This week Oceanics wowed me with their new single “Chinatown (Is Not Newtown),” so when I got the opportunity to chat to the band’s guitarist Jackson Haswell I jumped at the chance. Read on to find all about the song that’s stuck in my head, the band’s forthcoming EP, and life on the road.

You’re releasing your second EP at the end of the month. What can you tell me about it?
We’d like to think that it’s a solid step in a more mature direction. Wayne Connolly really helped us develop as a collective, and better understand the principles of songwriting.

What do you think you learned between the recording of your first EP and this one?
Once again, I attribute a lot of the learning process to Wayne Connolly here. Our approach to writing songs, especially at the guitar platform, has been influenced. Elliot and I began working on newer material even during the recording process of this EP, and are excited to keep trucking with our new approach.

What was it like stepping into the studio the second time around?
Considering it was a larger studio, miles from home, it was different to say the least. We borrowed Wayne’s excellent amp collection and really had a chance to mess around with sounds and make forward strides in our journey to finding our sound.

The EP features the single “Chinatown (Is Not Newtown),” which is one of the catchiest songs I’ve heard lately. Why did you choose to share it with the public?
Thank you very much! It was a decision influenced by radio pluggers and PR types from Melbourne to Brisbane. Next time I’d be very interested to see how a decision would fare, based purely upon the band’s collective instinct.

Your press release credits your friendship as one of the keys to the band’s success. How did you all meet?
That sounds cute. I would say we’re as friendly with each other as any other young band. We all have our own friendship circles outside Oceanics. Elliot and I were friends in high school, and met Andy and Tom later when we decided to take our Simon and Garfunkel guitar duo to the live stage.

You’re about to start touring the East Coast to support the EP’s release. How do you feel about that?
We’re flying to Melbourne on Thursday night to begin the first of the shows. We’re excited to be playing that far south once again. It’s been a while.

What do you love most about playing live?
Playing electric guitar is where I find my personality extended to its fullest. Being applauded by a large group of people for purely doing what I love is the best thing I’ve encountered in my 20 years on this planet.

Will the rest of Australia get the chance to see you any time soon?
At this stage, places like Adelaide, Perth and Tasmania aren’t a feasible option. It’s certainly something I’ll be pushing for as soon as possible though. This country is huge and I want to do laps of it.

Do you have anything else in the pipeline?
Writing as many songs as possible for the foreseeable future. We want an extensive song bank to choose from for our next studio production, whenever that may be.

You can catch Oceanics doing their thing at the following venues this month and the next.

15 March 2012 – Laundry, Melbourne
16 March 2012 – FBi Social, Sydney
22 March 2012 – Cobra Kai, Brisbane (EP Launch)
23 March 2012 – Elsewhere, Gold Coast (EP Launch)
12 April 2012 – Landsdowne Hotel, Sydney
13 April 2012 – Mum, Sydney
14 April 2012 – Oxford Art Factory, Sydney

The Fearless Vampire Killers are back on home soil and touring around the country to support the release of their new single “I Won’t Stay Too Long.” I caught up with the band’s lead guitarist Al Marx to chat about the song, their time on the road, and their plans for global domination.

I caught up with you guys last year before the release of Batmania. What’s is like to have the album out in the public sphere?
It feels pretty good. It’s kind of like being married for a few years then finally buying a house. Or maybe it’s more like paying off the mortgage. You decide.

Your sound really takes me back to a lot of the music my dad used to play me as a kid. Who did you listen to in your formative years?
Many different things from rock operas to folk. People often think we only listen to ’70s rock which is just not true. The sound-set we use is just a result of our influences whilst learning. We just focus on writing good songs and the rest falls into place. The colours Van Gogh used are not really important; it’s the painting you look at.

“I Won’t Stay Too Long” is the new single from your album Batmania. What was it about that song that made you want to release it?
It’s a fun song, and we’ve personally always found it quite funny. I suppose when we decided we wanted to release another track as a single we wanted to put out something a little different.

