Category: Interviews

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Q & A with Sun City’s Tobias John

Sun City impressed me recently with their feelgood new single “Set Alight.” So I was thrilled to catch up with one half of the band, Tobias John, to chat about the song, the EP of the same name, and their upcoming tour.

You’ve just released your new EP Set Alight. What can you tell me about it?
Well …we spent the better part of eight months earlier this yeah holed up in our little studio putting it all together. It was a lot of fun! This EP is all about summer; it’s good fun, upbeat electro pop. It also features a remix from our pal Shazam (Modular).

As a child of the 80s I was really into the synth-heavy sounds and positivity of the title track. Were you influenced by that decade at all?
Absolutely. The whole record is laced with 80s electronica influence. To state the obvious, we are huge fans of running analogue bass lines and exaggerated electronic tom drum samples. We’re also both 80s babies (but only just!).

Your EP also features a remix of your song “High.” What’s it like to create a song and then see what another act can do with it?
It was a really interesting process with Shazam. We’re a huge fan of his and his skill and attention to detail as producer is amazing. It’s all about interpretation and what Shazam was able to do with the track was awesome. He actually took the existing vocal samples and built a synth out of it! Did we mention the big hitting 80s tom drums?

Conversely you’ve also put your spin on tracks from Miami Horror and Bag Raiders. What’s that process like?
Yeah good fun! The remixes are totally bootleg and instead of using the existing vocals, we recorded in our own voices and chopped everything up. After our performance at Stereosonic Perth last year we got chatting with the guys from Bag Raiders and showed them our remix of “Shooting Stars.” They really dug it and we were chuffed!

Do you prefer creating original music or remixing the work of others?
Definitely creating our own at the moment.

Set Alight is your second EP. How do you think you’ve grown as artists between the making of your first recording and this?
Well in terms of production, the first EP was a huge learning curve for us. There’s a lot more attention to detail and consistency on the Set Alight EP. In terms of influence and inspiration, following the release of our first EP we’ve had quite a lot happen in a short period of time. Life has changed pretty dramatically for the both of us and there’s been so many influential moments over the past 12 months that inspired the whole Set Alight EP.

You’re kicking off your first national tour soon. Are you getting excited?
We are! However, a very fortunate (and slightly random) series of events has actually resulted in us doing our first international tour before our first national tour. We’re currently sitting at the airport in Dubai on our way home from playing a couple of epic festivals in Africa, which has been an absolutely mind blowing experience! Another 10 hour flight home and we can catch a few hours sleep before heading off to our first stop on the Set Alight tour at the Beresford Hotel in Sydney (Friday 14th Dec) followed by Alhambra Lounge in Brisbane the next night (with The Jungle Giants and Millions). We’re excited!

You’re playing festivals and headlining your own club dates. Do you have a preference?
Not at all, as long as there is a good bunch of people having a sing, dance and good time to our music!

Dance music isn’t as recognised in this country as a live experience in the same way seeing a rock band in a pub is. Why should people get out and see you play?
Our live show consists of about four synths, a guitar, electronic drums and a sampler … between the two of us … and we both sing. Hopefully that’s more interesting than watching a DJ and more upbeat and danceable than a watching a pub band!

After this tour wraps up, what’s next on the agenda?
Sleep. Then right back into producing some more tunes and hopefully getting to do this all over again!

Here are all the places you can see Sun City play their Set Alight shows:

14 December 2012 – The Beresford Hotel, Sydney
15 December 2012 – Alhambra, Brisbane
1 January 2013 – Cuban Club, Perth
6 January 2013 – Summadayze, Perth
11 January 2013 – Discovery @ Brighton Up Bar, Sydney
12 January 2013 – The Beach Hotel, Byron Bay
25 January 2013 – Can’t Say @ Vault 8, Melbourne

Image used with permission from Positive Feedback

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Q & A with Jacob Butler

After making a splash on The X Factor and Australian Idol, Jacob Butler has refused to fade into the background. Fresh from a recent promotional trip the Europe I caught up with Jacob to talk about his time abroad, his time on reality TV, and the hard road of an independent artist.

