Some would say that Downpour are Rockhampton’s first and only hardcore band.  I wouldn’t, I may have missed some bands from before my time. However  I do think they are one of the most exciting bands to come out of the place and it seems many others do too.  BULLDOZED CHINA INTRO?  Sure, but give the DOWNPOUR CEREMONY COVER a go too.

G’day Dane, how is the bush fire that is currently threatening the town you live in?

It’s beginning to subside, although depending on the conditions of the wind it could flare right up in no time.   went for a drive to check out the affected areas today and it’s pretty ridiculous how close it got to homes, some were damaged and even destroyed by the fires.  Fire fighters are still on high alert, I believe.

Second and foremost, what is Downpour about?

Downpour is a quartet from a Central Queensland town who play some aggressive rock n’ roll music.

Who does what in the band? How did it come about?

There’s Reece on vocals, Josh on guitar, Steve handling drumming duties and myself on bass guitar.  It originally began after Josh’s band When We Were You had dissolved.  We had talked about starting a project playing the sort of music that we enjoy listening to and we thought it would be interesting to see something like it going on in our locale.  Then we called upon Grere, who had previously played in another local band, to drum and that was the instrumental foundation sorted.  After a month or so of jamming without any vocals, we asked our pal William to lend us his angelic voice.  Everything was going smooth until we found ourselves without a reliable drummer and the novelty wore off for Will, all just under a month or so off from playing our first show.  So Steve, who also was part of When Were You, was asked to drum and luckily for us he accepted, so we re-tooled all of the songs we spent the last couple of months playing to suit Steve’s style.  Time was running out to get vocals organised, but luckily Reece had stepped up to fill the role, thus completing the final line up for Downpour.

It took a while for you guys to achieve a solid line up, how are things now?

Great man.  It was a shame that the other dudes couldn’t stick around, but it has worked out in our favour.  When Steve took the reigns, I think he had a better idea of what sort of sound we wanted to achieve.  I think Grere’s heart was elsewhere and he couldn’t really grasp what we were going for sonically.  From the moment Steve first jammed with us, the riffs we had come up with made more sense and it was finally starting to sound cohesive.  I think the real surprise was Reece though, he has embraced his role very well and we couldn’t be happier.  Playing a live show with him is quite a spectacle, making sure the audience is involved in his performance.

What was your first show like?

For me personally, having never played in front of people other than little high school jams in friends’ rumpus rooms or at our practice space, it was a really nerve-racking experience.  But it all turned out pretty well and we all had such a fun time.  It was also great having the opportunity to play with travelling bands who we enjoy and respect a significant amount which made the night that extra special.

How have the others you have played been? There are a number of adjectives that could be applied to your band depending on who you talk to, since you are talking to me I am going to use abrasive.  Have you found that show attendees have been put off by your sound or are drawn to it as there isn’t anything else similar happening in Rockhampton at the moment?

We all went into playing our first show with the expectation that no one will care or enjoy what we play, but it’s all been quite a pleasant surprise.  I think half of the appeal is a lot of the “heavier” sort of bands that have come and gone around here have been done to death and while this isn’t by any stretch a new or ground-breaking sound to us, it’s a breath of fresh air for our little scene, if that makes sense?  The only all ages show we have played to date wasn’t as interactive as our Cave Bar/18+ shows, but a lot of the underage contingent didn’t seem to dig it as much, which is okay too.  Any show we get is a blessing and we have a tonne of fun just getting to play.

Two of you have never done bands before and two have been doing them for a long time now, has it been helpful having people to “guide” you?

Absolutely, although I think living in a town with a close-knit music community such as the one we have at our disposal has been our biggest help.  Everybody is so supportive of each other, regardless of tastes and preferences, and everybody is given a chance.  I think having members with previous experience in the scene has given us the upper hand in terms of getting our name out.  I even met the old When We Were You punisher, and I don’t think I would have been able to do that if I was still only going along to watch shows rather than actually playing at them.

You have your demo ready, what are the details?

Our demo is 6 tracks long and was recorded by former-Enlightened by Darkness member Brett Glover live at the Rockhampton Music Bowl where we jam.  Josh handled the artwork, which looks pretty gnarly, and then he assisted Reece with the lyric layout.  Some of the lyrical topics covered include death, religion, Metal Gear Solid as well as a song dedicated to yours’ and my mate, William Girdler.  We have just started selling them for $5 each at our shows, but for anybody that cannot come along to any shows, we are more than happy to send away.

Do you guys have big plans? What are they?

After finishing our demo, we’re going to work on some new material and maybe even re-record some of our demo tracks for an EP.  Hopefully we can stray away from the straight-up hardcore sound and add a bit more variation to our songs, maybe some clean parts, ambient passages, something along those lines.  Eventually, we would like to play some shows outside of Rockhampton.  I think we share the same sort of goals as any other band really, we’re going to keep having fun playing until we can’t any longer.

You can give the Downpour songs a checkout here.

While I may just be listening to the “wrong” bands, I find always find it refreshing to find one that is not afraid to put forth an argument in a constructive and/or clever manner.  Biting sarcasm and amazing riffs, two things that many of us are all about, don’t hurt either.  The Fuckin’ Hate combine all these facets of music and do it quite well.  I baited, and was was ranted at by, Gareth via email, here is what he had to type:

G’day Gareth, what was the last meal you ate?

The last meal I ate was actually my breakfast, which is a smoothie I make at home consisting of flax seeds, hemp seeds, raw cacao, banana, wheatgrass, frozen blueberries and water.  It’s wicked, the breakfast of potential champions.

How did TFH come about?

It came about towards the end of 2006 when Jimmy and I were living together in Finsbury Park.  We were lamenting one Sunday about the old bands we used to listen to when we first got into punk/hardcore/etc and the newer bands that were awesome, and how we thought it would be great to spend our Sundays playing music inspired by those guys instead of just talking about it.  Bands such as Poison Idea, Born Against, DS-13, Limp Wrist and The Horror were key influences.  Basically bands that weren’t ‘metal-core’, didn’t have shoe sponsorships or use a vocoder.  It’s clichéd to say (and it has been said a million times before, certainly from people a lot more eloquent than myself) but punk sucks shit nowadays.  Obviously there are still good bands around and people involved in local scenes, but still…I’m showing my ‘old man’ tendencies here…I’m 31…

Who takes the lead in writing the music and the lyrics?  Where have you guys drawn inspiration from in the past?  What about now?

I tend to write most of the music, but Jimmy does all his own vocals and we work on most of the lyrics together, preferably the night before recording over a bottle of red wine.  The songs actually start life as just a title.  I’ll jot ideas down and then we try and imagine what the song might sound like or who we could rip off and try and get away with.  Our whole band’s existence was conceived around the idea that ‘Gang Of Whore(s)’ was too good a song title to not have music to.  Maybe it’s just us that think that. Upon reflection, maybe we should’ve dropped the ‘s’ as a lot of people don’t seem to get the reference. The song is about jumping on a scene because it’s getting popular – “I like ska, now I like emo, now I like indie-disco, now I like crab-core, now I’m doing a folk solo project…ahem…”

Lyrically, we’re not inspired by anyone as there really aren’t many good lyricists around in punk music (Andy from The Horror is possibly the only decent one that springs to mind).  We’re more interested in the lyrics by people such as Tom Waits, Nick Cave and Leonard Cohen (our album cover is actually a homage to Leonard Cohen’s ‘Songs Of Love & Hate’ cover).  Not that it comes across in our music.  The irony is, that our lyrics are smart, yet no-one will ever know (I wish sarcasm came across on print) partly because not many people actually know our songs.  There are too many bands singing about ‘black hearts’ or ‘clipping wings’, ‘getting money’ or some bullshit sailing metaphor.  We were under so much pressure from our management/lifestyle development team to ‘appeal’, that we ended up putting the line ‘a sinking ship’ into our song ‘Eagle.Horse.Beard.Axe (The Log Cabin Of…).  I’ll take full responsibility for it and my punishment will be to listen to a thousand bands decked out in American Apparel or a thousand bands that give out glowsticks at gigs. It’s 100% my choice.

