The process of recording a new album is an adrenaline-filled business; something Candelo singer-songwriter Heath Cullen knows well as he has launched an "all-or-nothing" attempt reliant on community support to create his newest offering.
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It has been about four years since the release of the 36-year-old's last album, Outsiders, which was recorded with Elvis Costello's band The Imposters.
Since then he has been on and off the road, playing shows, writing songs for a new album, and also writing for a couple of other projects including a theatre show with director Lindy Hume titled Dead Horse Gap.
This month he will step into a Los Angeles studio with a hero of his, Joe Henry, who will produce his new album, titled River Caught The Flood.
On the record Cullen will be backed up by an impressive roster of supporting musicians who have played for the likes of Tracy Chapman, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John and Bob Dylan.
"This is something that Joe and I have been dreaming up for quite a while now, but the pieces have only just fallen into place," Cullen said.
"We both agree that it was worth the wait.
"The band is kind of a dream band - these are some of the best musicians in LA."
Henry is a three-time Grammy-winning producer who has made recordings for artists that include Joan Baez, Bonnie Raitt and Hugh Laurie, with Cullen saying he admires him not only for his musical talents, but also as a human being.
"If I could choose one producer in the world to work with, it would be Joe, and I'm just humbled that he would choose to work with me," he said.
The songs written for the album felt like the strongest ones he has ever made, he said, and he was "immensely proud" of them.
In order to help him release them to the world, he is running a campaign on the online crowdfunding platform Pozible as making an album is a very expensive proposition and he "just had to find a way to make it happen".
While he is grateful to be supported by the Australia Council of the Arts and Create NSW, he said in the end he is a completely independent artist - he has no record label to pay for the project and no people behind the scenes pulling strings for him.
"But I'm proud of where I come from and I'm so lucky to be part of such a wonderfully supportive community," Cullen said.
"I'm so grateful for the support.
"My friends and fans have become my record label, in a way, by investing in my art.
"I want it to be clear that this is not me asking for a hand out, it's a true exchange - by pre-ordering the album, people are ensuring that the album can be made.
"My only hope is that enough people want to hear this record as much as I want to share it with them. "
He said he looked forward to touring his new album when it is released.
To pre-order the album at Pozible, click here.
Albert McKnight
Journalist at Bega District News.
Journalist at Bega District News.