You recently spent time promoting your music in Europe. How did that go?
Really great thanks. It was great to speak to people about what I’m doing on the other side of the world, and it was also great to see some cities that I haven’t been to before like Berlin, Stockholm and Warsaw.

You’ve always had an affinity for British music. What was it like being over there amongst it?
Well I wasn’t in England for promotion this time, but yes it’s always great to be in Europe talking to people about music. It’s so funny to me how I’m much more interesting to people in Europe than I am here. It must be the accent or something!

How did the European audiences respond to your music?
People in Europe are pretty open to hearing new music, and the response was quite positive. This was very apparent after doing performances and interviews on TV and radio over there; the traffic on my Facebook page or on my Youtube channel would always see more activity straight away.

What did you miss most about home?
I was only away for a month so it wasn’t too bad, but I did miss my fiancée the most. I had friends all over the place to catch up with in many of the cities that I visited, but it can get lonely when you’re by yourself for days at a time. And I did miss Vegemite. I didn’t realize it at the time but I have been a total Vegemite junkie ever since I got back!

Like many Australians, I remember watching you on reality TV programs like Australian Idol and the original incarnation of The X Factor. What did being on those programs teach you?
Those shows certainly taught more me more about myself as a person than as a performer; it made me stronger and more resilient for sure. Reality TV shows are a rollercoaster and they can chew you up and spit you out pretty quickly! You really need to have a strong sense of who you are and what you want to achieve as an artist.  You also need to be aware that you probably won’t win, and you’ll have to keep working if you want a career in music.

So many performers from those programs seem to just disappear, never to be heard from again. How did you make sure you weren’t one those people?
Through relentless hard work and tenacity. I backed myself financially to the point where the bank just wouldn’t give me any money anymore. I have maxed out multiple credit cards, sold almost all my guitars and musical equipment and borrowed money from my family to make all this happen. It’s bordering on insanity, I know, but what’s the other option? It’s slowly starting to pay off but I still have a significant amount of debt over my head. With saying that, everything can change with one hit song. Just ask Psy!

How do you think you’ve grown as an artist since you were on our television screens?
All I can say is that I am constantly working to evolve my skills when it comes to what I do as an artist, songwriter, singer and label owner. You try things, sometimes you make mistakes and sometimes you get things right. It’s a constant state of evolution and It’s something that I really enjoy even though it is at times very difficult.

Despite the exposure those shows gave you, the major record labels didn’t exactly come knocking. What’s it like for you working as an independent artist?
Major record labels just don’t sign garage bands for a million dollars anymore, so even with the exposure that I received from reality TV I wasn’t surprised when they didn’t come knocking. That’s why I paid for my own album and all that. That being said, I now have some major label support in some of the territories where my album is being released like Poland, Greece, Belgium and The Netherlands, so it’s at a point now where the artist has to spend the money developing themselves. The advantage of this, however, is that I have 100% creative control over my art, which is something that I have always been very passionate about. Can you imagine this being the case if I had won Idol? I think not!

Since we’re approaching Christmas I have to ask, what’s on your wish list this year?
Health and happiness for all my friends and family, and to continue to talk to good folks like yourself about my music!

Now that you’ve returned home, what’s next on the agenda?
Well I’m actually heading back to Europe in February for more promotion to the same countries and possibly Belgium, The Netherlands, Denmark and Norway. Then back to Australia for a bit and then back to Europe for the festival season. Looking forward to this!

Image source: Jacob Butler Facebook page

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Q & A with The Good China’s Ryan Mason

The Good China are making their mark with their brand new EP We Knew That We Had to Leave. I recently caught up with one-eighth of this monster outfit, Ryan Mason, to chat about the latest release, the accompanying launch shows, and what it’s like to be part of such a big band!

You just released a brand new EP We Knew That We Had to Leave. What can you tell me about it?
It’s our second EP and is a bit different from the first in that it was engineered, produced and mixed by our guitarist Nick. We recorded some drums and bass at Incubator Studios in Melbourne and then put together everything else using Nick’s little home studio setup, which gave us a bit more room to experiment and to put together something we were really happy with. The four songs all have a sense of change to them, from changing places in the title track “We Knew That We Had To Leave” to changing people in “Marcio.” We wanted a new recording to reflect our developing sound and more mature songs and I think that the new EP really achieves those goals.

