Sydney singer-songwriter Fergus Brown talks to 'M+N' about working with Paul Mac and Tony Dupe, touring with Martha Wainwright and his spooneristic new LP 'Burgers Frown'.

How in god’s name did you come up with the title for your debut album, Burgers Frown?
It’s just meant to be playful and silly. Some people think it’s good fun, and others seem to really hate it, which I find kinda funny.

Tell us about the recording process: where, when, how and with whom?
My record was pieced together over about three years in a bunch of different places in NSW: Erskineville, Kiama, Kangaroo Valley, Petersham, Tamarama and Sydney CBD. I recorded with a pretty large cast of mates and a few different producers and engineers. My recording choices were made out of friendship or musical curiosity.

The album was recorded with Paul Mac and Tony Dupé, producers who have very different aesthetics. What did each bring to the table?
Paul has a very intense understanding of the geometry of song. He is, maybe, a musical scientist. And Paul and I are both melody and structure freaks. He was great to bounce my ideas off, and just a chilled out and fun guy.

The contrast between Paul and Tony was something I was worried about for a while, but I got over that and in the end learned a whole bunch of very different lessons from each guy. Tony is more an abstract painter than a scientist. Rather than helping me refine my songs, he would help utterly destroy them before rebuilding them into something much more special. He’s a very switched on & creative guy.

You also had guest contributions from Tim Derricourt from Dappled, Jack Ladder and Decoder Ring’s Matt Steffen. Can you talk about their contributions and how they got involved?
Years ago I used to play in a band with Jack Ladder. Through that band, I also met Tim Dappled. Both those guys are way cool and great players. So when pulling together a band to record with, they were easy choices. The same goes for Steff [Matt Steffen]. I worked at the same pub as him, and he’s a very good bass player and a supremely chilled out guy. Another easy decision. These guys are always busy, but I asked very politely.

Is it true Burgers Frown has been three years in the making? If so, what took so long?
Since it was my first record, I tried a lot of things out with a bunch of different people, and was very careful to make sure I could live with my choices. So it took much longer than I anticipate the next record taking! I was also subject to different people’s schedules, which is just how life works, and then I got pretty broke, so for a long time I was just working to build up my recording kitty again.

The album’s been described as “a collection of often off-beat, sometimes tender, love songs”. A fitting description? And did you write this album while in love?
The love songs were written in all different kinds of relationship situations. Some are imagined, some are kinda from real life, and others were written almost out of despair, in the hope that my created character would come to life. Which did happen with one of the songs!

How important is a sense of humour to your aesthetic?
I love smiling at songs, at a little joke the writer had fun with. So yeah, humour’s always a part of what comes out. I don’t want my songwriting persona to show just one side of me. I like warts-and-all songwriters who can show sorrow and humour and malice and cool all within the same LP or song.

Randy Newman is my favourite writer, because his albums show all these parts of him. He doesn’t present only as the sad folk-singer, or the incisive social commentator, or the too-cool art-rocker. He’s pretty weird and impenetrable on some of those records too, which I love.

Why do you think ‘Nerds In Love’ has resonated with such a wide audience? Do you think everyone’s a nerd at heart?
There are a tonne of nerds in indie music. We all work out how to brush our hair or hide our embarrassing features or choose the right clothes. But we’ll always be introspective and occasionally awkward, yeah? So maybe there’s some empathy being passed around among nerds.

As a song, I think the story holds together and the melody is pretty. And there’s only one verse, which is great if you can get away with it. It means there’s more time left over for climactic chorus-y fun!

You recently had a “Youth Group moment” with the appearance of ‘Last Winter’ on US series The Starter Wife. How did that come about? And what did that offer in terms of exposure?
I met this American guy down at the markets and had a brief chat with him. He was a cool guy and we got on well. However, it turned out he was a Hollywood big-shot who has made movies with De Niro and Pacino and the like. He liked my song, and voila. Exposure-wise, it would have been better if I’d had a record out at the time the show was released. But certain kinds of ears prick up when you mention a successful US TV show, so it helps a lot.

What was tour with Martha Wainwright like? Did she live up to her fiery reputation? And what did you learn from her?
Martha’s a very committed performer. She is so dedicated to every note, every night. Perhaps that kinda professionalism comes from her family background. It was a real lesson, and it was an honour to watch her every night.

She’s not that fiery at all in person. She’s dry humoured, good fun, helpful and friendly. Her band were nice guys, too, and we’re hoping to hang with those guys on our upcoming NYC tour.

You’re playing with Kid Sam and McKisko on your upcoming tour. Who’s on first? And will you be travelling together, convoy-style?
I suppose we’ll rotate the slots depending on where we’re playing. There will be convoys, I’m sure. I wouldn’t play with a band that didn’t convoy.

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Burgers Frown is out now through MGM Distribution. Tour dates here.