Moss covers rock around Australia on national tour

Ian Moss or Mossy, as he is affectionately known, chats to me about his upcoming national tour which will take him to Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Hobart, Launceston Adelaide, Perth and Brisbane. Mossy enjoys getting around the country, he tells me that his greatest inspiration comes from travelling, meeting new people and finding new places.

Some of Mossy’s favourite finds in Tasmania include Strahan in the West Coast and Hobarts’ Salamanca Place. Of the latter he ponders on if it is called Salamanca after the Spanish city. Not knowing off hand, his query takes me to the internet where I read Tassie’s Salamanca place was named for the Duke of Wellingtons 1812 victory in the battle of that other Salamanca.

Talking of cities around the world Mossy tells me that in 2014 he spent some time in Nashville taking part in writing sessions which after a six hour stint would produce a song. On the song writing process Mossy says sometimes an idea might be percolating for many years before it is brought to life in a song but occasionally a song will arrive in a flash or one line of a melody arrive from the subconscious. An example of the former flash of an idea was Ian’s song ‘Out of the fire’ which he wrote in 15 minutes. Apart from these occasional inspiring flashes more often than not writing a song is a case of 1 per cent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration as the old adage says. The creation of a song often benefits with input from someone outside who can give a fresh perspective such as Ian’s producer Peter Wilson who might suggest changing a chord, here or there, which completely in Ian’s words “flips over the arrangement”.

On the new self-titled album, his first in nine years Mossy tells me he wrote the lions share, co- writing with Sam Hawksley, that is every song except for ‘My Suffering’ written by the late Steve Prestwich his bandmate from Cold Chisel. Chisel’s Charley Drayton also plays on ten tracks and Don Walkers piano can be heard on ‘A girl like you’. The ballad ‘Broadway’ was written by guitar maestro Mossy himself to demonstrate how he misses his son Julian when on tour.

The new album is out now and available on CD, digital and limited green vinyl.

You can see Mossy in concert on the following days and venues:

Friday, 22 June 2018 | Wrest Point Showroom, Hobart
Saturday, 23 June 2018 | Country Club Showroom, Launceston

Read more about Mossy and his music here www.ianmoss.com.au
Paula Xiberras