“If you want it, you must will it. If you will it, it will be yours.”
Yes, this quote does indeed come from the sequel of an Oscar-winning animated flick about emperor penguins… but its point still hits home all the same.
Realise the life you want for yourself and find your own place in the world – be the architect of your own destiny, so to speak.
For some reason, it was this exact sentiment that came to mind when I was introduced to the admirable mindset of Ash Grunwald. One of Australia’s most successful blues musicians, he got to where he is today by relentlessly chasing his goals and the things that make him happy.
Ash grew up listening to blues community radio stations in Melbourne, which he said was lucky for his career, as this meant he spent a lot of time in his early twenties focusing on his music.
“I think if I had been on the coast, I would’ve just surfed all the time, so who knows where my music career would’ve ended up. But I did really enjoy surfing whenever I could.
“As my career started to progress, I was able to move to Torquay, where I lived for seven years. Most of the days I was at home, I surfed Bells, Winkipop, and other breaks around there.
“It’s amazing to have surfing in your life. It balances everything, except maybe time. It does take up a lot, but it’s time that’s never wasted.”
After being trained as a secondary school teacher, as a 26-year-old, Ash visualised living a life that revolved around music and surfing, and so he found a way to achieve that. Fast forward to today, and he has six Australian Top-50 albums, five nominations for Aria Music Awards, and of course, an impressive collection of surfboards.
After describing himself as a ‘boardaholic’, I was eager to know what beauties Ash could possibly have in his surf quiver.
“I try not to be too much of a consumer, but I generally fail in that quest when it comes to surfboards. I just love them. I’ve had a 20-year fascination with the fish design, which helps me and my 92 kilos get plenty of waves.
“But I’ll ride anything from a 6’0” fish to a 9’9” longboard. In fact, I love Beau Young’s designs, especially for longboards, and I absolutely love Jim Banks’ shortboards, guns, and fishes. Jim’s a good friend of mine, and so is Beau. I have plenty of their boards.
“I’ve got a handmade surfboard coming my way from Beau, so I’m looking forward to that. I’ve also got a couple of single fins and twinnies, and Varuna just hooked me up with some beautiful eco-friendly wooden boards as well, which are really awesome.”
It’s no surprise that Ash’s love for exquisitely handcrafted things also extends to guitars. In fact, he recently collaborated with Pratley Guitars, a family-owned manufacturer on the Gold Coast, to release his own signature orchestra model.
“My Pratley is absolutely awesome. It just sounds incredible and is so easy to play. I love it so much. I am obviously very, very honoured that such a quality instrument is going to come out in my name.
“It’s one of the best and most beautiful acoustics I’ve ever played.”
Well before he started his boutique collections of surfboards and guitars, Ash started drawing attention as a solo artist in 2002 with the release of his first studio album, Introducing Ash Grunwald, which was recorded live in one session with nothing but an acoustic guitar, a stomp box, and a tambourine.
By far, one of the most memorable of his debut tracks is Dolphin Song – a number inspired by a real-life encounter he had with a shark and a pod of dolphins that came to his rescue. Ash’s infatuation with the ocean can be seen in just about everything he does.
In an effort to improve his physical and mental health, he even spent a few years after 2015 soaking up the surf lifestyle of Bali, which is now one of his favourite places on earth.
At that point in his career, Ash said he was due for a bit of a sabbatical.
“I had just done maybe 15 years in the music industry, so it was time for a little break. But I still recorded a few singles, did some festivals in Australia, and played the odd gig here and there to keep the vibe going and the money rolling in.
“But in the main, most of that time was spent just enjoying Bali.
“I was in Canggu, so I obviously surfed heaps. That area is super overrun and way too busy now, but I was there to see it all go crazy, which was awesome. That was such an incredible period of my life, and I’ll always look back on it fondly.
“I’d love to do it again. I’m kind of thinking I might go back when I’m 50, which is in about two and a half years. It definitely might be time to check in, get super fit, and allow myself to be filled up by everything Bali has to offer.”
This year, Ash’s celebrated take on blues music – soulful and psychedelic with a hint of electronica – has reverberated off the walls of countless venues across rural and urban Australia.
