Category: Interviews

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Q&A With vaultboy

After making a splash online with his breakthrough single “everything sucks” in 2021, Florida sensation vaultboy is making his way to Australia for the very first time. Ahead of his shows in the East Coast capitals, I caught up with vaultboy to chat about making music in the digital age, that King of Sad Songs tag, and what he expects from his time Down Under.

You’ll be touring Australia for the first time in June. What do you expect from the shows here?
I expect to have a great time and hopefully not run into spiders. That is what I expect.

A valid answer.
That is my real answer.

Will you get any downtime while you’re here? And if so, is there anything you are hoping to do?
Yes, I’ll have a few days off before the show starts in Sydney. And I am just hoping to try some great food. And honestly, I don’t know if it’s possible because I have no idea where they’re located, but I’d love to see a kangaroo in person. That would be great. Maybe at a zoo. I hope they’re not just running around. That’d be a little terrifying. But we’ll see.

You’re visiting us after touring Europe, and then you’ll be heading to Asia. Your schedule seems very hectic. So how do you keep things fresh when you’re on the road for so long?
I think on the road, the biggest thing is like, not going crazy after being gone so long and traveling so much. So making sure when you have time, take time for yourself, and do things that have nothing to do with your work. I’m hoping to try and find some time to go rock climbing at some rock climbing gyms in different countries. But yeah, just finding things to do that aren’t related to tour that make you feel like you’re just a human being and not just a performance machine.

I was actually introduced to your music when Spotify just randomly threw up “everything sucks” one day. How important has streaming been for growing your fan base?
Really important. I recently did a post where I asked some fans where they had found my music and a lot of people found it on TikTok, which is super fair, but a good amount found me on Discover Weekly or on a playlist on Spotify. I once had a fan say they found my music from one of my playlists on Spotify. They just found one of the playlists I made on Spotify randomly. And that’s how they found out about my music. They didn’t even know that I made the playlist. So yeah, definitely streaming is a huge part of growth, I think. But that said, I think everything just kind of goes hand in hand.

Rolling Stone dubbed you the “King of Sad Songs”, but recent releases “closer” and “Where tf have you been?” have been pretty happy. What’s behind the change in tone?
So my upcoming album has a bit of a theme that I haven’t really talked about too much. But the foundational theme that I went with for the album was duality. And so about half the songs are like lighter, let’s say a happier perspective. Or if it’s a sad song, it may be a sarcastic perspective, versus a purely sad perspective, you know, it may be kind of like a laugh at the pain type of perspective.

And so the first half of the album is that, and then the second half of the album is much darker. And some of the darkest songs – and I use the word dark not just sad – but some of the darkest songs that I’ve ever released.

I think the biggest reason for that though, is you know, I put out two really sad songs that are on the album last year and then we put out a couple of the happier ones and I think part of the reason I’m excited about these happier songs coming out is because when the album hits they’re getting mostly sad songs. All the unreleased ones are mostly sad so I am not releasing a perfect one-to-one ratio for the singles, but I’m a very multifaceted person. I feel a lot of different emotions, a lot of very positive and negative, and this album I think I did a good job showcasing both.

Your single ‘closer’ sees you reunite with Salem, who you worked with on “don’t shop when you’re hungry” last year. Why do you love collaborating with her?
She’s so easy to work with. Like, she’s a great gal and she’s fun to hang out with. She put out an album last year and now she’s looking forward to the music she wants to make now and I think it was just a good time for us to work together, because when we wrote “closer”, it was around the same time as “don’t shop when you’re hungry”. So we were kind of in that creative zone. She’s so talented, like so much more talented than people think she is. She’s an insane songwriter. And yeah, just super fun and easy to work with. I really try to work with people that I like. I’m not like trying to just collaborate with a bunch of random people just to get a feature or trying to get a big song. I really want to work with people that can be my friends and that I know are good people that I feel really good associating with, you know what I mean? And she’s one of them.

You’ve released a couple of EPs over the years, but you mentioned a full album is in the works. What can you tell us?
Yes, my debut album is dropping on May 10th. And it is called everything and nothing. And it bangs. It’s going to be so good. And no one is ready for it.

Finally, do you have a message for your Australian fans before you get here?
Yeah. We live on the opposite side of this globe that is floating in space. And so I’m excited to finally venture out there and get to hang out with all of you. So bring all your friends to the shows. And let’s have a good time!

Vaultboy plays the following shows along the East Coast in June. Tickets are on sale now, but with venues this intimate, you’d better get them while you can.

6 June 2024 – Oxford Art Factory, Eora/Sydney
8 June 2024 – Northcote Social Club, Naarm/Melbourne
9 June 2024 – The Brightside, Meeanjin/Brisbane

Image used with permission from Bigmouth PR

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Q & A with Reckless Coast

The dying art of Rock ‘n’ Roll according to some is a lost cause … something that is unsalvageable. However, this is not the stance that Brisbane’s resident coastal misfits Reckless Coast take, as they release their latest east coast highway tune ‘Bad Habits’. Tired of the clichés donned by modern rock revivalists, Reckless Coast’s salted pub rock vibe finally forms a bond between Indie and Retro-Rock listeners. A sonic lovechild of Foo Fighters adrenaline and The Rolling Stones swagger. Sitting down with India, Jaeden and Jono, we discuss why their ’70s spiced single ‘Bad Habits’ stands out in the crowd with its surf-esque energy and pub-mosh potential.

‘Bad Habits’ immediately makes people think of alcohol or drug abuse, gambling, or social dysfunctions. However, that is not the case with this song. Can you elaborate on the song’s story?
Jaeden: Whilst there are micro-narratives within the song, the main ‘Bad Habits’ storyline is based on toxic relationships. It’s telling the story of someone comfortable in a relationship diminishing their wellbeing; but being so numb to the situation they don’t do anything to change it … almost touching on a sense of Stockholm Syndrome but in the context of romantic relationships.

