Claude Hay celebrates the ‘Good Times’ with his new single
‘Good Times’ is the second single to be lifted from Claude Hay’s third album ‘I Love Hate You’. The new album has been garnering praise and airplay since it hit the shelves in late 2012 and ‘Good Times’ ups the ante with infectious hooks and a pogo-inducing beat. Like all of Claude Hay’s music, this new track is a DIY effort, lovingly and painstakingly constructed in Claude’s downstairs studio in Sydney’s Blue Mountains, featuring hand-built instruments, frankenstein-like circuitry and customised kitchen utensils.
Hay was inspired to write ‘Good TImes’ by the live music venues he’s spent most of the last few years playing in, specifically a wicked little pub in Maitland NSW, fondly known to the locals as ‘The Junkyard’. The Junkyard is the kind of place that has almost ceased to exist in big cities, where all too many great pub venues have been castrated by noise complaints. The bar itself is broken from one too many punters dancing on it, the federation architecture is still in ‘original condition’, the publican takes the time to silence the punters and introduce the oncoming acts, and the only security are the locals themselves. Basically the kind of establishment custom-made for Claude Hay’s original take on the blues and roots genre.
Claude Hay took out the Best Male Vocalist category at the 2013 Australia Blues Music Chain Awards adding to the swag of awards he received for his second album, 2010′s ‘Deep Fried Satisfied’. In the same week, Claude Hay’s song ‘Stone Face’ successfully made the semi-finals in the Blues category at the International Songwriters Competition, which is judged by industry heavy weights such as Bruce Iglauer (CEO, Alligator Records), Tom Waits, Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi and other internationally recognised producers and label A&R executives.
About Claude’s Guitars:
Claude Hay makes all his own instruments, customising found objects to suit his developing
musical requirements. ‘Good Times’ features Stella (Mark II) which Claude made from a $7 baking tray. This new guitar has separate piezo string outputs which will run through octave pedals to produce a bass tone and the sound is somewhere between a banjo, a dobro and an electric guitar. This second generation Stella came about from combining the best parts of the last 2 guitars (Stella Mark I, and the short lived Lucy who only saw the stage 3 times). Stella will now be always travelling with big sister “Betty”, Claude’s signature twin-neck made out a kitchen benchtop. Video of the making of Stella II is HERE
You can download FREE copy of Good Times and the B-side Close from HERE
Tour Dates:
Friday 26th April
The Piping Hot Chicken Shop
Ocean Grove VIC
with Tex Miller
$15, 8:00pm
Saturday 27th April
The Blues Train, Queenscliff, VIC
www.thebluestrain.com.au
Sunday 28th April
The Apollo Bay Festival, Apollo Bay VIC
www.apollobaymusicfestival
Tuesday 30th April
House of Blues, Royal Standard Hotel,
West Melbourne, VIC
8:00pm
Thursday 2nd May
The Port Macquarie Hotel, NSW
with Kelly Breuer
Free, 9:00pm
Friday 3rd May
5 Church Street, Bellingen, NSW
$10, 6:00pm
Sunday 5th May
The Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour, NSW
Free, 4:00pm
Friday 10th and Saturday 11th May
Paddy Shenanigans, Airlie Beach, QLD
with Dylan Hammond
Free, 8:00pm
Sunday 12th May
The Marina, Hamilton Island, QLD
Free, 6:00pm
Monday 13th May
The Tavern, Hamilton Island, QLD
Free, 9:00pm
Wednesday 15th May
R-Bar, Hamilton Island, QLD
Free, 9:30pm
Friday 17th May
The Hideaway, Fortitude Valley, QLD
with Cleveland Blues and The Red Eye Junction
$10, 9:30pm
Saturday 18th May
Solbar, Maroochydore, QLD
with Cleveland Blues and The Red Eye Junction
$10, 8:30pm
Thursday 23rd May
The Rails, Byron Bay, NSW
with Alisha Todd
Free, 7:00pm
Friday 24th and Saturday 25th May
The Blues on Broadbeach Festival, Gold Coast, QLD
www.bluesonbroadbeach.com
Thursday 30th May
The Great Northern Hotel
Newcastle, NSW
Free Entry 8pm
Friday 31st May
The Vanguard, Newtown, NSW
with Genevieve Chadwick and Ben Connor
$13/$16, 8:00pm
www.thevanguard.com.au
Saturday 1st June
Katoomba RSL
Katoomba NSW
With Ben Connor and The Honey Stompers
Free Entry
Sunday 2nd June
Beaches
Thirroul NSW
with Genevieve Chadwick
Free Entry, 5pm
Friday 7th June
Baha Tacos, Rye, VIC
$12, 9:30pm
Saturday 8th June
Grind N Groove
Healesville VIC
$10, 8:30
Sunday 9th June
The Northcote Social Club, Northcote, VIC
with Hussy Hicks
$12, Doors 2:00pm
