Much Karma Interview
Q: Can you talk about the history of Much Karma? I was reading you reunited. How did that happen?
A: The initial collaborations between myself and Andy (Peterson, guitar), were in the mid ‘90s. Our band, Pit 5, had a great year of songwriting and gigging in Melbourne, Australia before things fell apart. We kept in loose touch until in 2018, Andy came to visit, brought his guitar and played me his latest creations. I was struck by their beauty and intensity and was inspired to dig deep into my own well of feeling and experience to find the words and melodies to complement his music. I had always felt short-changed that our old band hadn’t managed to record our work and became determined to produce the album we knew we had in us. I am blessed to be married to a great musician who shared the Pit 5 experience as an onlooker and truly believed in our music. Jen is a classical guitarist who plays a mean bass guitar and once the three of us had the songs under our belts, we just needed a great drummer. We were fortunate enough to secure the services of Tony Floyd (Men At Work, The Black Sorrows, Things of Stone and Wood etc) via Woodstock Studios and then it all came together.
Q: What inspired you to make Infinity Divinity? The name is intense. Does it pertain to spirituality?
A: The inspiration to make Infinity Divinity came largely from the disappointment of never making the Pit 5 album. Andy had continued to come up with sublime guitar parts and I had kept writing separately through a procession of short-lived bands/outfits. We had both spent time in recording studios and once we’d put together these songs, we knew they would rock with the full treatment. The title needed to be big and grew out of the ideas for the cover art. My awesome friend, Phil Proctor asked what I had in mind for the cover, I replied, “A sphere of the brightest colors there are with all of the meaningful and spiritual symbols known to man, tracking through space on the course of infinity with the entire universe as a backdrop”! He said, “No problem” and from there, it all began…
Life is a spiritual experience whether the participants realize it or not. To attain awareness that our actions have consequences on every level and that our karma will determine how our lives unfold is an important step. From there, it is up to each of us to see that our actions are positive and that they benefit life as we know it. One does not have to subscribe to mainstream opinions, we can think for ourselves – “Be the change you want to see.’
Q: Can you talk about some of the themes on the album?
A: The themes on the album are drawn from the emotions and experiences of myself and those around me, in the knowledge that everyone shares the same feelings just in varying degrees and at different times for a multitude of reasons. Life, love, loss and separation, euphoria, heartache, uncertainty and the knowledge that death will one day greet us all ride in everyone’s mind and the domination of a particular train of thought can take us to places we never thought we’d go and sometimes to places best avoided. So, in writing from my perspective, on universal themes, I aimed to present them from a positive standpoint. If we dwell in the positive, then our lives move in a direction whereby we connect with others on the same wavelength. At the same time, conveying a message that “everything will be ok” will maybe strike a chord with those who hear it and possibly help to manifest a healthy outlook of the future. Each of the songs has a silver lining that maybe masks the original, underlying message of the inspiration and the album as an entirety sets out to cover the emotional spectrum of life and its challenges, but to leave the listener in a space free of negativity and fear.
Q: Can you talk about the history of Much Karma? I was reading you reunited. How did that happen?
A: The initial collaborations between myself and Andy (Peterson, guitar), were in the mid ‘90s. Our band, Pit 5, had a great year of songwriting and gigging in Melbourne, Australia before things fell apart. We kept in loose touch until in 2018, Andy came to visit, brought his guitar and played me his latest creations. I was struck by their beauty and intensity and was inspired to dig deep into my own well of feeling and experience to find the words and melodies to complement his music. I had always felt short-changed that our old band hadn’t managed to record our work and became determined to produce the album we knew we had in us. I am blessed to be married to a great musician who shared the Pit 5 experience as an onlooker and truly believed in our music. Jen is a classical guitarist who plays a mean bass guitar and once the three of us had the songs under our belts, we just needed a great drummer. We were fortunate enough to secure the services of Tony Floyd (Men At Work, The Black Sorrows, Things of Stone and Wood etc) via Woodstock Studios and then it all came together.