There’s a retro-70s persona in this track, but yet it’s refreshingly modern. Can you talk about influences on this track?
Jono: Listening back to it I’d probably say it has old school surf influences in the guitars and the drums are ’90s – 2000s alt rock sort of vibes. Production-wise when I was doing the mix I wanted it to sound modern but still have an old school vibe to it. Making the drums big and room heavy combined with making the guitars and vocals bright and saturated was the approach I thought would achieve that.

Jaeden: The song came together when I fused three separately created ideas … the main riff I wrote by imagining what a “psychedelic surf song” would sound like. The verse riff is a reworking of a classic blues rock shuffle, and the chorus was a riff inspired by retro pub rock. Combining all three, it becomes a refreshingly modern indie-rock tune with retro charm.

What’s the highlight of this song? It can be a lyric or riff. What part of this song makes people hook in?
India: The 70’s rock-inspired breakdown hooks people into the song after the initial hook, and it’s a cool contrast from the rest of the track. Lyrically, a highlight for me is “I don’t want to see you go, but I think it’s best for me to find my own way home”. You come to a realisation when you have to remove yourself from a toxic person or situation, that it’s either step away, or hurt yourself even more. Jaeden hit the nail on the head with that lyric.

What would you like people to take away from the moral/story of this song?
Jaeden: You’re in control of your happiness and don’t be afraid to make changes to improve your well-being.

You’re supporting Delta Riggs and Press Club at Crusher Fest for the release of this new single. How are you feeling about that? Is this your first festival?
India: We’re so keen! This is the band’s first festival, and it’s cool to share it alongside heaps of great local acts and two killer headliners.

No tour this time? I know there’s a story behind that one regarding broken bones.
Jaeden: Yeah honestly not my best work. I was being silly with some mates of mine … Long story short I tried to pick two of them up, and adding 150kg to my body weight pretty much broke my entire left foot. I had to have surgery, and with Crusher Fest coming up, the overall safety risks of doing a tour without any sort of team or entourage were too high, and I didn’t want to further injure myself. It’s the first time we had to cancel anything like this … We didn’t want to, but the surgeon’s words were “it was like jelly in there”, and we weren’t risking further injury before the festival.

Is this just a single? Or something more on the way?
Jaeden: So this is the first single off a 5 track EP. It’s our first major EP release as Reckless Coast, and we’re keen to put out a release that’s reflective of our current live catalogue. It’ll be released mid 2024.

What’s your thoughts on bands only releasing singles rather than EPs/LPs? Is there anything worthwhile in them, or are singles the only interest from fans now?
Jono: I mean, I personally love bigger bodies of work like albums and EPS. I can see why PR agencies and marketing teams push artists to stick to singles. It’s much easier to build a fanbase by marketing different songs to a fanbase every couple months as opposed to marketing the same album to fans for a year. The general trend I have noticed with artists is they stagger release a bunch of singles to try and build a fanbase and when they feel like they have a solid amount of listeners they release an album. But who knows, rules are meant to be broken. Maybe in like four years there will be a new formula.

First release versus this release … How do you feel when you look back at the older catalogue?
India: Each release we get more and more confident in ourselves. I love playing our (only four years) “old” tracks – same amount of enthusiasm and passion, now with a stronger sound and a big step in progress. I’m really proud of the natural growth we’ve had from our first release. Our genre has become more refined and we now really know who we are and what we sound like.

If you could choose one song to re-record, which would it be and why?
Jaeden: “Got That Feelin’” … would love to improve guitar layers and shorten some sections … but that said, I like seeing an artist’s progression from release to release … going back to see where they’ve come from compared to where they’ve ended up both in songwriting and production terms is really interesting. It’s an organic part of an artist’s career.

Reckless Coast are appearing at ‘Crusher Fest’ at The Brightside in Meeanjin/Brisbane on December 2 alongside The Delta Riggs and Press Club. Their latest single ‘Bad Habits’ is now available on all platforms.

You can stream ‘Bad Habits’ here.
Tickets for Crusher Fest can be found here.

Image used with permission from Reckless Coast

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Q & A With Barefoot Spacemen’s Scott Renton

Barefoot Spacemen are an exciting Melbourne act combining elements of funk, neo-soul, disco … all the good stuff that makes you want to dance. It’s something we really need after the last two years I think! I recently chatted to the band’s guitarist, Scott Renton, about how the pandemic impacted Barefoot Spacemen and the band’s latest music.

Your new single “NRG” drops today. Why did you decide to release that particular song?
We’ve been recording a bunch of tracks from our upcoming album, so we’re partly rolling a few out as they’re ready but also trying to pick songs that are fun, upbeat, and reflective of the sound we’re working towards. “NRG” is fun to play and hopefully fun to listen to, so it made sense to release this one.

The single features your artwork. Is that a real passion of yours?
Not particularly, if I’m honest! I enjoy creating things in general but I’m not much of an artist at all. Like most bands, we’re running on a pretty tight budget so the more things we can do in-house the better. We’ll get a proper artist or graphic designer on board for bigger projects, but for a single release during the colder months, we figured it would be best to just do it on our own.

You’re launching the single at Colour Club on April 21. What can people look forward to when they see you live?
We try to make our sets fun and filled with stuff people can dance to. Usually it feels like a big party and playing live is the main reason we make music, so we always really enjoy it. We’ve got a great lineup happening with Blue Nude and Jag, along with DJ Uly spinning vinyl afterwards, so there’s an interesting mix of genres and experiences for people to enjoy.

There’s such an excitement about live music at the moment as we move past a lot of covid restrictions. How are you guys feeling about playing again?
Playing live is almost the entire reason we make music. It’s dope seeing people enjoying themselves dancing to something you’ve put hundreds of hours into creating – super rewarding. We’re stoked to be back and to be able to get on with performing and recording, and we feel that energy reflected in the audience, too.

