Having just wrapped the Australian leg of their massive ‘Ire‘ world tour, and collected their first ARIA #1 album in the process.
North America is next on their radar, they’ll return to Australia to play UNIFY in Victoria early next year before heading to Europe to resume the ‘Ire‘ tour.
If you’ve been hiding under a rock and haven’t checked the new album out yet, you’ll find it below, along with drummer Ben Gordon’s answers to our Hotseat questions.
LISTEN WHILE YOU READ
THE BASICS
Name : Ben GordonBand : Parkway Drive
Job In Band : Drums
Website Address : www.parkwaydriverock.com
HOME
Hometown : Byron BayHometown is best known for : Beaches, surf, having a good vibe and basically being paradise.
Best venue in your hometown : Byron Bay High School
Favourite show you’ve seen in your hometown : xThrowdownx at the Byron Youth Centre in 2002.
Favourite show you’ve played in your hometown : Hard to say! I’ve played hundreds of shows there growing up in both Parkway and different bands. Probably the high school show from our Atlas tour in 2012.
THE BAND
How did the band first come to exist? Winston and I started the band because we wanted our friends to be able to mosh on a weekly basis.How long has the band been going? 12 years and counting.
Is there an interesting story behind the name? It’s the street name that I grew up on, which my parents still live.
What’s your most recent release? Tell us a little about it… IRE – See the On The Record interview for the lowdown.
Got a personal stand out achievement of your band to date? That’s a hard one! Probably getting the chance to play in over 60 countries around the world and hearing uplifting stories from people in all areas of the world that we have changed their lives. Very satisfying.
OFF THE STAGE
What was your first introduction to music that made you think seriously about playing it? When I was 10 at primary school I saw kids play in a band at a talent quest and I thought it was really cool. I started learning the drums shortly after.Any band, album, or song that you personally credit as a major influence? There’s no 1 particular band, but lots of different 90’s punk bands. Pennywise, Millencolin, Bad Religion etc.
Your first band name, and what style did you play? Shortside. Pop punk band when I was 13.
Most prized music related item you own? A bad religion pick.
When you’re not doing band related stuff, what are you usually found doing? Surfing in remote locations around the globe.
The thing you most look forward to just before a tour is… Playing Live, seeing mates and meeting girls.
The thing you least look forward to before a tour is… Potentially missing good surf, lots of airports and usually a downgrade in food.
Any item you seem to always forget to take on tour? Never enough socks.
WATCH
ON THE STAGE
When on offer, what’s your one must have item on the rider? Avocados and coconut water.Got a favourite place you’ve toured… and why? It might be a standard answer but Europe is still my favourite place to tour. The shows are massive, the venues are great, the food is good, we usually have a really nice bus and I like how culture changes from day to day. It’s still fun to walk around cities and people watch.
Got a favourite venue you’ve played… and why? Another hard one! We’ve played in a castle in Serbia, on a beach in Finland and in middle of the alps in Switzerland… Just a few that come to mind.
Any pre-show rituals? I like to stretch, do yoga and warm up. We aren’t young anymore so we have to stay onto it!
What do you find is the hardest aspect of touring in a band today? Honestly for me it’s really easy. I’m the only member of the band that is still single so leaving a wife / girlfriend / family at home isn’t an issue for me. The only thing I don’t like about tour is not being able to surf or go in the ocean for months at a time.
RIGHT NOW
Last song you listened to? Gaslight Anthem – ‘Get Hurt’Last album you picked up? Bring Me the Horizon – ‘That’s the Spirit’
Which band or album is currently on high rotation? Empire Of The Sun – ‘Ice On The Dune’
Tell us an up and coming band or artist you think we should go and listen to right now? In Hearts Wake
What’s on the cards for the next few months for the band? We have just started the ‘IRE’ world tour! That will take the next 4 months – Australia has just ended, USA, Canada, Europe and Russia.
IF ONLY…
You can pick any one album for your band to cover in full, what would it be and why? Our newest album ‘Ire’ because I couldn’t be bothered to learn a whole album of someone elses songs… Plus I’m excited to play these songs live!You can pick any one band / artist to cover one of your albums in full, what would it be, and why? Iron Horse. They did a Bluegrass cover album of Metallica and it’s amazing!
One band you wish you were able to see live but never had the chance? Rage Against The Machine
One venue you have yet to play that you would love to? Sydney Opera House.
The chance comes up to fill in for a member of a band for one tour, which band would it be, and why? Metallica. Because they are pretty much the biggest band in the world and their songs are easy on drums
A headline tour overseas comes up, tell us two bands you’d take along to support your band. Bad Religion and Pennywise so I can watch them every night.
PLUG TIME
Got any final words? Come see us on the IRE world tour – www.parkwaydriverock.com
EVENT POSTER
COVER ART
TRACK LISTING
1. Destroyer 4:47
2. Dying To Believe 3:12
3. Vice Grip 4:23
4. Crushed 4:36
5. Fractures 5:32
6. Writings On the Wall 4:23
7. Bottom Feeder 4:20
8. The Sound of Violence 3:24
9. Vicious 4:21
10. Dedicated 3:23
11. A Deathless Song 5:53
ORDER
USE TAGS BELOW FOR RELATED ARTICLES
