DERRIN NAUENDORF
Biography
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Derrin Nauendorf
Biography |
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Determined to make something of his music career, five years
ago Derrin Nauendorf arrived at Heathrow airport from Australia with a guitar,
£1,200 and several extra layers of clothing to acclimatise to the drop
in temperature. From this, Derrin spent those next five years playing anywhere
that would have him, sleeping on floors and living on tuna baguettes. Things
looked up a few years ago when he purchased an old Post Office van, which then
became his home for the next six months, more importantly, it allowed him to
get gigs, and essentially his music, out into the real depths of the UK. They've
looked up and haven't looked back yet.
Literally over 1,000 gigs later Derrin finds himself with fans
not only in England, but Scotland, Holland, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, France
and his native Australia too. He has since managed to sell over 12,000 albums
from the back of that van, and become a bit of a hit on the festival circuit
too. He's supported Van Morrison and played to dignitaries and politicians in
grand Parisian castles right down to WW2 bunkers in Germany and two-men-and-a-dog
type shows in Denmark - all without the help / hindrance of a record label,
manager, agent or press officer. Derrin is a determined sort and this independence
has meant that he can turn up anywhere and get a show out of it.
His main focus, throughout all this, has been to make a name
for himself and his music. It can be hard work, "In Australia, my apprenticeship
was hard. Towns and cities are spread out and the living is hard. But while
it was hard it made me stronger and when I got over here I knew I'd be able
to make the audiences give me a chance". He's now played practically anywhere
and everywhere, building up a small barmy army of supporters who'll follow him
for several dates at a time, such support has allowed him to get re-booked time
and time again. His favourite places to play in the UK include "the South
Coast, Jersey and the Channel Islands, Yorkshire... everywhere!".
Derrin's new album, "The Rattling Wheel", is actually
his fifth release following such titles as 2005's "New History" and
2003's "Wasteland", and it's also the first to feature his band, adding
new dynamics and allowing him to flesh out his songs. The new stuff sounds like
"A kind of post modern Steve Earle type thing - more energetic, with a
rougher feel - I'm writing more for a band now, rather than just myself; exploring
bigger sounds and arrangements".
While Derrin is open to band-mates collaboration and inspiration,
The Rattling Wheel is a personal leap forward. Alongside tell-tale nods to his
main influences of Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, Martin Stevenson and Richard Thompson,
there's hints of John Martyn and traditional British folk, blended in with his
own rootsier, bluesier, and altogether gutsier sound.
With "The Rattling Wheel", Derrin Nauendorf has finally
swallowed a bit of the music industry pill-but only just. His firm foundation
built over 5 years of hard slog has taught him what he's willing to accept help
with and what he is not. He's hired his own PR company, radio and TV plugger,
as well as his own marketing team and all out of his own pockets. He's already
had his own label, after all, this is his 5th album. From selling the music
out of the Post Office van to now having his songs on iTunes; it's obvious things
can only get hotter. An intense and raw performer, Derrin works best in the
live setting - it is, after all, how he got his reputation - and why we're here
now, at the cusp of the bigger, better things for a man who's more than paid
his dues and kept the receipts. The only way now is up.
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"The Rattling Wheel" |
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