Lachlan Edwards- From Little Things, Big Things Grow
Lachlan Edwards possesses a talent well beyond his years. His folky singing voice and his guitar skills prove that he is no ordinary 15-year-old and will be going places.
At a busy café in East Maitland, I meet up with Lachlan. He is shy and a bit reserved at first, but that quickly goes away once he starts telling me about his life as a musician.
Lachlan has always been around the music scene, with his father Craig playing in a band. One day, at the age of 12, Lachlan found himself drawn to a piano. Eventually, he began to write songs on the piano before progressing to the guitar, now his main instrument of choice. He was self-taught on both instruments. Singing is something that he has always done and always loved.
It wasn’t long before Lachlan began playing gigs around the greater Newcastle area. “My first gig was at Lizotte’s in November, a live music restaurant.” For artists like Lachlan, Lizotte’s is an ideal place to play because a lot of patrons attend purely for the live music. They also encourage musicians to play their original songs, something that isn’t always welcomed in venues. Since then, Lachlan has entertained crowds at The Old Victoria Pub, The Albion Hotel, The Royal Oak Cessnock and, more recently, Battlesticks. I watched him play at Battlesticks and there is more about his performance later.
When it comes to writing, Lachlan isn’t fussy about how a song is written. “I pick up a guitar but I have to be inspired. I can’t just write for the sake of it. But sometimes I write the music first or sometimes I write the lyrics first,” Lachlan tells me, sipping his coffee. “I’ll start with the lyrics and getting a melody and add the rhythm to it and then go from there.”
A common answer among songwriters when it comes to inspiration for song material is life, and Lachlan is no different. “Songs come from stuff that has happened in my life. Sometimes though I write songs that aren’t from real things in my life but real in other’s lives.”
Away from music, Lachlan enjoys playing soccer and surfing. He’ s been playing soccer since he was young, with a childhood friend who lives on the same street. As for surfing, he enjoys his school holidays at Redhead, Dudley or Glenrock Beaches. It’s an escape from music and some down time. “Everything is quiet in the surf except for the waves cracking, which I love.”
For someone who is so young, Lachlan’s songwriting talent is impeccable. His song Little Things charted at number one on the Triple J Roots charts. It was in the Top 40 of the overall Triple J chart. “I was pretty excited to hear that”. Lachlan’s voice is mature beyond his years. Listening to the song, it isn’t hard to see why it’s had so much success. The lyrics are beautifully constructed and take the listener on a journey, with the acoustic guitar accompanying the melody line perfectly. The sound of the song is similar to Matt Corby. The main concept of the song is that focussing on the bigger things in life get you places. Although the song is about love, it isn’t a typical teenage angst song- the love Lachlan sings of in the song is mature and real. His other song These Days charted at number 13.
Lachlan is influenced by different artists such as Matt Corby, Kylie Lionheart and Ziggy Alberts. These influences come across strongly in his music. “Ziggy Alberts would be my biggest influence for my songs and my sound”.
When it comes to performing, Lachlan thrives. “There’s the gigs where people don’t listen and it’s just background music. They aren’t as enjoyable. The gigs where everyone is listening and enjoying are great. I love bringing people together through my music,” Lachlan tells me.
Lachlan remembers a particular gig, where he came across a lovely couple. “The man asked me to play a song for him that was played on their first date. That was nice to play a special song for them,” Lachlan smiles.
As a performer, he’s had a share of mishaps. He’s broken a string on stage at a gig, but just kept playing on. His dad is always at his gigs but the one time he wasn’t, the inevitable happened. “I had to change it while I was playing the set but it was all good in the end,” he laughs. He’s also forgotten lyrics to a song, once at a relatively important gig. “I forgot the lyrics to one of my own songs! It was so bad to mind blank like that.”
The markets are one of Lachlan’s favourite gigs to play. People tend to really love independent, easy listening and folk style artists playing at the markets while they browse. Lachlan says it’s always a great vibe with Olive Tree probably at the top of his list.
[caption id="attachment_884" align="aligncenter" width="300"]
Photo: Woolfsnaps[/caption]
Lachlan will typically perform a 3-hour gig where he will play a mix of covers and originals. “Dad likes me playing songs that people will know so I always have to include those. I’ll usually play an hour, then have a short break and then play through. But it goes fast.”
I went along to his gig at Battlesticks recently. His love of performing was clear from the start. Although the crowd was small, Lachlan performed to a professional level and demonstrated his versatility. Lachlan kept the crowd entertained for 3 hours with his skills on both the acoustic and electric guitar. He used the guitar as a percussive instrument, hitting the guitar to make the strings vibrate rather than strumming them. The beautiful sound of his acoustic strings when he sang Ed Sheeran’s Tenerife Sea left chills down my spine. He uses a loop pedal to add something extra to his performance. Although it isn’t perfect yet, it kept me intrigued and offered up something different to other artists. The maturity in his voice and his performance will take him places.
The future for Lachlan Edwards is bright. Having already had success on Triple J and playing numerous gigs around the Hunter Region, his career is only just beginning. He wishes to record an EP soon. In five years, Lachlan sees himself travelling around Australia, playing to different venues. “Hopefully I’ll have an album or two out by then and more of a following,” Lachlan says. At the moment, his following is mostly just family, friends and fellow musicians; but with a talent like his, that is sure to change.
