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Peter Garrett Teases Upcoming Solo Album And Midnight Oil Reunion Tour

By Stacey Cole
Published on: 05:51 PST, Jun 4, 2016

Peter Garrett has had a career in music, activism and politics spanning over a period of four decades. The frontman and the lead singer of Midnight Oil left the rock music scene in pursuit of politics. During the course of his political career, Peter Garrett came under heavy criticism for the then Government’s disastrous home insulation program.

Later in 2013, when the Australian Labor Party leadership spilled after leadership tensions, Peter Garrett decided that he would not contest his seat at the 2013 Australian federal election.

The rock star turned politician derived plenty of inspiration from music, which has taught him perseverance to achieve his goals in the political and social arenas. This has enabled him to drive many crusades to lower pollution, promote decarbonization and recycling waste in an effective way.

And now, three years from retiring from politics, the veteran musician is set to release his debut solo album A Version of Now on July 15 this year.

The upcoming album has been a deeply personal project for the retired politician. The legendary musician conceptualized the music of the album while working on his memoir, Big Blue Sky. According to Huffington Post, Peter Garrett came up with melodies and lyrics while finishing Big Blue Sky and surprised even himself by penning a few songs in the process.

Once the songs took their final shape, Peter decided to hit the studio with the rough work to record the entire album. Peter Garrett wanted to capture his own version of the songs that are reflections of turbulent decades that he feels he has witnessed. The album title relates to his life experiences over the last few decades.

Garrett’s new venture enabled him to reunite with Midnight Oil guitarist Martin Rotsey, who was a part of the core band who played the music for A Version of Now.

Peter Garrett is also a staunch supporter of local/community radio, and has been campaigning heavily to keep local radio alive, saying that it’s how “everybody gets a go.”

Yahoo News reports that Peter Garrett is further reigniting his musical career by teaming with his former band members to embark on a tour throughout Australia and other parts of the world.

Midnight Oil band members posted on their website that the five original members would be getting back together to play some of their best songs, enabling audiences to relive the golden era when the band was active.

And considering their age and zest, one might wonder whether the group can rekindle the magic with their songs and how popular will their tours be. However, according to the Sydney Morning Herald, fans needn’t worry as many Midnight Oil songs are classics, and people from different age groups are sure to enjoy them.

And as far as veteran musicians are concerned, the emotional experience of performing their classic songs far exceeds the financial gains they enjoy from their rock shows. And the absence of Peter Garrett in the group due to his involvement in mainstream politics hasn’t deterred the other band members from keeping the show running.

Additionally, the New Zealand Herald reported that Peter Garrett attended the Auckland Writers Festival to be on stage with some of the luminaries in the field of literature.

Peter has always been appreciative of the imaginative and organization skills of writers, and the event was an opportunity to gain new perspectives about life that didn’t touch on consumerism.

The upcoming rock tour is an opportunity for Peter Garrett to leave his final mark on the musical world before going out in a blaze of glory. Peter Garrett will always be remembered as a great artist and a crusader for various causes rather than “just” another politician.

[Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images]

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