Would it be right in assuming that on the 12” there is always a story told and/or an issue addressed in each song, rather than a conduit for some writing that was made to fit the music?  Was this a conscious decision?  Has this continued with newer/other songs?

Of course.  The song titles actually belittle the content somewhat.  We don’t have a single funny lyric and never intend to.  We have songs about politics, violence against women, religion, frustrations with the dumbing down of mass-culture and our impending future towards a dystopian world.  Usual stuff, just executed in a better way than most…ha ha…  I’m alarmed at the open misogyny that is creeping into punk/crunk/emo/whatever.  Quite a fair few bands sing about lifestyles they live vicariously, either through other bands they admire or TV programmes they watch.  I know a lot of it is tongue in cheek (or at least I hope it is), but many kids listening don’t assimilate it in the way it was intended to be.  Call me old-fashioned, but I’m not onboard with hearing women referred to as ‘bitches’ in songs.  I know we use the word ‘Whore’ in one of our tracks, but I’d hope you get the subtlety.  ‘Whore’ by no means refers to a feminine context.

I know that members are often in and out of the country, has that been a source of frustration or does it just make getting together that much sweeter when it does happen?

As you can probably tell, we’re not a career band.  I know this sounds odd in this day and age, but we actually play for fun.  It’ll never work if one of us can’t do it anymore (maybe it doesn’t work when all 3 of us are involved), but until that day, we’ll continue to play 4 gigs a year without fail.

If you could meet Bono 30 minutes at your restaurant/pub/cafe of choosing, what would you order and what would you talk about?

The whole ‘Bono thing’ (I say this as if it’s now a world-wide recognised feud) is not really about Bono. We just used him as a metaphor to represent all self-obsessed, ego maniacs who feel they’re doing something good for the world but are really just more concerned about PR.  Bono met with the old president of the United States, George W Bush and as far as we the public are aware, he didn’t ask him about the money his Grandfather made in WW2 from being one of the Nazi Party’s financial backers, or what it feels like to know you’re responsible for the murder of hundreds of thousands of innocent people in various parts of the world, or what it’s like to financially bankrupt the people of your own country by ploughing trillions of dollars (TRILLIONS) into a war they shouldn’t be in.  Instead there were pictures of him laughing and joking, but also looking pensive (of course).  Bob Geldof was also there.  I’m sure given the opportunity, he’d be praising Obama’s recent Nobel Peace Prize as ‘a good job’.  Although I personally find this incredibly ironic considering he’s moving more troops into Afghanistan to ‘keep up the good fight’.  But then Kissinger got a Nobel Peace Prize also, so what does that say about the legitimacy of the award?  We all know what he was responsible for in Cambodia, East Timor etc… actually maybe we don’t…anyway, I’m off track.  Our Bono, could just as easily be Bob Geldof or Chris Martin from Coldplay.  He’s an easy target and I’m sure he’s not sitting in one of his many houses going ‘Why are TFH singling me out. Their opinion matters so much it hurts my literally & figuratively egotistical massive head’…I’m sure he’s a good guy deep down.  Actually no, he chartered his private jet to fly back and pick up his lucky hat for a gig, so fuck him…

How is the new material coming along?

Great!  We’re starting to rehearse more in preparation for recording and we subsequently have a new batch of songs we’re very happy about that not many people will hear. Such as:

The British Book Of The Dead (The Plague Of Nationalism)
Tom Cruise Missile
Human Shit
Smashed To Bits
The Vaticunt
American Apparalysed
TFH Are Well Dead
The Texan Book Of The Dead (The Destruction Of Culture)

We’re book ending the album with tributes to our members’ respective nations. I took the latter parts of the titles, the ones in brackets from a phenomenal book called ‘War Is A Force That Gives Us Meaning’ by the journalist Chris Hedges.  Everyone should read it.

Our drummer Hunter is from Texas, so at the many middle-class get-togethers that we have (such as ‘dinner parties’ and ‘book nights’) we often hold him completely responsible for the actions of his country and blame him personally for the state of the world, because everyone likes having a scapegoat and to have someone held accountable for something.  Jimmy and I would shout stuff at him like ‘What’s with this whole spelling conspiracy on Apple Mac dictionary’s huh!  Stop trying to get us to spell ‘realise’ with a fuckin ‘Z’ instead of an ‘S’ you socialist bastard!  It’s English, not AMERICAN, English, learn the rules you twat’.  I think that’s why he beats the drums so hard.

How many shows have you guys played together?  What have they been like?

We’ve only ever done 7 gigs.  This was partly because, as you know, I lived in your fine city, Brisbane, for just under a year.  We have a load more planned and will be more proactive in the future.  We’ve been dead lucky so far, as they’ve all been great and it’s a fantastically cathartic.

What is the worst thing about music, or anything related to it, at the moment?

I kind of feel you purposefully asked me this question because you have a fair assessment already of where I might head with this. Ok, gloves off, let’s get typing…

Anything that involves sponsorship that detracts from the music:

Stuff you need to be in a band is great, like strings, amps etc, but energy drinks!  (There’s a very popular punk band from the UK who are sponsored by an energy drink…fuck me!).  The magazine Rocksound over here (I don’t know if they still do this feature) had a section where it was a page devoted to someone in a band and ‘what they were wearing’.  I remember seeing one of the guys from The Draft on it and being insanely depressed.  It was saying stuff like ‘So and so has Macbeth shoes and is wearing jeans by whoever…’   It mentioned nothing about the music.  I felt a piece of him die.  It’s not like these guys are getting insane amounts of money for this.  I know I’d consider a sponsorship if it was astronomical money and for something I liked, but for a free pair of shoes and a t shirt with a skull on it…

The music press:

Kerrang Magazine is so fucking bad – ‘Do you know what the top 50 albums of all time are? Guess what guys, it ain’t ‘Nevermind’. Contentious? Write in and have your say’

’Anthony Keidis reveals all – When I loved eating heroin, I almost died. Thankfully I didn’t. Now life is my drug’

’Metallica talk about THAT snare sound’ etc etc.

Alternative Press – They literally seem to cover the worst collection of bands, who bizarrely are mainly on either Victory Records or Tooth & Nail.

Street Teams:

Some genius (and I’m being serious) thought ‘hey, I know how we can get kids to do all our dirty work for us, like handing out stickers etc. In return we’ll make them feel a part of the band and give them a limited edition (limited to 50,000) sweat shop made t-shirt plus a photo copy of the lead singers autograph forged by his PA!’.  Champion our cause, salute your president Pete Wentz…Either you’re with us, or you’re with the TERRORISTS!  They’re like the Hitler Youth, but with glow sticks and hair-straighteners.  Fuck those kids who sign up, and I don’t mean ‘fuck those kids’ in the catholic religion sense of the word.

When I heard those bands Attack Attack, Brokencyde & 3Oh3, I literally wished that music ceased to exist and that we’d all learn to start again from scratch, with absolutely no reference points or ability to construct sounds, until we’d all subconsciously agreed to never create anything like that ever again in the future.

What is the best?

When you just hear or see a band that blow you away, or you play in a band that makes you realise why you love music so much.  I very much felt the latter when I was lucky enough to be asked to play in Swandive with you  when I was over in Brisbane.  It totally made me appreciate playing music again for the sole reason of just playing music.  There was no calculated plan, there was no intention, other than we just wanted to play songs we liked at the time and it was an absolute pleasure.  Our last gig upstairs at Rosie’s is easily in my top 3 gigs I’ve been involved with of all time.  Seriously.  It’d be an honour to play music with you folks in some capacity again, if I ever do move back over to the southern hemisphere that is.

Do you plan to continue donating profits from sales to specific causes?  Are there any that you feel it is important for readers to check out?

