Entrancing Australian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist McKisko takes some time out to answer some questions by Larry Heath.

McKisko! How is your week treating you?

Quite the busy week thanks. Getting ready to fly around the country with overweight instruments.

It's been a couple of years now since you released Glorio onto the world. How have you found the public to perceive the album over the years? Have you been happy with its reception?

Sure. The reception was warm and continues to be. Very happy.

How has your own perception of the record changed over the last two years? Or has it at all?

I feel like it is a perfect representation of where I was at the time of writing/recording it. I wouldn’t change anything.

Have the way you perform the tracks from Glorio evolved in that period? If so, has this effect impacted the way you've gone about recording Good Grief.

I have changed the way I perform the songs. I was doing a lot of looping during the touring of Glorio. I’ve simplified some of the songs now and drums are more present in the performances. The live sets are a bit more alive I guess. As for recording, the process has been different, not directly related to Glorio’s songs though, just new songs and a different engineer.

You've chosen to release a series of five 7"s over the next 18 months, with Good Grief being the first. What brought about this decision?

I wanted to have a constant trickle of releases rather than an album as such. I like vinyl, the sound, the process of putting it on and listening more actively, the artwork. In releasing the music through bandcamp on vinyl and in digital form I hope to reach most people who are interested.

You're only pressing 500 copies of each 7" - does this reflect the change in the industry, where people are buying less and less - or is it more of a longterm creative decision?

A bit of both I guess. I’m not expecting them to sell quickly. It seems foolish for an independent artist to expect to sell truckloads of records. I also don’t like the idea of boxes of CDs being shovelled into incinerators when an album slows sales like I’ve heard some distributors do. 500 seems within reach and hopefully one day, in 50 years, someone will find one in their grandparent’s collection.

What can we expect from Good Grief?

Good Grief is generally fuller than Glorio’s songs. There’s more going on. More layers. A bit more grief. Oh Oh Oh, the second song, is along the same lines as Glorio featuring guitar and voice recorded in one take.

Have you finished recording the remaining 7"s? What can we expect from them?

They aren’t all finished and there are a variety of different feels to the songs coming out. Good Grief’s two songs represent both ends of the spectrum.

What all 7"s are put together, will it essentially embody a single LP? Are they being released in the order we should listen to them?

They will embody an LP. Choose your own adventure with the order selection.

You've got a national tour just around the corner... what can we expect from the shows?

Drums, guitar, keys, songs sung. In Sydney I’m playing with Emily Ulman and Roller One, which I’m excited about.

How do you hope people walk away from your shows feeling?

Very happy that they bought a seven inch.

You're a part of an ever growing music scene in Brisbane... have you noticed a change in its popularity in recent years?

I’ve only been in Brisbane for eight years and it’s always seemed pretty full of good music, sometimes you just need to know where to look.

How do your hometown shows compare to the rest of the country?

So far I’ve been lucky to have supportive audiences everywhere, although I’ve never played in Adelaide. Looking forward to getting there this time.

What is your favourite venue to play in Australia?

I always like to play in our back yard, we occasionally put on some small shows and it’s pretty dreamy here with the sunset over the mountains behind us.

Are there any particular artists who have influenced you in Good Grief, and on the remaining 7"s?

Vast influences. Bill Callahan, Low, Pablo Neruda, Don Delillo, Kurt Vonnegut, Magritte.

Anything else coming up around the bend you'd like to plug?

I’m playing an in store performance at Jet Black Cat Records in Brisbane at the end of the tour on Saturday, October 29th. Be there!