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:::::: THE HOTSEAT ::::::
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:::::: BAGSTER ::::::
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THE BASICS Name : Koby Band : Bagster Job In Band : Singing/Guitaring Website Address : www.bagsteronline.com.au HOME Hometown : Sydney – THE SHIRE! Hometown is best known for : Do the Cronulla riots count? Best thing about the music scene in your hometown : The fact that bands keep slogging it out with little to no hope of ever making serious cash. Most influential band to yourself that’s come out of your home town : Man, is it bad if I don’t really have an influential band that’s come out of my home town? I’m never sure of my influences in the first place… Best up and coming band from your home town would be : I dunno if you’d call them up and coming but I really like Between The Devil and The Deep. Good band with occasional odd time signatures!? Who’d have thought!? THE BAND What’s the story behind the band name? Well basically I wanted a name that didn’t mean anything or could have meaning associated with it and we needed a name real bad for our first show at The Green Square when we were still in high school. I was on the phone to our drummer at the time and told him the next thing I saw we’d call the band that. My dad walked into the room with the word ‘Bagster’ on a T-shirt. Called the band that and the rest is history. When did the band begin and how did it come about? The band started to formulate (or congeal?) back in high school. So what’s that, about eight years ago now. Back then it was myself and Paul and a guy called Derek playing pop punk and ska songs. We quickly got bored playing that stuff though and thought it’d be cool (how deluded we were right?) to get some horn players in as we were also listening to bands like Reel Big Fish and MU330 at the time. We weren’t serious when it started but we got a few songs together and some brass players and began playing the standard ska/punk third wave kinda material. We played a few house parties to drunk people and randomly met a girl called Dyani who put bands on at the Tartan Heart Ska NiteKlub at the Green Square. We were lucky enough to have a rough demo of a song we’d recorded on us and she dug it and put us on our first ever proper pub gig. At that show we met guys from The Mad Dash and The Lyrical Madmen and began networking and playing shows with those guys. How would you describe your sound to the average Joe on the street? I have difficulty doing this all the time. I don’t even bother trying to explain because whenever I say we have horns in the band, regardless of what I’ve said prior someone always says ‘what, like Reel Big Fish?’ *shudder* Put it this way, horns, but not ska. What’s your current release? Tell us a little about it… Our latest release is the Wellkumn To The Show Tonight EP. It’s a five tracker and was recorded with Phil McKellar and Dave and Buddha out at Party Pig. It’s a pretty good representation of where we’re at musically but we’re always getting heavier… And heavier. What image do you think / hope your music conveys? I’d like to think that our music conveys the idea that you don’t have to fit into a clique to be a part of the music scene. Our band’s never really fitted into a niche which at times has been really problematic but at the same time it’s been a blessing as it’s helped differentiate ourselves from the flock. I think people who see the band regularly appreciate that and realize we’re not about being cool and looking the part – we just wanna melt your fucking face off. In five years time the band will be… Sadly I’d have to say that in five years time the band will most likely be defunct. OFF THE STAGE What was your first introduction to music that made you think seriously about playing it? I think it was a natural progression. My dad was a muso back in the day and brought me up on a diet of sixties and seventies rock n’ roll. I’m pretty sure that it was when I heard Brian May from Queen play that I really wanted to pick up the guitar and make a whole lotta noise. What was your first band name and what style did you play? Bagster’s the first band I’ve been in. Tell us three albums you couldn’t live without in your collection Protest The Hero – Fortress, Pendulum – Hold Your Colour, RX Bandits – The Resignation Best piece of musical advice you’ve been given ‘Have you heard about these ENGL amps…?’ Two groups/artists you’d love to take out on the road Rex Banner / The Quickening Favourite song of your group? Hmmmm, that’s tough but it’s always been The Gauntlet for me. The thing you most look forward to just before a tour is I have no idea why, but I love going to the music shop to stock up on all my guitar strings and music shit. When I walk out of the shop with that bag of stuff I know it’s tour time!!! The thing you least look forward to before a tour is The thing I look forward to the least is the driving. But having said that, I always end up enjoying it a lot more than I thought I would leading up to it. But then again there’s times when its really, really fucked. When your not doing band related stuff, what are you usually found doing? Working, going to uni. Playing Xbox 360 and playing drums! ON THE STAGE / ROAD What gear do you use? I play a Gibson Les Paul Studio model and I play through an ENGL Ritchie Blackmore Signature head with a Marshall flat cab. Favourite