Interviews
THE SISTERS OF MERCY
MOTORHEAD AND DUBSTEP ACT BASSNECTAR ARE WHERE IT’S AT FOR BRIT GOTH LEGENDS THE SISTERS OF MERCY. SAMSON MCDOUGALL DISCOVERS THINGS AREN’T BLACK & WHITE IN MERCYLAND – ESPECIALLY WHEN ATTEMPTING A CYBER Q&A.
Interviewing ‘famous’ folk can be a joy or a giant pain in the arse. Part of the thrill are the unknown quantities: who’s gonna be a fucker and who’s gonna play nice? Sure, there’s your Radioheads, Lady Gagas and Kings Of Leon-type acts that demand a certain kid-glove treatment from the media (and you’d have to say a fair amount of butt puckery), yet they rely on the press in equal measures. In this back-scratching world you generally get the most affable treatment from the fringe-dwellers – even enormously successful ones like The Sisters Of Mercy. But with The Sisters Of Mercy there is a disconnect so vast that all you can do is shrug your shoulders and soldier on regardless. They’ve been around long enough that they don’t need the press, so it’s fair enough they poke fun. I only wish they were smearing said fun in some other poor bastard’s face but mine… And they probably are.
ENDLESS BOOGIE
AN OBSESSION WITH THE ICONIC AUSTRALIAN SUNBURY FESTIVAL HAS NY ACT ENDLESS BOOGIE’S PRIMAL FRONTMAN PAUL “TOP DOLLAR” MAJOR CRAZY FOR OUR FESTIVAL SEASON. STEVE BELL FEELS IT’S THE RIGHT TIME TO DISCUSS COLOURED BALLS.
From a musical perspective, rock bands just don’t come any more pure than New York quartet Endless Boogie. Started in 1997 as a vehicle for a group of music-industry friends to blow off some steam, they existed as a private entity for years until they were ‘unearthed’ by former Pavement maestro Stephen Malkmus, who in 2001 twisted their collective arms and convinced them to support him at a sold out gig at the prestigious Bowery Ballroom, a performance which they by all accounts nailed to the ground.
NICK LOWE
OLDIES LIKE BOB DYLAN, PAUL SIMON AND HIMSELF ARE FOUR-A-PENNY THESE DAYS, SAYS
UK ROCKER NICK LOWE. BUT, HE TELLS MICHAEL SMITH, UNTIL RECENTLY HE THOUGHT THERE WERE NO JOBS FOR THE OVER-‘60S.
Nick Lowe is probably best known for singles like Cruel To Be Kind and I Love The Sound Of Breaking Glass, as well as (What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding, a hit for Elvis Costello, whose first few albums he produced. He is one of the UK’s great punk/new wave survivors, a musical artisan rather than a pop star, as happy being in back of the likes of Costello and Ry Cooder or just part of the band, as he’s been with Brinsley Schwarz and Rockpile. Last year he released his 13th solo album, The Old Magic, an album that digs back, stylistically, to the kind of music popular when he was a kid.
LIMP BIZKIT
FRED DURST LOST FOR WORDS? ON THE EVE OF LIMP BIZKIT’S FIRST AUSTRALIAN TOUR IN ALMOST A DECADE, MARK HEBBLEWHITE FINDS DURST SHOCKED TO SILENCE WHEN DISCUSSING THE USE OF D BARRIERS IN AUSTRALIA.
It’s hard to believe that the humble, quietly spoken voice that comes down the phone line belongs to what many people think is one of rock’s most egotistical blowhards. Could it be that Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst has learnt from the self-inflicted dramas that stemmed from his somewhat unfortunate habit of ramming both his feet down his own throat every time he found himself in front of a microphone or camera? There’s no doubt that the Fred Durst of 2012 is a far different man than the red-capped devil who polarised the music world back in the heyday of nu metal – a genre Durst himself helped create. Instead, hard experience seems to have tempered Durst’s cavalier attitude and nowhere is this seen more than in the tragic death of teenager Jessica Michalik during Limp Bizkit’s set at the 2001 Sydney Big Day Out. Upon being told that organisers of the Big Day Out this year chose not to use the ‘D barriers’ (installed to control crowds more effectively following the tragedy) at a number of the smaller events, Durst is almost lost for words. Unaware that this had occurred his words are laced with hesitation and shock. “Oh my gosh, I can’t believe that. Are you serious? I would think that, you know… after all that… I would hope they would learn. We’ve all learned – that whole day of arguing with them before we went on. I can’t imagine that that would happen again. I don’t even know what to say about that.”
