Photo Credit Samuel Graves
Tell us about the genesis of your project. How did you get to where you are now?
The First time the original members all met was on stage at a jam night in Adelaide, where we performed a few of my original songs that only I had heard, in front of an audience who thought we must already be a band that rehearses.
We got in the studio pretty quickly and haven’t stopped making music since, with jamming and live performances still sitting firmly at the core of what we do.
What is the favorite song you wrote and why?
For me it’s probably ‘Off My Back.’
It’s often quite a process for us to finally decide on the best presentation of a song. From the arrangement, to the lyrics, to the tones and sounds we use… we re-track and re-write right up until the day before mixing generally. But I feel like with this song, at least musically, it was very obvious how it needed to be from the get go, and we all saw it the same way, which is rare. It’s still one of my favourites to play live and we finish most of our shows with it.
Who are your all time musical icons?
As a guitarist, Jimi page, Lowell George, Ritchie Blackmore and Nile Rogers
As a vocalist, Steve Mariatt, Chris Cornell, Robert Plant and Jeff Buckley
And as a songwriter, George Harrison, Tom Petty, Tom Yorke, Amos Lee, Jeff Buckley… too many to mention, and many others from the category’s above could fall here too.
What are some things to do to keep your inspiration alive?
Playing different instruments. I write mostly on piano these days because it’s still mysterious to me.
I also like to flip my go-to writing techniques on their heads sometimes by changing where I start. Eg, I often begin with guitar or piano chords, come up with a vocal melody next and then words slowly appear. But I know that works for me generally and can seem too methodical at times, so if I need to feel inspired or to change things up I’ll start with a vocal melody I like the sound of, then find different combinations of chords and musical layering to go underneath, always becoming something I wouldn’t have done had I started the song from the instrument.
Lyrically I’m always inspired after long conversations with my girlfriend or mates getting to the bottom of the mechanics behind what makes people tick, situations, thoughts, emotions, events… I just find it so interesting.
Who are you binge listening to these days?
Benny Sings.
Simple, groovy, badass song writer. Been playing his album ‘Music’ pretty much non stop since it came onto.
And Jordan Rakai is so good it almost makes me sick. Just an unreal artist in all regards. Hit shuffle and enjoy an eclectic ocean of moods and melodies.
Favorite movie or TV show?
A British game show called Would I Lie to You is too funny for its own good.
Squid Game is unreal, but y’all know that.
All time fav is Breaking Bad, of course.
Tell us about your latest release and how it came about.
‘Nothing in This World’ first started during a solo session at a local studio one night in early 2019, I was racking my brain for ideas as I’d booked myself in the same time every week in the hopes that creative inspiration might align itself with my calendar’s time constraints. I recall it being one of those frustrating nights where everything felt forced and there was no creative vibe in sight.
So I got a bottle of red wine and took a break to listen to some music. ‘Loving is Easy’ by Rex Orange County was on high rotation for me at the time. The stunning simplicity of that song just blows my mind. Inspired, I decided to re-harmonise it and do my own version, just for kicks.
Before I even tried mucking about with the vocals on this weird idea, I sat there listening to a loop of the chords I’d come up with over and over as I tracked keyboards and funky little guitar lines, until eventually the ‘loving is easy’ hook gave way to new ideas.
“Nothing in this world seems to get my high no more” came out of thin air, melody in tow. The rest of the lyrics flowed from there as I swiftly abandoned the original mission. I had drunk the better half of that bottle by this point, yet nothing had changed in my outlook. There was an overtone of numbness that continued even once I got into this new idea.
Do you have any peculiar pre or post show rituals?
Not particularly, we aren’t a ritualistic bunch!
Having said that, we’re only really just discovering the benefit of actually going to bed and getting some solid rest after gigs on tour. Finally, after all these years the penny has dropped. So that’s worth an honourable mention, though it’s not so much a ritual as it is a life requirement.
What’s the future looking like for you?
Hopefully it’s full of live shows. We’ll always be writing, recording and releasing music, but we’ve really been missing being able to tour… so I hope there is a bunch of un-interrupted gallivanting around the globe in our future.
Who inspires your style and aesthetics?
Our aesthetic is an evolving thing. It’s currently somewhere in between ‘cool dad’ and ‘Melbourne hipster ordering a latte.’
I really amped up the dad moves recently by busting out some white nikes as part of my regular stage get up, ala status quo.
In all seriousness, it’s honestly not such a conscious effort, we definitely have our things that we like individually, and each has a unique aesthetic, but none of that can particularly be attributed to any specific artists as inspiration.
What is the achievement or moment in your career you are the most proud of and why?
For me it’s the small steps I’ve grown up around.
Venues I wanted to play in Adelaide that we sold out, starting as small as a place called ‘The Grace Emily’ going all the way up to a legendary local music venue called ‘The Governor Hindmarsh.’
That build from opening slot to selling out the same venue is an exciting one, and I hope to see it spread to some of the iconic venues around the world that every band dreams of playing.
But for a specific moment… I’m not sure it’s happened yet. We’ve got many highlights, but I’m still waiting for that big happy tears moment, and that’s ok.
What do you think is the best way to make it as an artist nowadays?
Being relentless, constantly evolving and never giving up.
What would you change in the music and entertainment industry especially after this past year?
I can really only speak for what we experience in Australia, and first thing’s first the industry as a whole needs to be seen and recognised as the cultural boost to the economy that it is. During the pandemic it’s been merely an after thought and we’ve only really survived it by supporting each other.
Aside from that, the industry is doing its best right now to claw its way back up, so we’ll wait and see what improvements are needed once the dust settles.