place (city/town/country) you’ve toured… and why? I love Perth. It’s just so chilled out. There’s no hustle and bustle, there’s free inter-city buses, heaps of cafés, cool pubs and it’s far away from, well, everything. The best show you’ve ever played was… and why? It’s pretty hard to push one show above all the rest but supporting New Found Glory was an awesome gig. Mainly because we got the call up the night before that we were gonna open the show and we got an awesome reception – the crowd went off. Who hogs the stereo in the van the most? I think we all have a fair go. It’s always the two dudes up front who have control and the driver has final say usually. We’ve got numerous ipod’s littered around the van so there’s always plenty of discussion on what should be played and what shouldn’t. If anyone was the ‘hog’ though I’d probably say myself. I get excited about playing new music to people. After a week in the van/bus on tour which band member will have the messiest section, and what would we most likely find stashed there? Probably Mitch or me. Mitch is pretty messy and always ends up leaving shit throughout the van like dirty jeans and undies and stuff. Paul is pretty messy too but that’s only with lolly and chip wrappers and beer bottles and shit. I’ve got a bad habit of leaving sweat-filled shirts post-gig in the van. That always gets a couple of complaints. Manton’s pretty good and we’ll see what Dave’s like next week! Who in your group has the worst “bad habit” on tour, and what is it? It’s pretty much a group bad habit of farting on each others heads. Whenever someone stands up in the van you’ve gotta be on the lookout for an arse that might be being placed behind your head. Most embarrassing moment on tour? For me it was losing my voice the first show of the Reel Big Fish / Guttermouth tour. It was the shittest, most unfortunate thing to happen and I was pretty much fucked the entire time. I couldn’t sing to save my life and I was hoarse and sore the entire span of the tour. Give us a good quick ‘on the road’ story, funny, embarrassing, memorable, whatever… Aw man once we were driving I think to Adelaide and in the middle of the night the tyre on our trailer burst. Everyone was half pissed from the show that night and tired and cranky and we piled out of the van to survey the damage. The tyre was absolutely obliterated, it was like melted. Turned out, we didn’t have a spare tyre for the trailer so we had to unhook the trailer. We left our old trombone player Tommy sleeping in the trailer whilst the rest of us jumped back in the van and drove to the nearest town trying to work out what the fuck we were going to do. Turned out the nearest town was about an hour and a half drive away. We managed to find a twenty four our servo in some bumfuck Idaho town and asked if they knew of anyone who’d be able to fix a tyre or give us a new one. We were lucky enough to be referred to a 24 hour tyre guy who sold us a new tyre. We then had to drive back to the trailer, change the tyre and be on our way. That blown tyre probably cost us four and a half hours. Then, the next tour the trailer tyre blew again. We were cursed. Worst shit ever. Your manager calls and says the venue you are about to play really wants to keep you happy, what’s the first thing you chuck on the rider? Free alcohol and a driver to drive my car home. RIGHT NOW What’s getting the most spins in your stereo right now? Protest The Hero - Fortress Tell us a band or artist everyone should check out and why… These guys aren’t really a ‘new’ band, but I’ve come across this UK metal band called Sikth. I’m really into them. Massive riffs and technical drumming and time signatures and shit. I love it. If you could change one thing about the music industry today, what would it be? That it wouldn’t be so self indulgent and poserish and original bands were actually given a leg up rather than being told they don’t have ‘it’. As soon as I’ve finished answering these questions I’m about to… Have lunch! I’m fucking starving. |
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:::::: THE BASICS ::::::
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THE BASICS Name : Kris Schroeder Band : The Basics Job In Band : Vocals/Bass Website Address : www.myspace.com/the3basics HOME Hometown : Frankston Hometown is best known for : Our revolving dancefloor at the old 21st Century nightclub. Best thing about the music scene in your hometown : The lack of an original music scene encourages a garage industry, and inspires young bands to want to “break out” of the area. Most influential band to yourself that’s come out of your home town: A friend’s alt-country band called Spargo – they’re going through a name change, but have a new album coming out soon and they are great! Best up and coming band from your home town would be : Again – Spargo (or whatever they end up calling themselves, I’ve heard it could be The Wildes?) THE BAND What’s the story behind the band name? In the beginning it was just Wally and I – a two-piece with just an old acoustic, drums without toms and our voices. The Basics represented that well, and was the least-crap name we thought of.When did the band begin and how did it come about? Back in April 2002 Wally and I met at a party. At that party were a number of musicians and we all had a big jam – I was leading it and Waldo was playing drums. I thought he was a great drummer and invited him to join me at a local