THE JUAN MACLEAN
JOHN MACLEAN AIN’T PLANNING ON BANGING HIS WAY AROUND AUSTRALIA WITH THE FUTURE MUSIC FESTIVAL. THE JUAN MACLEAN FOUNDER TELLS TROY MUTTON THAT DJING WITH HIS DFA CREW MEANS HE GETS TO TAKE HIS TIME.
John Maclean’s affable, relaxed voice greets me down the line at home in New York, having a ‘break’ from his relentless touring and DJing schedule as The Juan MacLean. “Yeah,” he starts laughing, “I have had a break in that I haven’t played since Saturday night. And then I leave again on Friday for two months.”
WILD FLAG
WILD FLAG FRONTWOMAN CARRIE BROWNSTEIN IS CURRENTLY JUGGLING THE BAND WITH HER HIT TV COMEDY PORTLANDIA. AND STEVE BELL DISCOVERS SHE WANTED THIS BAND TO BE POPPIER THAN HER BAND SLEATER-KINNEY.
When much-loved US indie rockers Sleater-Kinney quietly parted ways in 2006 – soft announcing an “indefinite hiatus” via their then label, Sub Pop – it seemed for a while that the music world may have seen the last of the band’s founding member, guitarist and vocalist Carrie Brownstein, in a performing capacity at any rate. Brownstein – who founded Sleater-Kinney back in 1994 with co-frontwoman Corin Tucker and drummer Janet Weiss – seemed listless for a while without her band and she busied herself with a myriad of tasks in and around her adopted home in Portland. She worked for a while at an ad agency, she taught dog obedience classes at the Oregon Humane Society and even acted in a handful of indie films. She began writing a music blog for NPR (National Public Radio) and eventually began dabbling in comedy with her long-time friend Fred Armisen (of Saturday Night Live fame), with the duo releasing sketch comedy online under the name ThunderAnt. At some stage the pair realised that they were enjoying this enough to take it to the next level and hence the satirical and hipster-baiting TV show Portlandia was born.
LOSTPROPHETS
LOSTPROPHETS DECLARE THE AGE OF IDOL OVER. MARK HEBBLEWHITE CORNERS GUITARIST MIKE LEWIS TO DISCOVER HOW THE BAND ARE BRINGING ROCK’N‘ROLL BACK.
Welsh alt.rockers Lostprophets have caused quite the stir of late with their proclamation that there’s a distinct lack of good rock’n’roll in the charts and that the band’s latest LP Weapons (due April) will redress the balance.
MEN
“LABELS DON’T HAVE THE KIND OF MONEY THEY USED TO,” NOTES JD SAMSON. IN THE FEW SHORT YEARS SINCE MOVING FROM ELECTROCLASH SUPERSTARS LE TIGRE TO THE QUEERPOP MEN, THERE’S BEEN A SIGNIFICANT SHIFT IN THE MUSIC ECONOMY, SHE TELLS TROY MUTTON.
After dance-punk feminist group Le Tigre played Big Day Out a few years ago, much of the talk centred around JD Samson, aka the gal with a moustache. While the group had always dealt with feminism, politics and gay rights, Samson felt like it was the embodiment of the band’s ethos, refusing to bow to conventions, all the while putting homosexuality in the spotlight – she’s released a couple of lesbian calenders, co-founded performance art group Dykes Can Dance, and still refuses to wax that moustache.
