whether or not writing these songs helps me in
my life. It's just something I'm compelled to do. Perhaps it helps me
to know myself better when I look back and listen to those words.
It's not always a pleasant experience!
The cover you designed displays the two of you drawn with big smiles (to say nothing of colorful!)
The music is poppy, bouncy and instantly hummable. I’ll go out on a limb and suggest that this record
was a lot of fun to make?
It was fun to make. There wasn't any time wasting going on I can tell
you! We both have 2 little children which keeps us very busy, so we
talk about our ideas on the phone, email each other and send each
other demos. We also get together from time to time to have a bit of
a sing and a play. As for the smiles, well we're just happier people
now I guess. Older and wiser and well and truly through our Saturn
return!
You’ve worked with dozens of talented people during your music career. What qualities does Trish possess that
allow the pair of you to click whenever you work together?
Yes I certainly have. I sometimes think about that and feel very
lucky. As for Trish, well she is amazingly clever and talented and
her ideas just tumble out of her like it's no big deal, but every one
of them is brilliant. I think I must be quite clever too to be able
to understand them immediately and know how they work! A lot of other
people might hear them at first and go 'huh???' only to realize later
how great it is. Our voices blend together very well so I get that
tingling feeling. It's an interesting chemistry really because we're
very different in our personalities but the bond is mystical without
a doubt.
You Girls played most of the instruments on the EP. You’ve taken a similar DIY approach on your solo records,
is that partly a method to get the songs to sound exactly the way you hear them in your head?
Who else will be in the band when you take the stage in two weeks, or are you and Trish
geared for some serious multitasking?
It's a double-edged sword. By doing it yourself, you can get it to
sound just how you want, unless inside your head you hear an
orchestra or bagpipes or something you can't possibly play. Then it's
a bit frustrating. One day I hope to have no limitations as far as
instrumentation goes, like Bjork seems to have but for now it's a bit
expensive to hire an orchestra. We use keyboard strings and
synthesized sounds to give the vibe and they do take on a sound of
their own which is fun to work with. For real drums, we use my multi-talented
husband, Tim Oxley and he'll be playing with us at the
shows. It is great to record at our studio. You really can do it all
in your own home these days. You just have to trust yourself.
Unless you plan on playing the new songs twice - which probably no-one would complain about! - what else
might a gig-going punter expect to hear at the upcoming shows? Obviously looking for a scoop here, you know....
We're going to play a bunch of Clouds songs with drums so that'll be
a first since 1997. We don't have enough new ones to make up a whole
set yet.
“Lalalala” closes with the fantastic “Beyond The Clouds” replete with handclaps and singalong vocals (including the lalalalas) where you declare, “With Trish and Jodi, welcome aboard
Trish and Jodi are striking a chord
With Trish and Jodi you’ll be left wanting more
From way beyond the clouds” You also write that you’re “On a new adventure, a dream and a wish.”
Are you hinting that we can feel optimistic about hearing even more from The Girls From The Clouds someday?
Trish and I wrote that song together and it expresses how we both
feel. We've started talking about ideas for an album. I'm very much
looking forward to hearing it unfold. We'll get into it after these
Melbourne and Sydney shows.
By cheekily naming your new combo as you have, you obviously embrace your past musical accomplishments.
And, it must be said, with good reason! From today's perspective, what are you most proud of,
and what kind of legacy do you think the Clouds have left for Australian music?
By calling ourselves 'The Girls From the Clouds', we're just telling
it like it is! I'm proud to be a Cloud! (We never did make up those
badges) I'm extremely lucky to have been able to find the right
people to play music with and have it so lovingly accepted by music
lovers. We had a good sturdy board for a while there and rode a big,
well formed wave until it kind of closed out but it seems like the
swell is back and pumping. Seriously though, there are a lot of great
artists in this world who never have the luck that we had. There must
be thousands of great songs that never see the light of day for one
reason or another. We made some great music that was very creative
and beautiful with words that were true and that's a nice feeling to
have about something you've done.
SilverLinings would like to heartily thank Jodi for her time and generosity!
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