Written by Fred Carlyle
Photo Credit: painted.sun.in.abstract
Dole Manchild - the genre-fusing seven-piece rock outfit - who the Couchdog family had the pleasure of interviewing recently - turned out to be our gift that keeps on giving. It was over at the band’s release show back in May where we crossed paths with today’s interviewee, Dole’s Lead guitarist Salvador Peralta. When it comes to the significance of first impressions, It's hard to top that of our first encounter with Salvador. His night’s fashion of a poncho gifted by his abuelita had him looking like something straight out of a Clint Eastwood flick; the memory of seeing his cool & calm presence contrast wildly with the frenzied mosh pit beneath him that night was still fresh in my head a few weeks later when I found myself interviewing him over a 711 coffee at the edge of a suburban footy oval.
So who is this guy? Why are we talking to him? We’ve already established his cowboy-like presence as Dole’s lead guitarist and we could go into his position as rock outfit Pet Therapy’s frontman (we could even crack into his youtube fame for covering T-Pain’s Apple Bottom Jeans… but I reckon that’s a story for another time) but no…as it turns out Salvador’s one of those people where they’ll keep offering you something new and fascinating about themselves just when you think you’ve got them all figured out. We caught up with the Dole Guitarist/ Pet Therapy frontman/ renowned T-Pain cover artist to tap into his solowork; an incredibly raw and tender slice of Latin-American folk that manages to somehow even further present the eclectic,multifaceted nature of this man and his artistry.
Following the release of his debut solo album ‘This Makes Me Uncomfortable’ back in 2022; Salvador’s latest album ‘This Makes Me Comfortable (TMMC)’ is like the Shrek 2 equivalent of a sequel album: The new 12 track record serves as a satisfying and expansive continuation of the tones and ideas established in the first release while also providing a perfect standalone experience that doesn’t require the prefix of listening to his first in order to completely enjoy and revel in it.
While there’s a lot of key differences that separates the listening experience of these two records, what remains consistent is Salvador’s undeniable talent for the true-to-folk quality of achieving an absolutely gut-wrenching experience of a ballad with the simplistic, bare-boned setup of singing over an acoustic guitar.
On the new album’s second track ’Everyone Needs Therapy (Especially You…)’ the subdued opening backdrop of gently plucked guitar strings is simple yet incredibly effective at setting up an atmosphere that feels vulnerable and delicate to the touch while also being minimal and non-invasive, allowing for Salvador’s beautifully poignant vocals take front stage. As he switches back and forth from these drawn out notes that have you holding onto his every word to these quick, climbing melodies, this fantastic mood is created, coming across as sorrowful yet uplifting like you’re being cheered up by a friend post-breakup.
Being born in Argentina, Salvador’s early exposure to South American media and his parent’s impressive cd collection serves as an essential part of the now 22 year old artist’s musical identity. “At the end of the day, I’m a folk artist,” Salvador told us. Having been drawn to the classical guitar and the fundamental, stripped-back qualities of Latin-American folk since day one, one of the reasons that Salvador’s music feels so compelling is how he successfully fuses his musical upbringings with modern and experimentative genre elements to full maximum effect.
The fourth track on TMMC ‘Can’t you reach me?’ combines the gritty essence of indie-rock vocals with that heart-on-sleeve quality of traditional folk; there’s a stunning contrast as Salvador transitions from these staticky rough-edged verses to these bridges that are sung in this beautifully tender falsetto until finally the two embrace each other for the chorus, creating this captivating harmony that sounds like waves crashing against a rocky shore.
Photo Credit: painted.sun.in.abstract
Labelling his first album as "bedroom folk with a Lo-fi-flair”, the debut release of Salvador’s solowork demonstrated his knack at pulling off a one-man production as the record was almost entirely created by himself independently. However, as fun and fulfilling as it may have been to whip out a record made entirely by oneself, Salvador’s latest release places one of his key virtues of music on the table, that being his sacred communal value of simply making music with his mates.
While his role in acts like Dole Manchild and Pet Therapy proves the artist having plenty of experience in joining heads with friends to make music, the latest release of his solowork lets us see for the first time what happens when Salvador’s given the admiral position. When it came to commandeering his own group for the project, Salvador reflected with a chuckle that ‘No one really stops you when you have an idea’. Whether it be getting his band member’s 94 year old jazz-pianist grandpa to play on a few tracks or realising that a fiddle or a friend’s triangle style ukulele is just what his song needs; ‘This Makes Me Comfortable’ offers a refreshing taste of what Peralta’s capable of when he's met with little to no boundaries for his creative freedom.