Of course.  Like I said, we’re not a career band.  We all have jobs, we support ourselves.  This band is a hobby.  We don’t spend a lot of money doing the band, so if we can cover our costs and donate some money to a cause we agree with, we’re totally happy to.  Punk music has become the antithesis of what it originally was.  Now, instead of ‘smashing capitalism’, those involved in it are thinking ‘how can I make money from smashing capitalism…  How about we sell people an image, be it punk or otherwise’.  I’m not against capitalism per se (I’m not talking about unmonitored corporate businesses), because it allows anyone to start their own business and make money in a free market.  I just loathe the slogans and advertising that comes with it.

Personally (Hunter & Jimmy may think otherwise), I would urge people to check out

Sea Shepherd
Vegan Outreach
No Compromise
Zmag

Right. All done. Cheers Jackson, this was an absolute pleasure.

The Fuckin’ Hate’s website is located here.

For a band which is just about to reach it’s first birthday, The King of Red Lions have achieved a great deal.  Releasing a split, sharing the stage with a number of exciting local, interstate and international acts and recently playing their first shows out of Queensland, the band seemed to be on somewhat of a roll.  I exchanged emails with guitarist Cameron about what is behind and what is ahead for the band:

Hey Cam, what was the last thing you ate?

My girlfriend made me a mean pineapple fried rice.

All of you have done bands together previously, had you discussed starting TKoRL during that time or did it come about after?

Les (guitar) and I had discussed starting a band similar to what we’re playing now after our old band Mary Magdelene broke up, but we went our own seperate ways for a while –  he played in a crust punk band called Drunk With Power, and I played in a screamo band called Collisions. They both exhausted themselves, and this kind of just happened. We asked Tom (drums) to join because he was a close friend, and he’d filled in on drums for Mary Magdelene before.

Describe what you think the band sounds like.

Initially we went for the whole post-hardocre sound (hardcore + delay pedals). Now, as we’ve become more established (and tired of our old songs), we’re taking influences from where we see fit. Last few writing sessions we took on this ambient black metal sound (mid-era Burzum, Wolves in the Throne Room). We’re  on a hiatus now but I’d like to pursue that sound further. Our tastes grow more shithouse as we get older, I guess.

Does the band, or the individuals that make it up stand for anything in particular?  Have your personal beliefs had an impact on the band in anyway?  Has the band had any impact on your personal beliefs?

Hard question to answer in our current state. We really, really want to push the lyrical concepts a lot more in future. Politically and morally, I don’t think we really want to tell people that they should be doing or thinking as we do – at least not in a blatant self-righteous way. I’d like for our lyrics to be more observational in future, rather than just squeal about sheilas and bad relationships. That sounds ambiguous but I don’t know another way to say it at the moment. We’ll see what happens. Les and Tom’s belief in alcohol has, however, impacted on our live performances. Often.

What has the writing process been like thus far?

We’ll all come in with ideas, but the final product emerges from the jam room, always. The live performances are better that way. Also, there are no egos in this band, which is fucking rare. Our individual strengths and weaknesses amalgamate into something that we hope is interesting.

You guys just played your first few shows outside of Queensland, how did it go?

It was awesome. We had a really great reaction playing with La Dispute and To The North in Canberra. Canberra has some fucking sweet bands. We also played an awesome house show in Sydney.  We were pretty drunk for that, and we played shit, but it was so fun. Can’t emphasize how good it is to play interstate.

What else has been happening with the band recently?  Do you have any plans for the future?

We’re going through a line up change, so we’re just going to record then find some other members who’ll fit the role. We’re recording a demo, and there’s talk of a split 7” with Yeah Bears. Everything is up in the air though.

Is there a specific goal you would like to achieve with the band?

No specific goal. We just want to be happy with our music, and play it as often as we can to people who appreciate it.

Keep an eye on The King of Red Lions here.

Check it out here.

Based in Melbourne, Our Anatomy has made the transition from a solo act to a 4 piece band, gaining a fuller sound without losing any of the intimacy that attracted listeners initially.  Made up of members who excel at their chosen instruments who have faced many line up changes and all the necessities that come along with them, the band has been able to re-re-establish themselves in live settings across the country and allow listeners to hear the progression for themselves.

What did you have for dinner Andrew?

Myself and Jason made our regular Sunday night journey down to Trippy Taco: I had my standard vegan breakie tacos and small vegan nachos, oh and a soy hot chocolate.  Jason had a small vegan nachos and didn’t make a single sound whilst eating them – he chews completely silently – it’s incredible.

What do you think the other members of the band are doing right nnnnnNOW?

Ummmmm… David’s probably playing Xbox, Scott would be at his girlfriend’s house watching a movie and Jason is in the next room typing up his C V, which he was meant to do last week!

OA has been through some changes, can you talk through them and offer some thoughts?

Sure. I guess the most fundamental change is the fact that it used to be something that I was doing alone – though always with intentions of incorporating other people – and now it’s something that a number of different people are doing together.  There have been a couple of line-up changes, friends have come and gone at different times and participated in various ways, whether it was “being in the band” or helping with recording etc, or just offering their input if I’ve confided in them an idea I might’ve had.  Although it’s evolution has been somewhat tumultuous, I think that Our Anatomy has benefited from every single person who has ever been involved in it and the dynamic each person brought with them.

Do you feel like things are finally stable now?

That is a difficult question to answer, which I guess means no, haha. The current line-up is the best it has ever been on both a musical level and a personal one. We are all closer friends than the band has been at any stage in the past and feel more like a unit now. The frequency and quality of writing in my opinion, is at the best it has ever been. Jason and I living together now being a contributing factor to this.  But all of this said, I still feel like that little boy with his finger in the dyke most of the time.

Obviously you are happier now that OA has become a band, what has been the reaction from friends/listeners?

The reaction has been positive. The people who saw it solo or got a copy of the first demo all seem to have said that they like the band, and it makes sense because everyone else in the band is really good at playing their instruments unlike myself. Many people who have become interested in the band over the past year obviously can’t make the comparison, but they say good things too which is nice.

What inspires the music?  What inspires the lyrics?

Well for me, the music & the lyrics are inspired by, I guess, a number of things really, and it’s difficult, almost a bit weird to explain. I sometimes can feel the songs that I’m yet to write; kind of like the anticipation of a sneeze or even an orgasm.  I get this urge to release this emotion or feeling, or I have a turn of events that is just completely muddled in my head, that I need to straighten out and put back in sequence so that I might understand it and not dwell on it in as much confusion, and I literally get horny to write a song – to exercise my demons and find peace in doing something positive and pleasant.  I get a certain feeling from listening to some guitar tones and melodies in songs, or lyrics, or a passages in a book etc, the kind of feeling where the hairs on the back of your neck stand up and you almost get like, a pang of sad ecstasy, and I try to reach that same feeling through our/my own writing.  Jason and I have spoken about how specific songs provoke different colours in our minds, like when we listen to M83: we both see purple, or even listening to some Mew songs, we see purple, and we say to each other, “Let’s try and write a “purple” song.” or “I want that purple stuff…”.  For me purple is kind of a sad elegance.  Good indie rock guitar tones however, are always grey for me.

How did the zombie apocalypse song come about?

Well, I came up with the main riff and started writing lyrics that were kind of about the feelings that linger after an expired relationship, one that’d I’d had, one that I was angry about.  And within the lyrics I ended up juxtaposing that somewhat bitter nostalgia with like a, I don’t know, a positive mantra I guess, one that says I’m not going to let this destroy the good in me, just because it seems I’ve wasted so much of it.  An ode to be as true and to love just as deeply, even more deeply, the girl I might eventually meet who deserves this.  Almost speaking to her where ever she is now, and telling her that I’m not gonna let this turn me wicked, that I’ll try and save myself for us – then.  And I started thinking about a love between two people so strong that it might outlast any strife it faced, one that could outlast “The End of the World” – a goddamn zombie apocalypse!  So I decided to explore that idea or document that hypothetical situation in the remainder of the lyrics.  Me and Jason liked the idea of having an unexpected heavy part in it and I thought it would work well to have such a part before and after verses about this couple hiding out in a shack, and have those heavy parts signify zombie attacks on their position. Scott made up the most amazing drums for it and Pete our old bass player wrote a really somber, dare I say groovy line for it to top it off.  Once it’s recorded: I plan to make an animation for it, basically like crude children’s or stick figure drawings of this boy and girl hiding out in their shack and fortifying it etc, and then having them hacking zombies to death during the heavy bits.

