Local indie outfit Switch 3 have been rocking hard since 2002. Through extensive touring they’ve found a loyal fan base, and they’ve just released their first full-length album Calm Before. The future’s looking bright for this quartet from Canberra. I caught up with lead singer and guitarist Maf Davis for a chat about the new album, life on the road, and why Switch 3 stays independent.
You’ve just released your first full length album Calm Before. What’s the public response been like so far?
The responses we’ve received so far have been fantastic. We couldn’t be happier. It’s funny, you put a lot of time and effort into making an album and during the entire process you can think of nothing more exciting than getting it out there and getting feedback. When it’s all wrapped up that excitement is still there, only it’s mixed with a degree of trepidation – will people like it as much as we do? Will the songs get stuck in their heads like they do us? Will they ‘get’ what we’re trying to do? From what we’ve heard all of these questions have been answered in the affirmative so we’re very stoked.
You worked with ARIA-award winning producer Anton Hagop (Silverchair, Powderfinger, Missy Higgins) on the album. What was he like to work with?
Anton is always awesome to work with. We did Calm Before with him, as well as our last EP. Not only is he a great producer/engineer he’s also someone that we consider a great friend. Sure, he had to crack the whip at times to make sure we stuck to the schedule and we gave him a near brain meltdown by deciding to drop a track and write a whole new one for the album in a day, but that’s what recording is all about.
I’ve heard your music categorised as everything from rock to punk to metal. How would you describe your sound?
I’d say our music is heavy rock with punk/metal influences. How’s that for dodging the question? Seriously though, we like to think that if what we play is difficult to categorise then we’ve obtained our goal and hopefully we’ve got a sound that is unique enough to set us apart.
You’ve got such a diverse set of influences from Iron Maiden to Queen. How do these eclectic bands shape the music you produce?
Each member of the band listens to completely different music and that definitely shapes what we produce by increasing the ideas we can draw from when it comes to writing. A prime example is our drummer Evan. He listens to and plays a lot of jazz. That influence allows him to throw time signatures and other nuances into the mix that I would never be able to think of, mainly because I’ve never heard them before! The way I see it, the greater the number, and the wider the diversity of the influences, the higher the chance of making something unique which is what we’re striving for.
I believe you’re planning to do some local touring next year. What can fans look forward to when they see you live?
We’ve spent a lot of time crafting our sound for one purpose – to have a massive impact at live shows. That’s where we get our biggest kicks so we want everyone who makes the effort to come down to get a kick out of it as well. From having guitars handcrafted specifically for us to choosing the right kind of wood in the drum kit, we’ve done everything we can to make sure people get that ‘whack in the chest’ feel and walk away with a smile on their face. Our set has something for everyone, with enough rock to get the crowd jumping and ample quiet moments for it to grab a drink before doing it all again.
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