As it’s one of my guilty pleasures, I was impressed that your song “With For You & Me” will be featured in 90210. How did that come about?
I guess they must have liked it. That’s actually the best thing about this whole situation: finding out which of our friends has a closet fetish for 90210.

Is there anything else happening on the international front?
Funny you should ask. “I Won’t Stay Too Long” has just been selected as the theme song for the U.N. general assembly. They won’t pay for it of course, but we are getting a gift pack of U.N. t-shirts, mugs, and some depleted uranium which I’m sure will come in handy.

For now you’re focusing on what’s happening at home, with a national single tour next month. Are you looking forward to getting back on the road?
It’s always good to play to people who wouldn’t ordinarily see you. I think we play better when we’re interstate because deep inside you want to validate all the effort, and I think that helps us justify our odd lives.

The tour chugs along at a fairly frantic pace, with Brisbane one day and Melbourne the next. How does that suit you?
I’ve always sported a slight Mad Max fantasy, so yeah, certainly. The road is love, the road is your friend. Be wary of gyro pilots bearing gifts.

There’s obviously a lot of time in transit. How do you amuse yourself on the road?
We have wicked senses of humour and the longer you’re on the road, the more depraved it gets. As a group we can be quite alarming by the end of a tour.

I’m sure being up on stage makes all the travel worthwhile. What do you love most about playing live?
You’re absolutely right. I just love live music. It doesn’t exist as anything tangible and once we’ve stopped playing it’s gone. Standing on stage playing your songs must be the best drug in the world.

After this tour wraps up, what’s next for The Fearless Vampire Killers?
We’ve been siphoning off Fearless funds for a number of years to the Chinese Space Program, so all things running smoothly, we plan to be the first band to broadcast a gig from the surface of Mars. Then we’re gonna find us some of that Martian gold.

You can catch The Fearless Vampire Killers at the following shows.

10 March 2012 – Plus One, Adelaide
16 March 2012 – Alhambra Lounge, Brisbane
17 March 2012 – The Toff in Town, Melbourne

Image used with permission from Two Fish Out of Water

When musicians from The Dandy Warhols, The Galvatrons, and Lazy Sons came together, great things were always going to happen. From these bands and a few more we get Immigrant Union, a rock act that inspires nostalgia with their new double A-side single. I caught up with the band’s Bob Harrow to chat about that release, the album to come, and what’s next for this exciting new band.

Your new double A-side single features a cover of the old Cheech & Chong song “Up in Smoke.” What inspired you to put your stamp on the song?
Thats always a fun one to pull out at cap fires, and we dig Cheech and Chong. We dont really play too many covers, but that one was we felt we had a nice spin on and at the end of the day it’s a dark song. We like dark songs.

The other song on the single is an original called “Oregon.” Why did you decide to release that song to the public?
That’s a song that was written before we travelled to Portland, Oregon, to record our album. It’s a good song to drink beer to, and it encourages dancing. As well as this, it might be the darkest song on the album. It’s interesting writing songs that can get people dancing but lyrically are quite dark.

Your band features members of so many other acts, including The Dandy Warhols and The Galvatrons. How did you all find one another?
Brent (Dandy Warhols) and I met at the Cherry Bar on AC/DC Lane in Melbourne around seven years ago. Basically we became good mates over strumming guitar and digging on the same type of music. Five or so years later when Brent relocated to Australia we thought, “Heck we better start a band.” I had known Gamma from the Galvatrons for years. He is one of those ridiculous musicians who can play and sing super well, so I called him up and that was that.

You’re releasing your first album in April. What can you tell me about it?
It’s a culmination of songs written in our good friend Val’s backyard in Melbourne. We wanted to make a record that could be versatile in different situations, for example putting it on at a party or have it playing on your headphones whilst drifting off to sleep on a plane to Amsterdam. We like to call it psychedelic campfire core music.