How did your recent run of East Coast shows go?

They went really well, we were all super happy with the shows and the entire trip as a whole.  We all had a heap of fun and felt like we played really well too. It was great to see some of our friends who don’t live here in Melbourne and also make some new ones as well. They were David’s first shows too and we were all astonished with how comfortable we all felt together right off. Sydney was his first show and I remember, I think Jason mentioning how well he did, and was like, “Oh yeah, fuck! That’s right!” because I hadn’t even thought about it – it just felt so natural.

Is the band looking to continue doing “small” trips like that or would you prefer a larger amount of time away from home?

Quick trips are really good fun.  In our country there aren’t exactly myriad places to play, so a tour can only be so long anyway I guess.  Once the EP is done we’d like to do a larger, longer tour and stop in more places we haven’t yet played.  It would be cool to go overseas sometime next year for a few weeks if everything works out.  I’d love to go to Japan.

Is it difficult with members being part of other bands/projects?

Yeah it can be, it certainly places a huge emphasis on good communication between everyone, between band members and whoever is booking the shows in each respective band/project. It has posed problems in the past, but this is fortunately, mainly just due to poor communication. It’s always a drag to be offered a show that we’d like to play but are unable to, but this is something we try to manage as best we can, because each member of the band is so important to each one of us as not only a part of the music creating/performing process, but also as a friend.

From a personal perspective, how has the writing process changed?

In the beginning I kind of approached the other members like, “These are songs I’ve written. Do you like them, and would you like to make up your own parts to go with them? Then from there we can do whatever.” That was the premise: them “joining the band” as opposed to starting an entirely new band and beginning from scratch – though the future was always open ended. Throughout the year or so that other people have been a part of the band, things have moved in the direction of the other guys having more and more input in the songs as a whole as opposed to just the parts they are writing for their own instruments. It’s something that is just happening organically and at its own pace. On a personal note however, my kind of subconscious auteurism has been the reason the project has survived so many line-up changes, and thus it’s a practice that has stuck around a little longer than it might have if it had always been the same people in the band. In terms of what actually happens in the room: everyone who’s in or has ever been in the band has fortunately always been so competent in playing and writing music just via feeling it out, that we’ve all always kinda just done what we think sounds good and really haven’t talked about it to any great extent.

Has there been a decision to work the old songs into a band format or to try and write new material?

Both: in the beginning I was always bringing complete songs to the band (i.e. guitar, vocals & structure) and then the others would contribute their own parts to them. It wasn’t a decision I made; to always bring complete songs to the band and only work on them, but more the fact that I had already written a bunch of songs that I really wanted to have other people write parts for and then play together as a band. The most recent stuff we’ve been writing is far better than anything we’ve done prior in my opinion, because these songs are developing more as a collective, rather than parts arranged around an already existing structure, and I think sonically, songs made up of parts of equal merit, that all kind of dance and interact with one-another, really have a distinct quality to them, one that I really enjoy.

What are some of the advantages of being based in Melbourne?  Disadvantages?

I don’t know, there are many people with many different opinions on the pros and cons of “The Melbourne Music Scene”. In my own opinion, all the elements that make up the aforementioned… thing, can be seen as both advantages and disadvantages depending on which way you look at them, kind of a “Posi Dude vs. Jaded Asshole” debate that goes on in my head and perhaps your own too. For example: many people might say that because there is such a large number of people making various types of music in this city, “cliques” and “scenes” develop here that are not as hospitable to “outsiders” as comparable “scenes” in other major Australian cities might be.  The higher population here means these “sub-scenes” can survive relatively self-contained, without requiring support from people who don’t fit their specific demographic, and perhaps those people that do, take pride in this and enjoy vocalising it – in a manner that could be labeled pretentious. But along with this kind of environment comes the possibility for a band or artist to completely abandon themselves to a niche crowd or market, or whatever you want to call it, and still be able to play shows regularly and with bands, who have – on the whole – similar musical sensibilities to their own, thus creating a sense of community. You can go on about that kind of shit forever, but in terms of our band specifically, I guess there are numerous places for us to play and numerous bands to play with and we don’t really feel like we fit in anywhere, but maybe that’s a good thing. Who knows?

Are there any strong bonds you have formed with other acts? “Buddy” bands?

Yeah, I feel pretty close with Willows because of the trip we took together last year and also Arrows from up your way too. We’ve played together a bit and we have had a heap of fun with those guys. There are also a few bands down here that we are pretty good friends with which also is nice.

Who are some local bands people should check out?

Jason and I were talking before about the fact that we are both pretty obsessed with Heirs and their release at the moment. Bowcaster impress me more and more every time I see them and I’m hanging for a recording from them. The Cure are pretty great too, but I think they are from England or something.

Do you guys have anything coming up that you can type about?

We have a few shows on the horizon. We are going to be playing with Arrows when they come down next month. Umm, after that, not a great deal until Scott gets back from the states in late July, then we’ll get down to recording an EP of around six to eight songs and all the fun that comes with doing such a thing – shows, fast women, snorting coke off the first pressing etc etc.

Do you have any idea of the material that will be on it?  Are you aiming for completely new songs?  Got a title for the EP?

Yeah there are going to be two really old songs on it that I wrote in 2006.  One of which Jason and I demoed under the title You Got No Etiquette which is a line from ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’.  A song that some people know as “The Bathroom Demo” which is actually called Good Morning, Goodnight, plus The Zombie Apocalypse Love Song, The Most Horrible Crime the World had Ever Witnessed, Be Home Before the Streetlights Come On (Mistakes Marry You) and maybe two other completely new ones packed full of flirty riffs.  We’ve been writing for a full-lenth too, which we’ll focus more on after we’ve done the EP I assume.

Which is your favourite Mr Chi City video thus far?

Sheeet, you know in my opinion they just keep getting better! “Keeping your refrigerator stocked” is always gonna have a dear place in my heart because it was the first video of his that I saw, and the one I show people if they haven’t seen it before.  “Ticket Destruction” is a highlight and “Gone But Not Forgotten” where he goes and visits his dead friend, actually made me cry a little bit, oh and you know, it was fucked! I was sitting on the couch being all weepy about a youtube video of all things and then my old house mate burst through the front door and was like, “What the fuck is going on?” and I was just like “Sniff, Chi City.. Sniff, NOTHING!”. Pretty embarrassing, but then she watched it and understood.

What did you think about the new one?

Oh, so good right!  ”What are you doing in that jersey dude!”  I really like seeing him out and about and still being loud and boisterous n’ that.  It lets people know that he’s not just all talk when he’s alone with his camera – reaffirming his realness.

The Our Anatomy myspace can be reached here.

Influenced primarily by bands such as Converge, Trap Them and Cursed et al, Marathon are a band.  It has been a slow and delicate process for the members to arrive at a position where they felt comfortable with their music and line-up.  A short set earlier in the year with a fill-in vocalist gave somewhat of a indication what people could expect from the band.  Now with frontperson duties filled and the entire demo available for listening on their myspace, things appear to be moving forwards again.  Drummer Matt Cook took some time to answer some questions:

What is Marathon?
The name Marathon comes from the cognitive dissonance of one Ryan Sim.  The entity Marathon is a Brisbane-based 4 piece.

Who is Marathon?
Johnson.  Nick.  Matt.  Simz.

What is art?

Jackson, art is the process or product of deliberately arranging elements in a way that appeals to the senses or emotions.  It encompasses a diverse range of human activities, creations, and modes of expression, including music and literature.  The meaning of art is subjective.

