"Gauging the temperature of your fanbase. Action through engagement."

Photo provided by: Emma Gillett

EDITOR IN CHIEF | GUITAR THRILLS MAGAZINE TAMPA, FL U.S.A.

Edward Schooley

Founded in 2021. GUITAR THRILLS MAGAZINE of Tampa, FL Guitar Thrills Magazine of Tampa, FL U.S.A. The GUITAR THRILLS MAGAZINE is excited to bring you some of the music industries finest talent. Including the world of entertainment. Our focus includes the long term goals and aspirations of artists of all sorts. We are an unbiased reporting platform. You are getting insight into the world of music. No, we are not your fathers website for music news. We have grown into our own, and rely upon decades of music experience and knowledge. Guitar Thrills Magazine is a hard act to follow.

According to Columbiadoctors.org Body temperature is a measure of how well your body can make and get rid of heat. The body is very good at keeping its temperature within a safe range, even when temperatures outside the body change a lot.

• When you are too hot, the blood vessels in your skin widen to carry the excess heat to your skin's surface. You may start to sweat. As the sweat evaporates, it helps cool your body.
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• When you are too cold, your blood vessels narrow. This reduces blood flow to your skin to save body heat. You may start to shiver. When the muscles tremble this way, it helps to make more heat.
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Your body temperature can be measured in many places on your body. The most common ones are the mouth, the ear, the armpit, and the rectum. Temperature can also be measured on your forehead.

Excellent insight into gauging the temperature of the human body. However, what tools does an artist use to measure the temperature of their audience? Interesting thought to consider.

If your work requires you to be professional, courteous, and respectful, your temperament is particularly important. Certain personality traits can define you and can affect how you will respond under stressful situations. The traits we were born with are often not fine-tuned until we get older, and even as we get older, mastering our innate traits are difficult. So many things affect the way we think feel and react. Whether we are easygoing or apprehensive, life can still be difficult. Especially within a professional setting, some do not have the will power to determine how they are going to react. They can be calm one moment, and full of emotion the next.

If you are an artist, having traits that are perceived to be positive could affect your success (or lack thereof) in the music industry. You could long and successful journey, or your career could be short lived. So, does this mean that you have to a “stoic” personality to make it in the business? No, not by any means. However, keeping your temperament in check can be the difference between success and failure, and it’s easier said than done.

Our special guest today is someone who could provide a little insight on the importance of temperament in the music industry. His name is Hamish Anderson. 

ABOUT HAMISH ANDERSON

Australia’s Hamish Anderson has an old soul and a young heart full of love for the blues. 

Dubbed by Billboard Magazine as a “singer/songwriter and guitar hero,” heralded in Total Guitar's: Top 10 Best New Guitarists (2018) and featured in the August 2020 issue of Guitar Player magazine, Anderson commanded the attention of the blues and rock world with his 2016 debut Trouble and built upon that with his 2019 follow-up album Out of My Head (which scored an Independent Music Award for “Best Blues Album”). Both releases saw Anderson team up with Grammy winning producer Jim Scott (Tom Petty, Tedeschi Trucks Band) and blended the traditional language of the blues with his own heartfelt compositions and classic rock stylings. 

Drawing equally from blues, rock & roll and soul, Anderson solidified a worldwide presence touring and performing opening sets with artists such as Gary Clark Jr, George Thorogood & The Destroyers, Stephen Stills, Doyle Bramhall II, Los Lobos and a coveted slot as the opener on B. B. King’s final tour. His relentless gigging schedule also saw him performing at festivals including BottleRock, Mountain Jam, Summerfest, Telluride Blues & Brews Festival and more. 

When COVID curtailed worldwide touring, Anderson rode out the lockdown performing live stream concerts and video sessions with brands like Guitar World and Martin Guitars. He spent the time honing his recording and production skills and rekindling his love of the electric guitar. Then, throughout 2023 he toured the US as support for both Gary Clark Jr and George Thorogood & The Destroyers not only as an opening act but joining both artists as a special guest night on their encores. He also completed recording on his third album. The result is ELECTRIC, his first new album in five years. Aptly named, Anderson describes his latest release as a “Love Letter to the Electric Guitar.” 

ELECTRIC is Anderson’s most complete and mature artistic statement to date. He says that the time spent in pre-production allowed him to distill his sound to what he feels are his best elements and not shy away from giving the electric guitar a prominent voice. And while previous efforts often found him working with session musicians and entrusting the production to someone else, Electric was cut mostly live as a trio with his touring band (bassist Lauren Stockner and drummer Pete Marin) with appearances by Jessy Green on strings (Foo Fighters) and Jerry Borge on keys (Jonathan Wilson, Ziggy Marley) and finds him sharing production duties with David Davis (The War On Drugs Lauren Ruth Ward, Miguel). The result is a stellar high-energy album with a clear and unified vision that catches the energetic raw band vibe of ’70s blues rock but updates it with modernized sounds and forward-thinking arrangements across eleven original songs and one cover song. 