You recorded the album at The Trench. What made you decide to head to Portland, Oregon to lay it down?
Portland is one of the coolest places in the world. We have a strong affiliation with that city because Brent hails from there. We were given the opportunity and once that happened there really was no decision to be made.

You worked with acclaimed producer Gregg Williams on this disc. What did he bring to your sound?
Gregg was killer in the studio. He liked to use traditional recording methods. However he has done much work with The Dandy Warhols, so he also had some cool modern tricks up his sleeve. I think overall Gregg bought a beautiful big dreamy sound to our record. I am very happy with what he did, and on a side note he has funny-arse sense of humour!

You worked at such a frenetic pace, recording 14 songs in 14 days. Why do you think it all came together so easily?
Yeah, we kind of just jumped in head first. I think as a band we knew we just had to get the songs down, and then after that deal with nuances in the mixing mastering process. Our ‘American’ band were incredible at what they did and we basically gave them free range to do what they wanted with their instruments. We all get along really well, and enjoy getting excited about things together. Even if it’s just one tiny little note that Jessie played on his mandolin or a $2.35 sandwich from the deli up the street from The Trench. I think that’s important in things running smoothly.

I’ve heard your music described in the same breath as Neil Young and Bob Dylan. How does it make you feel when you hear comparisons like that?
Cool.

If you could model your career on that of any other musician, who would it be and why?
I’d model it on musicians who are able to consistently able to change their sound and or genre. For me that is art; art moves. Dudes like Zappa and Dylan do/did that. Dylan got booed in ’66 for going electric, and people now think that was ridiculous. However I’ve seen people boo and walk out of his shows in recent times because his songs sound different. Those people will eventually realise how cool it is that he is able to progress and rearrange, or they won’t, whatever. But yeah, I really dig people that can do that well.

After this album drops, what’s next for Immigrant Union?
We have been writing for album number two for a while now. We are very excited about getting back into the studio for that one. It’s going to be a little different from the first, so as soon as we get time that is what we are going to do. Apart from that, touring and shows.

Image used with permission from Longtime Listener

Made in Japan are a Sydney band on the rise. They gave us a taste of their unique sound with the breakout single “Oxford Décor,” the first track from their debut album Sights and Sounds. With that record hitting stores later this month I caught up with founding member James Cooney to chat about the LP, the band’s upcoming tour dates, and what comes next.

You’re a Sydney band, so where did the name Made in Japan come from?

We were just throwing names around one afternoon, and Made in Japan just seemed to catch on. It sounds some what technological and advanced; precise. I think it lends itself to our sound in that way.

I’ve heard your music described in different ways by so many critics. How would you sum it up?

I’ve heard it described in so many different ways too! From my perspective I think our music is quite dreamy and melancholic with nostalgic flashes of the best Australian summer you ever had. We take a lot from the mood of shoegaze bands such as Slowdive and Lush but our take on it is a bit more symphonic with some added pop sensibilites. As for genre umbrellas: dream-pop sounds right to me. Indie’s too broad.

You were one of the first acts discovered through General Pants Co.’s Major Label initiative, which seems like such a great program for unearthing new talent. What did it do for you?

All the usual stuff like some Triple J play, lots of FBi love and some new clothes. Apart from that it’s only a single release so it doesn’t have a whole lot of longevity. That’s up to you.

And now fast-forward and bit and you’re preparing to release your debut album Sights and Sounds. How would you describe it?

An album lover’s album. It will take a few spins to get a feel for the thing but we wanted to make a grower of a record and I think that’s what we’ve done. It’s structured in two movements like a vinyl so hopefully we’ll get to put a vinyl copy out at some stage. In terms of how it sounds, refer to question two.

After spending so many years honing your craft on stage it must be interesting to step inside a studio. What was the recording process like for you?