How has the band come about up to this point?

Ryan approached me after (y)our child Swandive was taken overseas, with some ideas for a band he had been working on for a while.  I was immediately interested so we proceeded to jam on his ideas for a good couple of months, and decided we would like to complete the picture with a vocalist and bass section.  Having tried and failed with several flaky members, we decided to ask (y)our friend Craig to have a listen to some rehearsal room demos and see if he was keen.  Fortunately he was, and put in a fuckload of effort to learn and give input to what is now our official demo.  After recording said demo we had another failed vocalist come and go and Ryan decided to ask his friend Nick to have a listen and see what he thought.  Again, Nick put in a massive effort, wrote a bunch of words to fit the songs and we put them onto record. It worked.  Welcome to us.

How do you feel about your time in the band?

More satisfied and comfortable than I think I’ve ever been playing music.  I think with anything that you are creating in conjunction with other mindsets, opinions and influences there is bound to be frustration. To this point we’ve hit a veritable mountain of creative difference which has lead to such a lengthy birth, however I truly think it’s all been worth it.  For the times playing in bands in the past where it has all become too much and I have either not given it my all, or moved on, the strength of the musicianship, the creative synchronicity and above all the friendship and understanding has never once seen my confidence in this bands ideal falter.  The band as it is now is the strongest I can see it being.

How does it compare to other bands you have been a part of?

Musically, a lot more mature. I say mature in the view of the music itself, but also in the view of my own playing. It’s given me a much wider perspective on just what I’m able to create with my chosen instrument; not just rhythmically, but also temporally and harmonically.  It’s been less about “let’s write this kind of song” and more about “here’s something I have been playing around with, what do you think?” Culmination.

What drives the band?  What drives you?  What inspires the band?  What inspires you?

Look I could answer these with something that gives reference to other bands, friends, experiences, life lessons, whatever.  But honestly, personally, I believe the members drive the band, the band drives me, the music we are creating inspires the band and the music we are creating inspires me.

Seems like a pretty smooth deal.  How do you think your different bands and/or musical backgrounds have impacted on the band?

Ever since I picked up drumsticks I’ve had a penchant for playing faster than the music, and even my skill level at times, would allow.  My first few high school bands were more about having a bash, fleshing out what I could/couldn’t do, what I liked to play and what quickly became boring.  Through Stabbedintheguts, I got a real sense on how to play with intentionally fast songs, at the expense of finesse and technique. I feel I learned a lot about musical creativity through this band, and not just playing the same beat over and over but being able to keep it (somewhat) interesting through each song. Swandive was a massive turning point in that I had the room to play around with different chops and fills instead of trying to squeeze little bits here and there in between punk beats.  I think I gained a broader pallet and understanding of time signatures and not ‘overplaying’ parts to let the rest of the music speak.  It was at this time I started having lessons, which helped my technique became a lot more refined and delicate.  Over the past year or so and since starting with Marathon, I’ve gained a greater appreciation for different tones and ‘voices’ or tonal nuances that can be played on a drum kit.  I think it’s all given me a bigger voice in the musical sense with Marathon than I’ve been able to achieve in other bands. I no longer feel like I’m just the beat keeper but am actually adding to the music.

What about the other members?

I can only really answer that in respect to our musical tastes.  We’re all into bands that people have said we sound like and that we all (I’m assuming) would list as musical inspiration individually.  Having each been through the throws of being in several bands in the past has stood us in good stead for giving Marathon a good life as far as commitment and work ethic go.

Does the band stand for anything?

I’m not sure I understand the question. I don’t think we, as a group of people, stand for anything the way christian or straight edge bands stand for what they do.  There’s no real message I’m looking to project through this band, personally I just see it as an outlet for creativity and fun. If people like it, or feel they can identify with it, that’s cool, but it’s not a milestone or a thesis I think we’re working with.

What do the themes/concepts/lyrics tackle?

From what I’ve gathered with discussions I’ve had with Nick the lyrics specifically deal with less than desirable feelings, emotions and situations he himself has been in.  They come across as very personable and I can’t seem to tack a unifying theme to them at all.  Pure. Fucking. Emotion.

Is there anything specific you would like to achieve with the band?

Fun.  Fulfillment.

Can you be more specific? Fulfillment how?

At this juncture in my life I feel like I need something like this to be content.  I’m sure given time that may change but for now I don’t know what I’d do if I wasn’t playing music.

You don’t have any other desires that may come along with that?

I guess being able to live off playing music is a horizon most would aspire to, and yes it is something that I would definitely love to achieve.

The band has taken care of recording and all related processes in house, what are the benefits of this?

Nil expense.  As an ‘engineer’ it’s allowed me the opportunity to hone my craft I guess. I certainly would never, ever consider recording my own band again.  It all comes to too much nitpicking and doesn’t quite allow the music to speak for itself.  But that’s my fault.

How would you approach the process if you could have the time over?  How will you guys be approaching it in the future?

I have gots to chill.  I guess more than anything it was done as a matter of convenience, which wasn’t necessarily the best thing at the time.  However this was the first band I had properly recorded and everything was a big learning curve.  Given the time again, I probably wouldn’t have used these as our demo, and I guess we don’t have to now, but impatience is a cruel mistress.

How do you feel about music/shows/”the scene” in Brisbane at the moment?

I think Brisbane is in a state of transition.  I’m not sure how I’m going to justify that statement, but I just get a feeling that the things that have recently been making the music scene in Brisbane such a joy to be a part of are changing.  I’m not sure if it is a good or bad thing, there is certainly no evidence yet to suggest either, and I don’t mean to make this a general statement on the state of affairs here.  It is more or less a personal view.  I see a lot of bands emerging just to give the few involved in each an ‘identity’.  I am seeing less and less of people starting bands for the love of collaboration and creation, less of the involvement in attending shows to see the bands and enjoy the music and less fun being had.  However, I do see a lot more open-mindedness and acceptance.  Whether or not this is by choice, I don’t know.

Are you guys into religion?

I can’t speak for the others, but I’m not.  I wouldn’t say I’m against religion or that I practice atheism in any sense, I just have no moral or conscious standing on the subject and am just content pursuing what makes me happy in life.

Can you name 7 possible songs you would cover?

Refused – Worms of the Senses/Faculties of the Skull

The Hope Conspiracy – Suicide Design

AFI – The Leaving Song Part II

? – Baby I Got Yo Money

Trap Them – Guignol Serene (although playing it would be a nightmare)

Finch – Stay With Me

Hot Water Music – A Flight And A Crash

Really?  Why them?

So friends can huff and puff and fuck shit up.  I think they’re a good mix of serious business and fun.

What does the future hold for Marathon?

Longevity.

Can you divulge any plans?

Possibly looking into a New Zealand tour sometime in 2010.  Nothing has been discussed in detail and plans have certainly not been made, but it is in our collective interests.  For the immediate future I’d like to PLAY SOME FUCKING SHOWS!

Go on then.

Click here to find out more about the band.

A relatively new band to Brisbane music featuring members who are not.  Light Sleeper came about from the demise of several members past bands and the desire to continue to play music.  ‘Tis a noble wish, ’tis a fine band.   In between maintaining a GPA of 6.5, Connor took some time to discuss the band with me:

What are you doing right now Connor?

Procrastinating so much it hurts.  I’m destined to be a bum.

Who makes up Light Sleeper?  What do they do?

Chuck on drums and fifty bags, Luke on vocals and small town inspired poetry, Al on bass and perfect facial hair, Christian on good riffs and myself on bad riffs.  Christian is a very (mock) meat-and-potatoes guitarist; verse here, chorus here, lead here etc.  I have so sense of timing or key so I tend to play all over the place.  It somehow works out nicely.

How did the band come about?

After Jet Set Ready imploded, Luke, Chuck and myself were still really keen to do something in a similar vein.  We decided Luke was a better singer than guitarist and that if we got another guitarist who knew what we wanted to do it would maybe work out better.  And it did.  Al came around simply because he had a bass, was keen and is a rad dude

How did the name come about?  What does it mean?

