The Hotseat: Winston McCall of Parkway Drive
on January 15th, 2012Parkway Drive are ready to kick off their run on the 2012 Big Day Out this Sunday on the Gold Coast, they’ll play all the Australian dates of the festival before kicking off their extensive ‘Sick Summer‘ all-ages tour with guests Hand Of Mercy. The band that never slows down are set for a busy 2012, following these two tours, the band will get to work on their next album, return to Europe in April and release a new DVD. We grabbed frontman Winston McCall to take on our Hotseat questions. Expand this post to check out his answers and re-cap their upcoming tour dates including the just announced local openers.
THE BASICS
Name : Winston
Band : Parkway Drive
Job In Band : The yells.
Website Address : Facebook, all the kids are doing it nowadays - facebook.com/parkwaydrive
HOME
Hometown : Byron Bay
Hometown is best known for : Hippies, surf, dole bludging, yuppies, schoolies.
Best venue in your hometown : The Byron Bay Youth Centre, or the High School gym.
Favourite show you’ve seen in your hometown : Terror at the Youth Centre in 2007 (i think it was), or Street Youth at the High School.
Favourite show you’ve played in your hometown : Any of them. the one with the most stage dives i guess, but thats pretty hard to be specific about.
THE BAND
How did the band first come to exist? We got bored with being in a bad hardcore band and thought we’d try make a new bad metallic hardcore band. We jammed and were too unimaginative to think up a name, so we stole it from a street sign, then we played a gig to about 50 kids and looked really funny.
How long has the band been going? Almost ten years now, i think 9
Any particular story behind the name? See the above street sign reference.
What’s your most recent release? Tell us a little about it… The most recent release was a cover of a Bad Religion song ‘Do What You’, which was released on the ‘This is Australia’ split 7inch, which also features awesome songs from 50 Lions, No Apologies and Blkout. It’s the only cover we’ve ever recorded and more than likely the only one we’ll ever do in the future. We like what we did with it, it kinda sounds like BR and still sounds like us. I cant sing, so I yell, and Jeff added a weird UFO sounding solo and breakdown just to make it a bit Parkway. If you haven’t heard the split, check it out, the other songs are actually fucking great.
Got a personal stand out achievement of your band to date? Still being alive. Playing India. Putting surfing in a film clip. Getting toasted by Totally Unicorn for putting surfing in our film clip.
OFF THE STAGE
What was your first introduction to music that made you think seriously about playing it? Watching Pigs old band ‘Think Straight’. I figured if those guys can be that shit and do a band, then anyone can. So I started a shit band of my own. It was fun.
Any particular band / album or song that you personally credit as a major influence? Bad Religion. they’re just all round great. I liked how they sung about intelligent topics. It made me think and I actually related to that more than other more poppy bands that sung about girls, who I couldn’t talk to and didn’t know anything about.
Your first band name, and what style did you play? Blueprint For a Nightmare. We played the kind of hardcore you see at a local show and think, “Man, I’m glad thats not me up there, can these guys even play their instruments? Why do they look so awkward? Was that a fuck up or was that intentional, I cant tell?!”
Most prized music related item you own? My ARIA. It’s my weapon of choice the day someone breaks into the house. That thing is going straight though some scumbags skull one day. I owned a mic lead once, but it broke.
When you’re not doing band related stuff, what are you usually found doing? Gardening. I just planted a Lime tree. I think it’s better to grow your own limes, they are so damn expensive these days and they go so well with everything.
The thing you most look forward to just before a tour is… Getting home from tour.
The thing you least look forward to before a tour is… Getting in the shitty van to drive to the airport.
ON THE STAGE
When on offer, what’s your one must have item on the rider? Towels. I sweat a lot, like heaps. I think it’s a full on problem. Also lots of snot comes out of my nose when I yell so I need to blow my nose and towels are good for that.
Favourite place you’ve toured… and why? India, because it was just fucking mental. I can’t even explain it, you’ll have to just wait and see what im talking about.
Most memorable show you’ve played? and why? Again, India. because it was fucking India!!!!!
Got a favourite song to play live? I like ‘Carrion’, because sometime I don’t even have to sing and I can just push mosh kids on the stage. It sounds stupid to say but I fully love it.
Any embarrassing on stage moments come to mind? Pig. Everything about him on stage is embarrassing. If you are ever going to watch us play, just watch stage left guitarist Pig. He’s so self-conscious and so awkward it’s just painful and everyone needs to see him look like embarrassed to be there.
Any pre-show rituals? We have a Bejewelled competition every night, our photo mate Hartley always wins. It’s called the Wesley Classic, named after a blind albino friend from brazil called Wesley.
What do you find is the hardest aspect of touring in a band today? Looking at the same five filthy heads day in, day out. Why are they still so filthy? Do they know they looks this bad and why don’t they change? For everyones sake.
RIGHT NOW
Last song you listened to? Something indie on Triple J. It sounded indie, I don’t know what it was. I turned it down.
Last album you acquired? I’m going to get the Lana Del Rey record because she has a song about video games. I like those.
Which band or album is currently on high rotation? All Pigs must Die ‘God is War’, thats a fucking thrasher!!!! also Tom Wait’s ‘Bad as Me’, which is just perfect.
Tell us an up and coming band or artist you think we should go and listen to right now? King Lyche. they are from Hong Kong and have been doing shit for i think 12 years now? Anyway, they are fucking awesome, super fast, super heavy, great guys, and they are from fucking HONG KONG!!!! Get on that shit.