It was fast at points and long-winded in others. We recorded the whole thing broken up over the course of six months but most of the instrumentation was laid down in two days playing all the songs live to tape. It was a really rewarding way to work and it makes the album feel really honest to what we’re like live. We went to Melbourne a few months later to track vocals and mix it.

I hear that after you worked with producer Paul “Woody” Annison on your single “Oxford Décor” you knew he was the man to work on your album. What does he bring to your sound?

He just brings an unflinchingly honest outside opinion to all our music and he’s really committed to making every song the best it can be. He did that with “Oxford Décor” and improved it massively so we knew we wanted to run the album past him before we put it on there.

On the same day the album hits stores you’re playing a launch gig in your hometown. How important was it for you to start the album tour there?

I guess the Sydney fans have been there for us from the beginning. We haven’t done a huge amount of touring as of yet so we’re still working on the other states. We’re just really happy that the record will finally be out there and we wanted to celebrate with the people that helped make it happen first.

You spent so much time on stage last year, and you’re starting 2012 the same way. What do you love most about playing live?

Simply just seeing the audience connect with our music. Whether that’s having a marathon dance or standing up the back being contemplative is dependent on the individual, but if we manage to captivate them, that’s more than I could ever ask for.

Only a few tour dates have been announced so far, but I hear there’ll be more to come. If you could play anywhere in Australia, where would it be?

I’m going to go hometown on you and say The Enmore Theatre, Sydney. Saw my first gig there, worked there for a little while and saw heaps of bands. It’s a great sounding room and it has a great atmosphere and a great history. Would love to play there.

After this album tour wraps up, what’s next on the agenda for Made in Japan?

Finish writing our second record, which is well underway, do another tour and then head into the studio. We’ve just hit a roll, so why stop now? There’ll be a new MIJ record by the time 2013 comes around. Promise.

Sights and Sounds hits stores on February 25. They’ll play shows at Sydney’s Oxford Arts Factory on February 25, Melbourne’s Horse Bazaar on March 17, and Brisbane’s Beetle Bar on April 6, with more dates to come.

Image used with permission from Footstomp Music

From the ashes of Gerling, RunHide, and other fallen Aussie acts comes Betty Airs. I caught up with the band’s frontman Darren Cross in the middle of their Aussie tour to chat about their forthcoming live shows, the new single “Juvenile,” and what’s coming next from this exciting new act.

It’s fairly early days for this band. For the uninitiated, how would you describe your sound?
’50s grunge. Melodic. Old and new. Like The Kinks on a 4-year bender.

The band is made up of musicians from some other notable Aussie acts like Gerling and The Vines. How did you all find one another?
Well I, who was in Gerling, started the band with Cris [Campano] and Zag [Michael Zagoridis], who were mutual mates and were in a tough band called RunHide. We used to drink at the same pub each week and started talking about doing some harmony based ’50s style music. At this stage it was just one guitar and drums and all three of us singing, Cris playing a mighty fine tambourine and sharing the lead vocals with myself. Pat [Matthews], who was the bass player in The Vines, was off his face at a Royal Headache gig and bailed me up saying he would love to play bass for Betty Airs. As I produced and recorded Betty Airs songs I usually played bass on the tracks as well, and we thought it would sound more traditional live with a bass, so we called Pat up. We like Pat.

Betty Airs is a pretty quirky name. Where did it come from?
It took us about 330 weird band names. Cristian and myself … well we’re gung ho about a “great, classic” name. We all agreed on Betty as a starter … like a female skater. Cris had just sent me 50 shit names as an SMS when I was touring solo as The E.L.F. I was at an airport waiting for a plane and in desperation I looked out the window, saw an aeroplane taking off and said out aloud “Betty Airs”. YEP. We all loved it.

You’ve just released your new single “Juvenile.” What is it about this song in particular that inspired you to release it?
It’s an immediate garage pop song with great hooks. Short and sweet. Good energy.