The film clip for the title track is one of the most entertaining I’ve seen in some time. Did you have much to do with that creative process?
The clip for “We Knew That We Had To Leave” was actually put together by China members Jag (who is part of film and TV production crew Guerilla Creative during his non-China hours) and Adam (who also has a background in film). The whole group workshopped ideas and sourced props and it was filmed over a weekend at Jag and Nick’s flat. Part of being an independent band is working out ways to do things yourselves and we’re really lucky that we have so many skills and ideas to draw on across our eight members!

I also love the idea behind that song of your favourite place morphing into something you barely recognise. Was it based on personal experience?
To some degree, yes; but I think the feelings behind the song are really universal and don’t necessarily apply to one time or place. We all have those streets and places that mean a lot to us at one point in our lives but then over time just don’t feel as familiar or welcoming. It might feel like those places change over time – and a lot of them do! – but what’s also changing is you.

It’s been a little over a year between releasing your debut EP and this one. How do you think you’ve grown as a band in that time?
After we released our debut EP we played a lot of shows and toured a bit, heading interstate to Sydney and Canberra and also visiting a bit of regional Victoria to play shows in Geelong, Shepparton, and the like, and when we got to the end of that cycle we were all a bit burnt out. I headed to Europe for three months to do some backpacking, while some of the others went to Japan. It’s a bit of a cliche, but travel really does broaden your mind, and from a musical point of view it certainly provides lots of inspiration for new songs and ideas. In the four and a bit years since The Good China’s inception we’ve all grown and changed quite a lot but the band is the one constant that we all come back to.

Eight is an awful lot of people to have in a band. How do you keep things running smoothly?
A lot of hard work! Again, the good thing about being a large band is that there’s a lot of hands available to get things done. It also helps that a few of us are compulsive planners!

You’ve recently been playing a few shows to promote the EP. How have they been going?
Really well. We had a great crowd for the Melbourne EP launch and everyone enjoyed the night. We’re heading off on a short tour later this week, playing a free Friday night show at the Beach Hotel in Byron Bay and playing a Footstomp Music showcase at the Tempo Hotel in Brisbane on Saturday. It’s our first time visiting Byron and Brisbane so we’re excited to be back on the road! We only realised a few weeks ago that it’s actually Schoolies season at the moment, so the Byron show could be an interesting one.

What do you love most about being on stage?
Being able to share the thrill of playing music with seven of my closest friends. Cheesy? Yeah. True? Absolutely.

What can music lovers expect when they come to see you live?
A lot of energy and a lot of happy faces. And, occasionally, the odd near-catastrophe when one of us trips on one of the several thousand instruments or cables we have on stage.

As Christmas is approaching, what’s on your wish list this year?
Is it too outlandish to ask for Radiohead to tour again next year?

After you finish promoting this EP, what comes next?
We’re planning on taking a breather over Christmas and the New Year, and working towards some more shows early next year. And who knows? We might even have another film clip to reveal.

See The Good China when they play Byron Bay’s Beach Hotel on Friday night (free show) or Brisbane’s Tempo Hotel on Saturday.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Q & A with Alexis Nicole

With a new EP Paper Cut Outs in the can, Alexis Nicole is preparing to take her Missing Pieces on the road to promote it. I caught up with this Melbourne-based singer-songwriter to chat about her later recording, the shows ahead, and her love for Tracy Chapman.

You’ve just released your EP Paper Cut Outs. What can you tell me about it?
Paper Cut Outs is recordings of songs I have written that are cut outs and experiences from my life. Whether it was a break up, a love story, grieving, highs and lows of life, travelling and so much more.

The name of the EP is fabulous. What’s its significance?
Thank you! The meaning behind it is about the songs being paper cut outs of my life and the journey I have been on thus far through the highs and lows, love and hurt and many other curveballs that life has thrown me.

