Pete Murray, Musician, Blue Sky Blue The Byron Sessions
Follow your dreams and believe that things can happen ...
Having grown up without a beach in sight, Pete Murray yearned to test his limbs at gliding over waves, yet the salt, sun and surf forever lingered just out of reach. But while following his childhood dream to be a professional surfer may not have eventuated, he did manage to pick up a guitar in his early twenties and strum his way into our hearts when he burst onto the music scene with debut album Feeler ten years ago. With four albums now under his musical belt, Pete decided to have a bit of fun reinventing his most recent offering with the help of some talented friends. Blue Sky Blue The Byron Sessions, draws on the atmosphere of Pete’s now home, Byron Bay, and sees the likes of Ash Grunwald and Scott Owen (The Living End), Katie Noonan, Bernard Fanning, Busby Marou, Darren Middleton (Powderfinger) and Natalie Pa’apa’a (Blue King Brown) fusing their own vocals and instrumentals with Pete’s soulful acoustics. The Weekend Edition caught up with Pete ahead of his Brisbane show at The Hi-Fi on Wednesday April 24 to chat weekends and family time.
How do you like to start your weekend?
If I don’t have my boys with me, I will go for a surf. With the boys, I like to get them down to the beach too and get them growing up with surfing. They’re nine and five years old, and the eldest is standing up now.
What’s your favourite thing to do on a Saturday morning?
Apart from surfing, catching up with some friends for coffee.
How do you like to unwind?
I find that I like to do something physical in the morning that helps me to relax, then watch a movie with the boys in the afternoon after doing something active. Around Byron Bay there are a lot of creeks to wander through and explore during the day.
What are your essentials for a well-spent weekend?
Surfboard, towel and togs – everything to do with going to the beach. Transport to get there. In the afternoon, a couple of Magners ciders.
What’s something you’ve been meaning to do on the weekend but haven’t got around to yet?
Probably domestics – my last priority. I only do housework when I have to. I would rather be outside and active.
What’s your favourite thing to do on a Sunday evening?
I live on the beach, so I love to get out with the boys around dusk and play some football or tag, and then have a late swim before heading back to the house to get ready for dinner.
What are you reading at the moment?
I am not reading anything at the moment, but I just finished Anthony Kiedis’ biography, Scar Tissue. It was a great read, but so frustrating when he kept getting clean and then falling back into addiction.
What inspires you?
Everything I do suits my lifestyle – I want to enjoy my life and be able to travel the world. Continuing to live that lifestyle helps me to continue to be inspired. And of course, spending time with my boys is always inspiring.
What was your childhood dream?
I grew up in the country, where there was no surf around. I remember an adult once asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I said that I definitely wanted to be a world surfing champion. The odds were definitely against me in the country, and at that stage I had never actually been to the beach before. I saw some old 1960s surf movie and decided that was what I wanted to do. Otherwise I wanted be a sportsman of some sort, either running in the Olympics or playing football for Australia.
What has been your greatest achievement?
Having children, nothing comes close to that.
What is success to you?
Success is happiness and having the lifestyle that I want to live.
What are your words of wisdom?
Follow your dreams and believe that things can happen.
FAVOURITE WEEKEND SPOT TO:
Perk up … the great local coffee shops in Byron Bay.
Relax … out on my back deck on the day bed.
Dine … Japanese or Thai food, any restaurant.
Indulge … having a massage at a retreat around the area; there are lots of great spots to go to.
Shop … I don’t shop much to be honest! Maybe, old retro shops and vintage guitar shops.
Catch-up … Wategos Beach barbecue area.
Be inspired … I don’t have to be anywhere in particular for that. I kind of just go into my mind and it is where I want to be. My future, in my mind, is where I get inspired.
