Major Chord down the rabbit hole
I’m currently sitting in the fire escape at work, hoping my boss doesn’t notice that I’m skiving off from my paid employment to live the rock ‘n’ roll journalist dream and chat to Dan Flynn, the man behind Melbourne pop/folk act Major Chord.
I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Flynn was doing the exact same thing, taking a quick break from his full time job as a social worker to answer my questions.
Major Chord originated in 2006, from the demise of Flynn’s former band Sleeping Pilot. Flynn is predominately a solo artist, writing and recording the songs in his own studio Out the Back (literally, its out the back of his house). His former Sleeping Pilot band mate Kate Connor adds violins and backing vocals, a long with a host of local musicians that provide various pieces of instrumentation. And I do mean varied; even the liner notes of the new album has them listed as playing percussion/other.
Flynn describes himself as a tinkerer; “My main instrument is guitar, but I like to tinker with many things - glockenspiel, keyboards, piano-accordion and random percussion like shakers and whatever I can get my hands on”. He still plays the Casio keyboard he got when he was ten and a second hand Farfisa straight from the 70’s, scored on eBay for a hundred bucks. “It was cheap, but still sounds good, and that’s the important thing”. Major Chord’s self-titled debut album was released last year and recorded entirely at home. “I like being able to take the time recording and relax in my own space, away from the stress and expense of paid studio time”.
This laid back approach has paid off with the album receiving rave reviews. Having a home studio also comes in handy for 4am vocal recordings and squeezing in writing time between social working and tending to a sixteen-month old baby boy.
The title track from the Major Chord’s sophomore release The Rabbit Hole, was written about the happy surprise; “Finding out we were pregnant was an exciting and scary time. It’s like we were going down the rabbit hole and into the unknown”.
Flynn finds most of his inspiration in life experiences - people passed in the street, strangers on trams and those met through work. “Mental health is huge part of my life. Being able to combine the two (music and social work) by writing catchy pop songs with meaningful lyrics is important to me as an artist.My favourite track on the new record is Hey, My Name Is Joe, as it was written about some of my experiences as a social worker. It means the most to me emotionally”.
Another great track on the new album is the Johnny Cash influenced ramblings in Single File; “I wrote it in regards to my loathing of mainstream media and their mediocre reporting and the aversion they have to free thinkers”. With lyrics like; "I don’t want to walk in single file/ I don’t want to live in self denial", Flynn has done a fantastic job of keeping the message easy and relatable, so even “The Man’’ can understand when he’s being paid out on. Its one of the great things about Major Chord’s sound, the melodies are sweet and the message simply presented. Although I can relate to anyone that lists chocolate and Coopers Green as their favourite food and beverage.
So what’s next for Major Chord?
“World domination! Seriously though, I don’t make many plans in advance, planning is not a big thing, I like to go with the flow and take things as they come”. This relaxed attitude shines through the dreamy, soothing tunes on The Rabbit Hole.
For someone whose first concert experience was watching Soundgarden back in 1994, it did make me wonder if the music has always been this poptastic. “I prefer the tone of acoustic guitars, but I would like to play an electric to, one day”.
The Rabbit Hole is out now on Vitamin Records.