COAL CHAMBER
“THOSE GUYS [WERE] DRUG ADDICTS AND THAT’S WHY I LEFT,” STATES COAL CHAMBER FRONTMAN DEZ FAFARA. BUT THE GOTHIC NU-METAL BAND HAVE REUNITED AND BRENDAN CRABB DISCOVERS IT’S NOW ABOUT KIDS NOT METH.
Despite their considerable success, when US goth-infused crew Coal Chamber called it a day, it seemed long overdue – and not just because the bloated nu-metal genre they were associated with was all but dead and buried. After a decade together and three successful studio albums, their initial run finally ended in 2003 amid reports of out-of-control drug use, egos clashing and on-stage altercations. Vocalist Dez Fafara now describes their last days as “horrible”.
THE ORB
HE’S CONTEMPLATING A SKINHEAD LOOK FOR A MATE’S 50TH BUT HE’S ALSO WRITING AN OPERA. THE ORB FOUNDER ALEX PATERSON TELLS MATT O’NEILL THAT DESPITE KEEPING BUSY, HE’S ALWAYS CONSCIOUS OF HIS AGE.
Alex Paterson can talk. The Orb founder may have worked with predominantly instrumental music for the majority of his career but the legendary DJ and producer can talk about almost anything and for almost any length of time. Whereas the majority of musicians seem to view interviews as a necessity or an obligation, Paterson has always seemed to delight in any opportunity to converse with and entertain a new audience with his unique set of stories and theories about the world.
KVELERTAK
“IF HE EVER STARTS SINGING IN ENGLISH, EVERYONE CAN COME PUNCH HIM IN THE FACE,” SAYS KVELERTAK GUITARIST VIDAR LANDA ABOUT THE NORWEGIAN BAND’S VOCALIST ERLEND HJELVIK. LOCHLAN WATT READIES THE GLOVES FOR THE NEW AGE ROCK-PUNK-METAL HYBRID’S SOUNDWAVE VISIT.
As a musical entity, Kvelertak is a breath of fresh air that came out of nowhere. Their self-titled debut album, recorded by none other than Kurt Ballou of Converge and released on vintage Norwegian metal label Indie Recordings in June 2010, saw the band rise from complete obscurity to high international praise in a matter of months. Last year the six-piece toured the USA with Skeletonwitch and were scheduled to appear at the ill-fated Soundwave Revolution, plus nailed their first headlining European tour with bands as legendary as Doomriders and Toxic Holocaust in tow.
TINIE TEMPAH
HE MAY BE THE ONLY POP STAR BOASTING A TRACK CALLED LUCKY CUNT, BUT TINIE TEMPAH CAN GET HIGHBROW TOO. THE UK RAPPER DISCUSSES READING HEMINGWAY WITH CYCLONE… AS WELL AS GETTING EXCITED ABOUT BOY & BEAR.
Tinie Tempah, who’s also been known to answer to his birth name Patrick Okogwu Jr, shares his dream of world domination with every chart MC but, beyond that, he’s far from any usual archetype. The Brit reads novels and drinks tea and is akin to a hip hop ‘vegetarian’. He doesn’t do beef.
ANGELS & AIRWAVES
HOLLYWOOD NOW, RACING LATER SAYS MULTI-TASKING ANGELS & AIRWAVES GUITARIST DAVID KENNEDY. DANIEL CRIBB DISCOVERS THE BAND PLAN ANOTHER MOVIE AFTER SOUNDWAVE.
There’s at least one person in a band who, without doubt, is always late. Accompanied by the band’s new drummer Ilan Rubin, lead guitarist David Kennedy takes a quick stroll up the road to grab a coffee while they wait for bass player Matt Wachter to rock up at rehearsal. In between a heated conversation about which coffee joint to venture to, Kennedy discusses the origins of Angels & Airwaves’ film Love: “We’d always wanted to partner the visual side of things with our music,” Kennedy begins. “Everyone’s always looking for something. Even if you just put music on in your car, you’ll often just find yourself starring at the knobs on your radio.
PROFESSOR GREEN
PEEING ON YOUR LEG AFTER A JELLYFISH STING DOESN’T WORK, OR SO PROFESSOR GREEN TELLS CYCLONE.