Q: What inspired you to make Infinity Divinity? The name is intense. Does it pertain to spirituality?
A: The inspiration to make Infinity Divinity came largely from the disappointment of never making the Pit 5 album. Andy had continued to come up with sublime guitar parts and I had kept writing separately through a procession of short-lived bands/outfits. We had both spent time in recording studios and once we’d put together these songs, we knew they would rock with the full treatment. The title needed to be big and grew out of the ideas for the cover art. My awesome friend, Phil Proctor asked what I had in mind for the cover, I replied, “A sphere of the brightest colors there are with all of the meaningful and spiritual symbols known to man, tracking through space on the course of infinity with the entire universe as a backdrop”! He said, “No problem” and from there, it all began…
Life is a spiritual experience whether the participants realize it or not. To attain awareness that our actions have consequences on every level and that our karma will determine how our lives unfold is an important step. From there, it is up to each of us to see that our actions are positive and that they benefit life as we know it. One does not have to subscribe to mainstream opinions, we can think for ourselves – “Be the change you want to see.’
Q: Can you talk about some of the themes on the album?
A: The themes on the album are drawn from the emotions and experiences of myself and those around me, in the knowledge that everyone shares the same feelings just in varying degrees and at different times for a multitude of reasons. Life, love, loss and separation, euphoria, heartache, uncertainty and the knowledge that death will one day greet us all ride in everyone’s mind and the domination of a particular train of thought can take us to places we never thought we’d go and sometimes to places best avoided. So, in writing from my perspective, on universal themes, I aimed to present them from a positive standpoint. If we dwell in the positive, then our lives move in a direction whereby we connect with others on the same wavelength. At the same time, conveying a message that “everything will be ok” will maybe strike a chord with those who hear it and possibly help to manifest a healthy outlook of the future. Each of the songs has a silver lining that maybe masks the original, underlying message of the inspiration and the album as an entirety sets out to cover the emotional spectrum of life and its challenges, but to leave the listener in a space free of negativity and fear.
Q: What is your creative process like?
A: The creative process occurs in stages, always beginning with the music. Andy’s guitar parts are very special. When I first hear them, I often have a deeply emotional response – happy, sad, uplifted or confused and I know he has travelled through a similar mind-set to create them. I play them continuously and after I get to know them, the search is on to get to the bottom of it and dig out my part. It takes several goes at it, first writing a normally basic commentary on what the music makes me feel and then setting about taking it from sounding like what I feel to creating a journey that puts my emotion onto a universal plane anyone can share. Sometimes a line or two will come that sets the tone, other times it’s finding the opening phrase that then lets the song take its own path. From there we collaborate on the arrangement, as Andy’s parts are generally interchangeable or extendable. Once we have the structure finalized, then it’s working the lines so as there is nothing unnecessary - everything must have a reason and earn its right to remain. Then we demo the songs, listen to them critically and make any final changes. Some of these happened in the studio on the day of recording and then became the final product. It all comes from the music. The inspiration to write (lyrics) is always there, but it takes the soul and beauty of the music to bring out the desire to create something special. Be it writing for yourself or the wide world, it’s all the same. We all draw from the same well of emotions, it’s just that we differ in quantities and qualities of them and our capacity to express, accept, understand and control them.
Q: What was your recording process like? And has it changed over the years? Would you explain some of the tools you use?
A: The recording process was the most enjoyable part of the trip. In previous bands, we had recorded parts separately and then put then put them together, but for this record, we played all our parts simultaneously. Jen, Andy and I had our parts pretty well down but we hadn’t actually played them with the drummer. Tony had listened to the songs and came to the party with maps of arrangements, ideas of his own and a level of skill, professionalism and experience we admired and benefited from enormously. He and Robin Mai, our engineer (John Butler, Augie March etc) had a connection already and once we started playing, the energy, intensity and love of what we were doing, took over. Between takes, we tightened up on loose moments and all of what you hear now are the last renditions of each song after which Tony would say, “That’s it!”