You’re Sydney-born but Melbourne-based, yet you recorded this new EP in Brisbane. What did the change of scene bring to the recording?
That is right! The change of scene brought a fresh new perspective to the whole recording experience. It made me definitely grow as an artist and musician and was an organic and humbling experience all in one.

Given the significance of Melbourne and Brisbane in the making of this EP, it’s only fitting that those cities get the launch shows. But will the rest of Australia get the opportunity to see you play soon?
YES! Next year I am planning much much more regarding shows around Australia and possibly a tour so stay tuned for all that.

You worked with some amazing artists on Paper Cut Outs like Yanto Browning and guys from The Gin Club and The Wilson Pickers. What was that experience like?
It was an incredible experience. It made me grow as an artist and musician and lift my game. These beautiful musicians humbled me so much as well. I feel very honoured to have played by there side.

Who do you hope to collaborate with in future?
I have a list! Haha. I would love to collaborate with artists all over the world. One experience would be for me to meet Tracy Chapman. I would love to pick her artistic brain! But also artists like Brandi Carlile, Newton Faulkner, Bernard Fanning, Ani Di Franco and so many more.

Your band at the moment is called Alexis and The Missing Pieces, which is such an evocative name. How do the members of the band complete your sound?
It is not as evocative as it is literal … meaning that The Missing Pieces are instrumentalists and singers who come together to deliver songs reflecting my tunes and observation of life. They include some of the best musicians from around Australia and beyond.

I read with interest that Tracy Chapman was a major influence on your music. She’s one of my favourite singer-songwriters too. What is it about her that inspires you?
She inspires me because she sings with every piece of her soul and being. She cares for this world and the life in it. She is humble in the way she sings but is captivating in her conviction and she is brilliant and doing it! She inspires me every day as a woman of this world with a voice to help bring life to our society and to do it with an open heart.

As Christmas is approaching, what’s on your wish list this year?
Honestly? That I get an opportunity to somehow take my tunes world wide!!!! Ha or get offered some amazing support … and then some!

What else is in the pipeline for you?
Well, other than the EP launches which are very exciting! Brisbane show on the 21st November at the Black Bear Lodge, Brisbane and 28th November at the Toff In Town, Melbourne we also have a bunch of shows coming up in Melbourne which will be on our Facebook page and hopefully to be confirmed shows and festivals kicking into gear next year! We just want to keep looking up and forward and enjoy every minute while we do it and love everyone who enjoys the tunes to jump on the band wagon with us!

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Q & A with Cogel’s Edward Prescott

Cogel excited me with the epic sound and visually thrilling video of the single “Felusine,” so I was thrilled to catch up with their drummer Edward Prescott. Read on to see what they had to say about their unique sound, their current launch shows, and that oh so cool clip.

Your music really seems to defy classification. For the uninitiated, how would you describe it?
I think the first part of that question is one of the biggest compliments a band could get. So thanks! It’s great that you feel we’ve got our own thing going on.

I would say our sound uses elements of rock, indie, pop and folk. I know that’s not very specific, but hey, let’s keep it broad!

You’re about to launch your EP Nowhere Near for hometown fans in Sydney [the show happened on November 2]. Are you looking forward to that show?
Of course! Haven’t played the Beresford before and it sounds like they treat bands really well there. It’s a free entry gig and the supports are great. Can’t wait.

You played your first EP launch show in Melbourne a couple of weekends ago. How did that go?
It was sweet. The Ding Dong Lounge is another room none of us had seen or played in before.  Our set seemed to be well received.

You’re regulars on the Sydney gig circuit. What’s your favourite local place to play and why?
That’s a tough one. My personal faves are probably The Vanguard, Oxford Art Factory and FBi Social. Great PAs, engineers and vibes in those rooms.

I feel like the Sydney live scene is pretty strong and often gets an unfair rap – there’s a bunch of good smaller venues and pop-up bars that sometimes fly under the radar. And every closure seems to be offset by an opening.

The backyard gig initiatives that have cropped up over the last couple of years are fantastic too. We’ve got friends that run ‘The Gate’ and ‘The Smallest Gig’, which are both doing tremendously well.

