Story Greg Phillips

Troy Cassar Daley has plenty to talk about. Since he last spoke with this magazine, he has joined a new record company, employed new management, had a TCD signature model guitar released by Takamine, and most importantly, become a father. He's also just released another album.

It would be easy to assume that the new album would contain a bunch of heart felt country tunes inspired by the aforementioned significant events. Troy, however chose another route, deciding instead to record an album full of other people's tunes. Not that he has lacked the motivation to write about the wonderful events of late, those songs will surface another day. This was a perfect time to have some fun, pay tribute to his heroes, and play the songs that had such an influential effect on his music career. It was time to record "Borrowed and Blue".

For a brief moment, Cassar Daley considered releasing "Borrowed and Blue" as a double album. Twenty two songs in total were recorded, and with mates like Paul Kelly, Ian Moss, Don Walker, The Dead Ringer Band, Shane Howard and Anne Kirkpatrick helping out, it was easy to get carried away with the excitement of the sessions. However producer Nash Chambers reminded Troy that the initial concept was created in the name of fun and for the love of music, therefore needn't be an epic production. Consequently eight tracks were eliminated. The remaining 14 tracks read like a soundtrack to Troy's life. Featured are songs from old world artists like Johnny Cash, Slim Dusty, and Lefty Frizzel, artists from his mum's record collection. Representing his teenage years are Shane Howard, Tom Petty and Jim Croce songs, things that he'd heard on the radio growing up in Grafton.

"Over the years I've worn these songs" said Troy. "I have tried to interpret them in my way. The record company said to me 'Do you really want to release 'Factory Man' (Shane Howard-Goanna) as the first single because it just sounds like one of your songs.' I told them that was the whole idea of the record, for me to make them my own, as well as paying homage to the writers that have inspired me to do what I do."

The Cassar Daley country sound is an organic one, full of heart and soul. The process begins using the finest local musicians available and the best equipment he can get his hands on. With those foundations laid, Troy can then concentrate one hundred percent on his studio performance.

Adding to Troy's studio inspiration on this disc was the use of a double bass, the first time he'd featured the instrument on one on his recordings.

"We had Dave Ellis playing double bass" said Cassar Daley in explanation. "We had him booked for two days, but ended up wanting him for the week. He has this 150 year old double bass. Jeff McCormack, who owns the studio said he had another double bass and another player in the studio a couple of weeks prior, but he couldn't get a sound out of it. He had like two Neumanns on it and tried two Rodes but couldn't get a noise out of it. But with Dave Ellis, it's all in his hands. So he put this one old Neumann in front of the bass and it filled the room."

"With the acoustic side of things, I've got this full size Takamine. The thing I loved about it was that it's got all solid woods in it. You can plug it in and it sounds great but it's got the solid top and back and I put that in front of the mike, and my wife has an old National that I had a loan of, a 1935 Duolian. That was the essence of the whole record."

The local distributor of Takamine guitars had noted a long time ago that Troy was A) a total “gear-head” and B) a huge fan of their instruments, so they finally decided to honour Troy's accomplishments by asking him to design his own signature model.

Troy explains. "I was playing a crappy old Takamine for so many years and I tried so many good hand made acoustic guitars with normal strip pickups like Baggs and Fishman, but nothing compared to this old Takamine. It was an old laminated guitar worth 600 bucks. I had this good pre amp put in it from an expensive Takamine. That was what made it better. So they asked me if I'd like to try a new guitar and I said if it comes anywhere near my old one, I'll have a go at it. If not I won't bother, I won't even waste your time because I don't believe in playing something if you hate it. I found a small body in the factory that was solid back and top and laminated sides and I liked how it sounded out of the box. So I gave it a chance. It started to sound pretty amazing after the first year of road gigs then I had a chance to develop my signature one at the same size. The one they sent me to have a look and feel of was an EAN15C, a big cutaway model dreadnought with tuner in the pre amp. I altered the neck radius, and wanted a scalloped bracing. I was so proud of the first one. I plug it into an AER amp and I’ve got a little Baggs pre amp that I like to use on my DI. I like to have my own phantom powered DI when I go anywhere. I can go into there, the phantom power line is the sound straight from the guitar. I leave it all flat, I don't even EQ it, basically just a level boost really. Then I run the other out, which is like a 6.5 out. I ran that to my amplifier, have that on stage, run a line out of the amplifier as well, and bring it up through the foldback. It's like a grand piano when you use it… like sex on a stick.