The pandemic was such a tough time for musicians everywhere. How did Barefoot Spacemen cope with the last two years?
Things got pretty grim but we spent a lot of time on the phone to each other talking about our plans for after lockdowns, writing new songs, working on our craft as musicians, and sending each other demos. When we weren’t talking about the band, we’d be on the phone to each other playing Xbox or something together as well, so I pretty much stayed in touch with the band every day throughout lockdowns. That friendship really helped me personally deal with everything at the time and definitely prevented things from spiralling out of control on a number of occasions. It’s been great to start acting on some of the plans we made during that time now that we’re able to.

I found listening to music was one of the big things that kept me sane during the pandemic. Were there any new artists you got into or old favourites you relied on during that period?
It depended a lot on my mood – sometimes I was so bored that I was desperate to find new music, but other times I just wanted the comfort of something familiar. I stumbled upon a few artists that I ended up loving – mostly older funk and disco stuff to try and keep the mood upbeat at home.

“NRG” is the second single from your upcoming debut album. What can we expect from the album?
We’re trying to explore sounds we’ve never dabbled in before, but the album is largely funk, Motown, disco, and hip hop inspired in its instrumentation. We want to produce tracks that people can dance to, vibe to, smoke to, whatever they want. There are a lot of grown-up themes and topics with our vocalist Aaron’s lyrics, which is a bit of a contrast to the playful and groove-centric nature of the music, but I like the dichotomy of it – this idea that you can be crying in the club or on the dance floor, but having a great time.

There’s a real funk influence in all Barefoot Spacemen music I’ve listened to. What do you love about that genre?
It’s just a lot of fun to listen to and even more fun to play. We’ve always been passionate about continuing to improve as musicians and we’ve found that we’re naturally leaning into that genre the longer we spend together as a band. We have a pretty eclectic mix of musical tastes, but funk and disco seems to be a common ground. There’s a lot of room to experiment with the genre as well, so it’s great that we can all bring influences from our own tastes and kind of blend them into this hybrid funk thing we’re trying to achieve with our sound.

It’s been a couple of years since you released your last EP Cabin Fever. What are the key lessons you’ve learned as a band since then?
Tough question! We’ve learned so much. If I had to narrow it down, I’d probably say that we’re learning to accept things that are beyond our control and do things at our own pace. There’s a heap of demand for a constant stream of content with musicians and artists in general these days, and we don’t want to lose sight of the art. So we’ve been focusing on creating for our audience and letting people engage with us at the same pace we’re willing to operate. Taking a kind of quality over quantity approach, despite what everyone has been telling us. That leads to the second lesson, which is learning which external opinions to take on board and which ones aren’t going to help us. I could go on forever about what we’ve learned, but it’s mostly realising the value of improving our craft and how much hard work it takes to make a living in this industry.

It sounds like it’s a really exciting time for the band with the new single release and the album not too far behind. Is there anything else on the horizon? A national tour perhaps?
We’ve been looking at touring both here and overseas, but we’re still working through the logistics and feasibility of it all. It’s definitely something we’d love to do but for now, after two years of setbacks, our sole focus is getting this album finished!

“NRG” is available today on all the major streaming services. Melbourne, make sure you catch Barefoot Spacemen’s single launch show at Colour Club on April 21.

Image used with permission from Barefoot Spacemen; credit: @aynsleymitchell

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Q&A With Last Quokka and Plaster of Paris

It’s an exciting time for musicians and their fans. After COVID-19 brought the world to a screeching halt, we’re all starting to reconnect with one another and live music. In that spirit of connection, Western Australia’s Last Quokka and Victoria’s Plaster of Paris have joined forces for a “full-tilt punk rock extravaganza” travelling the country this April and May. Before it kicks off, I caught up with the bands to chat about the tour, how the pandemic hit them, and what comes next.

Last Quokka, we’re chatting because you’re about to kick off a national tour, which must be so exciting for you as a Western Australian band. How are you feeling about it?
LQ: Honestly it feels like a bit of dream right now, so until we’re there it’s hard to know how to feel! But we’re incredibly excited. This has been such a long time coming and obviously like every band not having the opportunity to tour these last two years has been a struggle. We’ve also had a bit of a line-up change so it’s going to be rad to get to travel together as a new five-piece. And of course we’re super pumped to be able to hang with Plaster of Paris.

What have you missed most about touring the country?
LQ: Last Quokka is really all about the live energy and the community connection we make through playing so we’ve missed that a lot. It’s also just such a rad thing to be able to travel with your mates and play shows.


Plaster of Paris, you’re joining Last Quokka on this tour. How did that come about?
POP: We just kept talking after our Sonic Masala shows together got cancelled in Brisbane last year and we all just seem connected. Both bands are running DIY gigs and self-releasing and working in these scenes that centralise politics and feminism and community so it just feels symbiotic to come together. And so fun!

After all the lockdowns in Victoria, it must be pretty exciting to simply get back to playing for audiences. How did the pandemic treat you?
POP: We had an album to mix and release during the pandemic so Melbourne’s crazy long lockdown gave us time, if nothing else, to focus on what we wanted to achieve. We drove Paul Maybury a little mad I’m sure with remixes and redos, but by the end we got something we are incredibly proud of and I’m not sure we would have made the same album pre-pandemic. A silver lining perhaps?

Last Quokka, as a Western Australian band you’ve probably had a really different experience of the pandemic than a lot of East Coast acts. I saw photos from gigs that looked almost normal while we were in lockdown, yet you were cut off from the rest of the country for so long. What was that experience like for you?
LQ: It was exactly as you’ve said really. It felt super weird and privileged to be playing shows like RTRFMs In The Pines or Yardstock to thousands of people while our mates over east were in lockdown, but that said the isolation has definitely been pretty intense. While it feels dumb to complain about it, we’re already so very isolated over here and that was just hugely reinforced, especially with East Coast bands not being able to come over. Also, Perth is an odd place. While there is a great DIY and lefty community in general, it’s a very conservative place and can feel very suffocating at times. So it is great to get out.

