November 30, 2024 • 19 mins
Join Cheryl Lee - That Radio Chick on STILL ROCKIN' IT for news, reviews, music and interviews with some of our favourite Australian musicians.
Discover the magic of musical collaboration with Karin Schaupp, one half of the brilliant duo Katie Noonan and Karin Schaupp, as we celebrate two decades of their inspiring partnership. Karin takes us back to where it all began at the Huntington Festival in Mudgee, New South Wales, where a serendipitous meeting led to a harmonious journey through four collaborative albums. She opens up about their unique working relationship, balancing their shared musical dreams with individual pursuits.
We also explore the influence of their mothers, both music teachers, and how Karin's move from Germany to Australia at eight years old shaped her artistic path.
Explore the rich tapestry of musical tastes within families, from the edgy beats of Melanie Martinez to the timeless classics of Beethoven. Karin will also share her appreciation for the soothing power of ocean sounds and classical music.
Dive into the world of custom guitars with a spotlight on Jim Redgate's masterful craftsmanship that produces instruments boasting resilience and a rich sound palette. Hear about her commitment to a single, versatile guitar on stage, capable of producing an array of tones and effects.
As we wrap up, there's palpable excitement for upcoming performances and the sheer joy of connecting with audiences in South Australia.
What have Karin Schaupp and Katie Noonan been up to lately? Let's find out!!
Get out when you can, support local music and I'll see you down the front!!
Visit: ThatRadioChick.com.au
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Cheryl Lee (00:07):
That Radio Chick Cheryl Lee here.
Welcome to the Still Rockin' itpodcast where we'll have music
news, reviews and interviewswith some of our favourite
Australian musicians and artists.
Today we're chatting to theextremely talented Karin Schaupp
, half of the duo Katie Noonanand Karin Schaupp, who have a
(00:27):
unique collaboration.
Their new release marks 20years of working harmoniously
together.
The Australian says KatieNoonan has a voice like warm
honey being decanted intomelting snow.
It is such a thing of beautythat finding a vessel to hold it
can be difficult.
Happily, in the music ofacclaimed German-born classical
(00:48):
guitarist Karin Schaupp, Noonanhas found the perfect companion.
Have to say I agree with thatwrap up.
Let us get to know KarinSchaupp a little bit better and
what these two talented ladiesare up to.
To catch up on podcasts fromother favourite artists, simply
go to that radiochickcomau.
I'd like to welcome into theZoom room today Karin Schaupp.
(01:15):
How are you Good, thank you.
Thank you so much for takingtime out of your holiday to have
a chat with us today, becauseyou've got a new release and it
celebrates 20 years of yourunique collaboration with Katie
Noonan.
Well done, ladies.
Karin Schaupp (01:33):
Yeah, oh, look, it's very special that we've
worked together for so long, andit was indeed exactly 20 years
ago that we were first puttogether in a festival.
We had met before, but wehadn't worked together.
And we were put together in afestival we had met before but
we hadn't worked together.
And we were put together in afestival at Mudgee in New South
Wales by Richard Tognetti.
It was the Huntington Festivaland we just did some English
(01:54):
folk songs and we both went ah,I really like working with you.
And then it kind of probablytook another couple of years.
After that we ran into eachother at airports, as most
musicians do, and sort ofvarious events, and then, yeah,
we made our first album and itwas Songs of the British Isles.
So we sort of, you know,continued from where we started.
Then we've made four albumstogether and toured them and
(02:17):
just grown a really beautifulfriendship.
We've both done a lot of otherthings in between and maybe
that's the secret to asuccessful collaboration is that
we you know, we only do thisevery few years together and
it's very special when we do getto play together and we really
look forward to hanging out andto being on stage together and
making music together.
So, yeah, it's been reallylovely.
Cheryl Lee (02:38):
Well, congratulations.
That is a lot longer than a lotof marriages.
Karin Schaupp (02:42):
Indeed indeed, but we're not married and all
the time in between is probablythe secret.
Maybe that would be better forsome marriages as well.
Cheryl Lee (02:50):
Exactly, Me time, your own time, as you mentioned,
and I don't think either of yourecall it, but you did meet
sort of as youngsters in the 80sbecause both of your mothers
were music teachers.
Karin Schaupp (03:04):
Yeah, that's right, and Katie at the time was
predominantly focusing onlearning piano and I mean she
still is a really good pianistand I was learning guitar and my
mother was my teacher and hermother was teaching singing.
So she was learning piano, Ithink from another teacher at
this music school called theStolyarsky School of Music.
We were both there, we bothplayed in the little student
(03:24):
concerts and our mothers kneweach other and insist that we
met at the time, but neither ofus remembers because we were
very young.
Cheryl Lee (03:33):
But isn't that lovely how organically, all
those years later, you reconnecton a stage and a beautiful
friendship and a beautifulcollaboration ensues.
Karin Schaupp (03:43):
Yeah, look it is.
It's really nice and it's kindof meant to be.
