Back in 2009, The Snowdroppers played an early-career show at the Beresford in Surry Hills. It was like watching a group of 1920s Bible-bashers loosen their ties, hit the hard liquor and revel in a few dirty jokes.
The band has since built a solid reputation for blues-fuelled debauchery and a rollicking live show. Nearly a decade since coming together, the Snowdroppers sound and aesthetic has evolved significantly. The lads are celebrating the release of their third album, Business, with a nationwide tour this month.
“The last time we properly toured was with The Screaming Jets at the end of 2013,” says frontman Johnny Wishbone, otherwise known as Jeremy Davidson. “We did Young Henry’s Small World and a few bits and bobs while recording last year.”
The time away has seen Davidson dabble in some acting, making his debut “hanging upside down for 20 minutes” in the Sydney Theatre Company production of Mojo last year. The band also fought its digital distribution agency, Valleyarm, for lost money earlier this year. Details of the dispute are in legal lockdown; however, by way of advice to young musicians, Davidson says, “Read the contract and cover your arse.”
With the first Sydney show of the Business tour sold out, loyal legions of fans are quickly snapping up tickets. Musical appeal aside, The Snowdroppers are generous live performers; whether it be passing a bottle of vodka around the room for eager fans to swig, or semi-successful stage dives with fellow rock mates Gay Paris, they manage to build unique and memorable experiences.
The album itself is something of a sonic departure from the band’s previous two releases. There is sharper songwriting, a steadier tempo and not a trace of harmonica. On the whole, it sounds like an old-school pop record.
“One of the things we wanted was – in the words of Phil Collins – a groovier kind of love,” says Davidson. “The other thing was we didn’t want to rush the songs. The last album was a classic tale of ‘band gets fucked around by label’. We were out of the market too long and we just had to get something done. The whole recording process was rushed and the songs didn’t have time to breathe. This time around, we wanted to allow time for the songs to tell us what they needed. There was more of a distillation process.”
The Snowdroppers’ first album, 2009’s Too Late To Pray, has held up as a fan favourite – a vintage patchwork of bluegrass, country, rock’n’roll and raunchy irreverence.
“We loved blues and soul music when we were writing the first album, we still do,” says Davidson. “But it’s probably not a true representation of our natural selves. And sometimes that’s really tough to deal with. We have fans who want us to keep doing that stuff. But you can’t stagnate as a band – that’s death. You have to keep pushing and moving forward.”
The second album, Moving Out Of Eden – continuing the biblical theme, or “keeping the Christian dollar onside,” as Davidson says – cultivated a booming Australian rock sound. “When we recorded the second album we were very conscious of what we didn’t want to do, which was that bluesy first record all over again. We knew what we didn’t want to do, but not really what we did want to do. Whereas Business acknowledges the past and we are aware of we want now, which is to write really good songs.”
Indeed, Business seems to pay tribute to a broader spectrum of musical influences. The new suite of songs moves from distorted country through to classic soul. ‘Love Letters’, the first single released back in June, is laden with catchy riffs. There’s a sprinkling of doo-wop on ‘New Tattoo’ and a pared-back epilogue track, ‘Hold On’, which channels the lyrical finesse of Nick Cave.
“I think this album bridges the gap between the first two records,” says Davidson. “At the end of the day, you have a band that is much more comfortable in its own skin … We’re a rock band at heart and we like clashing rock music. You know those [shirts] people wear that say, ‘WWJD – What Would Jesus Do?’ Well, our motto is ‘WWBJD – What Would Billy Joel Do?’ We were kind of bowing down at the altar of Billy Joel when we wrote this record.”
The Snowdroppers are keen to fire up some fresh tunes and spread their groovier kind of love across Oz. Davidson lists South Australia and Tasmania as underrated places for live music – “They’re really supportive of the arts. It’s a good vibe down there.” And on the prospect of performing in Sydney post-lockout laws, he offers some consolation. “At least when all the dickheads went to Kings Cross you knew not to go there, because of all the dickheads. It’s more spread out now. But let’s bring it home. Don’t let that deter you from coming to see us play. We’ll all be dickheads together.”
Business is out Friday September 4 through Four|Four / Universal, and The Snowdroppers play Goodgod Small Club Thursday September 24 andNewtown Social Club on Friday September 25.