solo show. He did, and the rest is history… How would you describe your sound to the average Joe on the street? The Beatles meet The Sex Pistols What’s your current release? Tell us a little about it… Stand Out/Fit In is an eclectic album of 13-songs which reflect the diversity of our styles and tastes. It’s a pretty uplifting number, pretty well recorded and has some good performances on there. I think the highlight are the songs which are all top-notch. What image do you think / hope your music conveys? An image of three guys who love music and want to make people smile. In five years time the band will be… Too old! OFF THE STAGE What was your first introduction to music that made you think seriously about playing it? We didn’t have a music programme at my school, but one day this old lady showed up at the school talking about the violin. I didn’t know much about music then, and I guess it just got me excited because it was different. I ended up getting lessons off her and I kept playing for about 15 years! What was your first band name and what style did you play? I think the first band was “The Catch”. We played music much the same as we do now – sort-of progressive art rock crap. Haha. Tell us three albums you couldn’t live without in your collection Dark Side of the Moon, The Instant Monty Python CD Collection, Abbey Road Best piece of musical advice you’ve been given Do what you want and ignore whatever everyone else is doing. Two groups/artists you’d love to take out on the road Current local artists? Hmm… I don’t know. It was fun taking Jordie Lane and Cross-Eyed Mary out on the road last year, but CEM have broken up now. Probably Dog With Wheels and Spargo again. We’re all very good friends and enjoy the company. Favourite song of your group? Right now it’s the newest one – With This Ship. The thing you most look forward to just before a tour is Getting away from my job! The thing you least look forward to before a tour is Being away from my house! When your not doing band related stuff, what are you usually found doing? Ha! I’m probably working! I have a full-time job that one day I will wave goodbye to… ON THE STAGE / ROAD What gear do you use? Epiphone Rivoli II reissue (hollowbody bass) and an Acoustic Brothers head with a single Celestion-based speaker. Favourite place (city/town/country) you’ve toured… and why? Japan! It’s sooo crazy there, and awesome. It’s like being in a movie 24/7. Watch Lost in Translation – it’s like that, times 1000. The best show you’ve ever played was… and why? Probably our last show in Japan, it was in this underground place and was packed to the rafters. It was completely mental – we had Japanese dudes on stage with us singing along and yeah I don’t remember sleeping… Who hogs the stereo in the van the most? Comedy! Monty Python and Peter Sellers. I think you need to laugh on tour to stay sane. After a week in the van/bus on tour which band member will have the messiest section, and what would we most likely find stashed there? Tim, definitely. He just stuffs everything in his bag. I won’t tell you what he’s got! Who in your group has the worst “bad habit” on tour, and what is it? Wally and farting. He’s bloody terrible actually, really often and smelly too. Most embarrassing moment on tour? Being 5 hours late for soundcheck at a gig in Liskeard, Cornwall (in the UK). It’s a long story, but we had to drive at 100 miles an hour just to get there. In fact, we were so late, we got to the venue an hour after we were meant to start playing! It was still okay… though we did get a parking fine the next morning! Give us a good quick ‘on the road’ story, funny, embarrassing, memorable, whatever… After one gig in Derby, WA, this young Aboriginal guy comes up to Wally and says, “You’re pretty deadly on them drums. The second deadliest in the Kimberley I think. My uncle is first. But he’s dead now, so I guess that makes you number one!” He then offered him his skull-and-bones necklace. Wally was suitably blown-away. Your manager calls and says the venue you are about to play really wants to keep you happy, what’s the first thing you chuck on the rider? Food! We’re always so hungry after a gig. If they want to keep us happy, feed us! RIGHT NOW What’s getting the most spins in your stereo right now? Ryan Adams’ album “Cold Roses” – great. Tell us a band or artist everyone should check out and why… Ryan Adams – best artist on the planet right now. If you could change one thing about the music industry today, what would it be? Richard Kingsmill. Get rid of the old bastard! As soon as I’ve finished answering these questions I’m about to… Finish work! It’s 4:50pm and I go home in 10 minutes. |
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:::::: MZ ANN THROPIK ::::::