And you know, I mean you go toa lot of festivals and you play
with a lot of people as a kindof a one-off and that's really
lovely and often they're reallygreat experiences.
But it's rare that you playwith someone and immediately
just feel that kind of intuitiverapport, like you are on the
same page musically and you feellike you know what they're
(04:04):
going to do when you agree withit.
That's how we both felt, so Iguess that's what this is built
on.
Cheryl Lee (04:08):
I usually ask artists because I'm usually
really interested in, you know,is music in their DNA and when
did they first pick up theirinstrument and realize that?
You know, this is their lifepassion.
But with music teacher mothersI don't think was there ever any
plan B, any other course, or itwas preordained.
Karin Schaupp (04:30):
Look, I mean, certainly for me.
I you know my mother once I hadsaid I want to be a musician,
then she pushed me.
But I mean, I teach music aswell and I play music and
neither of my children want tobe musicians and I'm totally
okay with that.
I don't think it's necessarilypreordained, but I think once
you make the decision, and thenyou know, I know that my mother
(04:50):
was certainly then very muchinvolved, which is good and bad.
She was very much involved inteaching me and sort of, you
know, getting me to work towardsthings and not do too much too
soon.
She was kind of the opposite ofan ambitious dance mum.
She was like, no, no, it's toosoon for you to do that, don't
try to do that yet, sort ofthing.
So she sort of, in a way, heldme back a little bit when I was
(05:11):
young in terms of what I wasdoing externally, whereas at
home she made me, you know, dolots of practice which I'm
grateful for.
Cheryl Lee (05:25):
You are listening to Still Rockin' it, the podcast
with Cheryl Lee.
Even before we tell you toomuch more about the
collaboration on the album Songsof the Southern Skies, Volume 2
, we're going to play you one.
You'll recognise this from themovie Xanadu.
And then we're back to speak toKarin again shortly.
Karin Schaupp (05:52):
So you were born in Germany.
What age did you come out toAustralia?
I was eight when we moved toAustralia and I had no choice in
the matter and at the time Iwas actually not too happy about
it, to be honest.
I was leaving all of my schooland friends and everything and
we had been for a visit and Iloved the beach and I loved, you
know, all the beautiful naturewhich really struck me after
living in Germany and comingfrom a German winter.
Yeah, it was a big transition.
I couldn't speak a word ofEnglish, and this is in the
(06:14):
early 80s.
It wasn't usual for schools tohave a lot of non-English
speaking children.
In fact I was the only one atmy school at the time, so I was
quite the oddity.
So that was actually quite abig adjustment.
But once I was here and afterabout probably within sort of
four or five months, I couldcommunicate fairly solidly and
(06:34):
string sentences together,because when you're in that
situation, that completeimmersion, you learn pretty
quickly.
So I learned English veryquickly and I felt very much as
an Aussie and now, even though Ido still, you know, when I go
back to Germany I still feelthat there's a part of me that
feels very connected to thatcountry.
I would always say that I'mAustralian.
Cheryl Lee (06:55):
What made mum and dad come to Australia from
Germany?
Karin Schaupp (06:58):
Oh, lots of things.
At the time there was sort of apolitical situation around
Europe, and particularly withRussia, that they were worried
was going to flare up.
My father had some healthissues which were pretty much
immediately resolved by comingto a warmer climate.
So a lot of factors.
And my mum's sister, my aunt,had actually moved out here
(07:19):
because she had a pen friendhere from school and had visited
and just gone on.
She's younger and had gone onsort of an adventure with her
young husband and said, oh,let's move to Australia, which
at the time in Germany was likesaying you know, you're going to
move to the wild west Crazy.
Everyone was like, oh my God,there's kangaroos in your yard
and, you know, koalas, dropbears, totally sort of seen as
(07:42):
an amazing exotic place but alsoquite a backward place and, you
know, in a very exaggerated way, which of course wasn't the
case.
Cheryl Lee (07:51):
This new album because this one concentrates
entirely on female artists.
With all the fantastic Aussiefemale artists out there, how on
earth do you and Katie chooseand agree on what songs go into
the album?
Karin Schaupp (08:07):
It's tricky and it's probably the main reason
that we chose to focus onfemales this time.
So this is kind of a follow upalbum from Songs of the Southern
Skies, volume 1, which wasAustralian and New Zealand,
males and females.
We didn't discriminate and itwas so hard to make that list so
we thought, ok, this time we'regoing to do just females.
There's a couple of songs thatwere made famous by females but
(08:28):
were actually written by men.
So we didn't, we weren't toosort of, you know, entirely
strict about it, but they'remostly songs written by female
singer songwriters.
Next time we might do maletrucking songs, just to narrow
it down.
But you're right, I mean, thereis such a wealth of music in
this country and for us tonarrow down, I mean first of all
, obviously it's songs that welove.
(08:50):
Many of these songs are songsthat we kind of, you know, even
grew up with, or at least youknow that came out when we were
teenagers.