Plaster of Paris, during the pandemic you released your album, Lost Familiar. What was it like to put that out in the world at a time when you couldn’t tour the country?
POP: Hitting ‘Public’ on Bandcamp and collectively opening beers in our lounge rooms. Doing a band Zoom when we were nominated for Best Rock Punk Act in the Music Victoria Awards and clinking virtual champagne flutes. Connecting with online fans and making email buddies across the globe in places like Estonia and Portugal. Doing interviews on Instagram Live with Spanish blogs at 3 am (and getting the day wrong and having to do it all over again). Making the “Danceflaw” filmclip in the exercise hour we had each day (literally Nicola and Zec exercise/dancing in empty streets of Thornbury with a camera). These are the weird things you do for album releases in a pandemic!

Why did you release the album during the pandemic? Was there ever a time that you considering holding it back?
POP: We started recording this album in 2015/2016 and had a lot of setbacks. By the time the pandemic hit we just went along and kept pushing and took it as another challenge. A big scary one! But being with our creative family was all we wanted to do. The album is so much about the family you create, particularly as queer-identifying humans. You build this new family that let you be yourself and we wanted to celebrate that because lockdowns often separated us from safe spaces and chosen families. Our lost familia.

The music you make is so ballsy and bold, I’m sure it takes a lot of people by surprise. The post-punk genre is so dominated by men. What’s it like for Plaster of Paris playing in that space?
POP: Ha! Ballsy! Imagine if we described music as Breasty! I’m not having a crack … I just wonder if we’ll ever ungender strength and anger and loudness. Even now it scares people when female-identifying people are loud. All you have to do is cross the river in Melbourne and play a crowd that has never seen a punk band and watch them squirm and get confused in 2022! Their idea of loud women is Miley Cyrus covering Metallica. (Hashtag I love Miley FYI). We’re all fans of hard rock, the riot grrrl movement was instrumental to me understanding I was allowed to be in the band not just hang out with them. I used to sit on the floor of my male friends’ rehearsals watching them. All of a sudden I started seeing women playing instruments and I picked up a guitar. We still need representation, especially as instrumentalists. As older women we need to see ourselves too, ageism is real in the music industry. As Zec sings in “State of Emergency” – we “want Social Currency” and “a community to speak to me”.

I was reminded of a lot of female punk pioneers as I listened to your album. Who are some of your influences?
POP: My heart will always be with the ’90s ladies like Bikini Kill and Bratmobile and other affiliated acts like Helium and Sleater Kinney and the ’70s UK punks: The Slits, Raincoats, XRay Spex. Zec loves Siouxsie Sioux, Nina Hagan, Wayne County and her love of Kate Bush and Bowie is clear in her phrasing. As a guitarist, I also love bands like Gossip and Yeah Yeah Yeahs because Plaster is a two-piece band mostly: guitar and drums. Three people just locking in. Having said that, we are touring as a five-piece!

How about you Last Quokka? What artists have made a big impression on you?
LQ: We did a whip around the band: Kirill – Michael Jackson, Carlota – Tool, Justin – IDLES, Ray – Fugazi, Trent – Phoebe Bridges.

What can music lovers expect from these shows?
LQ: Drunken shenanigans, conversations about Geoff Gallop, some booty shaking, and maybe some good music.

After the tour wraps up, what’s next for you?
LQ: We’re working on our fifth LP so that’s exciting and trying to eventually get over to the EU! A few of us are also thinking about getting more pets, maybe learning to play tennis. That kind of thing.

POP: Extend the tour with more dates!! Let’s do Tassie and Darwin and then Europe. Quokkas watch out!

If you’re ready to rock (and let’s face it, who isn’t?), you can catch Last Quokka and Plaster of Paris at the venues below. Check out the Last Quokka and Plaster of Paris socials for tickets and more details about the shows:

1 April 2022 – The Outpost, Brisbane (with Tape Off)
2 April 2022 – Eleven Dive Bar in Maroochydore (with Tape Off)
3 April 2022 – Sonic Sherpa, Brisbane (instore)
7 April 2022 – The Servo, Port Kembla (with The Elastic Waste Band)
8 April 2022 – Graveyard Shift @ The Lansdowne, Chippendale (with Yes I’m Leaving)
9 April 2022 – The Old Bar, Fitzroy (with Zig Zag)
10 April 2022 – Arvo show at the Barwon Club, Geelong (with Zig Zag)
6 May 2022 – The Bird, Northbridge (with Dead Tooth Hottie)
7 May 2022 – Yardstock! Fremantle
8 May 2022 – The Shed, Albany (with Pack Hoarse)

Images used with permission from Last Quokka and Plaster of Paris; photo credit for Plaster of Paris photo: Kalindy Williams

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Q & A with Alanna Eileen

Alanna Eileen has been one of my favourite musical finds of the year, so I was thrilled to catch up with her on the release of her new single “Love the Ghost,” our first taste of her forthcoming LP. Here’s what she had to say about the new song, the album to come, and her love of literature.

You’ve just released “Love the Ghost” as your new single. What was it about that song that made you want to release it?
“Love the Ghost” is like the centre from which, thematically, all the other songs on the album arise. It became the first single because I noticed it was reflective of the entire LP. It seemed an apposite introduction for that reason.

Mark Myers from The Middle East produced the single. What was he like to work with?
Mark Myers is great to work with. He also produced my first EP. We recorded it in Cairns, where his studio is based.

The song comes from your album, which is coming out early next year. What can music lovers expect from the LP?
The LP is a collection of ten songs performed on piano and guitar. Like my first EP, it’s lyric-driven and introspective. I wanted the instrumentation to be subtle and for the vocals to remain the primary focus.