We only had two days with Tony and at the end of each, felt a great sense of accomplishment. I still feel incredible gratitude to he and Robin for helping us transform our songs from what they were (acoustic) into what they are now – sonic! We got so much more from them than we had ever anticipated and now want very badly to do it again! As far as tools are concerned, Jen plays a headless Hohner ‘Jack’ bass, Andy a Maton acoustic guitar in C tuning, Tony plays a kit of many components and the specs below are supplied by Robin regarding the studio.
Woodstock Studios is iconic in the Australian music industry, housing the biggest analogue desk in the country and being the recording home to John Butler, The Cat Empire, Milky Chance and countless others. Recorded on neve 8014 console, we used a Neumann u48 on vocals. On the drums, we used the usual dynamics plus two valve Neumann's and three ribbon microphones, a pair of Coles as the overheads and a Neumann u67 and u89 were used for some of the acoustic guitar. We recorded and mixed using analogue compression with units like Urei 1178, 1176, AWA vintage compressor, the Unfairchild, the Phoenix Vintage and many others. We also used an analogue Roland space echo, Dimension D and Orban Spring reverb along with plug-ins and other digital effects for mix down.
Q: How do you usually go about writing lyrics?
A: Writing has been a hobby/passion of mine from an early age. It’s a means of expression, often cathartic and a skill I have practiced in all the bands I’ve been a part of. I seldom write for the fun of it. In collaborating with Andy, first comes his part which he develops and presents to me and from there, I draw from whatever inspiration I can find. The theme for each piece is normally drawn from personal feelings – mine or those of someone close to me, life experiences or issues I might have with the way the world is. The melody must fit but be different to the guitar melody and often the first draft is just finding my way around the patterns in the music. I keep the tune in my head and sooner or later a line or two that sounds right/cool/catchy will come to me and I then become connected. Finding the opening line/phrase can be quite difficult, but once that is taken care of, the songs kind of develop themselves through a combination of intense concentration, poetry and persistence.
Q: What else should we know about your music?
A: The music of much karma is a culmination of quality influences ranging from the ‘60s to the ‘90s with the member’s personal musical backgrounds encompassing classical, rock and jazz genres. While the songs were fueled by the indescribable need to create art, the recorded performances were a result of a serendipitous gathering colored by an intense journey of musical interaction in which all present were deeply and inspirationally engaged. The album is a fitting result. Infinity Divinity’s positive themes are tinged with uncertainty. The underlying message is of transformation but the genre has a universal feel and the artwork of the vinyl is reminiscent of great sleeves of the past with a timeless essence.
The band members are all sincerely grateful for the response and the unanimous support the project has garnered. The writing and production of this album took some years to complete and now it’s done, the focus moves to what comes next. The tyranny of distance and life’s complications have made live performance almost impossible, but the desire to create burns as strong as ever and the next album is coming!
A: The creative process occurs in stages, always beginning with the music. Andy’s guitar parts are very special. When I first hear them, I often have a deeply emotional response – happy, sad, uplifted or confused and I know he has travelled through a similar mind-set to create them. I play them continuously and after I get to know them, the search is on to get to the bottom of it and dig out my part. It takes several goes at it, first writing a normally basic commentary on what the music makes me feel and then setting about taking it from sounding like what I feel to creating a journey that puts my emotion onto a universal plane anyone can share. Sometimes a line or two will come that sets the tone, other times it’s finding the opening phrase that then lets the song take its own path. From there we collaborate on the arrangement, as Andy’s parts are generally interchangeable or extendable. Once we have the structure finalized, then it’s working the lines so as there is nothing unnecessary - everything must have a reason and earn its right to remain. Then we demo the songs, listen to them critically and make any final changes. Some of these happened in the studio on the day of recording and then became the final product. It all comes from the music. The inspiration to write (lyrics) is always there, but it takes the soul and beauty of the music to bring out the desire to create something special. Be it writing for yourself or the wide world, it’s all the same. We all draw from the same well of emotions, it’s just that we differ in quantities and qualities of them and our capacity to express, accept, understand and control them.
