Sydney’s Vices are about to release their second album ‘We’ll Make It Through This‘ through Resist Records this coming Friday 14th November. You can pre-order the new album via Resist now [Here] or on iTunes [Here]. To launch the album, the band will tour alongside Counterparts later this month. This week we caught up with vocalist John McAleer from the band to take on our Hotseat questions. Expand this post to take a read of his answers and re-cap those tour dates.
THE BASICS
Name : John McAleer
Band : Vices
Job In Band : Vocalist, manager, accountant, logistics, financial backer and designated “bad guy” when any bad news or uncomfortable business has to go down.
Website Address : facebook.com/thisisvices
HOME
Hometown : Sydney
Hometown is best known for : Expensive living and Hugh Jackman
Best venue in your hometown : Chatswood Youth Centre (R.I.P) and Wasted Years.
Favourite show you’ve seen in your hometown : Touche Amore x 3. At the Metro, Jura Books and the Annandale, their live show is flawless.
Favourite show you’ve played in your hometown : Every show we played at Chatswood was epic, the lineups always had all our friends on. And Wasted Years when we covered Linkin Park was pretty wild.
THE BAND
How did the band first come to exist? Some of us used to be in a metal band and when some members split those of us who were left only listened to and knew how to write melodic music so that’s what we did.
How long has the band been going? Current lineup, 2 years.
Any particular story behind the name? I was singing about all my struggles and “vices” so that’s what we called the band.
What’s your most recent release? Tell us a little about it… Our new album is called ‘We’ll Make It Through This’. I had the roughest year of my life and the whole thing fueled the record. It comes out November 14th.
Got a personal stand out achievement of your band to date? Joining Resist Records, we never thought anyone would ever be interested in putting out our music and Resist came at a time when we had been working really hard for a long time and we were pretty exhausted, it was the slap on the bum we needed at half time to fill the van up and get back at it.
OFF THE STAGE
What was your first introduction to music that made you think seriously about playing it? I started going to shows when I was like 14 and I had a friend who wanted to start a band, he taught me to play bass cause he needed a bassist and from then it was on for me.
Any particular band / album or song that you personally credit as a major influence? Blink 182 – Dude Ranch. That album spoke to me and Mark & Tom’s ridiculousness made me want to be in a band.
Your first band name, and what style did you play? I played bass in a female fronted wannabe Paramore band called Horizon.
Most prized music related item you own? The van we share as a band. Its old and beat up and everything except the engine doesn’t work properly but ive had some of the best moments of my life in that van.
When you’re not doing band related stuff, what are you usually found doing? I’m almost finished studying to be a personal trainer and before that I worked full time since I was 16. Now I just hang out with my wife and daughter, currently we are travelling in Vietnam. I like getting overly committed to a critically acclaimed drama series, running, cycling or getting at it in the gym.
The thing you most look forward to just before a tour is… Hanging out with the boys, training with Cal, debating with Jake, wrestling with Marcus, trying to match Jai’s handstanding abilities, getting a game going with the other bands or cooking up a veggie feast in a park.
The thing you least look forward to before a tour is… Venues that load in/out via a huge set of stairs should be burnt to the ground. Also Calum’s flatulence and all round disregard for proper van etiquette.
ON THE STAGE
When on offer, what’s your one must have item on the rider? Its never happened before but if any promoters are reading this, i’ll do bad things for a box of bananas or mangoes and a blender.
Favourite place you’ve toured… and why? America was cool to be so far away, but I think NZ because of the people the family vibes over there are on another level.
Most memorable show you’ve played? and why? The first show we played in Arizona, USA. We came into the first song and I got jumped with people who knew all the words and I barley got a word in, I remember I turned around and looked at Marcus and we had this “holy shit is this real?” moment. We were unsigned and on the other side of the world and our music meant something to people there and it was wild.
Got a favourite song to play live? At the moment I like playing any of our new songs just because weve been playing the old ones for almost two years now, Permanence and Sustain are good fun. We did a cover recently which was actually really cool. Some real close friends of ours in Metcalfe called it a day, for their last show we let them choose a cover for us to play, they had us play ‘In The End’ by Linkin Park and it got wild.
Any embarrassing on stage moments come to mind? Our old guitarist luke climbed up on his guitar cab and when he jumped off all of it just fell over and landed in a heap, to the 5150’s credit it didn’t miss a beat, just kept playing. My problem isn’t what I do but more what I say, when I get really tired I just waffle on and say some out there shit, talking about my manscaping techniques, recipies, my sex life with my wife, it kinda just all comes out when im exhausted..
Any pre-show rituals? Every show I start my vocal warm ups when the band before us goes on, do some dynamic stretching, get angry and off we go. Pretty boring.
What do you find is the hardest aspect of touring in a band today? I think today we have it easier than ever before to get your music out there with social media. But because of that ability to become a “hype band”, and have nothing going for you except your facebook reach, bands can act really entitled, a lot of bands just have massive egos for no valid reason. Just don’t take yourself so seriously and treat the guys in your band like family, apologize when you screw up and talk your shit out with the guys face to face like an adult. You will have the time of your life touring in a band and if that’s not enough for you then your in it for the wrong reasons and everyone will see straight through you.
RIGHT NOW
Last song you listened to? Bane – Calling Hours
Last album you picked up? Violent Sons – Nothing As it Seems
Which band or album is currently on high rotation? Trophy Eyes new stuff is rocking my world.
Tell us an up and coming band or artist you think we should go and listen to right now? Rivalries from Newcastle, I don’t like usually like djent, but when they do it I loose my mind, the groove is too powerful for any human to withstand.
What’s on the cards for the next few months for the band? Counterparts national support, NZ headliner is all we have locked down. Currently we are working on more internationally touring for 2015.
IF ONLY…
You can pick any one album for your band to cover in full, what would it be and why? Creed – Human Clay. Except I’d play drums and Marcus would sing cause he already knows all the words.
You can pick any one band / artist to cover one of your albums in full, what would it be, and why? Parliament Funkadelic – It would be cool to here my words over some heavy heavy funk.
One band you wish you were able to see live but never had the chance? Casey Jones and Verse.
One venue you have yet to play that you would love to? Anything with a balcony like the roundhouse or the Gaelic Club would be cool.
The chance comes up to fill in for a member of a band for one tour, which band would it be, and why? I’d fill in for DJ Lethal on a Limp Bizkit – Chocolate Starfish and the Hotdog Flavored Water reunion tour. I love that album, for all the worst reasons and behind the turntables would be the best view in the house. And in My Generation when Fred says “DJ Lethal, bring it on!” I would then have to oblige and bring “it” on.
A headline tour overseas comes up, tell us two bands you’d take along to support your band. Id want Casey Jones and Verse to get back together for a tour and let us open. That would be bananas.
PLUG TIME
Got any final words? New record November 14th! Pre-order from Resist Records and come see us with Counterparts!
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VICES – ‘We’ll Make It Through This‘
Available Friday 14th November on Resist Records.
Pre-order now on iTunes [Here] or on CD / Vinyl [Here].
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