How did the process of putting together an album, compared to an EP, treat you?
It was mainly a process of choosing the right songs and examining how they fit together. It’s almost like a concept album in the sense that it retraces and reiterates the same territory and themes over and over. Because it’s my first full-length work, I learned a lot that will hopefully benefit me on future releases.

I noticed you’re not playing any shows to launch the single. Will fans get to see you on stage to celebrate the album’s release?
I’m heading to London in February, where I’ll be playing some small venues in addition to a headline show at the historic St. Pancras Old Church. When I return, I plan to release my second single, “Motion,” with an accompanying video, before an Australian launch and tour.

What can music lovers expect when they come to see you play?
My live shows are very raw; it’s just my voice and, usually, an acoustic guitar. Piano will also feature. I do hope to introduce a band soon, too, which will be a new experience.

Your EP Absence was one of my favourite recordings of the year. What music have you enjoyed listening to this year?
Thank you so much. This year, I enjoyed hearing the new Sufjan Stevens album. I also just found out about Joanna Newsom’s most recent release after returning from recording, which was a lovely surprise. Otherwise, I have mainly been listening to older music – a lot of Nick Drake and minimalist composers like Henryk Gorecki and John Adams. Nico Muhly’s Drones has also been a favourite.

I was poking around your Facebook page and noticed you’re more likely to “like” literary figures than other musicians. What is it about good literature that gets you so excited?
I love language. I feel like I still have an endless amount to learn about everything and that books are great teachers. I find beauty in the stream-of-consciousness prose of Virginia Woolf, the idiosyncratic poetry of Dylan Thomas, David Foster Wallace’s breathless sentences and Hesse’s mystical parables. The way a writer like Camus describes things succinctly, yet with an almost tender attention to detail, taught me a lot about writing when I was a young teen. It promoted the kind of introspection that has largely fuelled my work.

Since Christmas is approaching all too quickly, what’s on your wish list this year?
All my wishes would be for immaterial things. Mostly, I’m just grateful that I can make music and I wish to continue. If I’m able to help others at all, that would also be a wish fulfilled.

Is there anything else in the pipeline you can tell me about?
I’m going to be working on my first music video in London, which will be released alongside my second single. Also, since finishing recording, I’ve started writing songs that feel structurally and lyrically different to my previous ones; I’m already looking forward to releasing them in future.

Alanna Eileen’s single “Love the Ghost” is out now. Her new album is slated for a February 2016 release.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Q & A with William Street Strikers’ Andrew Matters

With a new album on the horizon, I figured it was time to catch up with Sounds of Oz favourite Andrew Matters from William Street Strikers. Read on to learn more about the Adelaide rock band’s new music, courting controversy on social media, and Andrew’s scariest time on tour.

Your new single Wrong Way Home got an official release this month giving your fans a taste of the new album. What is it about this song that made you decide to release it as a single?
Our new single “Wrong Way Home” was chosen as a first single for two reasons. Firstly, because it is a straight forward surf rock song it came together really organically in the studio and just sat right straight away so it was easy to mix and produce and get past our discernment. The second reason was that it sounded good to us and we knew that our core group of listeners would like it so we felt comfortable that it would be liked and embraced by those who are already into the band.

How indicative is “Wrong Way Home” of the rest of the music on the album?
The song is probably not that indicative of the rest of the music on this album. We have gone back to what we do best and that is being diverse. With this new album, it is a real hodgepodge, probably more than Keep Left is. It’s time for us to do reach out again and after seven years we really took our time with this one and just went with whatever direction came up at the time of writing with no stylistic limitations.

How has the process of putting the album together this time treated you ?
The process has been a lot of fun but also quite testing at times as we’ve had to spend a lot of time in the studio which doesn’t have the same spontaneity as jamming or playing, nor is it the same process of how we usually record which is more urgent to try and capture a more live feel. This has obviously caused frustrations and creative differences and tested each of our patience at times but we have been in this game collectively for some time so we know when to drop off and shut up and do what we have to do for the greater good, as opposed to throwing tantrums and letting things get in the way of progress.

Your website says the album is forthcoming. When can we expect it in stores?
We are aiming for February. We have to wait for the film clip to be finished so everything is synchronised.

It’s been a couple of years since To the Motel. How have you grown as a band since then?
Well I have started to play guitar live for one. We have started to use a plethora of different instrumentation which will be evident on the new album and we have begun to fuse a few different styles. I think we have grown and are very well oiled which is allowing us to reach out a bit. We are also comfortable with our position within the Australian music community so this is reflected in how we go about things as opposed to when we were scuffling around. We’re more relaxed.

You’ve been doing the occasional gig. When can we expect a national tour?
Yes, that is true. We have just been taking shows that have been offered to us and focusing mainly on this album. We did so many shows for years and where we are situated, there’s a limited audience so we decided to do a few less shows for a while so as not to over do it. After this album we have plans to do an East Coast tour and only think of of gigging for a while as we have quite a back catalogue of recorded material now that gets regular airplay, so we feel comfortable that this body of work combined with the new album should carry us for a while and we want to get out and play as much as possible for a while.

You guys have been around for quite a few years now. What’s your best touring story that’s fit to print?
OK, one night when we were gigging in Sydney. Instead of going to bed I decided to take a drive around the coast in a car I wasn’t very familiar with. I corralled my guitarist and we went along a dirt road on the coast and rolled it into a ditch. We rang the guys to come and get us in the van. They ran out of petrol en route. So we decided to hitch a lift. We got picked up by a complete sociopathic drunk freak in a powerful car. When we got in he hit the door lock, we were hostage and he proceeded to floor it and nearly fish tailed us into various trees. The other guys were trying to appease him with comments like “Don’t wipe us out man! It’s a great car for sure. Just let us out here.” I was paralysed with fear and couldn’t speak. He kept going from ten kms an hour to one hundred and eighty in bursts until he finally got bored and let us out. I think that’s the closest I’ve been to shuffling off this mortal coil.

