Getting to Know Jeremy Neale

Jeremy Neale is celebrating his debut album, Getting The Team Back Together, with a national album tour which includes headline shows in Melbourne and Brisbane this March. We asked him to tell us about himself:

I am… full of hopes and dreams. Some of them will be realised, some of them won’t. But I gotta give it a shot. My name is Jeremy Neale. I’m inclined to make power pop music for reasons I can’t really explain. Then again, why do we do anything? To distract us from the all encompassing void? To feel connected and create community? For the lols? I don’t have the answers. Well, I have some answers. Like the ones I’m writing right now. But answers lead to more questions. See below.

Getting The Team Back Together is… a snap shot of a time in my life. It was a hard time but I guess there are always challenges. The record was my quest for balance and creating a life that works for me. Sometimes I get it right. I guess it’s that thing where we’re only ever a few steps away from glory or total disaster. I’m trying to walk in the direction of glory but sometimes you achieve more by just standing still and appreciating where you are.

Home is… Brisbane. More specifically, New Farm. I like the community. It’s a nice place to walk around. The weather is top shelf. The people are lovely and it’s a fantastic city to make music in.

My tour is… pretty spaced out, date-wise. That quest for balance I wrote about on the record still applies today and I gotta work my day job whilst keeping the logistical stress at bay. Is this too practical? Maybe. But I just wanna enjoy it all and deliver a show that people can be really glad they took the time to attend.

I spend too much time… avoiding my to-do list. Which is fine but it’s just then you never get guilt-free enjoyment of whatever you choose to do whilst procrastinating. Is the disappointment I feel at my own lack of motivation to achieve real world victories affecting my true potential at Star Wars Battlefront II on PS4? Quite possibly.

I’ve never… skydived or bungee jumped. You know, whatever, I just don’t need that kind of adrenaline. But I’ve also never turned my back on a friend in their time of need. So it looks like somebody just brought balance to the force.

It might surprise people to learn that… I spent 2017 in training and as of February this year I will be a qualified yoga instructor. Music isn’t always conducive to looking after one’s body or mind a lot of the time and I hope to eventually make yoga really accessible to folks in the biz who are doing it tough. So, if you’re ready to start that journey and you think I might be helpful, please do get in touch.

Catch Jeremy Neale at the following venues:

Friday 9 March
Black Bear Lodge, Brisbane
Tickets via Black Bear Lodge

Friday 23 March
The Workers Club, Melbourne
Tickets via Workers Club

Jeremy Neale’s album, Getting The Team Back Together, is out now via Dot Dash / Remote Control. Keep up to date with Jeremy on Facebook.

bobby townsend

 

Interview by Bobby Townsend.