Professor Green (aka Stephen Manderson) might be tagged “an estuary Eminem”, but he has his own story – and British influences. He’s also an easier – and funnier – subject. The tattooed rapper’s management requests that he “is not asked to rap [or] freestyle during his interview” – quite reasonable, as it’d be cringeworthy for both parties on the phone – but he’s otherwise amiable and very candid. Manderson first toured Australia with the Big Day Out, accompanying pal Lily Allen, who ‘saved’ him from a life of drug dealing. Now established, the East Londoner is joining 2012’s Future Music Festival – and supporting Jessie J. “Yeah, I can’t wait,” Manderson chirps. “I was meant to be there last year and I had to pull out because of finishing the album, but this time I’m raring and ready to go.” He’s bringing his band, too. “I still have my DJ, but I perform with my full live band – you got keys, guitar, bass, drums, two backing vocalists…”
Indeed, just over a year on from _ Alive Till I’m Dead_ and Manderson is plugging _ At Your Inconvenience_. The MC hinted to Q magazine that he wasn’t wholly pleased with his first album, desiring At Your Inconvenience to be “a broader record, something a bit stronger… more considered” – yet today he downplays this. “I was entirely satisfied with the debut, but it was just a different process,” he maintains. Manderson has gained experience and, with success, confidence, finding his voice. ”So, when I went into this one, I had a really clear direction.” It’s about progression. “I open up more on the second record, but I don’t think people would have been as willing to listen having not known anything of me prior.” Regardless, Manderson hasn’t used poppy samples as he did on the early hits
CATHEDRAL
A NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCE ON STAGE IN SYDNEY MAKES AUSTRALIA UNFORGETTABLE FOR DOOM LEGENDS CATHEDRAL, NOW SET TO PLAY THEIR FINAL EVER SHOWS ON OUR SHORES. MARK HEBBLEWHITE KEEPS THE HASH PIPE AWAY FROM VOCALIST LEE DORRIAN.
It has to do with a hash pipe, a very stoned singer with very long hair, a cozy venue and an exceedingly silly punter.
LAMB OF GOD
LAMB OF GOD DRUMMER CHRIS ADLER INTRODUCES SIMON HOLLAND TO THE DIFFICULT SEVENTH ALBUM THEORY, ‘CAN YOU NAME ANY BAND THAT YOUR FAVOURITE RECORD BY THEM IS THEIR SEVENTH?’.
“I got my MCSE – my Microsoft certification – and I was all ready to take on the American Dream over here,” reflects Lamb Of God drummer Chris Adler. “Oh yeah, it coulda been very, very different. I was full time at Microsoft for ten years. I held onto that job full time ‘til the beginning of 2005. The touring took over so much time that I couldn’t do both. I had to jump at it then since we were doing well. All the other guys quit their jobs around 2002, 2003 and I held mine ‘til 2005. It was such a good job, it had all the benefits and I was married and it was like, ‘What are you fucking crazy? You’re gonna go play music?’ But it became so obvious that it was going well that I couldn’t not do it. I don’t care what job you have though, if you have the ability to pursue a creative dream and you don’t do it, you are going to regret that. I couldn’t live with the idea of that regret so I jumped in with both feet around 2005 and so far, so good.”
M83
ANTHONY GONZALEZ, THE MAN BEHIND FRENCH SYNTH-POP OUTFIT M83, SNAPS HIMSELF OUT OF DREAMLAND FOR A CHAT WITH CHRIS YATES ABOUT ONE OF THE MOST CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED ALBUMS OF LAST YEAR.
Despite how much has been written already about M83’s album of last year Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming, it’s as hard to describe how the record sounds as it is remembering a lingering dream in the first minutes of waking up. It’s definitely a pop album – this is immediately obvious from the point where Anthony Gonzalez bellows “Carry on, carry on!” during the album’s ambient intro. Tracks with massive choruses swell and hooks are delivered at times in simple nuggets (like in Midnight City) but most of the record is not so simple. It’s a complex web of ambience, suggestions, echoes and imagery. It ebbs and flows without urgency, yet every nuanced synthesiser hit, guitar break and vocal snippet is served with confidence and even the occasional ‘80s slap bass freakout or saxophone solo sound relevant and deliberate.
