by Holli Stephens
As the temperature rises and the glimmers of heat usher in more happy days in the sun, musicians are gearing up everywhere to tour, release new music, and bring new experiences to fans. Among them, singer-songwriter and guitarist Mia Dyson is hopeful to create a jam-packed summer full of new music and shows across the country.
An Australian native, Dyson comes from a very small but rich music scene. Her father, Jim Dyson, also a guitarist, inspired her at a young age to get involved in music. “He got me playing piano when I was quite little and later he taught me guitar. Both of my parents were big music fans and played a lot of music in the house. It’s part of the reason why I ended up coming to the states.”
Over the years she has recorded four full length albums: Cold Water, Parking Lots, Struck Down, and The Moment. She has won an ARIA, headlined and played in numerous music festivals, and has toured with everyone from Stevie Nicks to Eric Clapton.
Her fifth album, Idyllwild, out today, experiments a lot more with sound. Dyson puts a lot of thought into all of her works and has powerful intriguing vocals accompanied by a rock n’ blues guitar to get her message across. “This album is all autobiographical. I see things and have a little notebook that I carry around and write things down. I try to work on songs everyday when I’m not on tour and just see what comes out.” Dyson pauses for a few seconds before recounting the huge recording studio where the album was produced and the amount of fun had by her and her band during sessions.
“We did more with ideas and I collaborated more with my bands than I have on previous records. I think there is a little bit of my 80s childhood upbringing in there as well.” There is a less traditional vibe to this album, so fans should expect the unexpected.
Dyson’s latest single, “When We’re Older” encompasses this non-tradition as the music video will feature photos of fans with their loved ones. It’s an idea that stemmed from her producer and video director. Dyson explains its concept to be, “love enduring through old age and death, so we thought it would be kinda cool to have fans and family send in their idea of that in photo or video form and see if we could put together a video. Which we did.”
Currently touring, Dyson can’t pinpoint the best city she’s experienced because there’s interesting aspects to every place. She recently played shows in Nashville and had nothing but positive comments to say.“It’s such a rich music city. It’s a very inspiring place to be. It’s not so big. It’s more small and very friendly and cool.”
Last October you could catch Dyson touring in Australia along with Liz Stringer and Jen Cloher. Each show was recorded and there is now the possibility of it being released on vinyl later in the year. In terms of other projects, Dyson is open to whatever might come her way. “I’m always keeping my ‘ears peeled’… is that the right word? Just all opportunities to write with people but nothing in particular.”
Dyson will be making a Philadelphia stop with Will Dailey on June 5th at Tin Angel.