The song was used to launch Triple J’s new Unearthed Digital radio station. What does that sort of exposure mean to you?
It’s awesome. Triple J is a powerful force and we love and are very grateful that they play our music! We use the Triple J Unearthed platform for uploading our songs for free download to y’all sweet, fine people. It’s cool! The Digital Unearthed radio station is also great for giving new bands a go. Very encouraging!!!!

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Things are on the up for Myles Mayo. After earning critical acclaim with his self titled debut album last year, he’s preparing to release a new EP and head out on the road with Skipping Girl Vinegar. I caught up with the Adelaide muso recently to chat about his latest release, the upcoming tour, and what makes Radelaide such fertile musical ground.

You’re just about to release a new EP Leave the Party. What can you tell me about it?
It’s got five tracks. Leave the Party is the second single from my debut album that I released earlier in the year and the track has been re-mixed by Australian producer Paul McKercher (You Am I, Eskimo Joe, Hoodoo Gurus, Augie March, The Cruel Sea, Pete Murray). Also on the EP are two brand new recordings and several other cuts from the album.

Once an artist releases a full-length album they don’t often go back to recording EPs. What attracted you to going back to that short recording form?
It is mainly a promotional tool EP/single because I’m doing some touring in Oct/Nov 2011 and we wanted to release something for this period.

You’re heading out on the road with Skipping Girl Vinegar to promote both the EP and the debut album you released last year. Are you looking forward to that?
Yes, very much looking forward to playing up the east coast again. The new band have been really enjoying the live shows over the past six months or so.

It looks to be a pretty cruisy tour, with weekend shows and lots of time in between. What do you plan on doing in your downtime?
With these sorts of weekend hop style tours we all come back home to our respective day jobs, study, families etc. and get on with slowly trudging through this existence.

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Sydney’s Five Coffees are looking to take the country by storm with their funky debut EP Flatline. I caught up by the band’s resident sax man, keyboardist, composer and all round nice guy Dean Adams to chat about his band’s unique sound, their EP, and what comes next.

I’ve heard people refer to so many genres when talking to about your music. How would you describe your sound?

Predominately its jazz inspired hip hop. We have always been inspired by funk like James Brown and the Cat Empire too. 70s keyboard legend Don Blackman (Earth Wind and Fire, Parliament) last week called us funky! It was the ultimate compliment.

You all come from such different musical backgrounds. How did you find one another and form Five Coffees?
I met Guy whilst studying at the Conservatorium of Music. We recruited the rest of the band members from all areas of their lives. I used to play in a covers band with singer Ay La Garde and play weddings with bass player Dave Groves!

You’re just about to release your debut EP Flatline. What can you tell me about it?
I wrote many of the tunes in 2008 after graduating from The Con. At the time, they were just eight-bar riffs. Now they are fully laid out, proper tunes with vocals and lyrics that amaze even me!

It’s got an unlikely title for music that’s supposed to engage and excite people. Why Flatline?
“Flatline” is the name of the final track on the EP. It best summarises what Five Coffees is all about: male and female disco/funk with sharp horn lines and a ripping sax solo.

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Elen Levon is causing quiet a stir with her sexy new single “Naughty.” I recently caught up with this talented Aussie teen to talk about the track, touring the country with Winterbeatz, and how she’s dealing with her new found fame.

You’ve enjoyed a lot of success quite fast and at such a young age. Who or what keeps you grounded?
I’m surrounded by an awesome team and family that keep me humble and grounded.

You’re about to release your single “Naughty” which is quite risqué. Did you have any concerns about that considering your age and how people may see you as a role model?
Everyone will have their own perspectives and beliefs on the video and I cannot control that! But my take on it, is a fun dance track that everyone can let go to.

You worked with Israel Cruz on that track, who’s also doing some great things in the Australian music industry. What was he like to work with?
Israel is an amazing talent and cool to work with.

