Chris Pickering & The Pursuit Of Intonational Perfection

In 2008 Chris Pickering moved from his Brisbane home to carve a notch into the Texas music scene. Now, eight years later, he's returned home with a new album, Canyons.

"I lived in Nashville in the USA for a few years, then moved back to Melbourne in 2013 with some recordings I'd made over in the US," says Pickering, "I've finally decided to put these out, after much deliberating and working on other projects."

Bouncing around the back roads of the US, Pickering found his muses in a lot of unlikely places. "The desert environment around Joshua Tree was a big inspiration, but so was a lot of the music I was listening too when I lived in Nashville." Pickering says it translated naturally onto the album, stating, "There's definitely a thread that links many of the songs, although this may not be apparent on first listen, and it more comes from where I was at when I was writing them."

Pickering has gone to lengths to make sure he's staying true to his intincts, saying, "I like things to sound good, but working with good producers helps you recognise when the vibe is the reason that it does sound good. It's easy to wreck a good vibe in the pursuit of intonational perfection."

Pickering is promising the best of 'the vibe' for his Aussie fans when he launches Canyons at The Gasometer later this week: "The band and I always mix it up live, and rarely play the same song the same way twice. We like to keep things open, and it's the best way to make sure your audience gets an original experience too."