It comes from a line in a Lawrence Arms song.  It doesn’t mean anything, but hey, great band to take a name from.

What’s been the most rewarding part of the band so far?  What has been the most difficult?

Playing songs I/we actually like is pretty awesome!  Recording a demo and doing it properly is a first for me, it’s super cool hearing your own songs being played back to you and actually sounding like something you would want to listen to, as opposed to some horrible, rushed living room recording.  We’re fairly new so the only real difficulties we’ve had so far was picking a name. We were so close to being called “Denver” but I wouldn’t let it happen.  What a shitty name.

What drives the band?  What drives you?  What inspires the band?  What inspires you?

I really have no prospects in life apart from playing music and that in its self is what drives me, along with my general distaste for what most people believe to be normality (so punx).  I’m inspired by reality, which unfortunately is all fairly mundane and falsified by the powers that be so my outlook on life is fairly bleak, but I love my family and my friends and I have a lot of fun when I can, and I think I speak for everyone else when I say that.  I think the band exists as an attempt to find something a bit more endearing than the crap we are fed by mainstream consumer culture.

Musically, what has shaped your sound so far?  Are there any bands you take something directly from?  Be it musically or ideologically, what is it?

We all listen to an extremely diverse range of music, so ideological influence comes from all over the place.  Bands like Latterman articulate perfectly how to make the most of what you’ve got whilst aspects of your life aren’t quite going in the direction that you planned…almost posi, but not in a lame way.  A certain anal member of the band didn’t want me to mention Propagandhi but their core values are 100% spot on and I personally take a lot from them.  Lyrically, Luke takes a lot from front men like Chuck Ragan, Jesse Lacey (Brand New), Jeffrey Eaton (Modern Life is War) and Matt Canino (Latterman, Shorebirds).  Musically, bands like Samiam, Hot Water Music, Blueline Medic and Jawbreaker all have a big impact on our song writing, but also stuff like old Alexisonfire and Planes Mistaken For Stars.  Oh and Blink 182 are still the best band ever.

Does the band stand for anything specific/have a common goal?  What about individually?

We stand for a bunch of different things and all have some pretty strong ideals, collectively and individually.  I’m not too sure what Luke writes about, but I do know we have our first vegan song (despite only 2/5 of the band are vegan).  I think we’re generally all on the same lines regarding our perspectives on any given topic, so I never worry about Luke writing something that doesn’t resonate with me.  I express myself by being a fat sweaty fuck breaking strings and getting pissed off at my amplifier.  When it comes to common goals, touring and making the most of what we have is all that really comes to mind.

Is everyone in the band either vegan or vegetarian?  If no how do the meat eaters feel about the vegan content lyric wise?

More than half the band are meat eaters.  Aside from the occasional shitty joke, they’re all completely cool with vegan inspired lyrics.  The only hold up has been hesitation regarding back up vocals with certain lines.  I’ll have to step up to the plate it seems.

How is this band different to others you/you guys have played in?

Looking at things from a different perspective etc, having a better understanding of how to get our own shows/get on shows/help ourselves.  Not as hessian but still a bit hessian.

Is there anything specific you would like to achieve with the band?

I would give anything to be able to eat and sleep off this band.  Couldn’t care less about money and fame, but if I could survive on Mi Goreng and sleeping on floors than I would give up any form on luxury (apart from a solid internet connection) to be able to live off playing music.  That’s just me though; a couple of the other guys have good jobs and families to support so it probably isn’t so realistic, but we’ll see what happens.

Is that something that has been discussed already?

In passing, but no, not really.  I guess if we ever get to the stage where it becomes an issue then that conversation will have to be had.

What are you looking forward to most about the band?

Putting out good recordings and touring.  That’s all I ever think about, really.  Making new friends, seeing the country, racking up toll evasions and speeding fines, being a drunken asshole…

Who are some bands that excite you locally/nationally/internationally?

So so many…some of my current favourites include To The North, Teargas, Willows, Marathon, The Gifthorse, Dick Nasty, Like…Alaska (NSW), Conation (NSW, should get back together ASAP), Between the Devil and the Deep (NSW), Bare Arms (NSW), Daylight (USA) plus a billion more.

How do you feel about music in Brisbane at the moment?

Really good!  Obviously there is still all the post-IKTPQ throw away crap raping our internet and PCYC’s, but that’s hardly a Brisbane only problem and it has no effect on the million rad shows and bands we have to offer.  Compared to a place like Melbourne, although there isn’t nearly as many bands or venues, the attitudes regarding new bands and mix bills are completely elitist and bullshit free.  In saying that I’m completely contradicting my first statement but people who ‘know’ know what I mean.

What’s your tofu with Melbourne?

Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great city with a lot of good people and good bands, there just doesn’t seem to be the same sense of community down there as there is here.  I guess Jet Set Ready playing at one of Melbourne’s biggest ‘alternative’ nightclub was a pretty dumb decision that left me feeling a bit jaded.  That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t make the trip down at any chance I got.

Your first show is this week, what feelings are you feeling about it?

I’m ridiculously excited, mainly because the sheer size of the show gives me a great excuse to get stupidly drunk without anyone caring.  And of course, all the bands are great and I think we’re prepared enough to not completely mess up people’s first impression of us.

Do you guys have any plans for some sort of release in the near future?

We’re halfway through recording a demo that should be ready to go early June, then hopefully a tour spilt with Willows.  Towards the end of the year I think the plan is to do another split to be put out on 7”.

What do you think your tour in August will consist of?  Perhaps you could lay it out day by day for me/us?

“Can I smoke in the van?”

“No.”

“But it’s a 17 hour drive.”

“No.”

I get the feeling that as a whole, everyone going on this tour is a bit mature than previous touring experiences, though hopefully Tom and myself will bring the maturity level down a notch or three.  I predict lots of goon, I spy, frustration with the lack of animal free roadside food that North Qld is so well known for and general insanity. Can’t wait!

If your band was a character in the Sopranos, who would they be?

Meadow, circa seasons 4-5. Enough said.  Or maybe Hesh…nice and sensitive but still kind of bad-ass, haha!

Why them?

Why not?

Touche.

Listen to Light Sleeper here.

Arrows – the best dressed band in Brisbane who can also craft quite a song.  Since beginning a number of years ago the band has seemed to pick their moments, take their time and execute delivery with accuracy and emotion, be it through a live set or a release.  On behalf of Anders and Scott, Carl and Ant were kind enough to answer some questions I had about the band, I hope you find the answers as interesting as I do:

When Arrows started what were you influenced by musically and personally?

A I was living alone while I finished studying, I was unemployed, and I was in a pretty sorry way mentally.  I was listening to a lot of stuff that inspired me and continues to do so, like going through the Joan of Arc back catalogue, Pedro the Lion, The Good Life, The Gloria Record and so on.  I’m a really lyrically-oriented listener and those sorts of bands capture my attention and drag me in.  I was single, drinking a lot on my own, and then deciding in the wee hours that it’d be a ‘really great idea’ to write some music.  I did this for about six months and when I had about six or seven songs we decided to start a band and perform them.  I didn’t think anyone would like it, including Carl and Anders, but they humbled the writing with their own contributions and we started performing from there I guess.

Has that changed as time has gone on?

A Some aspects of it have.  For starters, Scott’s in the band now and he’s a really talented song writer and guitarist.  His writing has taken some of the pressure off me because every other song he has already worked out some music and I’m freed up to concentrate on counter-lines and lyrics and melody.  I still write songs for the band but it’s probably about an even split between us now.  He’s also a great guitarist which is awesome because I’m not, and it also gives me a chance to play more feeble two-finger piano lines without losing the guitar underneath.  I feel like all four of us are still completely on the same page musically and ethically which is great after a couple of years together.  As for musical influence, I’m not personally really ‘up’ on new music and whatever, I pretty much still listen to the stuff I always have with a few exceptions.