And then also another reallybig factor is does the song mean
something to us, andparticularly for Katie?
If she's singing someone'swords, she has to be able to
relate to them emotionally.
And will the song derive somebenefit from being reimagined?
(09:13):
Because we're not really.
We're not just doing covers,we're really reimagining this
music and, you know, taking itapart and putting it back
together again, and in doingthat you need to think about,
obviously being respectful tothe original and honoring that,
but also thinking, well, isthere something that we can give
?
This that's going to, you know,add something, because if
you're taking away, you knowyou're taking away an electric
(09:34):
guitar, a bass guitar, a drumkit, a keyboard and you know,
maybe five backing singers andyou're going to have one singer
and one classical guitar.
Are you gaining something bydoing that?
Of course, what there is togain is intimacy as sort of a
personal closeness and a rawnessemotionally, which is something
that we both value andsomething that we bring to the
(09:55):
music that I think was a scoop.
Cheryl Lee (09:58):
Ladies and gentlemen , I reckon that there's going to
be songs of the Southern Skies,Volume 3.
We're going to be just thefellas Trucking songs.
Watch this space Still rockin'the podcast with that radio
chick, cheryl Lee.
We'll be back to talk again toKarin shortly, but in the
meantime let's have a listen tothe Kylie Minogue song,
(10:18):
reimagined for the album Confidein Me.
Congratulations, too, on yourARIA award.
Well done.
Karin Schaupp (10:36):
It was actually the album In Between, so we made
songs of the Latin skies, whichwas all Latin music Brazilian,
Argentinian, Colombian, lots ofdifferent countries from South
America.
We actually won the World MusicARIA for that.
Cheryl Lee (10:50):
Beautiful that was our last album.
Karin Schaupp (10:52):
That was BC before COVID.
We always wanted to make avolume two of the Southern Skies
, so we came back to do that.
We just got a bit distracted inbetween.
Cheryl Lee (10:59):
Yes, some little pandemic or something.
Yes, yes, oh no.
Well done and very welldeserved Congratulations, along
with the album.
You are in the middle of anational tour.
Karin Schaupp (11:13):
Admittedly, I'm sneaking away a few days at the
beach with my family because mykids have just finished school.
But yes, technically we are ontour.
I have my guitar with me.
Yeah, we've actually done mostof this year's stint of the tour
and we've just got Adelaide togo, which is exciting, and we're
playing at the gorgeous TrinitySessions which I've heard a lot
about.
Katie's been there a few times.
(11:33):
She's told me about it, butI've actually not played there,
so I'm really looking forward toit.
That's on December 6th and 7th.
Cheryl Lee (11:39):
That's right.
You've got two more dates thisyear before you embark on part
two, all of April in 2025.
So get down to the TrinitySessions on Goody Road If you
haven't been there before.
It is a beautiful, intimateenvironment.
It's an old converted churchactually, and it's a lovely spot
.
As Karin mentioned, friday the6th of December and Saturday,
(12:03):
the 7th of December.
Tickets from katienoonacomau orkarensharpcom.
So get onto your Google-o-meterand I'm sure if you just typed
in the trinity sessions, youcould grab your ticket link from
there as well.
And, by the way, adelaideans,young adelaide voices, why yeah?
Karin Schaupp (12:25):
yeah, look, it's been amazing and katie has done
a mammoth job um organizingchoirs for all of our concerts,
and the choir joins us.
In a gorgeous song by KateCeberano called Brave On the
album, Kate herself joins us,but in our concerts we've got
these beautiful choirs joiningus, and Young Adelaide Voices
(12:46):
are a fantastic choir, so we'rereally looking forward to
meeting them and having them onstage with us.
Cheryl Lee (12:51):
That is going to be amazing.
Kate actually was here in SouthAustralia last weekend.
Oh fantastic, she's a legend.
She is, isn't she?
We love Kate you are listeningto still rockin' it the podcast
with cheryl lee we might havethat song, I think brave, by
Kate Ceberano, and this versionis with the Symphony Orchestra.
(13:14):
And then we're back to speak toKarin Schaupp.
Apart from when you're choosingsongs and learning songs and
reimagining songs, what's onyour playlist, Karin, when you
get to listen to whatever youlike?
Karin Schaupp (13:36):
Look, you know my favourite playlist is the ocean
.
Honestly, silence.
I'm actually away at the beachat the moment and just listening
to the ocean.
You know, I guess it has itsown rhythm.
But honestly, because I teach alot as well.
I teach at the QueenslandConservatorium, so I'm hearing
music for so much of my life.
(13:56):
I tend to actually want to beat home with not so much music.
My family love music, so bydefault I actually, because I'm
not usually the first to putmusic on, I end up listening to
everything and anything that myfamily puts on.
My son is 12.
His favourite artist is MelanieMartinez.
My daughter has just come outof a Taylor Swift phase.
(14:20):
She's 16.