On the eponymous opening track of TMMC, we immediately see the phenomenal effect that a big band delivers to Salvador’s solowork. By providing a grand set-up of a dozy accordion, throbbing drum beats, twangy guitar strings and whimsy synths, what we’re given is a solemn and gracefully dignified backdrop to Salvador’s vocals that makes us feel as though we’re watching a marching band perform at a funeral procession.
“I can’t help but want to hear this with a big band, I almost want to hear you screaming over a huge band”. This was the feedback given by his university lecturer to an early rendition of ‘Can’t you reach me’ that planted the seed that blossomed into the end result of Salvador’s latest album. While his tutor’s comment got the ball rolling for TMMC, the value of a big band didn’t start there for Salvador as the act of making collaborative art is a key component for the artist’s musical identity that can be traced all the way back to the music he was raised on.
Photo Credit: painted.sun.in.abstract
Latin-American zamba bands with a massive line-up of members (such as that of Argentinian acts Los Fabulosos Cadillac and Chupucabra} came to Salvador’s mind when discussing his communal value of music. Appreciating the slight mistakes and off-rhythms found within the rhythm-based zamba genre, Salvador deeply admires the natural and humanising quality that radiates from an abundance of members making sound together. The loose and flow energy of this music style reflects to him a purely wholesome and genuine fun enjoyment of playing amongst a band.
While his inspiration from the zamba genre can be spotted subtlety throughout many of the tracks within TMMC, the essence of his Salvador's Latin American roots comes into full daylight on the rhythmic and upbeat ‘Calipso Sound’. With happy-go-lucky lyrics (which we have Salvador’s old man to thank for) it’s hard not to fall in love with this track's infectious rhythm and it’s wet-grin evoking energy as you can easily imagine yourself just having a ridiculous amount of care-free fun as you groove alongside the band.
Other than the influence of his Latin-American roots you can catch the inspiration of artists such as Tom Waits (especially the works of his album ‘Alice’) in the jaunty, free form sound on tracks like that of ‘Cold Spud’ where Salvador’s casual delivery of lyrics alongside the leisurely-paced instrumentals creates this content and drowsy feeling like you’re sat at a pub with your friends, talking late into the night as the room steadily gets quieter and deserted.
So, how does this album translate to the stage? What should we expect from his live shows? To answer this question, Salvador encapsulated the experience he provides with a crass yet accurate remark he once copped from a gig patron: ‘Mate, you’re a ‘folk singer without the class’; While many folk singers tend to showcase a stage personality that fits with their poignant and melancholy ballads, Salvador stays true to his light-hearted nature, throwing a curveball to this expectation. Whether it be greeting his crowd with the classic Australian vocabulary of ‘cunts’ and whatnot, flirting with an audience member’s mum, or cracking poop jokes between ‘the most tear-jerking songs you’ll ever witness’; Salvador can't help but put a bit of cheek between his sets no matter how emotionally devastating of an experience he may provide at a live gig. ‘You don’t have to be sad to sing sad songs’ Salvador told us as he emphasised that he does indeed take his music very seriously, he’s just never found it possible to take himself too seriously.
You can check out Salvador and his band performing live here^
So what’s next? What'll be the follow up to his first two releases? Well, If ‘This Makes Me Comfortable’ showcased an amorous embrace towards Salvador’s big-band principles, what’s to come next is gonna be more of a bear-hug. While in the midst of collaborating with more artists, the little information we have so far of Salvador’s upcoming project can be summarised with his quote that ‘Everything’s gonna get more South American’.
As our 7-11 coffees were finished and we prepared to wrap up the interview, I hit Salvador with a favourite conclusive question of mine, the simple yet confronting ‘why do you make music?’. After first admitting that ‘At this point I don’t think I can do much else.’ Salvador went on to discuss that music for him has been the practice that has always drawn the most curiosity from him. Acting as a sort of launch pad, music provides him a gateway to discovering an abundance of interests, whether that be learning aspects of history, technology, culture and more. To provide us with an example, Salvador told us that “I got curious about buying an accordion, so I bought a used accordion and then i bought an online book on how to repair an accordion- so I’m not great at it, but now I’ve dipped my toes in the art of instrument repair.’
Check out This Makes Me Comfortable here
You can find Salvador on Instagram here
Catch Salvador and his band play live at Castlemaine's Taproom (20th July) here