Back in 2007 Tin Alley released their catchy debut album, Everyturn. What a difference a couple of years makes. Following their drummer’s brush with death, the band has honed everything that was good about that album and made it better. They seem more focused, and more driven. With that kind of can-do attitude, it seems the world is their oyster. I caught up with the band’s lead singer and guitarist Jim Siourthas to chat about their reinvention, the band’s brand new EP, and the international opportunities that are knocking at their door.
Your new single “Out of Control” has just exploded, with number one downloads on BigPond music and some solid airplay. What can you tell me about the song?
The first thing I’ll tell you is a little bit about what it’s about. A couple of years ago our drummer, Peter Hofbauer, had quite a serious motorbike accident. He was in intensive care for almost three weeks and he shattered his collarbone and so on, so it was a pretty close call. And he was 27 years old at the time. So we were just playing with the idea of dying at the age of 27, and doing a bit of a search on the internet we found out that there was a club called the 27 Club. So that’s basically what “Out of Control” talks about. The idea was spawned out of Peter’s accident, but it actually talks about Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and other members of the 27 Club, and what their lives would have been like, and the reason why they died, and so on. So that’s what the song deals with lyrically.
And in terms of the musical side of things, we recorded the track in Brisbane with a producer by the name of Stuart Stuart, who has previously worked with The Veronicas and The Small Mercies. So we went up to Brisbane for a couple of weeks, and out came “Out of Control.”
Why do you think it’s resonated so much with the music-buying public?
I think the song has got some strong, catchy hooks, in terms of the choruses. The start of the song is immediately grabbing. It has high impact. I think there isn’t much of that around these days, and obviously people are getting turned on by it.
You mentioned that you worked with Stuart Stuart on the song. What did he bring to your sound?
He definitely brought a bit more of the commercial sound to us, to make it a bit more radio friendly. And it seems to have worked a treat because radio is absolutely loving it.
I believe the whole EP deals with the thoughts and feelings that came out when your drummer was involved in a serious motorcycle accident. How difficult was that experience for you all?
It was pretty tough. I remember on the day I got an SMS from Peter’s mum saying that Peter was in hospital. I wasn’t actually sure what had happened until I called his mum and she said “Oh, he hit a kangaroo.” And, you know, what do you mean he hit a kangaroo?
Gee I remember my parents doing that in a car, and it was bad enough in a car, let alone on a bike!
Pete did have a friend on the back as well, so there were two of them on the motorbike. And they hit the kangaroo at 80 kays an hour. And, you know, they were very lucky to get out alive, let alone being back on a drum kit three months later. So definitely, your life flashes before your eyes. It happened so close to all of us. It was a great source of inspiration for a lot of music.
I guess at least some great music came out of it.
Definitely. Turn the negative into a positive I suppose.
You mentioned you’re releasing the EP Crossing Paths next month. Now it’s a little unusual for a band who’ve got an album behind them to make an EP. What made you decide to opt for the short form this time around?
The album we released in 2007, that’s more of a demo type album even though we did release it. Now we’re a lot more focused on the quality of the sound, the quality of the music going out. We’re not so concerned with the number of tracks going out, but the quality of the tracks going out. So we’d expect this EP that’s going out in December to form part of an album that’s going to be released later next year. Hopefully most of the tracks on there will turn out to be part of a bigger picture album.
I hear that you’ve just inked a major deal which will see your EP released all around the world. How exciting is that?
Yeah, that’s unbelievable. We’ve been on the phone with a mob from Hong Kong, and it’s just amazing how quickly things have taken off. We’ve got the energy and the will for it, so bring it on.
Are you planning any jetsetting to coincide with the release?
Definitely, definitely. We’re currently planning a tour of Australia at the start of next year, and once we’ve got all the details of our Asian release we’ll be planning something there no doubt.
Where do you most want to visit?
I can’t wait to get to Japan. I’ve never been to Japan, so I can’t wait to get there. I hear a lot of good things about Japan.
You’re playing some shows in your home state of Melbourne really soon. Are you looking forward to getting back in front of your local audiences?
Yeah, obviously Melbourne’s a very warm crowd for us and we love playing here. We’re playing a show tonight actually at The Espy. But we will be heading up to New South Wales towards the start of next year.
Last time we spoke last year you were just wrapping up your first national tour. How do you think you’ve grown as a live act since then?
I think we take things a lot more seriously, in terms of our live performances. The focus is much more to entertain rather than just play music. The more you play I think you become more aware about what punters are there to experience. I think it’s just a growing process that every band goes through.
To see just how far Tin Alley have come, check our their entertaining new live show at the following venues. Look out for their EP Crossing Paths in store next month.
12 November 2009 – The Espy, Melbourne
13 November 2009 – The Yahoo Bar, Shepparton
14 November 2009 – Newmarket Hotel, Bendigo
22 November 2009 – Cusion Lounge, Melbourne
Image used with permission from AAA Entertainment