In fact, he took a much-needed break from this tour just a few months ago, where he returned to Bali with his two young children and wife, Danni Carr.
“I’m away a lot on tour, so I do miss the family. It’s usually four nights a week, and it’s most weeks, although it’s nice to remember our family holiday in the middle of the year. We went to all of our old stomping grounds, and I surfed my brains out.
“I’ve been gigging so much, so that was the first time I’ve ever gone on a trip and not taken a guitar. It was really good for me. When I came back, I actually had to practice. Touring is kind of gruelling in a way, but it’s also just awesome. It’s been such a good year.
“We also did a lap of Australia last year, which was absolutely amazing. On that run, I only did about 10 gigs, but I surfed in the desert of South Australia and the Red Bluff of Western Australia. So yeah, I generally get away when I can. I always bring boards of course – that’s why I prefer to drive.”
Going off the many tales imbued in his music, Ash is one hell of a gifted storyteller, which is probably why he was inclined to publish his first book in 2019.
Surf by Day, Jam by Night was born from a connection that Ash made about surfing and music – to be good at them, you need to know the science behind what you’re doing while allowing yourself to be free enough to let your intuition guide you.
Not only does the book give a rare insight into the minds of legends who have mastered both art forms, it also explores flow states, jamming versus shredding, style, transcendence, fear, career longevity, growth mindset, mindfulness, and what it’s really like to live your dreams.
Ash said the process taught him a lot, and even helped him rebuild his life a little bit too.
“I interviewed surfers who play music and musicians who surf. I got to hang out with Kelly Slater and Steph Gilmore, and I interviewed Jack Johnson and a lot of my mates like Beau, Jim, Dave Rastovich, and many others.
“It was absolutely awesome and a great experience. Coincidentally, I quit alcohol that year, so I documented some of that. There were just a lot of mindset shifts that were going on at that time. This also resulted in my wife and I putting out a book called How I Quit Alcohol this year.
“We were actually working on the audiobook version earlier today. So that book is a little bit of a follow-up too, because it’s been seven years since we quit. During that time, Danni also started a podcast of the same name, which has been helping so many people.”
Ash told us that his experience with How I Quit Alcohol was also a great one, although it was confronting at times.
“I usually like to keep quiet about my sobriety. I’m not so much of an open book as Danni is on the podcast. She’s very used to people sharing their stories. Sometimes, as a musician, you like to keep that veil up a little bit with your private life, but I did end up telling a few tales.
“The feedback so far has been that it’s super helpful, and I think that’s really important. Alcohol is a massive part of surf culture, a massive part of the music culture, and a massive part of Australian culture. I’m not going to say there weren’t good times associated with it, but it was definitely time for us to quit.
“I know a lot of other people feel the same way, so it’s not so much about trying to convince anyone else to quit, but for those who want to, I think it’s a very helpful thing, this book.”
For the last four years, Ash has been enjoying collaborating with songwriters and new-school producers, continuing to weave new tunes and daring to wander away from what is considered the norm for blues music.
Ever the environmentalist, on top of everything else he also runs Earth Bottles alongside Danni. Created to eradicate single-use plastic bottles, the company has a huge reach, partnering with charities such as Hope For Health, Breast Cancer Network, and Beyond Blue, as well as acts such as Midnight Oil, The Living End, Ziggy Alberts, and Bobby Alu.
As this edition goes to print, Ash is continuing to roam around Australia with his guitar in hand. If you’re lucky enough to catch one of his shows, chances are you’ll be hearing his newest single, Feeling Better – a track about optimism, embracing new beginnings, and working towards happiness.
Much like the man himself, the track’s good vibes are infectious.
“I feel that, when you’re in a positive mindset, it’s amazing how many hurdles you can climb. It’s just amazing what’s possible. So yeah, I guess it’s a little bit of a positive psychology song.
“I speak a lot about mental health in my writing and songs, more out of a recognition of how important it is rather than because I’ve had any big mental struggles myself. It’s one of the most important aspects of life, which usually doesn’t get any attention unless something goes horribly wrong.
“It’s always been a fascination of mine, because what do you have if you don’t have your marbles? Your thoughts are the filter through which you interpret and thus experience life. So what could be more important?”