So we've broadened our tastes alittle bit there and she's now
listening to a lot of musicals,which is great.
I'm happy with that.
I think I know most of thesongs in Hamilton and you know
my husband listens also toeverything from Missy Higgins to
Beethoven symphonies and Iguess if I'm in the car by
myself and I have to choose aradio station, I would probably
(14:42):
listen to classic FM.
I would mostly listen toclassical music.
That's my kind of homeland,that's the music I grew up with.
It's the music I feel I reallyunderstand.
But I appreciate all styles ofmusic and I've played lots of
styles of music, so I'm not thatfussy.
But yeah, the ocean isdefinitely my favourite sound.
Cheryl Lee (15:01):
Your go-to.
It's very relaxing, isn't it?
It's rhythmic and will alwayslift your mood, I reckon,
listening to the ocean.
Karin Schaupp (15:08):
Absolutely Takes away all the stresses of the
year gone by.
Cheryl Lee (15:12):
Still rockin' it podcast with that radio chick,
cheryl Lee.
I have three daughters who wereSwifties as well, and must
admit to being a little bit of aSwifty myself, so let's have a
quick one from Taylor.
I knew you were trouble andthen we're back, I think, to say
goodbye to Karin Schaupp.
Karin, I hear that there is afabulous South Australian
(15:45):
connection with your guitar.
Karin Schaupp (15:48):
Indeed, yes.
So my guitar was custom builtfor me by an incredible luthier
who lives in Noorlunga outsideof Adelaide, Jim Redgate.
He is known all over the worldand I'm not just saying that he
really.
He's got orders backed up Idon't know for how many years
from some of the best playersall over the world that want him
to build a guitar for them, acustom made guitar.
So my guitar is a I'm justgoing to be a bit nerdy it's a
(16:11):
cedar top and it's a wave top,double top guitar and it's
absolutely gorgeous.
Wherever I go, people comment onit.
So I'm super excited that theguitar gets to come home to
South Australia.
I get to connect with Jim.
Last time I was down there Iwent to his workshop and it's
just amazing to have thisinstrument, which is really my
(16:31):
baby, that was so lovingly builtand in such incredible detail
and with such a wealth ofknowledge.
So Jim has really taken theguitar building tradition, which
very much came from Spain inthe late 19th century, built on
it and made, you know, a lot ofsort of changes and inventions
really, and he builds, as I said, incredible guitars.
(16:52):
I absolutely love mine.
I've got two actually, but theone I'm bringing is my favourite
.
I'm very thrilled to share thatwith South Australian audiences
.
Cheryl Lee (17:00):
Bring the guitar home how long have you had a Jim
guitar?
Karin Schaupp (17:04):
I've been playing Jim's guitars for, I reckon, at
least 12 or 14 years quite along time.
And, as I said, this is mysecond one and I think I'll
probably end up getting a thirdone out of him at some point.
But at the moment I love thisguitar and I'm actually there's
nothing that I would changeabout it.
It records beautifully, ittravels really well.
(17:24):
A lot of really sort of highlevel classical concert guitars
are very fragile and don'ttravel very well and you know,
if it rains the guitar kind ofsounds like it's got the flu.
That's actually true becausethe overtones change.
But Jim's guitars are amazingand he's got it all figured out
with how he builds them in hisspecial humidity cabinet and
everything.
And each guitar is a labor oflove.
They take months from start tofinish to build.
Cheryl Lee (17:47):
A very clever and a very passionate man by the
sounds of it.
Yeah, amazing.
Sometimes, when you're watchingartists on stage, the guitar
tech is every second song it's adifferent guitar and they're
changing guitars all the time.
Do you just use your favorite,Jimbo guitar?
Karin Schaupp (18:04):
Yeah, I just use the one guitar and look honestly
, I mean it's such asophisticated instrument it can
sound completely different.
I can make it sound like 20, 30different guitars and you
wouldn't know it was the sameinstrument.
It's got so much color and ifyou just adjust the angle of
your hand slightly because weplay so on classical guitar, we
play with the nails of the righthand change the angle of the
(18:25):
nail slightly or where you arealong the strings, it completely
changes the sound and that's asign of a really very high level
concert guitar and Jim'sguitars are full of color, so I
definitely don't need anotherguitar on stage.
I change tuning and I use acapo.
So you know, depending on thekey, sometimes obviously I
change the key and when you puta capo on, you've got a few
(18:46):
guitars there.
I know.
You know what I'm talking aboutwhen I say capo pitch, that
completely changes the color, asyou know.
So there's a lot of sounds andthere's a lot of little bits of
percussion and so on.
Jim's always a bit like don'tdo percussion on the guitar, but
I know where I'm allowed to hitit and where I'm not allowed to
hit it.
Cheryl Lee (19:03):
Yeah, oh, that's beautiful Adelaide audiences.
You've got two chances to catchthe beautiful voice of the
lovely Katie Noonan and Jim'sguitar with Karin Schaupp on
Goody Road at the TrinitySessions.