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THE BASICS Name : Mz Ann Band : Mz Ann Thropik Job In Band : Mzzy Website Address : www.myspace.com/mzannthropik HOME Hometown : Sydney Hometown is best known for : A darker shade of Black Best thing about the music scene in your hometown : So much talent in the underground scene, people need to support it more Most influential band to yourself that’s come out of your home town : The Hard Ons because they work so hard! Best up and coming band from your home town would be : Day of the Meerkat THE BAND What’s the story behind the band name? It comes from the word misanthropy When did the band begin and how did it come about? I formed the band in late 2001 after being sick of a junkie ex claiming he was in a band, when in real life he was shooting up, I decided to show him and the world what being in a band really meant. How would you describe your sound to the average Joe on the street? A mixed bag of Hard Rock, Goth, Metal, Blues, Punk and misanthropy What’s your current release? Tell us a little about it… It’s a five track EP called “A Silent Scream” It shows off our diversity in music styles and is a major teaser for the album we are currently recording. What image do you think / hope your music conveys? Strength and positivity, showing people that you can get out there and achieve your biggest dreams, if you just put your mind to it! In five years time the band will be… Still touring, Still recording, Still Rockin!!! OFF THE STAGE What was your first introduction to music that made you think seriously about playing it? From the age of 15-20 I worked in a radio station which really opened up my ears to a wide variety of music styles, it also introduced me to Riot Grrl music, which was definitely a major influence musically and on my life. What was your first band name and what style did you play? I played tambourine and did back up vocals in a band called Catnip… I never went too far! Tell us three albums you couldn’t live without in your collection Anything by Social Distortion, Siouxsie and the Banshees The Cure Best piece of musical advice you’ve been given Never look back. Two groups/artists you’d love to take out on the road We’re currently on tour with one of them “The Wrath” they rock my socks and I’d love to tour with The Cramps! Favourite song of your group? All of them!!! So probably the newest one which is called “Queen 222” The thing you most look forward to just before a tour is Meeting new people, seeing different faces every night and walking along different streets… Staying in strange hotel rooms and stealing each others food, plotting pranks on each other too! The thing you least look forward to before a tour is Absolutely nothing except for going home. When your not doing band related stuff, what are you usually found doing? Writing or painting… Dancing with friends somewhere or retreating in my castle with my kitty kat. ON THE STAGE / ROAD What gear do you use? Pearl drums and Basson Amps Favourite place (city/town/country) you’ve toured… and why? Gladstone, the kids were crazy there!!! We got to meet a whole bunch of them after the show and they have the sweetest hearts I’ve ever come across. I love playing in our home town Sydney too and seeing all the familiar smiling faces. The best show you’ve ever played was… and why? There’s too many to choose from!!! One of the highlight shows from our current “Scarlet Cities” tour was Geelong, Tommy Creeper from The Wrath broke his finger on stage, there was blood everywhere. We followed up with a chaotic set resulting in me losing my pants! The next day we played in Melbourne and both bands swung on the venues chandelier and we followed that up with an instore at Missing Link where I smashed my bass players nose with the mic stand and split my own lip resulting in more blood… we didn’t call it the “Scarlet Cities” tour for nothing! Who hogs the stereo in the van the most? We try to share as much as possible, but on this tour it’s definitely been Damien and Tommy Creeper the hoggers!!! After a week in the van/bus on tour which band member will have the messiest section, and what would we most likely find stashed there? Damien our drummer!!! At one stage the Van floor was covered in all of his clothes, dirty underwear and smelly socks. Who in your group has the worst “bad habit” on tour, and what is it? I would have to say all of my boys and the bad habit is them searching for peep shows… if you get my drift? Hahaha!!! Most embarrassing moment on tour? Climbing up on the PA in Rockhampton and sticking my head in the ceiling fan! Give us a good quick ‘on the road’ story, funny, embarrassing, memorable, whatever… In Brisbane we got to meet the porn star Bella Donna and she called Ben’s (guitar) facial hair “face fungus”. Your manager calls and says the venue you are about to play really wants to keep you happy, what’s the first thing you chuck on the rider? Massage chairs and grapes. RIGHT NOW What’s getting the most spins in your stereo right now? The Horrors, She wants Revenge and INXS Tell us a band or artist everyone should check out and why… She wants Revenge, because we’ve all been there… if you have a listen you’ll know what I mean If you could change one thing about the music industry today, what would it be? Less censorship and safety in the Australian music industry, more emotion and rawness is a must, I mean come on!!! As soon as I’ve finished answering these questions I’m about to… Get ready to record vocals for two new songs ;) |
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:::::: LEMONSMILE ::::::
