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April 13 - April 20,2003 |
The road goes on forever
Australian folk-rock trio The Waifs are hooked on touring
By Kerry Doole
Originally Published: 2003-03-23
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The Waifs
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A desire to travel was the key ambition of The Waifs from Day One, over 11 years ago. It remains central to their mandate, and the three Australian troubadours are certainly racking up the frequent flyer/driver miles.
Singer/songwriter Donna Simpson explains from Vancouver that "we've already done three tours of Australia in 2003. We opened for Bob Dylan and Ani DiFranco, played on Big Day Out [the biggest Australian touring rock festival), and did our own tour." Now The Waifs are blitzing Canada with 12 dates in 11 days before heading off to the U.S. and England.
Playing with Bob Dylan was a major thrill for Donna. "I learned how to play guitar from my dad, back when I was 15. The first song I ever learned was 'The Times They Are A Changin.' Now I own 36 Dylan records. It was pretty cool for us to listen night after night from the side of the stage."
Joining Donna in The Waifs are her younger sister Vikki and Josh Cunningham. All three write and sing, and that helps give the group's folk-rock sound real depth and variety.
Back in 1992, the Simpsons decided they wanted to see more of Australia. "Music was just a way for us to travel around the country. I was 22, Vikki was 18, and we wanted to see the country without picking oranges. Then we didn't want the holiday to end, so we did it again." That meant busking in front of pubs in resorts, gold and zinc mines, biker bars, and fishing towns, "playing our favourite songs in front of anyone that chose to listen."
They ran into Josh in remote Western Australia. He was playing bass in a rock band, but after 10 minutes of a jam session with the gals, he was hooked, and The Waifs were born.
Since then, they've travelled relentlessly, pausing only long enough to release four independent albums. The latest, Up All Night is being hailed as their best yet. Back home, it's established them as a real commercial threat. "It went gold in just three weeks, and has been charting high on the radio. That is hard for us to get our head around," says Donna. "I never could have imagined this level of success. When we started out, getting people to come to the gigs was what it was all about."
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