“I wouldn’t mind being a fly on the wall in their house when there’s a jam going on,” someone once said as we watched Andrew Watts and his sons Kane and Sam onstage at a BB&RMF Showcase event.
Years of practice, jamming and doing the hard yards come to fruition when the Watts family band, Seed, launch their debut album on Friday, August, 26 at the Goldmines Hotel.
“This album has overcome 25 years of procrastination,” says Andrew Watts. “It’s been fun to finally record it.”
Watts is inspired by the thriving music scene in Bendigo. “The supportive environment in Bendigo is producing some of Australia’s best young talent. To think that the live music scene had nearly disappeared until people like Colin Thompson and Roy Webb led the revival five or six years ago.”
Watts puts a lot of time and energy into helping young musicians get a start. “I had my crack back in the ‘90s,” he jokes. Watts’ tireless support is evident in his involvement with the Bendigo Blues & Roots Music Festival and in particular the Lazenby Young Blues Guitarist Award.
Kane and Sam Watts play drums and bass in Seed. Both were accepted into the Victorian College of the Arts this year, leading to a Watts family relocation to Melbourne. Kane was runner up in Australia’s Best Up and Coming Drummer Competition in 2015. Both Watts juniors are now carving out a reputation on the Melbourne jazz scene.
“It started as a blues album, and got infected by a bit of funk and country as we jammed on the songs at gigs.” The album also features Brett Garsed and Hamish Davidson.
“Many people aren’t aware that one of the world’s greatest guitarists, Brett Garsed lives in Castlemaine,” Watts says. Garsed has played in John Farnham’s band since 1985 and is a major recording artist in his own right. Garsed features on three tracks on Seed’s debut album and will join the band at the Goldmines.
The Davidson Brothers’ Hamish Davidson also performs regularly with Seed. Perhaps the most respected bluegrass musician in Australia, he has toured internationally over many years with the Davidson Brothers. “How could we turn down the opportunity to do The Devil Went Down to Georgia with Hamish?” Watts laughs.
The album features nine tracks, with seven originals including Backbeat Right on Cue and Simple Days.
The Seed album launch is a free event with a $5 from every CD sale going towards the Bendigo Blues & Roots Music Festival. “We wanted to have a free event, and hopefully people will support it by buying a CD.” It all starts at 7.30pm.