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THE BASICS Name : Chris O’Neill Band : Lemonsmile Job In Band : Singer/Rhythm Guitarist/Haberdasher Website Address : www.myspace.com/lemonsmileband HOME Hometown : Melbourne Hometown is best known for : Jury-prejudicing gangster television, the colour black Best thing about the music scene in your hometown : The various grimy bar-venues that use old gum and spilt beer as a substitute for carpet. Most influential band to yourself that’s come out of your home town : The Loved Ones Best up and coming band from your home town would be : The Tequila Mockingbirds THE BAND What’s the story behind the band name? We all gathered around the ouija board one night and invoked the spirit of our lead guitarist Jimmy’s gypsy forefathers. It was really them who chose the name. When did the band begin and how did it come about? Back in ‘ought-three, me and Jimmy decided the best way to get to know one another would be by sitting in the same room together for a very long time, strumming guitars and looking deeply into each other’s eyes. We were right, too. How would you describe your sound to the average Joe on the street? Like the ghosts of electricity howling in the bones of your face. Nah, I mean, it’s just sort of poppish indie rock. You’ll probably like it. What’s your current release? Tell us a little about it… It’s called “Gunfights and Glittery Nights”, and we recorded it about a year ago now. All the songs are coloured petrol-blue, and smell like absinthe. We’re about to record a new EP, which will be better. What image do you think / hope your music conveys? We hope it conveys a perfect unity of content and form within the spectrum afforded by the pop idiom. But it probably doesn’t, yet. In five years time the band will be… I remember in Primary School having to fill out some questionnaire thing like this, and when it came to the “What will you be in five years?” question, the kid next to me wrote “Five years older”, and I thought that was absolutely the wittiest and most brilliant response ever given to any question ever. I was probably wrong, I guess, but that still seems like probably the best answer to these sorta questions. OFF THE STAGE What was your first introduction to music that made you think seriously about playing it? Listening to my dad’s battered old beatlez tapes when I was 12 and thinking, “Yeah. Cool.” What was your first band name and what style did you play? I think we were called “The Naughty Pigs”, or “The Dangerous Pigs” or some stupid thing. We didn’t play very much at all, at that stage. Tell us three albums you couldn’t live without in your collection Histoire de Melody Nelson – Serge Gainsbourg Blonde on Blonde - Bob Dylan Revolver - The Beatles (Jesus, what am I, Rolling Stone or something?) Best piece of musical advice you’ve been given “You’d probably sound better if you had a drummer” Two groups/artists you’d love to take out on the road I’d really love to take Nickelback and Creed out on the road, on the proviso that I’m allowed to tie them all up and leave them there. Favourite song of your group? We’ve got one called “Grow Up Pepper” that’s pretty good. It’s like a haiku. The thing you most look forward to just before a tour is… Throwing things at the back of the driver’s head. The thing you least look forward to before a tour is… The driver threatening to drive into a tree if I keep doing that. When you’re not doing band related stuff, what are you usually found doing? Breathing deeply, finding beauty in even the smallest things, writing limericks, etc. ON THE STAGE / ROAD What gear do you use? A Vox AC30, Epiphone Les Paul knockoff, My Larynx Favourite place (city/town/country) you’ve toured… and why? Melbourne is still the It, the Lord, and the Supreme Goodliness, as far as we’re concerned. The best show you’ve ever played was… and why? We played one in a little place in Chinatown called Fad Bar a while back. I can’t remember what exactly was so great about it, but I get a warm and fuzzy feeling whenever I think about it. Who hogs the stereo in the van the most? Me. After a week in the van/bus on tour which band member will have the messiest section, and what would we most likely find stashed there? Probably Nick, our drummer. I can’t really say anything more about that until after the trial though. You know. Who in your group has the worst “bad habit” on tour, and what is it? Me. I hog the stereo. Most embarrassing moment on tour? This one time I was hogging the stereo, and the others were like “Hey, quit hogging the stereo”, and I was like, “Hey, guys, just Sit On It, would you?”, and they were like “Dude, are you quoting The Fonz at us?” and I was like, “…damn.” I mean, I don’t even like Happy Days, you know. I just don’t know what I was thinking. Give us a good quick ‘on the road’ story, funny, embarrassing, memorable, whatever… One time, we were just about to go on stage in Geelong when we got a call that an old friend from school had died. Then, after the show we found out it was actually our friend’s brother who had died. And that was just as bad, really. Your manager calls and says the venue you are about to play really wants to keep you happy, what’s the first thing you chuck on the rider? A very great quantity of precious gemstones. RIGHT NOW What’s getting the most spins in your stereo right now? Well, I’ve just listened to “She Smiled Sweetly” by The Rolling Stones about ten times in a row, so that I guess. That’s my favourite song of theirs by a very wide margin. Tell us a band or artist everyone should check out and why… Flamingo Crash. They deserve to be one of those super famous bands that everyone holds dear to their hearts. If you could change one thing about the music industry today, what would it be? We would hold a greater degree of influence within it. As soon as I’ve finished answering these questions I’m about to… Listen to “She smiled sweetly” some more. And then just chill for a while. |