So get onto the Google-O-Meterand I will see you down the
front.
So lovely to meet you and chatwith you and again, thank you so
(19:25):
much for spending a little bitof your holiday time in the Zoom
room with me oh, that's allright.
Karin Schaupp (19:30):
Yeah, it's actually turned into a nice day
out there.
It was raining this morning.
Cheryl Lee (19:33):
I'll let you get out into it, enjoy.
We look forward to seeing younext month.
Enjoy the rest of your day, Iwill.
Thanks Bye, bye for now, Karin.
You're with Cheryl Lee, thatradio chick.
Thank you so much for joiningme on the Still Rockin' it
podcast.
Hope to catch you again nexttime.
Get out when you can supportAussie music.
That Radio Chick Cheryl Lee here.
Welcome to the Still Rockin' itpodcast where we'll have music
news, reviews and interviewswith some of our favourite
Australian musicians and artists.
Today we're chatting to theextremely talented Karin Schaupp
, half of the duo Katie Noonanand Karin Schaupp, who have a
(00:27):
unique collaboration.
Their new release marks 20years of working harmoniously
together.
The Australian says KatieNoonan has a voice like warm
honey being decanted intomelting snow.
It is such a thing of beautythat finding a vessel to hold it
can be difficult.
Happily, in the music ofacclaimed German-born classical
(00:48):
guitarist Karin Schaupp, Noonanhas found the perfect companion.
Have to say I agree with thatwrap up.
Let us get to know KarinSchaupp a little bit better and
what these two talented ladiesare up to.
To catch up on podcasts fromother favourite artists, simply
go to that radiochickcomau.
I'd like to welcome into theZoom room today Karin Schaupp.
(01:15):
How are you Good, thank you.
Thank you so much for takingtime out of your holiday to have
a chat with us today, becauseyou've got a new release and it
celebrates 20 years of yourunique collaboration with Katie
Noonan.
Well done, ladies.
Karin Schaupp (01:33):
Yeah, oh, look, it's very special that we've
worked together for so long, andit was indeed exactly 20 years
ago that we were first puttogether in a festival.
We had met before, but wehadn't worked together.
And we were put together in afestival we had met before but
we hadn't worked together.
And we were put together in afestival at Mudgee in New South
Wales by Richard Tognetti.
It was the Huntington Festivaland we just did some English
(01:54):
folk songs and we both went ah,I really like working with you.
And then it kind of probablytook another couple of years.
After that we ran into eachother at airports, as most
musicians do, and sort ofvarious events, and then, yeah,
we made our first album and itwas Songs of the British Isles.
So we sort of, you know,continued from where we started.
Then we've made four albumstogether and toured them and
(02:17):
just grown a really beautifulfriendship.
We've both done a lot of otherthings in between and maybe
that's the secret to asuccessful collaboration is that
we you know, we only do thisevery few years together and
it's very special when we do getto play together and we really
look forward to hanging out andto being on stage together and
making music together.
So, yeah, it's been reallylovely.
Cheryl Lee (02:38):
Well, congratulations.
That is a lot longer than a lotof marriages.
Karin Schaupp (02:42):
Indeed indeed, but we're not married and all
the time in between is probablythe secret.
Maybe that would be better forsome marriages as well.
Cheryl Lee (02:50):
Exactly, Me time, your own time, as you mentioned,
and I don't think either of yourecall it, but you did meet
sort of as youngsters in the 80sbecause both of your mothers
were music teachers.
Karin Schaupp (03:04):
Yeah, that's right, and Katie at the time was
predominantly focusing onlearning piano and I mean she
still is a really good pianistand I was learning guitar and my
mother was my teacher and hermother was teaching singing.
So she was learning piano, Ithink from another teacher at
this music school called theStolyarsky School of Music.
We were both there, we bothplayed in the little student
(03:24):
concerts and our mothers kneweach other and insist that we
met at the time, but neither ofus remembers because we were
very young.
Cheryl Lee (03:33):
But isn't that lovely how organically, all
those years later, you reconnecton a stage and a beautiful
friendship and a beautifulcollaboration ensues.
Karin Schaupp (03:43):
Yeah, look it is.
It's really nice and it's kindof meant to be.
And you know, I mean you go toa lot of festivals and you play
with a lot of people as a kindof a one-off and that's really
lovely and often they're reallygreat experiences.
But it's rare that you playwith someone and immediately
just feel that kind of intuitiverapport, like you are on the
same page musically and you feellike you know what they're
(04:04):
going to do when you agree withit.
That's how we both felt, so Iguess that's what this is built
on.
Cheryl Lee (04:08):
I usually ask artists because I'm usually
really interested in, you know,is music in their DNA and when
did they first pick up theirinstrument and realize that?
You know, this is their lifepassion.
But with music teacher mothersI don't think was there ever any
plan B, any other course, or itwas preordained.
Karin Schaupp (04:30):
Look, I mean, certainly for me.