I believe a Brisbane launch show is in the works too. When are you expecting to play there?
Hopefully in January. Yet to be confirmed.

I loved “Felusine.” Is it a good indication of what we can look forward to on the rest of the EP?
Thanks! It’s probably the most bombastic track on the EP, but I’d say it’s a good indication of our sound in terms of the dynamic range and the interplay between the violin and the vocal.

Having said that, we always try and approach every song as its own thing. There’s stuff on the EP that’s poppier, there’s stuff that’s vaguely tribal and there’s stuff that’s more atmospheric. Then there’s some stuff that sounds like Psy. Just kidding.

You were pretty creative in funding this EP through Pozible. I see a few people have pledged the amount that will see your guitarist Nick Langley completing their dares. What are some of the wacky stunts we’ll see on YouTube?
He’s only completed one dare so far – which was a ridiculous cover of “Call Me Maybe.”

Some of the other things he has to do are even more absurd. One involves him strapping bacon to his ankles and walking through a dog park. For another, he has to assume the role of Bane and film himself reenacting every scene from The Dark Knight Rises.

Let’s just say we should’ve charged people more for the dares!

The clip for “Felusine” was one of the most interesting I’ve seen all year. How involved were you in that creative process?
Thank you! It was very time consuming and labour intensive, but worth it in the end!

“Felusine” was directed by someone outside the band (the brilliant Tim Gibbs), but we were still very involved. The concept (the whole idea of projecting images onto a statue head) belongs to Nic, our singer. He’s very visual and is always pretty hands-on with our clips. Tim definitely took it to a whole new level though!

Doing interesting videos is really important to us; we feel it is virtually as important as the music. There are so many “band-playing-in-a-room” videos out there that we really don’t feel the need to produce one ourselves!

Where does the name Cogel come from?
Nic’s last name is Cogels, so we just dropped the ‘s’, even though Cogel is very much a band, not a solo project.

We wanted a name that didn’t already have a meaning, associated imagery or any kind of pre-existing connotations attached to it. By that I mean we didn’t want something like Smashing Pumpkins, The Shins or The White Stripes, as much as we love those bands.

We wanted something a bit more abstract and devoid of meaning, like Feist or Gotye. And Cogel fit the bill!

Do you have anything else in the pipeline?
Hopefully we’ll be aiming to get an album out next year. At the very least, it’ll be another EP.

Image source: Cogel website

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Q & A with Sam Buckingham

Singer-songwriter Sam Buckingham has been a fixture on the Sydney music scene for many years. Now she’s taking her music to the rest of the country with shows to support her latest EP, Fragile Heart. She recently took time out from her busy touring schedule to chat about her new release, her upcoming shows, and what it’s like to be admired by some of the industry’s best.

You’re currently on the road promoting your EP Fragile Heart. What can you tell me about it?
It’s been a long time in the making and I think, more than anything, I feel like it completely sums up who I’ve been, who I am, what I’ve been thinking and feeling over a period of time, and it tells a story

I love the first single “Hit Me With Your Heart.” What was it about that song that made you want to release it?
As soon as I wrote that song (on the floor of an Adelaide backpackers in 2011) I loved it. I actually played it that night at a gig, with a lyrics sheet on the floor, because I was so desperate to show it to people. I think people love it because it’s so honest and really paints a picture of hurt and finding a way to make sense of that and turn it into something positive. It’s a liberating song

I noticed you’re playing both festivals and smaller intimate shows on your current tour. Do you have a preference?
I love them both! No preference. They’re both wonderful in completely different ways.

What do you love about performing?
I love the immediacy of it. I tell a story, people hear it and feel it right in front of my eyes. I feed off the audiences energy, they feed off mine … I love the exchange and being able to see what people are getting from the songs.

