THE BASICS
Name : Dee Dee
Band : Topnovil
Job In Band : Vocals/ Guitar/ Song writter
Website Address : Facebook page [Here]

HOME
Hometown : Steel City, Wollongong
Hometown is best known for : The Steel Works. It’s also ranked one of Australias top 10 most violent locations.
Best venue in your hometown : Wollongong has been in a transition period since the closing of the Oxford Tavern late last year which was hands down the best local venue for the last 15 years. A few venues have tried to take the baton (CBD bar, Cooneys, Dicey Rileys,Harp) but the Patch (Cabbage Tree Hotel) seems to be our new home for shows.

THE BAND
How long has the band been going? We started in 1997 and had a 3 year hiatus from 2003- 2005, so on off for 14 years.
Many lineup changes along the way? Topnovil have had 11 different members over the years and every release has had a different line up.
How would you describe your sound to the average person on the street? That’s a tough one. The average person is probably not familiar with most of the bands we are influenced by so you can’t just say we sound like (blah) and most peoples idea of ‘punk’ is the watered down version you hear on the radio so I usually describe us as sped up punk rock n roll.
What's your most recent release? Tell us a little about it... We have just released our first full length album (Same Old Story), it has 18 tracks including new ones as well as some re-recorded old ones. We experimented a little with this album by using guest musicians on a few tracks playing harmonica, cello, keyboards and bagpipes and we also did an acoustic song. It was great to stray from the norm and it is the first release we are all 100% happy with.
Got a favourite track that you have released so far? It’s hard for me to pick a favorite being the song writer; it’s like asking a parent to pick their favorite child. If I had to make a choice I would say ‘The Crew’ off ‘Same Old Story’ for the fact that it’s about our punk family all along the east coast and how much punk means to us.

OFF THE STAGE
What was your first introduction to music that made you think seriously about playing it? I grew up with my old man playing in bands so there was always guitars and drums around for me to mess around with, but I think when I was about 10 and first heard AC/DC it blew me away and that’s the first time I thought ‘thats what I wanna do’.
What was your first band name, and what style did you play? Dirgey, we played a very bad combination of punk and grunge.
Most prized music related item you own? My Fender Telecaster for sure. I got a job when I was 15, saved up enough money to buy it and a Marshall amp then quit my job and went back to school. I still use it live and for recording it has never let me down.
The thing you most look forward to just before a tour is... So many things, there is nothing better than taking your music on the road with mates, having your songs sung back to you, catching up with old friends, meeting new ones, watching other bands and running amuck. It doesn’t get much better.
The thing you least look forward to before a tour is... Being away from my family and not getting to hang with my son.
When your not doing band related stuff, what are you usually found doing? My day job is a cinema projectionist so I spend a lot of time watching movies and getting paid for it.

ON THE STAGE / ROAD
Best rider item you've ever received without requesting it? We’ve never had anything too crazy but some that stand out are kegs, pizza, sandwiches and the occasional bag of explicit substances. Just last week we got 3 kilos of sausages, you can see we are easily pleased.
Favourite place (city/town/country) you’ve toured… and why? Over the years we have made good friends with the local crews in most of the places we’ve played so its always mad to catch up and party with them when we tour. Two places that stick out would be Melbourne and the Gold Coast, probably because we tour them the most.
Most memorable show you've played? and why? Our first show is one I wont forget and one people still talk about. We had only been together a few weeks and the drummer had food poisoning and was throwing up until the minute we went on stage. On the way to the stage the bass player climbed over some speaker boxes and cut his head open which needed stitches after the show then mid set I jumped up and gave myself a bleeding nose with my guitar. It was total chaos and more like a comedy act than a punk show but a great start to where we are now.
Worst 'guilty pleasure' artist / song you've come across on a bandmates iPod? We usually drive when were on tour so every ones Ipod gets played and I have to say either everyone keeps their skeletons in the closet or we all have the same guily pleasure artist so they don’t stick out to me.
Who in your group has the worst “bad habit” on tour, and what is it? Ha Ha what happens on tour stays on tour.

RIGHT NOW
Where are you? At home in front of the computer
What's the last song you listened to? Jet boys - hey bitch rock n roll tonight
Which band or album is currently rockin' your world? Street dogs - any album, they’re all good.
Tell us a band we should all go and listen to right now? H-Block 101. They’ve always been a favorite and I was lucky enough to see them do a one off show to close the Arthouse (Melbourne) in March and they have still got it after not playing for years.

IF ONLY...
If you could pick any one album to cover from start to finish, what would it be and why? Rancid's ‘And Out Come The Wolves’ because it is all killer and no filler. I’d say we would have covered most of the songs off this album over our time and it is still a favorite of all of ours.
If you could pick any one band / artist to cover one of your albums from start to finish, what would it be, and why? Would of liked to see Pantera cover ‘Same Old Story’, id love to hear how we would sound with shredding solos, double kick and more balls.
If you could pick one band to re-unite so you could play a one-off show with, who would it be, and why? Operation Ivy, just for the chance to see them play live would be enough but to open for them would be killer.
One big tour, you can take two currently active bands to support you, who would you choose, and why? Thats an easy one - No Idea and Run For Cover. Weve been playing shows with these guys for over 10 years and we’re like family. The whole time would be a non stop party with my brothers.