How so ethically?

A I guess there are a lot of aspects to it, but mainly I mean we all have punk rock roots and we believe in honesty and taking a no-bullshit approach to our music and our shows.  From that I mean we don’t like to use a lot of effects or studio polish, we don’t do microphone tricks or wear matching outfits or try to make lame jokes on stage.  There are other aspects too, like morally and so on.  I guess in short we are like a family and see eye to eye on most of those things that you hear can cause tension in other bands.  We support each other and just try to do what we feel is sincere in our music and in our relationships with ourselves, other bands and the people who come to shows.

What has been happening with the band recently?

A We’ve been planning a few trips interstate, so far we’ve got a couple of trips in Melbourne sorted out and we are looking to get to some of the other states as well – shows in Perth and Adelaide.  We’ve been playing in Brisbane a bit and have a few new songs half finished.  I guess we’ll get a little more touring done this year and look to finalising some new stuff later in the year with a view to a new record.

How did your relationship with Hobbledehoy come about?

C Towards the end of 2007 we were playing in Melbourne with These Hands Could Separate the Sky for the launch of our split 12” at the Arthouse.  The Nation Blue and Black Level Embassy were also on the bill and we were probably feeling a little in over our heads.  Towards the end of the night Tomledehoy introduced himself over a beer and explained he wanted to work with us.  We were aware of the work he’d previously done with other bands on his label and it became obvious we shared very similar ideas and ethics.  He was very supportive and willing (perhaps ambitious) to back the release of a full length from a relatively unknown band.  He told us to take as long as we need and to do whatever we’d like.  I think we decided that night that we were going to work with him. Tom’s a very genuine guy and we’re definitely glad we met him.

Had any of you been in a similar situation in the past?  How did you feel initially?

C We hadn’t been approached by other labels in the past and we’d never really looked for label help either, it wasn’t something we had even thought about until that night.  Everything we’ve released in the past was done by ourselves.  Initially it was relieving knowing that we could start to concentrate more on writing music and playing shows.  We were a little nervous when we considered somebody else’s money being put into something we’d done.

Could you talk through your releases and offer some thoughts about each?

C Don’t Write Poetry is a 6-track EP we recorded on Anthony’s computer in a rehearsal room in 2006 after playing together for a month or so, before Scott joined the band.  We’re not very fond of it but we still play a couple of the songs (10th August, 2006 and Clever) live.  I think they were revived through Scott’s input.  We threw together a couple of hundred copies and had it online for download for a while.  The Split 12” came about through an east coast tour with These Hands Could Separate the Sky in early 2007.  Releasing a vinyl was something we’d all always wanted to do.  We talked a bunch about doing a vinyl together in the van and acted upon it when we got home.  We used its release for an excuse to tour together again later in the year.  It’s been pressed two or three times but has since sold out on vinyl, apart from a few copies I’m hiding in my room.  Tom has kindly re-issued it on CD through Hobbledehoy Records.  And lastly Modern Art & Politics is our latest and first full length release .  It was released through independent stores in November of 2008 and internationally in January of 2009.   It took us a while to write for and record but in the end I think we’re pretty happy with the end result – apart from the usual hindsight that seems to come with every recording you do.

You did most/all of the recording for the album yourselves, correct?  Would you like to continue to do this or eventually work with someone else?

C Yeah, Don’t Write Poetry was recorded as previously mentioned.  The Split 12” was mainly recorded by our friend David Williams.  He was a student at a music college for a while and the opportunity arose to spend a weekend in one of the rooms so we took advantage of it.  He also recorded the drums for Modern Art & Politics but apart from that everything else was done by us.  The lovely Cam Gillard at Via Studios was kind enough to let us use his rehearsal rooms after hours to record so Modern Art & Politics was mostly recorded there over a bunch of early mornings and completed in a couple of our bedrooms.  We took it to Melbourne to be mixed by Samuel Johnson because the dude is a genius. It was great to have an outside opinion and he had so many great ideas, he understood us completely.  If we were to work with someone outside the band to record, I think I can speak for the rest of the band when I say Sam would definitely be our first choice. We’d love to have him there through the entire process – starting with tracking, not just the mixing and production side of things.

What is the song writing process?  Does anyone take the lead with the music and arrangement?  What about lyrics?

A I guess generally Scott or I will have a couple of musical ideas that we’ll either demo or bring to rehearsal and then we sort of sculpt a song as a band.  Sometimes I might bring an entire song in terms of structure and vocals for us to play with, or it might be one short line that gets worked into a song in rehearsal.  There’s not really a hard and fast rule for us with the writing.  Personally I make an effort to record everything I write in order to remember how it went the next day.  It’s also amazing how something can sound great one night and when you look back on it fresh you realize how awful it is, so I find demoing helps a lot with that phenomenon.  Lyrically, pretty much all the words in our songs are recounts of real events or feelings that have happened to me or a friend etc, so it’s not like I sit around having to invent scenarios and characters, I’m not really talented at that.  I just try to write honestly and openly about things in my life, as self-absorbed as that may be.  That said, I’m really happy that some people will say that they really related to a song; it’s really flattering and I’m grateful to hear it because sometimes I worry a song will be too personal or too revealing for it to be relatable.  I can find it really scary singing some of the songs live but when it’s well received it’s a good feeling.

From an outside perspective it appears as if Melbourne has embraced Arrows as much as Brisbane.  Not to discount musicianship, do you think there are other factors that have attributed to this?

A Probably being on a Melbourne-based record label helps with exposure there, having released the split with locals These Hands  and having played in Melbourne a handful of times now with some awesome bands would be factors of the warm reception we’ve had down there.  I really don’t know…  I guess we are just four guys that don’t think much of ourselves and just like a drink and a chat really, and you get to meet some great people that way.

Is there anything/more you desire to see this band achieve?

C It was definitely a highlight finally getting to release a vinyl and an honour to play with Blueline Medic, two things we sort of looked at as ‘goals’.  I’d love to see more of the country with the band and possibly get overseas one day.  It would be great just to travel with the lads, we don’t even have to play shows!

What does the immediate future hold for Arrows?  Long term?

A We’re off to Melbourne a couple of times in the next month or so and we’re working on a couple of new songs.  In the next year I’d like to be getting ready to put out another record, be it an EP or full length, and also do some more touring interstate.

Thank you sirs.

You can find most things Arrows here.

One of the hardest working bands in Brisbane at the moment, The Surrogate have enjoyed the fruits of their labours while managing line-up changes for the greater part of their existence.  With 2 splits and a national tour with US band Rosetta completed, an album on the way and a undiminished desire to continue on, the future for the band seems to hold great promise.  Little Lochy Internet Fiend reveals more:

Lochlan?

Hi Jackson. I am currently very hung-over, sipping ice water.

I approve of this, now, who currently makes up the band?  What do they do?  What do they bring to the band?

The band is currently made up of Geno on guitar and myself on drums, and we were just joined by Josh of Art Vandelay infamy on guitar. Geno and I both contribute vocals and Josh is hopefully going to start doing that soon too. Geno brings the riffs. I bring the lyrical concepts. Together we put together the songs, if Geno hasn’t already nutted out an amazing structure. Josh is only new to the band but his ideas are gelling with ours better than any previous guitarists have and he’s coming up with some really cool parts. We have been jamming with James on bass, who also plays for The Vanguard Tic, and hopefully he’ll become an official part of things soon. He has a very different style to our last bassist, Niko, who just thrashed the shit out of his instrument. James has a more delicate and perhaps intricate sensibility, and tends to play with his fingers instead of a pick. It’s different but it is very interesting and bringing a new dimension into our sound. We have three quarters of a band. We’re hoping things work out well with James. From the very beginning we were always constantly going through members, so as draining as it can be at times, I guess we are kind of used to it, and we will end up a tighter and stronger band because of it.

Would it be fair to say that you are Geno are, and have been, the core of the band?  How has the dynamic of the band changed with each new member?  If at all?