I you know my mother once I hadsaid I want to be a musician,
then she pushed me.
But I mean, I teach music aswell and I play music and
neither of my children want tobe musicians and I'm totally
okay with that.
I don't think it's necessarilypreordained, but I think once
you make the decision, and thenyou know, I know that my mother
(04:50):
was certainly then very muchinvolved, which is good and bad.
She was very much involved inteaching me and sort of, you
know, getting me to work towardsthings and not do too much too
soon.
She was kind of the opposite ofan ambitious dance mum.
She was like, no, no, it's toosoon for you to do that, don't
try to do that yet, sort ofthing.
So she sort of, in a way, heldme back a little bit when I was
(05:11):
young in terms of what I wasdoing externally, whereas at
home she made me, you know, dolots of practice which I'm
grateful for.
Cheryl Lee (05:25):
You are listening to Still Rockin' it, the podcast
with Cheryl Lee.
Even before we tell you toomuch more about the
collaboration on the album Songsof the Southern Skies, Volume 2
, we're going to play you one.
You'll recognise this from themovie Xanadu.
And then we're back to speak toKarin again shortly.
Karin Schaupp (05:52):
So you were born in Germany.
What age did you come out toAustralia?
I was eight when we moved toAustralia and I had no choice in
the matter and at the time Iwas actually not too happy about
it, to be honest.
I was leaving all of my schooland friends and everything and
we had been for a visit and Iloved the beach and I loved, you
know, all the beautiful naturewhich really struck me after
living in Germany and comingfrom a German winter.
Yeah, it was a big transition.
I couldn't speak a word ofEnglish, and this is in the
(06:14):
early 80s.
It wasn't usual for schools tohave a lot of non-English
speaking children.
In fact I was the only one atmy school at the time, so I was
quite the oddity.
So that was actually quite abig adjustment.
But once I was here and afterabout probably within sort of
four or five months, I couldcommunicate fairly solidly and
(06:34):
string sentences together,because when you're in that
situation, that completeimmersion, you learn pretty
quickly.
So I learned English veryquickly and I felt very much as
an Aussie and now, even though Ido still, you know, when I go
back to Germany I still feelthat there's a part of me that
feels very connected to thatcountry.
I would always say that I'mAustralian.
Cheryl Lee (06:55):
What made mum and dad come to Australia from
Germany?
Karin Schaupp (06:58):
Oh, lots of things.
At the time there was sort of apolitical situation around
Europe, and particularly withRussia, that they were worried
was going to flare up.
My father had some healthissues which were pretty much
immediately resolved by comingto a warmer climate.
So a lot of factors.
And my mum's sister, my aunt,had actually moved out here
(07:19):
because she had a pen friendhere from school and had visited
and just gone on.
She's younger and had gone onsort of an adventure with her
young husband and said, oh,let's move to Australia, which
at the time in Germany was likesaying you know, you're going to
move to the wild west Crazy.
Everyone was like, oh my God,there's kangaroos in your yard
and, you know, koalas, dropbears, totally sort of seen as
(07:42):
an amazing exotic place but alsoquite a backward place and, you
know, in a very exaggerated way, which of course wasn't the
case.
Cheryl Lee (07:51):
This new album because this one concentrates
entirely on female artists.
With all the fantastic Aussiefemale artists out there, how on
earth do you and Katie chooseand agree on what songs go into
the album?
Karin Schaupp (08:07):
It's tricky and it's probably the main reason
that we chose to focus onfemales this time.
So this is kind of a follow upalbum from Songs of the Southern
Skies, volume 1, which wasAustralian and New Zealand,
males and females.
We didn't discriminate and itwas so hard to make that list so
we thought, ok, this time we'regoing to do just females.
There's a couple of songs thatwere made famous by females but
(08:28):
were actually written by men.
So we didn't, we weren't toosort of, you know, entirely
strict about it, but they'remostly songs written by female
singer songwriters.
Next time we might do maletrucking songs, just to narrow
it down.
But you're right, I mean, thereis such a wealth of music in
this country and for us tonarrow down, I mean first of all
, obviously it's songs that welove.
(08:50):
Many of these songs are songsthat we kind of, you know, even
grew up with, or at least youknow that came out when we were
teenagers.
And then also another reallybig factor is does the song mean
something to us, andparticularly for Katie?
If she's singing someone'swords, she has to be able to
relate to them emotionally.
And will the song derive somebenefit from being reimagined?
(09:13):
Because we're not really.
We're not just doing covers,we're really reimagining this
music and, you know, taking itapart and putting it back
together again, and in doingthat you need to think about,
obviously being respectful tothe original and honoring that,
but also thinking, well, isthere something that we can give
?
This that's going to, you know,add something, because if
you're taking away, you knowyou're taking away an electric
(09:34):
guitar, a bass guitar, a drumkit, a keyboard and you know,
maybe five backing singers andyou're going to have one singer
and one classical guitar.