INTERVIEW WITH HAMISH ANDERSON AND GUITAR THRILLS MAGAZINE

Guitar Thrills: Hello Hamish. Thank you for joining us today. Our questions are intentionally unique, and centered around figuring out what traits could help or prevent someone from becoming an accomplished professional, specifically within the music industry.

The topic centers around the concept of temperament. It’s something that we are born with, though much of it can also be shaped or determined as we grow older. How important is an individual’s temperament in your line of work?

Hamish: Temperament is always important and plays a big role in being a musician and working in music. Whether it’s being on the road or in the studio it’s always a bonus if people are patient and understanding with the creative process. Especially when touring it can be very taxing and you’re all running on empty with little sleep and rest in-between travel and shows. It can be taxing but a sense of humor goes a long way.

Guitar Thrills: If you have a response that is negative, harsh, and filled with anger will it harm or assist you with your career?

Hamish: It really depends on what it is. In this day and age and especially with being a musician everyone and their uncle wants to give you “advice” and their opinion whether it’s solicited or not. I think it can be important to hear people’s opinions but what is even more important is to know who you are and if you are critiqued you can take away from it the bits that can help you grow but you can also ignore the parts that might not be beneficial for you and your artistry. 

Guitar Thrills: Our purpose is not to make people feel bad if they lose control on occasion. Sometimes our emotions can get the best of us. However, a regular cycle of displaying harmful emotions can negatively influence our relationships. If you are in the public eye, your character traits are going to be scrutinized. If you are working on a better temperament, what is your suggestions on how to improve?

Hamish: I’ve found that meditation has helped me a lot. I do even just 10 minutes in the morning and I find it helps me keep a clear head and can improve my mood and my work. Also again I think humour is very important, if you can not take yourself too serious I always think that is helpful. 

Guitar Thrills: Have you ever had a bad experience, where emotions got the best of you?

Hamish: I’m sure I’ve had many over years. I remember before a show a few years back being so in my head that I basically cornered myself into pretty much having a panic attack. The next day I played the show I was freaking out about and it was one of my favorite shows I’ve ever played. After that moment I said to myself that I’m not going to play this mind game of having to torture myself just to do something that I know I can do. You don’t have to be a “tortured artist” to make good art and be taken seriously.

Guitar Thrills: Now, we can get into your accomplishments as an artist. In your About section, we learned much about what you have achieved in a short period of time. What do you contribute to your success?

Hamish: I think part of my journey as a musician is knowing that my thing isn’t an “overnight success” and it kind of ebbs and flows but I just want to be true to myself as an artist, make music that means something to me and hopefully just keep growing enough that I can steadily grow as a musician. 

Guitar Thrills: Do you ever get tired of performing?

Hamish: I get more tired of not performing. I’m always either so busy I feel like it’s never going to end or I’m between gigs and it feels like I’ll never play again. It is very all or nothing and the time between shows can feel long. 

Guitar Thrills: What kinds of projects are you planning for 2024? Do you plan on touring soon?

Hamish: 2024 is more the album release year for me. I had a massive year of touring from the end of 2022 through all of 2023 so this year has been more about releasing music, singles and music videos. 2025 will be the year of touring behind this album. 

Guitar Thrills: I know there is a strong Finnish influence in the U.S., especially in New York. Has any of the states that you performed in, shaped you as an artist, if so where? Please explain.

Hamish: Coming from Australia, the main thing I’ve loved about performing in the US is going to these places that the music from there has influenced me for such a long time. Getting to play in places like Austin, Memphis etc I grew up loving their musical history and to play there and get to explore the history they have to offer has been very full circle for me. 

Guitar Thrills: Who were your musical inspirations?

Hamish: My musical inspirations range from bands like The Rolling Stones. Beatles, The Who (who were the artists that got me into music), the blues artists B.B. King, Jimmy Reed, Magic Sam, Songwriters like Bob Dylan, Sheryl Crow, Burt Bacharach and artists like Al Green, Jack White, Amy Winehouse. I like any music that makes me feel something.

Guitar Thrills: That is awesome. Is there releases to be expected, anything you can share with us?

Hamish: My new album ELECTRIC is dropping October 11th. I’m very proud of it and feel like it’s a big evolution in my sound and as an artist. 

Guitar Thrills We want to follow up with you soon. Would you be interested in setting up another interview?

Hamish: Ofcourse! Thank you for having me! 

Guitar Thrills: Excellent. We look forward to it

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