Oils activism lives on in reflective new

FOUNDING Midnight Oil member Jim Moginie is launching his new solo album at Byron Theatre on December 15.

The songwriter, guitarist, and keyboardist in Australia’s canonical band is launching his new studio project, Everything’s Gonna Be Fine, recorded at his base, Oceanic Studio.

Moginie was a driving force behind The Oils for over 50 years, from the domestic punk scene to the Western Desert to the concert halls of Europe and the US.

Moginie told this masthead that the new album was intended to be a sparse-sounding record based around the acoustic piano, but with an all-star team.

“I felt the need to get back to my stock in trade, songwriting, especially after my last improvised guitar album, Murmurations, but it’s all aspects of the same person,” he said.

The album features Adam Ventoura and Leah Flanagan (Oils’ touring alums), Colm Mac Con Iomaire from The Frames, and virtuoso jazz pianist Sean Wayland, with longtime contributor and drummer Hamish Stuart as a special guest on Moginie’s intimate tour.

“It’s nice to have someone onstage with you if you’re playing solo, and Hamish is such a very musical drummer who played all over the album, and he can also swing like crazy,” Moginie said.

The album cover, which features a mammoth playing a piano in a petrochemical plant, gives a big clue about the material. “The lyrics are about various ways of looking at the future and our world,” he added.

Moginie’s recently released memoir, The Silver River, reflects on his journey as a musician, torn between success, political activism, and global fame, while confronting gaps brought on by the adoption experience. Moginie said he had been considering the project for many years.

“I didn’t want to write a straight rock memoir, as the bookstores are full of that genre,” he said. “It is truly wonderful that it’s found resonance with music people, Midnight Oil fans, and the adoption community.”

Moginie said the Byron show would feature a lifetime of songs he has written and co-written with The Oils, the launch of his new album, and songs that have inspired him from those who came before.

Venue doors and bar open at 6 pm for a 7 pm concert. For tickets, visit byron.sales.ticketsearch.com/sales/salesevent/139482