Are you gaining something bydoing that?
Of course, what there is togain is intimacy as sort of a
personal closeness and a rawnessemotionally, which is something
that we both value andsomething that we bring to the
(09:55):
music that I think was a scoop.
Cheryl Lee (09:58):
Ladies and gentlemen , I reckon that there's going to
be songs of the Southern Skies,Volume 3.
We're going to be just thefellas Trucking songs.
Watch this space Still rockin'the podcast with that radio
chick, cheryl Lee.
We'll be back to talk again toKarin shortly, but in the
meantime let's have a listen tothe Kylie Minogue song,
(10:18):
reimagined for the album Confidein Me.
Congratulations, too, on yourARIA award.
Well done.
Karin Schaupp (10:36):
It was actually the album In Between, so we made
songs of the Latin skies, whichwas all Latin music Brazilian,
Argentinian, Colombian, lots ofdifferent countries from South
America.
We actually won the World MusicARIA for that.
Cheryl Lee (10:50):
Beautiful that was our last album.
Karin Schaupp (10:52):
That was BC before COVID.
We always wanted to make avolume two of the Southern Skies
, so we came back to do that.
We just got a bit distracted inbetween.
Cheryl Lee (10:59):
Yes, some little pandemic or something.
Yes, yes, oh no.
Well done and very welldeserved Congratulations, along
with the album.
You are in the middle of anational tour.
Karin Schaupp (11:13):
Admittedly, I'm sneaking away a few days at the
beach with my family because mykids have just finished school.
But yes, technically we are ontour.
I have my guitar with me.
Yeah, we've actually done mostof this year's stint of the tour
and we've just got Adelaide togo, which is exciting, and we're
playing at the gorgeous TrinitySessions which I've heard a lot
about.
Katie's been there a few times.
(11:33):
She's told me about it, butI've actually not played there,
so I'm really looking forward toit.
That's on December 6th and 7th.
Cheryl Lee (11:39):
That's right.
You've got two more dates thisyear before you embark on part
two, all of April in 2025.
So get down to the TrinitySessions on Goody Road If you
haven't been there before.
It is a beautiful, intimateenvironment.
It's an old converted churchactually, and it's a lovely spot
.
As Karin mentioned, friday the6th of December and Saturday,
(12:03):
the 7th of December.
Tickets from katienoonacomau orkarensharpcom.
So get onto your Google-o-meterand I'm sure if you just typed
in the trinity sessions, youcould grab your ticket link from
there as well.
And, by the way, adelaideans,young adelaide voices, why yeah?
Karin Schaupp (12:25):
yeah, look, it's been amazing and katie has done
a mammoth job um organizingchoirs for all of our concerts,
and the choir joins us.
In a gorgeous song by KateCeberano called Brave On the
album, Kate herself joins us,but in our concerts we've got
these beautiful choirs joiningus, and Young Adelaide Voices
(12:46):
are a fantastic choir, so we'rereally looking forward to
meeting them and having them onstage with us.
Cheryl Lee (12:51):
That is going to be amazing.
Kate actually was here in SouthAustralia last weekend.
Oh fantastic, she's a legend.
She is, isn't she?
We love Kate you are listeningto still rockin' it the podcast
with cheryl lee we might havethat song, I think brave, by
Kate Ceberano, and this versionis with the Symphony Orchestra.
(13:14):
And then we're back to speak toKarin Schaupp.
Apart from when you're choosingsongs and learning songs and
reimagining songs, what's onyour playlist, Karin, when you
get to listen to whatever youlike?
Karin Schaupp (13:36):
Look, you know my favourite playlist is the ocean
.
Honestly, silence.
I'm actually away at the beachat the moment and just listening
to the ocean.
You know, I guess it has itsown rhythm.
But honestly, because I teach alot as well.
I teach at the QueenslandConservatorium, so I'm hearing
music for so much of my life.
(13:56):
I tend to actually want to beat home with not so much music.
My family love music, so bydefault I actually, because I'm
not usually the first to putmusic on, I end up listening to
everything and anything that myfamily puts on.
My son is 12.
His favourite artist is MelanieMartinez.
My daughter has just come outof a Taylor Swift phase.
(14:20):
She's 16.
So we've broadened our tastes alittle bit there and she's now
listening to a lot of musicals,which is great.
I'm happy with that.
I think I know most of thesongs in Hamilton and you know
my husband listens also toeverything from Missy Higgins to
Beethoven symphonies and Iguess if I'm in the car by
myself and I have to choose aradio station, I would probably
(14:42):
listen to classic FM.
I would mostly listen toclassical music.
That's my kind of homeland,that's the music I grew up with.
It's the music I feel I reallyunderstand.
But I appreciate all styles ofmusic and I've played lots of
styles of music, so I'm not thatfussy.
But yeah, the ocean isdefinitely my favourite sound.
Cheryl Lee (15:01):
Your go-to.
It's very relaxing, isn't it?
