BOBBY ALU

“It’s funny, I feel like I have reached my goal,” muses Bobby Alu, the ringleader of a band of Gold Coast rootsy-radicals.

“The fact that the album is done and now it’s available is great because now we can tour it.”

Hailing from a musically solo existence, Bobby Alu has grown into a collection of musicians with a drive for easy-listening, mood-lifting tones. Their latest work, aptly titled Take It Slow, is currently surfing the music scene executing its “cruisey” sounds to people in need of a chilled-out moment or two. The creation of the album is one that Alu says was born out of the struggle in his life to find those moments.

“I had just come off the back of a four month American and Canadian tour with another band, which was pretty grueling,” he explains.

“Sure it was a lot of fun, but there were times where I would have to sit back and go ‘I’m a muso, and I’m travelling internationally. This is not a shit situation’. PaulieB [guitarist] and I were talking about it and we realized that you don’t want to be so crazy that you don’t like what you are doing. I mean it’s our passion, it’s what started us off.”

This hectic touring schedule meant that Alu not only struggled to find harmony between working hard and chilling out, but also an equality between time with his band and his alter-ego Charles Wall.

“I find it a little bit hard to find the balance but it’s really like a life philosophy for me, you know?” he reflects.

“I guess as Charles, I have gotten some really valuable insights, touring around with a variety of different people and what not – but the Bobby Alu project is very me. My situation is a great one to learn from.”

Fresh off a solo tour with Aussie singer/songwriter Xavier Rudd, Charles Wall will be given a break as Bobby Alu ignites with a string of dates around the country.

“Usually you book six days and play six nights and you just try and keep all the costs down to make it work,” Alu explains.

“This time we’re taking  four to five days off and we’ve rented a house so we can hang and chill. It is hard; a lot of people will avoid doing that but we’re just trying to make a bit more of a lifestyle choice.” (CD)

Nov 27, The Basement, 7 Macquarie Pl, Sydney, $5, thebasement.com.au; Nov 30, 505, 280 Cleveland St, Surry Hills, $20, venue50.com

New album ‘Take It Slow’ is out now.