Five minutes with Muddy Wolfe

Posted on 26 March, 2019

Muddy Wolfe is an indie blues-rock band from Canberra, who recently launched their first ever EP at the Smith Alternative.

It’s taken the six-piece band three months to produce their debut EP – the first step in carving out a spot for themselves in the Australian music scene. With airtime on Triple J under their belt, Muddy Wolfe’s point of difference rests in the harmonies their three vocalists are able to blend against a backdrop of blues and rock.

We caught up with Muddy Wolfe’s Steve Smith and Kim Yang to give us a little insight into their EP.

How did Muddy Wolfe come about?

STEVE: I formed Muddy Wolfe about two and a half years ago when I was still living in Taiwan. That’s where I met Caitlin and we played instruments and a lot of jazz gigs together and that’s how we formed Muddy Wolfe.

Early in 2018 when I returned to Australia, I wanted to continue the same idea of playing blues music. I knew that Caitlin was going to come back to Australia from Taiwan eventually, but in the meantime I wanted another female vocalist to be in the band and it just turned out that having two female vocalists worked with us and then we went through a few bass players and drummer until we found the right ones. Jonah the keyboard player joined later on.

What is about the EP that you guys love?

STEVE: I guess I love that it’s diverse and we were able to do it all on our own…we produced a song all by our own in our own little studio that got played on Triple J.

KIM: I love that Steve was able to bring everyone together from the Internet [in] the first place and made our talents shine in this EP. Not to mention he recorded and produced the EP by himself in his little home studio. We couldn’t have done it all without his determination, most importantly, we sound great in the EP!

Credit: Dean Vey 2410 Records

Another thing I love is [that] everyone in the band is talented. I wrote a silly minor blues tune for a CIT assessment, Steve heard it online and convinced me to share this with the band. Everyone poured in different musical ideas to develop the song straight away, that was magical. After only two practices we played this tune at a gig and the crowd really liked.

Why blues and jazz music?

STEVE: Blues and jazz are what I focus on as a musician because I feel like it’s the best way to express myself. Caitlin and Jonah have also studied jazz but also have a love for blues.

KIM: I listen to soft folk and acoustic singer-songwriter tunes most of the time, I only got into jazz and blues two years ago when I took leave from work and attended CIT for Certificate IV in Music. I found blues is a great music genre for musicians to express themselves both instrumentally and lyrically. Its structure is simple but it can be powerful when musicians play together and find their own space in a blues song to express their feelings with their instruments. I love that freedom.

Who are your influences?

STEVE: For me, I’m mostly influenced by Tedeschi Trucks Band, Marcus King Band, Doyle Bramhall II, Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix.

KIM: My influences are mostly female singer-songwriters like Sarah McLachlan, Patty Griffin, Joan Baez, Lana Del Ray, as well as Bon Iver and José González. Recently I am really into classic blues/soul music, so I’d say Bill Withers is top on the list.

You can find Muddy Wolfe on Facebook, Spotify or on their website.

Photography: Dean Vey 2410 Records via Facebook