Allow us to introduce Pikelet: not Pancake’s younger cousin – as you might have thought, but in fact the Melbourne musician behind dreamy folk tunes that have shared the same stage as Sufjan Stevens, Dirty Projectors, Devendra Banhart and Goldfrapp.
Pikelet (better known as Evelyn Ida Morris) took a moment to tell Pedestrian about her love of Brian Eno, the best songs for a bad day, and coffee-induced guilt…
My name is Evelyn Ida Morris and I am a musician/songwriter who plays solo and with a band under the name Pikelet. (Also in a number of other bands.)
I would describe Pikelet’s music as an investigation into music by someone who lives in Melbourne.
Someone else would probably call it psych-pop/kraut/folk music. Although there have been many other terms thrown about! I’m not so sure which of the genres I really want to be in, or whether or not those categories are accurate. But they’re the ones I find most agreeable I think.
I’m called “Pikelet” because when I was a kid my Mum would make pikelets for my brothers and I when she wanted to give us a sweet treat but didn’t have heaps of money to buy chocolates and what not. My Mum got sick with cancer about four years ago (which she thankfully recovered from) and I made the first Pikelet recording as a gift to her. I made it with borrowed equipment as I didn’t have much money, so it made sense to call it Pikelet.
My musical dream collaboration is David Byrne, Brian Eno, Broadcast and Vashti Bunyan. They’re some of the artists that have influenced Pikelet a great deal, so to work with them would be a complete dream!
But if I couldn’t tee that up, I’d settle for my band mates – Shags Chamberlain, Matt Cox and Tarquin Manek. I think they’re all musical geniuses. They all have other musical projects which I admire greatly and are constantly challenging and helping to grow my approach to songwriting and musical expression.
Some musicians that I really admire include all my inspiring friends who make amazing music: KES Band, Grand Salvo, Extreme Wheeze, Ned Collette, Bachelorette, and The Crayon Fields. Not just because of their songwriting or musical skills, but also because they’re inspiring to me in their relentless pursuit of their musical expression.
Then there are some other huge inspirations that are people I’ve had six-degrees of separation moments with like Mount Eerie/Microphones, Karl Blau, Frida Hyvonen, Ariel Pink, R. Stevie Moore, The Dirty Projectors, Animal Collective, Katy Davidson (Dear Nora), Jeffrey Lewis… I could go on for weeks at this rate.
Song I like listening to when I’m having a bad day are:
“I’m So Tired” – The Beatles
“Brave Like A Goose” – Grand Salvo
“Love Is How You Make It” – Gong
“December Angel” – Syrinx
“Eleven Willows” – C.O.B.
Three things I can’t live without are my glasses (I’m extremely short-sighted!), my friends and music.
Pikelet’s second album Stem is out now through Love + Mercy
To hear more Pikelet visit http://www.myspace.com/ovalyn