I love reading your Facebook page because you’re not afraid to tell it like it is. What issues are firing you up at the moment?
Well I like to put up things for the sake of argument for sure. I found the TripleJ Hottest 100 Taylor Swift debate to be very interesting in light of its history and some of the songs that have managed to get a run in previous years that may not have been considered apt. I also find from following music journalists and blogs that there seems to be a lot of sheep. Not too many are willing to run with anything contrary to the pack which defies logic and the whole purpose of critiquing art. On the other hand you have one or two who’ll be deliberately contrarian and go against the tide which is just as ridiculous. So I’ll deliberately post things that highlight this where possible. They’re not a protected species and neither are musicians for that matter, and that’s how it should be.

We just celebrated Australia Day. What’s your perfect way to spend the holiday?
For me, I like to relax and just do something relatively unassuming. I enjoy it for what it is and love this country but I tend to appreciate it rather quietly in my own way as opposed to large gatherings with fireworks. I did eat a sausage sandwich and went to a thong throwing competition by default when I went for to get some food at the pub, so I guess that counts as being a participant.

Is there anything else on the horizon for the band that you can tell me about?
The only other thing that I’ve not mentioned is is that we will be doing a a couple of shows to film with some recruits for a one off. We’ll have piano, a rhythm guitarist, some extra percussion and some singers. It’s important for us to get a really good live document of our band at this time for posterity.

Image used with permission from Andrew Matters

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Q & A with Robbie Miller

Robbie Miller quickly won me over with his accomplished guitar skills and soulful blue eyes. I needed to know more, so I caught up with him recently to chat about his music, sharing the stage with some of Australia’s finest, and his passion for mentoring indigenous youth.

You wrote your current single “Sunday” about your grandmother. What is it about her that inspired you?
As a kid my brother, sister and I would spend our first week of Christmas holidays at my grandparents’ house on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland. During this time I grew close with both my grandad and nana and few years later I was visiting during Christmas and my nana started talking about what we used to get up to on our holidays. She then started talking about her own life growing up, her own dreams and she mentioned how Sunday was her favourite day of the week as that’s when she got to spend time with her whole family. That conversation resonated with me for a long time. A few weeks later I sat down to play guitar and just starting singing and the words just fell into place.

You’ve actually been writing music since you were just 13. Was a career in music always the dream?
Funnily enough music wasn’t always my dream. I grew up wanting to wear the baggy maroon cap for the Queensland cricket team and everything that I did was centred on that cricket dream. Music is a part of my life that I do for the love and enjoyment; it has been that way since I first picked up the guitar.

You were raised on many of the same artists that I was: Van Morrison, Neil Young, and Cat Stevens. All of those guys have a real focus on the lyrics. How do you think that approach has shaped your own music?
I think the way they wrote their music has had a profound impact on my own approach. I fell in love with those artists because of the way their lyrics captivated and took my mind someplace else. When I first starting trying my hand at writing songs, they were the artists that I tried to emulate.

You won the Triple J Unearthed’s National Indigenous Music Awards last year. How has that helped your career?
The biggest impact winning Triple J Unearthed has had, is on my self-confidence and self-belief. I feel it is quite common for musicians to be hesitant about their own music and protective of their art and I was exactly that. Now knowing that I have a voice people want to hear and that the music I write resonates with them, just pushes aside any self doubt that I have.

You got to fly to Darwin and perform on the same stage as a bunch of leading indigenous artists. What was that experience like?
This might sound strange but honestly I don’t really remember much of the experience. I went from playing in my bedroom by myself, to getting a phone call telling me I was the winner of the Triple J Unearthed Competition, to then playing in front of a large audience in Darwin.

You’ve also shared the stage with some high profile acts like The Kite String Tangle, Bernard Fanning, and Kav Temperley. What have you learned watching them?
The most valuable lesson that I have learnt is the importance of dedication and professionalism towards my artwork and to not take myself to seriously. There are a lot of musicians who would love to be doing what I am doing right now, so I am just going to enjoy it and make the most of everything that comes my way.

The support act never has it easy. How do you win over a crowd that has turned up to watch someone else play?
This is something I really struggled with when I first starting playing live last year and something I know other acoustic artists like myself have had trouble with. Now I just try and get the audience involved throughout the set, better plan my set list to try and create ebb and flow and I always keep my set short and sharp. It’s just an acoustic guitar and me, if I play for too long I am sure I’ll start boring people!

In your spare time you work with high school students as part of the Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience. What’s that like?
It’s an incredible experience and something I have a great time doing. Over the years I have learnt some valuable lessons too, as high school kids are great levellers and some of their stories always seem to put life into perspective. Also being a role model to others is a great honour, one that I cherish and am extremely grateful for and I have no doubt that the students that I have worked with on the Gold Coast over the last four years have incredible and fulfilled lives ahead of them. This is not because of what we’ve done, but for the empowerment students have given themselves.

Do you have an album in the pipeline?
I currently don’t have an album in the pipeline, although I do have an EP that’s coming together. I am currently working on a few tracks with one eye on an album but there is a lot of water to cover between now and then.

Is there anything else you have on the horizon that you can tell me about?
I’ll have a new single out early 2015 followed by my debut EP!

Robbie Miller’s single “Sunday” is available for digital download now.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Q & A with 1200 Techniques’ N’Fa Jones

In the ’90s N’Fa Jones made a splash on the Australian music scene fronting 1200 Techniques, a unique act that effortlessly blended hip hop and soul. Their breakthrough smash single “Karma” saw the band earn a place on the top 40 charts and a swag of ARIAs. A second album, Consistency Theory, followed in 2004. However, in 2005 the band parted ways. Now in 2014, this pioneering act looks set to do it all again. I caught up with N’Fa to chat about this exciting new chapter for 1200 Techniques.