FEIST
FEIST TALKS TO DAVE DRAYTON ABOUT THE WEATHER AND WHETHER OR NOT TO BE HONEST.
Oftentimes discussions about the weather occur as a result of small talk; awkward 30 second bursts of conversation in an elevator or upon discovering that you and the stranger you’ve just met share nothing in common. Not so with Leslie Feist, better known by surname alone, whose latest album Metals is very much inspired by the weather and geography of where it was recorded – where land meets mountains and mountains meet the sea at Big Sur, on the central Californian coast. On the phone from Calgary, Canada, in the middle of winter, Feist says things are surprisingly not that cold.
ENTER SHIKARI
THEY MAY HAVE FACED A BACKLASH AFTER THE RELEASE OF THEIR SECOND ALBUM, BUT ENTER SHIKARI’S OPINIONATED FRONTMAN ROU REYNOLDS TELLS MONIQUE COWPER THEY COULDN’T BE MORE PROUD OF THEIR POLITICAL STANCE ON LATEST RELEASE.
Musicians from all walks of life come up against a certain damned if you do and damned if you don’t phenomenon when it comes to the integration of politics and music. Young British rock band Enter Shikari learnt this after the success of their debut album Take To The Skies. It reached number four on the UK charts and had them selling out massive venues. However, it was followed by a much more controversial album, 2009’s Common Dreads, which had developed an electro sound and a more mature lyrical content with commentary on everything from free trade to then British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
EMA
“THERE’S REAL BEAUTY AND REAL GRACE THERE, THIS REALLY INSTINCTUAL WAY OF LIVING YOUR LIFE LIKE ART THERE THAT I’M INSPIRED TO TRY AND SHARE.” EMA TALKS TO ANTHONY CAREW ABOUT THE IMPACT OF LEAVING HER MIDWEST HOMETOWN AND MOVING TO CALIFORNIA.
EMA’s Past Life Martyred Saints may’ve been both the funniest and the bleakest album of 2011 at the same time – and it was certainly in the discussion for straight-up best. The album is Erika M. Anderson’s memoir of growing up in Sioux Falls, South Dakota; a middle-of-nowhere Middle America depicted as post-apocalyptic wasteland via the scorched guitar noise and thundering drama.
- @soundwavefest's SistersOfMercy name dubsteppers BassNectar and metallers Motorhead as their fave bands atm: http://t.co/Zc9d8cKp Feb 22, 04:43 PM
- @BallParkMusic have been added to @GroovinTheMoo after an international cancellation. http://t.co/rWOCQJB0 Feb 22, 09:17 AM
- NY's EndlessBoogie have primed themselves for @goldenplains by watching the Oz Sunbury doco & they talk ColouredBalls: http://t.co/4glaUHLR Feb 19, 02:18 PM
- Heritage rocker Nick Lowe is relieved there are now gigs 4 oldies like himself & Dylan: http://t.co/15ehhAQl He'll b here 4 @BluesfestByron Feb 19, 01:15 PM
- @freddurst was at a loss for words when we spoke to him ahead of @soundwavefest - here's why: http://t.co/AnSLImsP Feb 19, 12:25 PM
- A full list of gigs in support of @SLAMRally tomorrow http://t.co/w059lnbA Feb 22, 01:21 PM
- @adrianpereira10 no dates for an AU release of that model yet mate, will let you all know if that changes Feb 20, 12:52 PM in reply to adrianpereira10
- Who can't wait to catch this? http://t.co/9tTklpbM Feb 20, 09:41 AM
- @mi1ez not at the moment! Feb 17, 01:08 PM in reply to mi1ez
- @adrianpereira10 hey Adrian - check in at Harvey Norman, Bing Lee and Billabong stores to soothe your soul! Feb 17, 10:07 AM in reply to adrianpereira10