Swapping the sun and surf of the world’s driest continent for life in Denmark may seem a little crazy, but for one Australian, this is one adventure with a purpose. The journey began with a typical ‘boy meets girl’ story that brought songwriter Sasha Karcher to Copenhagen three years ago. While it was not a voyage in the Captain Cook category, upping sticks with a suitcase in hand and guitar on his back, Sasha headed more than 16,000 km north, hoping his talent for music would allow him to make a life for himself.
Three years and many headaches later, Karcher has released his first solo album, ‘Drawn Swords’, which has been welcomed with excellent feedback, leaving the 2003 Australian Songwriters finalist feeling very humbled: “The response has been wonderful; on Twitter and iTunes we have had downloads and comments from all over the world, as far as Canada, USA and South Africa. It has been great so far.”
The album was released last month following an intimate album preview gig in front of a packed house of family and friends at Karcher’s favourite pub in the northern hemisphere: Diligencen in Gentofte.
Getting the album recorded has taken a lot of hard work from Karcher, with more than a little help from his friends and fellow expats: producer Brian Armstrong who has worked with Danish acts such as the Neil Brophy band and singer Yuki Badino, fan favourite guitarist and singer Rich Vargas, former metal head Manos Anassis, keyboard player Rob Luca, and Marco Diallo, who is one of the most sought-after young drummers in Copenhagen.
Karcher will be touring northern Europe in the spring and summer of 2012 as well as performing his usual gigs throughout Denmark. “The aim is to be heard by as many people as possible,” Karcher states. Sasha is hoping to feature at the 2012 Copenhagen Songwriters’ Festival, as well as Tønder Folk Festival, Roskilde, Skanderborg and the Green Concert, amongst others.
The debut album ‘Drawn Swords’ contains ten songs tracing a rough timeline of events in Karcher’s life over the last ten years. While there is a huge Bob Dylan and Beatles influence on the album, even if Karcher wanted to disguise his country of birth, the music gives it away. There are folk tunes, ballads, grunge songs and pop. But throughout it all is the undeniable sound of Aussie pub rock. You can take the boy out of Oz …
The song entitled ‘Receive me’ is the stand-out hit on the album and is set to hit the national airwaves very soon. The song ‘Floor of Hong Kong’ also has great inspiration behind it. Karcher recalls: “My wife-to-be, a die-hard Cliff Richard fan, put one of his songs on the jukebox in the Hong Kong bar in Nyhavn and proceeded to fall flat on her face. The perfect antidote for a song.”
Karcher began his music career in the late 1990s in Adelaide, Australia where he played and wrote songs with bands such as Semanon, Raw and later The Brothers Gibson up in Brisbane. During this time Karcher co-wrote songs that went on to win awards with the Australian Songwriters Association.
Like many sport-obsessed Australians, cricket was Karcher’s first love. But as he recalls in words not quite appropriate for print, it took less than one over to realise he would be more comfortable holding a guitar than a cricket bat: “Let’s just say I’m a better musician than opening batsmen. There’s more chance of seeing me with bagpipes before you see me with a baggy green.” Karcher did however get to write and record a song with Australian rugby league legend Tommy Raudonikis for his national radio show, a proud moment in his career.
In the time that Karcher has been in Denmark he has played either solo or with friends in over 50 pubs across the country in addition to flying to gigs in Amsterdam, and across Spain, Germany, Sweden and Italy. In Copenhagen he has played at the Drop Inn, Nyhavn 17, The Dubliner and the Old English Pub among many others. Having covered many classics, Karcher has now opted to write and record material of his own as well as writing with multi-platinum award-winning songwriter Fabian Petersen, who also works with the likes of Sys Bjerre and Anna Nordell.
Karcher will be playing solo at Rosie McGee’s pub on Vesterbrogade throughout January, so go in and say G’day.
For information on the upcoming tour check out dvkmusik.dk, follow him at twitter.com/dvkmusikdk or email sasha@dvkmusik.dk. The album ‘Drawn Swords’ is for sale on iTunes, from dvkmusik.dk and at the gigs – for just 100kr.