It’s been 10 years since you last took the Aussie music scene by storm. Why did you decide it was time for a comeback?
What’s interesting is that we don’t really see it as a comeback. Just unfinished business. We never intended it to be a 10 year break. It’s cray how time flies really. We’ve wanted to write more music, and it’s good to be doing so.

You’re about to release a brand new EP, Time Has Come. What can you tell me about it?
It’s got plenty of chug-a-lug to it, and a lot if musical experimentation, which is a major part of the 1200 Techniques sound and ethic. Everythng has a connected pulse to it, but every song is an individual sound and feel.

How did it feel making music together again after so much time had passed?
It felt good. Making music should always feel good, hopefully. We’ve all developed in our own ways over the years, and to see what we could from now has been an awesome thing. The music we are making is more musical than sample based, and I think this is due to our own musical maturation over the years.

Before that you’re playing a show to support the 25th anniversary of Rubber Records. How important has the label been to your career?
Rubber Records gave us our first shot at anything and believed in us. They’ve always been there for us and are working with us once again to make this EP a reality. So, I’d say they are very important, and we are excited to be part of their journey and 25th anniversary,

What can music lovers expect from the show?
Energy, noise, sweat, and good times! We will be bringing the funk, and the stomp like we always did. We will rock old classics along with our new material. It’s been dope jamming and finding our way around the older and new material. Looking forward to it.

You’re one of the latest bands to turn to crowdfunding to support your music. What made you decide to do that?
We though it would be cool to give our audience a chance to get involved early, and grab some vintage stock as well as other cool options. It just made sense to us to get the vibe out there in a person to person way as a lead up, rather than just dropping the EP in stores Jan 23.

Have you been surprised by the support of the fans so many years after your last release?
Of course. We’ve been surprised over the years with peeps coming up and telling us how they loved our music and miss us. A big part of doing this EP is for those supporters who encouraged us to write more music together.

Australian hip hop has really exploded since last time you released your music. What’s your opinion of the current scene?
It’s good to see people up on it, doing well and surviving. Music is a hard game, and the scene has had to develop and change in order to grow. I remember playing venues where hip hop had never been allowed in the doors, and we were like the test dummies for the sound. A lot of hip hop venues today were strictly no hip hop back then, and we had to work hard to change that. So yeah the scene, and industry has changed in many ways.

Which of the current Australian hip hop crop are really impressing you?
Ah, now your trying to get us in trouble with who we do, and don’t mention … ha ha. Look, we are happy to be making music, being a part of the music, having been a part of the early steps. To see peeps survivng off hip hop, and to see some cats pushing the boundaries in so many way, is dope to us. We defo prefer boundary pushing music to safe music.

After this EP drops, what’s next for 1200 Techniques?
I guess we’ll see. Hopefully a few awesome tours though 2015, and maybe an LP. Step by step!

1200 Techniques’ Time has Come EP hits stores on January 23. They’ll launch the title track at Howler on December 17.

Image used with permission from Paris is Patient

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Q & A with Josh Pyke

After wowing crowds with his Lone Wolf tour earlier this year, Josh Pyke is set to do it all again with a regional run. I caught up with Josh ahead of the shows to talk about what he loves about performing, his latest album The Beginning and the End of Everything, and everyone’s favourite ’80s toy, Viewmasters!

1.    You’re just about to head off on an extension of your Lone Wolf tour. What made you want you want to extend this current leg of dates?
The first round of this tour was so overwhelmingly successful that I really wanted to take it out to regional areas. I’ve always focused on doing regional shows, but this feels like another level, going into more theater style venues. I’m really looking forward to it.

2.    I noticed you’re playing quite a few all ages shows on this run as well. How do they compare with the pub gigs?
They’re great! AA shows are hard to get off the ground sometimes, so it was great to see that the regional venues were set up and willing accommodate all ages shows. The kids that come to my shows are pretty cool and always handle themselves well at gigs so it’s not that wildly different from a normal show, except I feel heaps older!

3.    It seems like you’re always out on the road. How do you keep things feeling fresh when you’re playing so many shows?
You have to do something different every time. For every album I’ve done, I’ve made sure that my tours have incorporated something I haven’t done before. I’ve had string sections, rearranged heaps of songs to have different instrumentation, full band shows, solo shows, collaborations shows … Whatever it is, it needs to offer not only new songs, but new ways of presenting old songs, so people have a reason to come back.

4.    Clearly you must love being on stage. What’s your favourite thing about that?
It’s like the only time in my life that I’m totally in the moment. “Real life” is filled with conflicting things happening all the time, and you have to split your brain up to keep up with everything. But when I’m doing a show, I’m right there in the moment with the audience, and it’s a great feeling. Immediate and intimate and engaged. I love it.

5.    I’m sure fans will hear plenty of old favourites at these shows, but it must also be exciting for you to showcase your newer stuff from The Beginning and the End of Everything. What’s your favourite track to play live from that album and why?
“White Lines Dancing” is great to play solo. I use a loop pedal to add percussion and a piano line, and it just builds really well. Playing solo lets me muck around with the arrangements and dynamics of the song, and that works really well in that song.

6.    I read that you felt this album is actually your best. Why is that?
I just think it’s my most developed and most accomplished. I love every song on it, and it’s the only album I’ve made that I can actually listen to at home. I’m super proud of all my output, but I especially think this record is just the best one I’ve done. Simple as that!

7.    As a child of the ‘ 80s I’ve been pretty intrigued by the Viewmasters you’re going to be selling as part of your tour pack. They make a nice change from T-shirts! What was the thought behind them?
Years ago a fantastic supporter of mine made me a Viewmaster with photos from a show she’d been at. I thought it was awesome and thought if I ever had a chance to do something like that based around a specific tour it’d be very cool. So this seemed like the perfect chance.