What’s on the cards for the next few months for the band? Everything. Big Day Out, edit a new DVD, Sick Summer Australia tour, write a new record, tour europe, release DVD and finish writing record, then go record new record. Don’t think we could really fit anything more in there.
IF ONLY…
You can pick any one album for your band to cover in full, what would it be and why? Metallica, Black album, because it would sound that bad that it would actually be funny. I would fully try and sing, Jeff would play OK, but everyone else would butcher our respective parts making a complete mockery of the idea that we as a band might contain some kind of musical talent. Also we could play it live and I could kick a giant ball into a kids head.
You can pick any one band / artist to cover one of your albums in full, what would it be, and why? U2 covering anything we’ve done. I’d just like to make Bono have to sing like a dying dog, and be able to watch and laugh. I don’t like U2.
One band you wish you were able to see live but never had the chance? Bob Marley. Seriously that would have been awesome. Fuck he was great.
One venue you have yet to play that you would love to? Antarctica. Not even close to kidding.
The chance comes up to fill in for a member of a band for one tour, which band would it be, and why? Anyone in Rammstein that is allowed to use a flame thrower. I just want to burn stuff.
A headline tour overseas comes up, tell us two bands you’d take along to support your band. King Lychee (Hong Kong), Under 18(Indonesia). They are both amazing bands the world needs to know about.
PLUG TIME
Got any last words? We’re playing gigs everywhere this summer so come hang out and take us to your local secret spots. Also we’ll have a DVD out pretty soon with some amazing places and people in it, and record out later this year. Thanks.
Catch Parkway Drive on all Australian Big Day Out shows.
BIG DAY OUT
JANUARY
22nd – Parklands, Gold Coast [AA]
26th – Showgrounds, Sydney [AA]
29th – Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne [AA]
FEBRUARY
3rd – Showground, Adelaide [AA]
5th – Victoria Park Foreshore, Perth [AA]
www.bigdayout.com
Followed by the ‘Sick Summer Tour’
PARKWAY DRIVE
FEBRUARY
16th – Lake Kawana, Sunshine Coast [AA] w/ Hand Of Mercy, Survival, Countdown To Armageddon.
Tickets from Lake Kawana box office, (07) 5413 1400 and www.scvenueandevents.com.au
17th – Powerhouse, Toowoomba [AA] w/ Hand Of Mercy, Survival, Blessed Are None.
Tickets from Oztix.com.au and Oztix outlets.
18th – YAC Ampitheatre, Byron Bay [AA] w/ Hand Of Mercy, Survival.
Tickets from Oztix.com.au, Oztix outlets and All Music And Vision.
19th – Twin Towns, Tweed Heads [AA] w/ Hand Of Mercy, Survival, Knights Like These.
Tickets from Twin Towns, 1800 014 014 and www.twintowns.com.au
22nd – Panthers, Port Macquarie [AA] w/ Hand Of Mercy, Northlane, Abel Tasman.
Tickets from the venue and Moshtix.com.au
23rd – Bateau Bay PCYC, Bateau Bay [AA] w/ Hand Of Mercy, Northlane, Revival Ashore.
Tickets from Oztix.com.au and Network Communications Lake Haven.
24th – Sutherland Entertainment Centre, Sutherland [AA] w/ Hand Of Mercy, Northlane, Aftermath.
Tickets from Moshtix.com.au, Resist and Moshtix outlets.
25th – Panthers, Penrith [AA] w/ Hand Of Mercy, Northlane, Caulfield.
Tickets from 1800 061 991 and penrith.panthers.com.au
26th – Dubbo RSL Auditorium, Dubbo [AA] w/ Hand Of Mercy, Northlane, She’s Taken Empires.
Tickets from the venue and www.dubborsl.com.au
29th – Shoalhaven Entertainment Centre, Nowra [AA] w/ Hand Of Mercy, Northlane, Never See Tomorrow.
Tickets from the Box Office, 1300 788 503 and shoalhavenentertainment.com.au
MARCH
1st – Ex Services Club, Cooma [AA] w/ Hand Of Mercy, Northlane.
Tickets from Oztix.com.au and the venue.
2nd – Albury Entertainment Centre, Albury [AA] w/ Hand Of Mercy, Northlane.
Tickets from the Box Office, (02) 6043 5610 and www.alburycity.nsw.gov.au/entertainment
3rd – The Edge Hotel, Buronga [AA] w/ Hand Of Mercy, Northlane, Hally.
Tickets from Oztix.com.au, Spotsco Mildura, Soundtrap Music Centre and the venue.
7th – Shadows Entertainment Complex, Mt Gambier [AA] w/ Hand Of Mercy, Hopeless, Deadlights.
Tickets from Oztix.com.au and Rocky Shore Surf and Skate.
8th – Old Collegians Football Club, Warrnambool [AA] w/ Hand Of Mercy, Hopeless, Deliverance We Prey.
Tickets from Oztix.com.au and Noise Music Store.
9th – Bended Elbow, Geelong [AA] w/ Hand Of Mercy, Hopeless.
Tickets from Oztix.com.au and Bended Elbow
11th – Breath Of Life Festival, Launceston [AA]
Tickets from Oztix.com.au
12th – Push Over Festival, Melbourne [AA]
Tickets from Ticketek.com.au, 13 28 49, Oztix.com.au or Moshtix.com.au
For full details and updates, visit their page [Here].
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