Sometime in January 2016, I packed a 16-track tape machine that I’d bought from Ebay, a handful of microphones that I’d borrowed from Chris Colquhoun, musician Rueben Wills (who I borrowed from my sister) plus his double and electric bass and drove beyond Bathurst to a place called Mount Rankin. On a property out there is a former shearing shed, it’s looked after by artist Chris McGirr who kindly let me use it for a few days. It is a still, dry place, the mornings dead quiet, the days long and hot and the nights cold. I always imagined I’d be too technically inept to self-record an album, especially to tape but except for a bit of phone-a-friend mentoring, I proudly managed. It wasn’t too hard really, as the album consists of me playing guitar and singing alongside Reuben on double bass in real time: a minimalist performance based recording. I did a handful of overdubs and Chris Colquhoun mixed it, or more accurately - salvaged it. When Ross Cockle mastered it, he told me that it sounded like it was recorded in the 1950’s, that it was a very ‘fragile recording’, that sounded right on to me!

In some ways there are similarities to my first solo album, which was ironically going to be called Bedsit (I ended up calling it The Golden Coach), only Bedsit is better…and a lot has happened between that first record and this one. Some of it is on this album.

Bedsit is a stark record, my starkest. It was recorded at a time when I was returned to the world of me, myself and I. I was living and writing for the first time in many many years on my own in a single room. And so, the album summons up the feelings you may have when you, for instance stand on a bulldozed block of land where your old school used to be. But you’ll work that stuff out when you hear it. It’s a personal record, but (I hope) not without humour.

As much as I’ve been releasing albums regularly over the last few years (two albums with Infinity Broke and one with The Tall Grass), Bedsit is my first actual solo record in seven years. My last one was Avalon Cassettes. It’s release has been facilitated by 162 generous Pozible crowd funders, thus making it’s shaky birth a surety. I’m grateful!

I’d wanted to make a record as stark as this for many years but somehow my songs would always bully me into giving them more. This time they didn’t.

Jamie Hutchings - Sydney, November 2017

Jamie Hutchings is a singer/songwriter/guitarist and sometime producer. He began his career as the frontman for much loved underground favourites Bluebottle Kiss in the 1990’s through to the noughties. The group released six acclaimed albums and toured many times around Australia as well as North America and the UK where some of their material was also released. Of the band, All Music in the US said “…this is challenging, rugged, dramatic rock with folk tendencies woven intricately into its coarse fabric.” He has released four solo albums, two albums with the percussion heavy quartet Infinity Broke as well as a recent album in collaboration with Peter Fenton called The Tall Grass. A frequent live performer, Hutchings’ music has seen him tour throughout Europe numerous times, North America and even China. His production work has involved artists such as Peabody, The Maladies and Mark Moldre and he has guested and collaborated with artists such as Paul Dempsey and Peter Garrett. His other interests include literature, surfing and wine. He is quite messy and cooks poorly.

"Jamie Hutchings writes songs that are epic, tender and mean" - THE THOUSANDS

“Jamie [Hutchings'] musical journey is one the most interesting, passionate and singular musical odysseys in Australian music." - John O’Donnell (Author of 100 Best Australian Albums)

“there is no song which doesn't leave you moved, slightly shifted in your own bubble in a way that can’t be quickly remedied. That’s a sign of a very fine songwriter, one of our best."- Bernard Zuel, SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

JAMIE HUTCHINGS – BEDSIT

Out March 3rd 2018 on Ltd edition LP/CD/Digital on Come To The Dark Side Luke via bandcamp and discerning record stores

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