Q: What was your recording process like? And has it changed over the years? Would you explain some of the tools you use?
A: The recording process was the most enjoyable part of the trip. In previous bands, we had recorded parts separately and then put then put them together, but for this record, we played all our parts simultaneously. Jen, Andy and I had our parts pretty well down but we hadn’t actually played them with the drummer. Tony had listened to the songs and came to the party with maps of arrangements, ideas of his own and a level of skill, professionalism and experience we admired and benefited from enormously. He and Robin Mai, our engineer (John Butler, Augie March etc) had a connection already and once we started playing, the energy, intensity and love of what we were doing, took over. Between takes, we tightened up on loose moments and all of what you hear now are the last renditions of each song after which Tony would say, “That’s it!”
We only had two days with Tony and at the end of each, felt a great sense of accomplishment. I still feel incredible gratitude to he and Robin for helping us transform our songs from what they were (acoustic) into what they are now – sonic! We got so much more from them than we had ever anticipated and now want very badly to do it again! As far as tools are concerned, Jen plays a headless Hohner ‘Jack’ bass, Andy a Maton acoustic guitar in C tuning, Tony plays a kit of many components and the specs below are supplied by Robin regarding the studio.
Woodstock Studios is iconic in the Australian music industry, housing the biggest analogue desk in the country and being the recording home to John Butler, The Cat Empire, Milky Chance and countless others. Recorded on neve 8014 console, we used a Neumann u48 on vocals. On the drums, we used the usual dynamics plus two valve Neumann's and three ribbon microphones, a pair of Coles as the overheads and a Neumann u67 and u89 were used for some of the acoustic guitar. We recorded and mixed using analogue compression with units like Urei 1178, 1176, AWA vintage compressor, the Unfairchild, the Phoenix Vintage and many others. We also used an analogue Roland space echo, Dimension D and Orban Spring reverb along with plug-ins and other digital effects for mix down.
Q: How do you usually go about writing lyrics?
A: Writing has been a hobby/passion of mine from an early age. It’s a means of expression, often cathartic and a skill I have practiced in all the bands I’ve been a part of. I seldom write for the fun of it. In collaborating with Andy, first comes his part which he develops and presents to me and from there, I draw from whatever inspiration I can find. The theme for each piece is normally drawn from personal feelings – mine or those of someone close to me, life experiences or issues I might have with the way the world is. The melody must fit but be different to the guitar melody and often the first draft is just finding my way around the patterns in the music. I keep the tune in my head and sooner or later a line or two that sounds right/cool/catchy will come to me and I then become connected. Finding the opening line/phrase can be quite difficult, but once that is taken care of, the songs kind of develop themselves through a combination of intense concentration, poetry and persistence.
Q: What else should we know about your music?
A: The music of much karma is a culmination of quality influences ranging from the ‘60s to the ‘90s with the member’s personal musical backgrounds encompassing classical, rock and jazz genres. While the songs were fueled by the indescribable need to create art, the recorded performances were a result of a serendipitous gathering colored by an intense journey of musical interaction in which all present were deeply and inspirationally engaged. The album is a fitting result. Infinity Divinity’s positive themes are tinged with uncertainty. The underlying message is of transformation but the genre has a universal feel and the artwork of the vinyl is reminiscent of great sleeves of the past with a timeless essence.
The band members are all sincerely grateful for the response and the unanimous support the project has garnered. The writing and production of this album took some years to complete and now it’s done, the focus moves to what comes next. The tyranny of distance and life’s complications have made live performance almost impossible, but the desire to create burns as strong as ever and the next album is coming!