If you would like to hear Lachlan's music, checkout his Triple J page: https://www.triplejunearthed.com/artist/lachlan-edwards
Follow Lachlan on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lachlanedwardsmusic/
Copyright: Creative Collections 2018
At a busy café in East Maitland, I meet up with Lachlan. He is shy and a bit reserved at first, but that quickly goes away once he starts telling me about his life as a musician.
Music is in his blood
Lachlan has always been around the music scene, with his father Craig playing in a band. One day, at the age of 12, Lachlan found himself drawn to a piano. Eventually, he began to write songs on the piano before progressing to the guitar, now his main instrument of choice. He was self-taught on both instruments. Singing is something that he has always done and always loved.
It wasn’t long before Lachlan began playing gigs around the greater Newcastle area. “My first gig was at Lizotte’s in November, a live music restaurant.” For artists like Lachlan, Lizotte’s is an ideal place to play because a lot of patrons attend purely for the live music. They also encourage musicians to play their original songs, something that isn’t always welcomed in venues. Since then, Lachlan has entertained crowds at The Old Victoria Pub, The Albion Hotel, The Royal Oak Cessnock and, more recently, Battlesticks. I watched him play at Battlesticks and there is more about his performance later.
Writing songs
When it comes to writing, Lachlan isn’t fussy about how a song is written. “I pick up a guitar but I have to be inspired. I can’t just write for the sake of it. But sometimes I write the music first or sometimes I write the lyrics first,” Lachlan tells me, sipping his coffee. “I’ll start with the lyrics and getting a melody and add the rhythm to it and then go from there.”
A common answer among songwriters when it comes to inspiration for song material is life, and Lachlan is no different. “Songs come from stuff that has happened in my life. Sometimes though I write songs that aren’t from real things in my life but real in other’s lives.”
Away from music, Lachlan enjoys playing soccer and surfing. He’ s been playing soccer since he was young, with a childhood friend who lives on the same street. As for surfing, he enjoys his school holidays at Redhead, Dudley or Glenrock Beaches. It’s an escape from music and some down time. “Everything is quiet in the surf except for the waves cracking, which I love.”
Triple J Success
For someone who is so young, Lachlan’s songwriting talent is impeccable. His song Little Things charted at number one on the Triple J Roots charts. It was in the Top 40 of the overall Triple J chart. “I was pretty excited to hear that”. Lachlan’s voice is mature beyond his years. Listening to the song, it isn’t hard to see why it’s had so much success. The lyrics are beautifully constructed and take the listener on a journey, with the acoustic guitar accompanying the melody line perfectly. The sound of the song is similar to Matt Corby. The main concept of the song is that focussing on the bigger things in life get you places. Although the song is about love, it isn’t a typical teenage angst song- the love Lachlan sings of in the song is mature and real. His other song These Days charted at number 13.
Lachlan is influenced by different artists such as Matt Corby, Kylie Lionheart and Ziggy Alberts. These influences come across strongly in his music. “Ziggy Alberts would be my biggest influence for my songs and my sound”.
Performing
When it comes to performing, Lachlan thrives. “There’s the gigs where people don’t listen and it’s just background music. They aren’t as enjoyable. The gigs where everyone is listening and enjoying are great. I love bringing people together through my music,” Lachlan tells me.
Lachlan remembers a particular gig, where he came across a lovely couple. “The man asked me to play a song for him that was played on their first date. That was nice to play a special song for them,” Lachlan smiles.
As a performer, he’s had a share of mishaps. He’s broken a string on stage at a gig, but just kept playing on. His dad is always at his gigs but the one time he wasn’t, the inevitable happened. “I had to change it while I was playing the set but it was all good in the end,” he laughs. He’s also forgotten lyrics to a song, once at a relatively important gig. “I forgot the lyrics to one of my own songs! It was so bad to mind blank like that.”
The markets are one of Lachlan’s favourite gigs to play. People tend to really love independent, easy listening and folk style artists playing at the markets while they browse. Lachlan says it’s always a great vibe with Olive Tree probably at the top of his list.
[caption id="attachment_884" align="aligncenter" width="300"]
Photo: Woolfsnaps[/caption]Lachlan will typically perform a 3-hour gig where he will play a mix of covers and originals. “Dad likes me playing songs that people will know so I always have to include those. I’ll usually play an hour, then have a short break and then play through. But it goes fast.”
Battlesticks Gig
I went along to his gig at Battlesticks recently. His love of performing was clear from the start. Although the crowd was small, Lachlan performed to a professional level and demonstrated his versatility. Lachlan kept the crowd entertained for 3 hours with his skills on both the acoustic and electric guitar. He used the guitar as a percussive instrument, hitting the guitar to make the strings vibrate rather than strumming them. The beautiful sound of his acoustic strings when he sang Ed Sheeran’s Tenerife Sea left chills down my spine. He uses a loop pedal to add something extra to his performance. Although it isn’t perfect yet, it kept me intrigued and offered up something different to other artists. The maturity in his voice and his performance will take him places.
The future for Lachlan Edwards is bright. Having already had success on Triple J and playing numerous gigs around the Hunter Region, his career is only just beginning. He wishes to record an EP soon. In five years, Lachlan sees himself travelling around Australia, playing to different venues. “Hopefully I’ll have an album or two out by then and more of a following,” Lachlan says. At the moment, his following is mostly just family, friends and fellow musicians; but with a talent like his, that is sure to change.
If you would like to hear Lachlan's music, checkout his Triple J page: https://www.triplejunearthed.com/artist/lachlan-edwards
Follow Lachlan on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lachlanedwardsmusic/
Copyright: Creative Collections 2018
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