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Short version
Victorian folk artist Possum talks about her concept album Paynesville Seafoods, a cycle of songs inspired by her hometown and tracing life, death, rebirth and generational change.
Long version
‘If you’re the sort of person who’s not into listening to lyrics, I imagine you’re going to find my music quite boring,’ says Victorian folk artist Possum as we chat about her new album, Paynesville Seafoods, which is a world within a collection of songs set in one location, which we shall talk about.
Except it’s hard to imagine how anyone would find this rich, varied collection of songs boring, regardless of their interest in lyrics, because the music tells the stories just as much as the words do.
Possum grew up in Paynesville, which is in East Gippsland and, she says, set on a big lake with an esplanade of shops that runs by the lake.
‘It was a great place to grow up,’ she says. ‘We had a great community. When you’re in a small town you know the shop owners and you can walk to your neighbour’s house …
‘I always found it really fascinating, this thing in Paynesville of it being so beautiful there and then having this intense small-town vibe where everyone’s in each other’s business.’
She worked in Paynesville Seafoods while growing up but the shop is no longer there, although there are other fish and chip places in town. Paynesville Seafoods is, however, the locus from which this concept album grows, with Possum drawing on her experiences of Paynesville although it’s not an album about her life so much as the cycle of life in one town, with generational change, death and rebirth part of the cycle of songs.
It was wonderful to have the chance to ask Possum questions about this project, to delve into her artistry and make the experience of listening to the album deeper because of it. And Possum is putting on a series of shows for the album – details below.
Paynesville Seafoods is available on Bandcamp: https://possumbleary.bandcamp.com/album/paynesville-seafoods-2
SEE POSSUM LIVE
Friday Oct 30th- The Produce Store, Mansfield (with Mel Taylor)
Sunday Nov 1st- Tolmie Community Social Club, Tolmie (with Mel Taylor)
Saturday Nov 7th- Quadrophonic Club, Brunswick (supports TBA)
Sunday Nov 8th- Shedshaker Brewing Company, Castlemaine (with Rufous Whistler)
Friday Nov 13th- Stratford Courthouse, Stratford (with Stratford Singers)
Saturday Nov 14th- Paynesville Wine BarThursday Nov 26th- Medusa
