Tag: interview

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Q & A with Nik Yiannikas from Lost Valentinos

They say there’s no rest for the wicked. If that’s true, the lads from Lost Valentinos must have been very naughty boys! Fresh from a European tour, they’re already preparing to travel around our fair country to promote their highly anticipated debut album Cities of Gold. I caught up with the band’s frontman Nik Yiannikas ahead of the craziness!

You’ve just come back from a European tour. How was that?
It was great. We had been there briefly before, a few years ago, and in the time in between we have become a much better band. Our sound is definitely more refined and I think we have found our own “thing” now rather than something that is obviously borrowing from other bands, like we may have been in the past.

In the UK the crowds are quite tough, I guess because of the sheer amount of quality music they are exposed to, but I think we definitely left an impression over there and will be back there very soon. The rest of Europe was very receptive from the outset and, from our experience at least, I can say that playing in continental Europe is always a lot of fun!

You’re about to head out on your Conquistadisco tour. Are you looking forward to getting back in front of your local fans?
For sure. There’s no place like home! And we haven’t really done the regional thing yet, so it’s a bit of a journey into the unknown.

It’s a pretty fantastic name for a tour. What can music fans expect from these shows?
It is a great name isn’t it?! In fact it is a word that Ewan Pearson came up with to describe us whilst we were making the album. As for the tour, all of the following words go a little way towards describing the spectacle that is the Lost Valentinos live show: Gold. Black. Samba whistles. Air horns. Sometimes two drummers, sometimes one drummer. Kwaito. Forceful krautrockin’ techno. Manchester. Guitars. MS-20.

During the tour you’re playing Splendour in the Grass, and you’ve played Parklife, Falls, and Playground Weekender in the past. What do you enjoy about the festival experience?
Pretty much everything! You get the best riders, best treatment and biggest crowds when playing at festivals. Except when it’s a shit festival, then it can be a really bad experience.

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Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Q & A with James from Beats Working

Beats Working have wowed Triple J listeners with their innovative blend of hip hop, soul, rock, and pop. Now they’re hoping to turn Australia on to their eclectic sound with the release of their debut album Harbour Drive on 30 July. I caught up with vocalist and music production master James ahead of this exciting release.

You’re releasing your debut album Harbour Drive at the end of the month. What can music lovers expect from it?
It’s a pretty eclectic album, so hopefully there is something there for most people. Even my mum is into it, but maybe she’s biased. We’re all into a lot of different music – from hip hop to rock to pop, funk, soul … and the album has a bit of all that thrown in. If you’re already a hip hop fan I think you’re going to like it, but hopefully it will expand to a larger audience.

Triple J has been a great supporter of your music. How important has their support been in getting your name out there?
Obviously having airplay and support on The Jay is really important for any new band. They’re such a great avenue for getting your music out there, and the people that run the station are obviously really passionate about Australian music.

Aussie guitar legend Phil Emmanuel plays on your new single “Hey Lena.” You’ve got such different styles so the collaboration might seem surprising to some people. How did it come about?
It was the last thing that we recorded on the album, actually. We had this section in the track – a breakdown, basically, that we were planning on putting a scratch section in. We decided that would be too much of a cliché in a song that is so different from most other hip hop, so we were sitting around scratching our heads, wondering what to do. Dan’s uncle runs a studio in Coffs Harbour, and is mates with Phil, who happened to be in town at the time. I’ve forgotten whose idea it was, but someone suggested we get a guitarist to do a solo … and within about an hour we were recording with Phil! It was amazing watching such a virtuoso, with complete mastery of his instrument, jam out in a studio. He was incredible. There is only about a 30-second solo on the track, but he recorded enough for us to put a wailing guitar solo on every track on the album if we had wanted to.

Your songs incorporate elements of pop, soul, funk, and more. What artists are you listening to at the moment?
At the moment the two albums that are really grabbing me are Seeing Sounds by N.E.R.D … I think those guys are at the forefront of making hip hop that is as innovative as possible but still has that pop edge that makes their music cross over. The other album is The Fire is on the Bird by Jackson Jackson – it’s the trumpet player form the Cat Empire, actually. That album really takes Australian hip hop to places that I never thought possible. Lyrically and musically it is a stunner.

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Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Q & A with She Plays Music’s Deb

We all read their words, but how much do you really know about the bloggers in the music channel? I work with a really great bunch of people here, and I’d love you to learn more about them. So from time to time I’ll post some interviews with some of my esteemed colleagues, starting with Deb at She Plays Music.

What blogs do you write?
For the Music Channel I blog She Plays Music. I also maintain about ten other blogs, The List Maven, Simply Thrifty and Burning the Scale are my other blogs with b5. I also have a couple of celebrity blogs, a food blog and a couple more in the works.

How long have you been blogging?
I started my flagship blog, Freelance Writing Jobs, three years ago. I’ve been blogging on a full-time professional basis for a little over a year now.

What do you like best about blogging?
It’s a toss-up between freedom and community – I love the freedom I have to say what I want. I worked in publishing for a long time and there’s not as much freedom there. Even when I was writing on a freelance basis someone was always editing my words and changing my voice. With blogging my voice is apparent and I can convey the tone I wish without getting red pencilled.

Plus being able to network with such a wonderful and diverse community makes the job a real pleasure.

Describe yourself in five words.
Addicted to my computer keyboard.

What is the last song that you heard that made you say “Wow!”?
The last song that truly blew me away was Amy Winehouse’s “Rehab.” It was before she was in the news all the time and I heard it in my car and just said “woah … this is awesome.” Then I listened for the rest of the day to find out who was singing it so I could download the song.

What album is currently taking over your rotation?
As I type this I’m listening to Audioslave’s Revelations.

Favorite quote?
“Music is what feelings sound like.” I don’t know who said it, but it’s so true.

Image sourcec: Kelly Sikkema @ Unsplash