You’ve played some amazing festivals and supported some of Australia’s most beloved performers. What are your personal career highlights?
Supporting Washington at the Astor Theatre in Perth was a beautiful and musical life affirming moment. It was a huge crowd and I felt enveloped and accepted by every single one of them. It was a beautiful night. Co-producing this EP with (Australian producer) Paul McKercher was a definite highlight as well. Mostly because it felt like a very real and perfect match … to find someone to collaborate with that perfectly complements and challenges you is no mean feat and every day in the studio was both very intense and very good for the soul … we’ll be finishing off the album together as well.

Continue reading “Q & A with Sam Buckingham” →

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Q & A with Sons of Rico’s Alex MacRae

After scoring the coveted support slot for The Living End’s Perth leg, it seems Sons of Rico are impressing all the right people. I caught up with the band’s frontman Alex MacRae to talk about the honour, their new single “You Don’t Know What You’re Missing,” and what we can expect from album number two.

You just scored the support slot for The Living End’s Perth shows. How does that feel?
Kind of bizarre! Here’s a band that we’ve all been fans of since our high school years and seen play on all sorts of stages ever since, and now we’re sharing a stage with them. Really cool, but kind of surreal too.

The support slot can be a tough gig when you’re playing with such an esteemed band. How do you intend to win the crowds over?
When supporting any band we adjust our setlist to include songs that we think will resonate best with a particular crowd. In the case of The Living End this weekend we’ll probably be cranking more of our guitar-heavy tunes. The hardest part for me will be trying not to upstage Chris Cheney with my super badass guitar solos.

After those shows you’ll be headlining your own gigs to launch your single “You Don’t Know What You’re Missing.” What can you tell me about the song?
The song has a bit of a cheeky origin. After a show in Sydney, Adam and I went out in search for a post-gig kebab and were accosted by a transgender lady of the night. Since she wasn’t offering kebabs we kept moving, but not before she said to us “you don’t know what you’re missing”! So I thought to myself “good point”, and the rest is history!

Do you approach a support slot differently to a headlining show?
A little bit yeah. You’re pretty aware that the audience is not your own, but we’ll still try and perform at our best as if it were our own show. There’s a little bit of readjusting that subconsciously happens when you’re onstage as a support, but we’re hardly going to get into leather if we were to support Aerosmith, although Rob has been looking for an excuse to bust out his leather.

Continue reading “Q & A with Sons of Rico’s Alex MacRae” →

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Q & A with Ben Wells and the Middle Names’ Ben Wells

Ahead of his Bear in a Birdcage tour, I caught up with Tassie’s Ben Wells of Ben Wells and the Middle Names to chat about the new single, time on the road, and his band’s ever evolving sound.

Your new single “Bear in a Birdcage” has a different sound than the songs I’ve heard from you before. What inspired it?
Something we pride ourselves on is our onstage energy, so I suppose we wanted to write music that we could really let loose to and get the crowd involved in a little more. Also, with the change in the line up of the band recently we wanted to start making a different sound that suited having two lead guitars rather than a violin.

You’re about to kick off a tour of the East Coast. Are you looking forward to it?
Ah I’m so excited about going on tour. Playing live is my favourite thing and because we’re from Tassie we don’t get the opportunity to play to different crowds as often as we’d like, so we take full advantage of going on tour!

You must have the touring bug as you’ve clocked up more than 10, 000 kays in the last year alone. What is your favorite part about being on stage?
I love feeding off the crowd’s energy and the other guys in the band. It’s the only time you can really let loose. Plus you know the people who are there are there to see you play, so we don’t hold back at all.

How do you keep things fresh when you spend so much time on the road?
That’s probably the hardest part about going on tour. Making sure you eat healthy and spend lots of time doing your own thing when we aren’t playing. Going on tour is a good time to check out the rest of the country too!

Probably part of the reason you travel so much is that you live in Tasmania. When so many bands move to the mainland, what is it about the state that keeps you there?
We’ve talked about moving to the mainland before but living in Tassie has its conveniences as well. We recorded “Bear in a Birdcage” at the studio in my house, where we rehearse and write. I think it would be hard to be able to do that in a major city and be able to afford it on a musician’s wage. Plus the music scene down here is really starting to fire. There is so much good music coming out of Tassie it’s all time!

