Suzy Flowers
HEX; noun - a person who practises witchcraft - a witch. A ritual recitation of magical words and sounds.
'Writing songs, singing and playing guitar have been daily bread. I doubt I could have survived my life intact if not for them. Whatever changes I make along the way, they're always there.' On creativity; ' I think it is about trust. Trusting that what comes out of you has value and relevance. Forget perfection. It impedes forward motion because it is limiting, unrealistic and ultimately impossible. This CD was an exercise in letting go of it. Criticism, like perfectionism, makes us fight for breath. It contracts the soul. It creates shame. Give it the flick. Forget what we've been told. Breathe in.'
|
 |
HEX; verb - to practise witchcraft to cast a powerful spell or charm
Hex was made on a witches shoe string over a few days dotted across 1999 & into 2000. It is the result of Suzys' first introduction to the recording process... which, she said, was not unlike waking up on board an alien spacecraft and finding strange devices shoved in her face, cords wrapped around her body and weird things attached to her head.....foreign, yet strangely familiar....
Although Hex took only a handful of days to complete, the collection of songs span many years. It is a selection of moments in time, past to present and one for the future thrown in (not in that particular order). All in all it was one of those "about time" events. SO BE IT!
In a world where the idea of a singer/songwriter has become a cliche along comes Suzy Flowers,. From a whisper to a scream, Suzy's voice is a supple instrument. This album is a collection of songs written over the last ten years or so. On 'Hex' Suzy is ably supported by the Necks' Chris Abrahams on keyboards, Midnight Oils' Jim Moginie on production duties and a variety of instruments, and Hamish Stuart on drums.
Jim Moginie says "The backing is sparse and evocative, essential and minimal, to allow the voice and songs to shine through. The idea was that the listener hears every nuance and emotion, with little of the studio gloss that befalls much of modern music. Each song is performance based, reality to the fore. This is the true strength of this record, and what makes it so potent and personal".
Suzy has been writing and singing songs since she was 13 years old. She has a Visual Arts degree and Diplomas in Naturopathy and Psychotherapy, both of which she practised for 10 years. Both art and music have been the core of everything she does.
[The "Hex" cover is one of her paintings, as is the 'green woman' in the booklet.]
'My songs kind of emerge from a first chord that I'm drawn to and unravel themselves, usually along with the words. I don't write them to be liked by anybody. They are what they are. I know that there will be those who will listen and look and perhaps resonate or get something, whatever, from my exploration. I don't believe I'm alone or unconnected. Everything I do, every breath, is shared by every other living thing. My art and my music are not isolated moments of self expression. Like the Chaos Theorists say, a single beat of a butterflies wing has an effect on the universe. And if our wing tips ever touch, Salute!!! Hullo!!!' |