It's rhythmic and will alwayslift your mood, I reckon,
listening to the ocean.
Karin Schaupp (15:08):
Absolutely Takes away all the stresses of the
year gone by.
Cheryl Lee (15:12):
Still rockin' it podcast with that radio chick,
cheryl Lee.
I have three daughters who wereSwifties as well, and must
admit to being a little bit of aSwifty myself, so let's have a
quick one from Taylor.
I knew you were trouble andthen we're back, I think, to say
goodbye to Karin Schaupp.
Karin, I hear that there is afabulous South Australian
(15:45):
connection with your guitar.
Karin Schaupp (15:48):
Indeed, yes.
So my guitar was custom builtfor me by an incredible luthier
who lives in Noorlunga outsideof Adelaide, Jim Redgate.
He is known all over the worldand I'm not just saying that he
really.
He's got orders backed up Idon't know for how many years
from some of the best playersall over the world that want him
to build a guitar for them, acustom made guitar.
So my guitar is a I'm justgoing to be a bit nerdy it's a
(16:11):
cedar top and it's a wave top,double top guitar and it's
absolutely gorgeous.
Wherever I go, people comment onit.
So I'm super excited that theguitar gets to come home to
South Australia.
I get to connect with Jim.
Last time I was down there Iwent to his workshop and it's
just amazing to have thisinstrument, which is really my
(16:31):
baby, that was so lovingly builtand in such incredible detail
and with such a wealth ofknowledge.
So Jim has really taken theguitar building tradition, which
very much came from Spain inthe late 19th century, built on
it and made, you know, a lot ofsort of changes and inventions
really, and he builds, as I said, incredible guitars.
(16:52):
I absolutely love mine.
I've got two actually, but theone I'm bringing is my favourite
.
I'm very thrilled to share thatwith South Australian audiences
.
Cheryl Lee (17:00):
Bring the guitar home how long have you had a Jim
guitar?
Karin Schaupp (17:04):
I've been playing Jim's guitars for, I reckon, at
least 12 or 14 years quite along time.
And, as I said, this is mysecond one and I think I'll
probably end up getting a thirdone out of him at some point.
But at the moment I love thisguitar and I'm actually there's
nothing that I would changeabout it.
It records beautifully, ittravels really well.
(17:24):
A lot of really sort of highlevel classical concert guitars
are very fragile and don'ttravel very well and you know,
if it rains the guitar kind ofsounds like it's got the flu.
That's actually true becausethe overtones change.
But Jim's guitars are amazingand he's got it all figured out
with how he builds them in hisspecial humidity cabinet and
everything.
And each guitar is a labor oflove.
They take months from start tofinish to build.
Cheryl Lee (17:47):
A very clever and a very passionate man by the
sounds of it.
Yeah, amazing.
Sometimes, when you're watchingartists on stage, the guitar
tech is every second song it's adifferent guitar and they're
changing guitars all the time.
Do you just use your favorite,Jimbo guitar?
Karin Schaupp (18:04):
Yeah, I just use the one guitar and look honestly
, I mean it's such asophisticated instrument it can
sound completely different.
I can make it sound like 20, 30different guitars and you
wouldn't know it was the sameinstrument.
It's got so much color and ifyou just adjust the angle of
your hand slightly because weplay so on classical guitar, we
play with the nails of the righthand change the angle of the
(18:25):
nail slightly or where you arealong the strings, it completely
changes the sound and that's asign of a really very high level
concert guitar and Jim'sguitars are full of color, so I
definitely don't need anotherguitar on stage.
I change tuning and I use acapo.
So you know, depending on thekey, sometimes obviously I
change the key and when you puta capo on, you've got a few
(18:46):
guitars there.
I know.
You know what I'm talking aboutwhen I say capo pitch, that
completely changes the color, asyou know.
So there's a lot of sounds andthere's a lot of little bits of
percussion and so on.
Jim's always a bit like don'tdo percussion on the guitar, but
I know where I'm allowed to hitit and where I'm not allowed to
hit it.
Cheryl Lee (19:03):
Yeah, oh, that's beautiful Adelaide audiences.
You've got two chances to catchthe beautiful voice of the
lovely Katie Noonan and Jim'sguitar with Karin Schaupp on
Goody Road at the TrinitySessions.
So get onto the Google-O-Meterand I will see you down the
front.
So lovely to meet you and chatwith you and again, thank you so
(19:25):
much for spending a little bitof your holiday time in the Zoom
room with me oh, that's allright.
Karin Schaupp (19:30):
Yeah, it's actually turned into a nice day
out there.
It was raining this morning.
Cheryl Lee (19:33):
I'll let you get out into it, enjoy.
We look forward to seeing younext month.
Enjoy the rest of your day, Iwill.
Thanks Bye, bye for now, Karin.
You're with Cheryl Lee, thatradio chick.
Thank you so much for joiningme on the Still Rockin' it
podcast.
Hope to catch you again nexttime.
Get out when you can supportAussie music.
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