Get ready for the biggest concert of the year on the Fraser Coast, with By The C.

When you have a headline act such as Jimmy Barnes, you know that all of your rock and roll dreams are about to come true. The man himself will be playing all the songs that you know and love and introducing you to some new ones along the way.

From Cold Chisel to a stellar solo career Jimmy Barnes has done it all, even being inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame not once but twice. With live performances spanning over forty years, and two bestselling books under his belt, ‘Barnesy’ is showing no signs of slowing down… Kim Parnell

What are some of your memories about life on the road with Iconic band Cold Chisel?

I have great memories of touring with Cold Chisel. The best thing about it wasn’t the money or the travel. It was that feeling of us against the world. We were five guys who had only each other and we depended only on each other. Every night we went onto a new stage somewhere in Australia and worked our hardest to make some sort of impression on whoever happened to be there. Most nights in the early days people turned up randomly. They might have had a friend tell them something about us, or just wanted a night out and we were the only option. But whatever the reason they were there. We had a couple of hours to win them over or we might not see them again. We liked the challenge.

What did the years with Cold Chisel teach you as a musician and as a solo artist?

You have to work hard. Every single night is important. When you hit the stage, you have to put it all out there. There is no next time. Give them everything and leave nothing in the tank. Then, maybe they will come back. If you do this every night you might make a life out of live performance.

Tell us a little about your new album ‘Criminal Record’ that is coming out in May – What can we expect?

The album is sort of an extension of what I have learned from writing my two books. Taking those themes and writing about where they have taken me to now. There is definitely a sense of being ready to move on and play rock’n’roll again. But I think that the whole writing process has improved my songwriting a lot. There are songs that I have written with Don Walker that I am very proud of. Don and I have written together for many years, but I think that we found something special this time. A way of really getting things done. The songs are tough, gritty and most importantly, very real. At least to me. And one thing I learned from writing the books is that what affected me is not that different to what affects a lot of listeners out there. We are all trying to get by in life. We all struggle in our own way. And despite all our differences, we all have a lot in common. There are a couple of great songs written by and with Troy Cassar-Daley too. Troy is a great musician and an amazing writer, and I was so happy to get to work with him on this project. He knew what I wanted to say. Chris Cheney wrote a great song for me and I can see him becoming a great person to write with in the future. He is one of my favourite people. A great guitar player, songwriter and a great guy. And I have started writing with my son in law Ben Rodgers. We started writing together for the last Chisel record and we are doing really good things now.

As a bestselling author with Working Class Man and Working Class Boy, how confronting was it to write about your past?

It was very scary looking back. What I saw wasn’t that pretty. It was hard and it was painful, but I needed to go back and deal with certain things or I was going to die. So yes, it was confronting but ultimately it was liberating.

What are the differences between the man Jimmy Barnes of the 70’s and 80’s and the Jimmy Barnes now?

I have grown. Not just grown up but grown as a human being. I think that I am a better person now. A better father, friend, partner, and a better singer. I like my own company a lot more. So, these days I can sit and look at what’s going on in my life and not immediately want to hide in a bottle of vodka. I can face what’s going on. It is still hard, but I now know that it won’t go away and facing it, whatever it is, is better than running from it.

The art of songwriting is different for every artist I chat to, what is your process. What comes first the music or the words?

Most of the time the words come first. I constantly write phrases and little poems down. Either in the many books I carry around or into my phone. Then at some point I go back and look and see where they all fit. If I hear a piece of music that grabs me, I normally have a connection to something I have written down and then it is a matter of putting them together.

Have you visited the Fraser Coast before, if so when and what are your memories?

I have been there many times over the years. Some years it is hard to remember much because we were so wild, but others were very relaxed. It is a beautiful part of the world. I have watched whales and driven along the beach on Fraser Island, and I have done some wild rock shows in the area too. I am looking forward to coming back up to tear the place apart.

Do you have a special message to the people of the Fraser Coast about your upcoming performance in By The C?

I am looking forward to playing for you all. My band is razor sharp and I will be playing you all some new work, as well as all the old hits too. Come and join us and we will have a ball.

By The C

Presented by Zaccaria Concerts and Touring

Saturday, May 11

Featuring

Jimmy Barnes, Baby Animals, Mark Seymour,

Killing Heidi, Mental As Anything, Boom Crash Opera

Fraser Coast Park, Hervey Bay

For more information and tickets go to

http://bythec.com.au/show/jimmy-barnes/hervey-bay/event-info/