Electrically, Troy has acquired a Fender 50s re-issue Mexican Telecaster as his touring workhorse. His treasured original Candy Apple Red '69 Tele is now kept on ice at home. The re-issue has been modified to suit Cassar Daley's needs.

"I found an old 80s pick up in a cabinet down at Troy Music in Melbourne which had a nice brass plate on the bottom of it and shielded wiring, and I put that in" said Troy. "With the pickups in it, I wanted to dedicate an overdrive which gives you a crunchy sound at low volume to each of the pickups because the front pick up on a Tele is renowned for being quite muddy and used for rhythm. So because I love to solo on the front pickup, I wanted to get my old Rat pedal out and pretty much dedicated the Rat pedal to the front pick up with a filter on it. The filter can actually clean it up and take the wooliness away. You can put a little bit of crunch on it and you've got this incredible volume, a huge gain and a lot of head room. For the back pick up I have used one of the Paul Crowther Hot Cakes and they are a phenomenal pedal that I love. Mark punch got me onto those. And I've got a short delay and a long delay an old analog Ibanez Pink pedal from the 70s."

On TOURING ...

Besides rehearsals, what else do you do to prepare for a tour?

I've been playing around a bit at home now for this tour, I'm just going out acoustically in like a lounge room setting. I've got a little stomp box I'm using because I want to make sure I've got as much sound there as I can. I'm working on my acoustic playing. But I like to just get back into feeling confident about my playing. You have to get into practice. Put on your favourite records and play along with them. I like to stretch out stylistically too. I'll put on Stevie Ray Vaughan and jam along with him.

What elements go into making a gig a great one?

People that love music, playing a set that flows and having your sound spot on. They're the elements you strive for, you don't get them all the time but that's life. I played the Queenscliff Festival last year and the sound was immaculate, the people were incredible and I felt like I was singing my best.

On TROY’S ABORIGINALITY...

What does it mean to be a high profile aboriginal artist–is there pressure to be a role model?

If there is any pressure, I haven't felt it yet. I am very proud to be an aboriginal role model and very proud of my heritage and I love getting into schools and discussing where I came from and the situation I was in of being in a single parent family. These kids need to know that not everyone that makes it comes from a rosey background. You do come up with a lot of adversity growing up as an aboriginal kid, and you have to be strong enough to get through it and know there's a light at the end of the tunnel.

Do you think there are enough musical opportunities for aboriginal kids in remote areas?

There could be more done with people doing workshops in the more remote places. Obviously in the cities there are opportunities if you want them, but I go on tour sometimes with a guy called Brian Young, and he goes to very remote places that Paul Kelly goes to as well. I find the kids out there just need a few more people to come through and say have a go at this. Simple things like this is how you restring a guitar or tune them right.

A FEW QUICK LAPS in the v8...

What's one album people might be surprised to find in your record collection?
Robben Ford and the Blue Line, the one with 'Cut Me to the Bone' on it.

First record ever bought?
Slim Dusty Live in Wagga Wagga!

Weirdest gig ever played?
At Moree, they had us in this room with a big glass window and it felt like I was in a fish tank.

Album currently in car stereo?
Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder live at the Charleston Music Hall.

Superstitions?
I don't wear green. It's just a bad show biz colour. Never had a good gig where I've had green on.

Song you'd have played at your funeral?
It would have to be something sad. I'd want everyone to have a ball, because I love sad songs. It would be a George Jones song something like 'You Stopped Loving Her Today'.

Best drummer joke?
Too dirty? It has something to do with a pig and staying up all night.

Best set of boots ever seen?
Lefty Frizzell. They had a set of his in the Country Hall of Fame in Nashville and mate… they are the flashest set of boots. They were just devastating. You could never fill those shoes.

"Borrowed and Blue" is out now through Essence/EMI. Troy's signature model Takamine guitar is the TCDEF317S, distributed by Pro Music Australia.