8.    You’re barely going to have time to unpack before you’re out on the road again touring with Chris Cheney, Phil Jamieson, and Tim Rogers as part of The Beatles’ White Album tribute. It’s been five years since you all got together to pay tribute to The Beatles. Are you excited to be doing it all again?
I am! I started practicing the songs again today actually, and it all flooded back to me what a great time we had. It was really nerve wracking the first time, and I’m sure there’ll be some anxiety again this time, but with another five years of performing under my belt I want it to be even better than the last one.

9.    And clearly the Beatles must be a big part of your musical DNA. What is it about their music that really resonates with you?
For me it’s always been the harmonies and production. All the quirky sounds, the arrangements, the technical details like the tape delays and panning in some songs, (due to mainly mixing in mono back then). That stuff still blows my mind and engages me to this day.

10. After that tour wraps up, what’s next for you?
I have a studio at home I’m planning on renovating and will start writing and demoing for another album! There’s also a few more projects I’m trying to get off the ground, but they won’t kick off til next year.

Catch Josh on his Lone Wolf tour at the following shows.

6 June 2014 – Montrose Town Centre, Montrose (ALL AGES)
7 June 2014 – The Memo, Healesville (ALL AGES)
13 June 2014 – Fannie Bay Gaol, Darwin
15 June 2014 – Divers Tavern, Broome
20 June 2014 – Empire Church Theatre, Toowoomba (ALL AGES)
21 June 2014 – Majestic Theatre, Pomona (ALL AGES)
22 June 2014 – Byron Theatre, Byron Bay (ALL AGES)
25 June 2014 – Jetty Memorial Theatre, Coffs Harbour (ALL AGES)
26 June 2014 – Pier One @ Panthers, Port Macquarie
27 June 2014 – Manning Entertainment Centre, Taree (ALL AGES)
28 June 2014 – Cessnock Performing Arts Centre, Cessnock (ALL AGES)
5 July 2014 – Milton Theatre, Milton (ALL AGES)

Image used with permission from Remote Control Records

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Q & A with Civil Civic’s Ben Green

On the eve of Civil Civic’s first headline tour of Australia, I caught up with one half of the band, bass player Ben Green. Read on to find out about Civil Civic’s brand new album, the upcoming tour dates, and what it’s like for this expat to come home.

You’re just about to release your album Rules. What can you tell me about it? 
It’s a collection of ten songs which we pieced together over the first two years of playing together. It’s generally pretty up-tempo, with heaps of loud hysterical bits, a few soft moody bits and with any luck it’ll drive you completely out of your fucking mind.

It must be interesting being in a band with someone who lives in another country. How do you make it work? 
We make good use of both the internet and Easyjet. Between the two of them those tools do a good job of making the international collabo thing a functional reality. But of course we’d probably get a lot more done if we lived in the same share house and jammed in the loungeroom every day.

What’s it like after so much time apart to come together again? 
Pretty disturbing, really. There’s nothing but bubbling hatred and contempt between us, so it’s always dicey for the first couple of days of rehearsal before a tour. But we’re both disciplined professionals, so we keep that shit under control and get on with the job. Word.

You’ve played some big European festivals in your career. What have been some of your highlights so far? 
This is a CAREER!?? Shit, that’s going to take a while to digest. But that’s an easy question, really. We headlined the side-stage on the Friday night at last year’s La Route Du Rock in Brittany and it was so good I couldn’t wipe the stupid grin off my face for days. It was sooo fucking loud, and there was 6000 drunk French people just going nuts in front of us. Unbelievable.

You’re actually embarking on your first headlining tour of Australia, despite both being born here. What’s it like to come back home? 
Awesome. We were both super excited about doing some gigs in Aus, and maybe a bit nervous too. But it’s great to be able to catch up with family/friends ect. and the gigs are just a big bonus.

What do you miss about Australia when you’re away? 
Aussie banter, mostly. Aaron [Cupples] also misses the sun, because he’s a sucker and lives in London.

Many of the Australian shows are going to be quite intimate compared to some of your overseas dates. Will you approach them any differently? 
We’ve played plenty of toilet-sized venues in Europe, and all the places we’re playing in Australia are way bigger and better equipped than most toilets, so I reckon we’ll be fine. In some ways club shows are more nerve-wracking than festival gigs, especially when they’re at The Tote Hotel and all your mates are standing there, seeing you play for the first time. That’s going to be fucking terrifying.

I’ve heard a little about this “Box” which is a key part of your live shows. Can you tell my readers exactly what it is? 
It’s a cube about two foot square which functions as our robot drummer. Besides cranking out big, dumb beats it also has a group of square, colored lights on it’s front face which fire in unison with the drum sounds, so it’s sort of a light show as well. People end up staring at it, which takes attention away from our bad dancing on stage.

You’ve been generating some serious buzz for your live shows. What makes you guys so different do you think? 
Well, we try our damnedest  to be a tight, punchy unit and create some excitement and atmosphere in the room. Some nights are better than others, but we’re always aiming high. NO SLACKING! Maybe that, but on the other hand maybe it’s just The Box.

After you leave Australia, what comes next for Civil Civic? 
We need to knuckle down to some serious songwriting, but unfortunately there won’t be much time for that before we start gigging in Europe again. We’re aiming to get a single out more-or-less as soon as we can, just so people know we are actually still creating, and it would be great to have a new album ready for the end of the year, but we’ll have to see how that goes.

Rules hits Australian record stores today. You can see Civil Civic on their homecoming tour at the following shows.

7 February 2013 – Black Bear Lodge, Brisbane
8 February 2013 – Brighton Up Bar, Sydney
16 February 2013 – ATP: I’ll Be Your Mirror @ Westgate Entertainment Centre and Grand Star Receptions, Altona
19 February 2013 – The Tote, Melbourne