That’s definitely the case. He was the first guitarist to hit me up when I put the word out that I wanted to start a band like this, and he and I have always had consistent, mutual and dominant musical influences over our direction. We knew what realm we wanted our sound to come from like before we started jamming. I remember once discussing with Geno about how no matter who quit the band, if it was me and him left, we’d keep it going, even if it came down to having to be strictly a recording project. Strangely enough, a couple of weeks later we lost a guitarist and a bassist. The dynamic definitely changes depending on what personalities are in the band. For example, our last guitarist Nic was a clean skinned 21 year-old dude fresh out of University, and Joel, the guitarist before that was a heavily tattooed father in his mid 20’s. Obviously these are two very different people in different situations and you can imagine how that might translate to the inner workings of a band.

Looking back at the time you have spent in the band, how do you feel about it?  Are you content with the things you have achieved or frustrated due to certain aspects?  Is it a combination?

I am definitely happy with what we have achieved and proud of my time spent. I would like to have done a lot more over the past year or so but obviously you can’t go on tour without a solid line up. It can be frustrating, being offered shows and wanting to just get out there and play and not being able to. I would also have liked to have another release out by now, but what can you do? Keep plugging away.

How did the tour with Rosetta come about?

I had been a huge fan of Rosetta for a couple of years and yearned to see the band live. One day I decided to hit them up via MySpace message and see what it would take to bring them down. They were just about to start planning a European tour, but thought Australia seemed like a cooler option after we started talking. They said they were willing to pay for their own flights, I decided I was willing to cover all the other expenses, and we just set about making sure everything was in place and promoted well.

What impact did the tour have on the band?

That tour was two of the best weeks in all of our lives, and it impacted us in many ways. It gave us all more drive to push the band harder. There was talk of buying a van and everything after that tour. The tour got our name and music out to heaps more people, and we made many friends on the road. It raised the profile of our band from not much to maybe being a blip on some people’s radars, and we started getting more offers for decent gigs after it. I guess the most obvious impact it had was the split that happened between us and our then-guitarist/vocalist Joel. If we had never gone on tour I’d say he’d probably still be in the band today. However two weeks in close quarters with nine other dudes in the van or whatever can cause strain on personal relationships. We all realised that if we were going to be a band that continued to do these bigger tours, then Joel and his situation was not fit for the road. In my head I had it all planned out – we were going to keep the momentum going straight after tour, but we came back and lost a crucial member. That really bummed me out for a while.

Can you define what you mean by decent gigs?

For example, after the tour we were offered gigs with Pig Destroyer from the USA and Monarch from France. Prior to the tour we didn’t get such offers.

How do you feel you were received on the tour?

Considering hardly anyone had heard or seen us before, fairly well. We got some cool feedback from those shows and sold a bit of merch here and there. Obviously though, people were there to see Rosetta. We were just happy to be along for the ride.

Will there be anything like that happening again in the future?

Right now all we are focused on is getting our shit together and getting an album in the can. We’ll hopefully do a few smaller runs with our new line-up before we hit the studio. I’d like to do a big tour with another Australian band next before we think about approaching anymore overseas bands.

What do you think the band sounds like?

Epic shit. We play music to sit and think to, but also music to get heavy and move to. Giant swells of emotive alt-rock guitar that bounce between carefree and almost ‘happy’ rock sounds to dark heavy doom with the occasional break into fast chunky metal. Plenty of syncopated, jazz-like drum beats with an unusually high amount of double kick use for the style, topped off with a mix of occasional death metal and screamo styled vocals.

So which section in JB Hi Fi would you be in?

Metal seems most appropriate.

Does the writing process become difficult with all of this happening?

Not really. When we jam songs out things flow quite easily, and we can take three chords and do a million different things with them over the space of half an hour and just keep doing that until we have whittled down the best bits into a song. Vocals always come after the songs are complete musically, and that separation helps keep things more streamlined.

What drives the band?  What drives you?  What inspires the band?  What inspires you?

We are driven by a need to express ourselves and release our energy through our creativity, I guess. We have fun doing this and we find it exciting to release CDs, play new places etc. In terms of musical influences, names that were thrown around in the formative days included Isis, Cult Of Luna, Rosetta, Pelican, Mastodon, Burst, and The Ocean. We’ve stayed fairly true to that, with perhaps some sounds from a few of Geno’s long time favourites such as Radiohead and Nirvana seeping into the mix. Lyrically, we are generally inspired by dreams, nightmares, celestial concepts, and occasionally negative feelings towards the thoughts and actions of people, whether it be personally directed or in regards to others.

Are the lyrical themes/concepts continuing with the new songs?

I haven’t been writing much in the way of lyrics for The Surrogate lately, simply because we aren’t at that stage of writing yet, but I’m hoping we’re going to run with the space theme for most of the album. Not so much a concept album, but each song will probably have its own space-themed concept, mixed in with human emotional reflections. The last song I wrote lyrics for is about a dying star. Said star has a consciousness, and the lyrics portray the sadness and depression experienced by the sun in its final days. Through the process of its death, it is killing off its children, aka all the planets within its solar system, and this hurts its feelings more than the finality of its own life. The song ends describing the bittersweet beauty of its supernova and that subsequent nebula that is left behind.

Do you think things have moved relatively quickly for the band?  What do you attribute that to?

I think things did move fairly quickly for us, which was good in some ways but maybe too full on in other ways. Given that we had all done quite a bit of time in previous bands, and that I am fairly actively involved in working within the local music scene, we knew plenty of musicians to try out, we knew how to get good shows, we knew how to put on our own shows, we knew how to promote the band etc. I am an impatient person and like to keep things moving and achieving bigger goals so I’m always making sure we’re progressing. Geno is also a riff machine and we’ve certainly never really experienced much in the way of writer’s block.

You’ve put out 2 splits, was there a reason why you didn’t just release a demo or EP?  What are your thoughts on them?

Splits are cooler than demos, and we didn’t really have enough material that we felt was solid enough for our own EP. We needed a release for tour, and turns out Worms Of The Earth were keen to collaborate with us on a conceptual 6-track split, and Willows were keen to chuck a song on a 3” CD with us. I’m pretty happy with how the split with Worms turned out, though many parts could have been performed better, however I cannot stand to listen to the song we have on the Willows split anymore, and think it is quite a bad song/recording.

Favourite show?  Least favourite show?  Why?

The Rosetta gig at Rosies stands as being my personal favourite I guess. It was the first show of our first tour and we had heaps of friends and family there to support us. We played well and had a really good time. The emotions I felt when Rosetta took the stage were intensely gratifying and surreal – a special moment in time for us. Least favourite? Our second ever show at Rosies was a complete embarrassment. We had a vocalist back then, and let’s just say that was his last show for some very good reasons regarding his performance.

What would you like to see the band achieve in the future?

I would like to release a killer debut album that blows people’s minds. An album I can listen to over and over and not have sit and think damn, we should have done it this way, or I could have played that better too much. We’ve got about five complete songs ready to go and we’re working on a few more at present. There’s an excess of riffs and ideas floating around so now we just have to piece together a couple more songs and refine everything. Once that is done we can focus on touring more, maybe releasing a split 7” with a cool band, and maybe head overseas to play some shows eventually. That would be cool.

In an ideal world and situation, what will the next 6 months to a year bring for The Surrogate?

A stable, committed and fun line-up, an album, more awesome local shows, and a few solid Australian tours to back it. Apparently Isis are due out later this year, and in an ideal world and situation we would totally be touring with them. Ha!

In the real world, how far do you feel you are from being active in a live/recording sense?

We have our first show back booked for July 10 with La Dispute from the USA and To The North, with another show for August soon to be announced. We will definitely be active in a live sense by then if not before. We’re probably going to look to record a new demo track or two as soon as we have some new songs solid with the new line-up, and we do plan on having at least one new song for our first show back. Simple answer: July 09.

Thanks.

You can check out The Surrogate here.