The video for “Bear in a Birdcage” is so much fun. How much input do you have in that creative process?
Thanks! I picked out the direcor (Simon Treweek) for the clip because he’s a prolific surf cinematographer and I knew he’d know what I was getting at with the song. We put a few ideas toward the clip but he knew what he was doing and he nailed it!

Continue reading “Q & A with Ben Wells and the Middle Names’ Ben Wells” →

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Q & A with Charlie Horse’s Paul McDonald

Charlie Horse wowed me with their debut single “Dead Roses,” so I was thrilled to catch up with one half of the band recently. Read on to see what Paul McDonald had to say about his duo’s debut album, their musical influences, and the need for “creative isolation.”

When I heard your single “Dead Roses,” I was struck by its classic sound, so I wasn’t surprised to hear you were influenced by listening to your parents’ Johnny Cash and Neil Young records. What is it about that music that really revs you?
Well, you summed it up right there; it is timeless classic music. I spent most of the ’90s coming from that school of art, have a different guitar in a different tuning for every song and then carry nine guitars with you on tour and at least five of them had to be Fender Jazzmasters and Jaguars. I started to think, are we just being clever for the sake of it and is this just sonic posing? I am not sure if you know much about music theory and chord structures, but it is generally deemed uncool to write a song that goes E, A, D but any song that is considered “classic” tends to have very simple chord structures. And we didn’t go E, A, D with Dead Roses, we went D, A, E, so how avant garde are we?

What was it about “Dead Roses” that made you want to release it?
I suppose people hassling me saying “this has to be the single,” ha! I was looking at releasing something a bit more obscure but got out voted by the band. What would I know? I do really enjoy playing it live as it tends to connect with a lot of the fans. It’s nice to have people singing the lyrics with you.

The single comes from your album I Hope I’m Not a Monster. I love the title. What’s the story behind it?
I was getting the train up to the studio when I noticed somebody had scratched “I hope I am not a sea monster” into the back of the train seat. I mean who does that, and what does it even mean? It had to be the album title.

I hear that you recorded the album in your studio in the Blue Mountains, because “creative isolation” is really important for you. Why is that?
Well, we started the album in East Balmain on Darling St. Not a lot of isolation there. Then we did some writing in Bread St in Edinburgh near the castle. Not a lot of isolation there as it is in the seedy side of Edinburgh, lots of strip clubs and drunks. So we packed up and took to the Mountains. It is important to us not to listen to trends and the opinions of all the experts. Give somebody a laptop and an e-mail account and they will want to tell you what you shoulda, coulda and woulda be doing wrong or right. The music we play does not come from any scene or desire to be cool, so that kind of counts us out of the race for a lot of things now … hah. Nobody dictates to the Drones or Jack Ladder what they should sound and look like. Well maybe they do, but I am guessing they don’t listen either.

Continue reading “Q & A with Charlie Horse’s Paul McDonald” →

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Q & A with Brad Butcher

Queensland singer-songwriter Brad Butcher will unleash his self-titled debut album later this month. I caught up with Brad recently to chat about the album, his upcoming launch shows, and what it was like growing up in a small mining town.

You’re releasing your debut album later this month. How does it feel to be on the verge of its release?
It ‘s a great feeling knowing I’m about to finally put it out there. Making the album has been a great learning experience for me and I have made some great new friends. I’ve grown as a performer and a songwriter and I’m very proud of the songs I have and I can only hope that others will enjoy listening to them and get something from them.

What can you tell me about the album?
I have always written songs that are quite personal. I’m a very visual songwriter, meaning I find it easier to describe something I have seen or witnessed rather than to pull the image from thin air. This group of songs is almost a diary of my life and the people in it so far. From falling in love to falling apart, birth, death and about not giving up along the way.

It features the single “Conversations and Complications,” which has been embraced by community radio. Did that take you by surprise?
Everything has been a surprise for me over the last two years. I was surprised that other people thought I could do this. I was surprised with how much I liked the writing and recording process and I was even more surprised to find that people genuinely like the songs. I had a dream of making an album and everything since it was finished has been an unexpected but very welcome bonus.

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