You recently toured the country with some of R’n’B’s biggest names as part of Winterbeatz. What was it like to be a part of that?
It was an honor to be up there with big names like that! I just enjoyed being on the stage and entertaining.

I imagine a lot of the people attending would have been there to see some of the really big acts like Snoop Dogg and Taio Cruz. How did you win them over?
Hopefully with my performance and just having fun with the audience!

What did you learn about performing seeing guys like that at work?
They are all individually amazing artists in their own rights and they do an amazing job at their crafts.

You’re generating such buzz at the moment, it’d be a perfect time to release an album. Is that too far off?
Definitely working on an album and can’t wait to share songs that I have personally written.

You’ve been dubbed Australia’s answer to Britney Spears and Ciara. That’s what other people view you as, but what musician would you like to model your career on?
I would like to create timeless music that everyone connect with and enjoy. I would like to grasp all audiences.

A lot of people are talking about you having this worldwide appeal and crossing over to other markets. Do you think you’ll always call Australia home?
I will always call Australia home because this is where I started but I definitely see myself travelling and writing all over the world.

Do you have anything else in the pipeline that you can tell me about?
I’m just concentrating on my live performances and releasing more singles.

Image used with permission from Revolutions Per Minute

Sydney-based singer-songwriter Alanna Cherote has only just released her debut album Paper Flower, but she’s already threatening to take the world by storm. I caught up with her recently to take about the record, her North American touring plans, and what it was like to work with Ron Sexsmith.

You’ve just released your debut album Paper Flower. What can you tell me about it?

I wrote most of the Paper Flower album tracks before even looking to record the album. I always had very strong production ideas and vision about how it would all sound. I did most of the pre-production work on the songs with producer Nick Howard, and then recorded the album with Chris Vallejo at Linear Recording. It was such a wonderful studio to bring my songs to life – so much vintage gear. I was able to put my 60s/70s slant on the sound the way I had imagined.

It had an official launch at The Vanguard in Sydney on August 3, which is one of my favourite venues. What made you choose it for your big night?
The live show is about Intimacy and quirkiness, Rawness, being organic.

What do you love about being up on stage?
Bringing the songs to life, creating magical parts around the tunes, being in the company of such beautiful players in my band, and connecting with not only the audience but getting back in touch with that deep connection within myself. Sometimes it feels like an out of body experience.

When will fans around the rest of the country get a chance to see you live?
I’m touring Canada and the states in October/November and Australia throughout November/December/January.

Do you think we’d ever lose you to one of these international locations?
Distinctly possible! Based on touring and recording opportunities and connections in other countries.

Your current single “(Make Me Do) Anything You Want” is a cover of a song by Canadian band A Foot in Cold Water. What made you want to record it?
Discovering that band through the American producer I was working with in 2007 Lamar Lowder, and finding a connection with the song, I immediately thought I could create something quite special out of that song. I always had a thing for all the golden oldies. Turned out to be quite a good idea!

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Queensland band Grand Atlantic wowed us with their last album How We Survive, and they’re hoping to do it all again with their newie Constellations. I recently caught up with the band’s frontman Phil Usher to chat about the album, it’s unusual recording studio, and conquering the world.

You’re releasing your new album Constellations next month. What can you tell me about the album?
The album is a collection of 11 new songs that were written over the past year.  We actually had about 20 written that we were working on and slowly whittled them down to about 14 which then made it to the recording stage. We have a couple of others that need finishing at some stage which we’ll use for bonus tracks or B-sides. We traveled to Seacliff in New Zealand for the recording sessions.  The recording process was like nothing we have experienced before.  It was amazing to be able to be away from all distractions and concentrate on making music for a couple of weeks.

I believe you recorded it in an abandoned psychiatric hospital. How did that bizarre location come about?
We were talking to a few producers and we really liked the feedback Dale Cotton came back with after hearing the demos. He’s really into the idea of recording in unusual locations and suggested the old asylum. It had been converted into a backpackers and we decided to hire out the whole site to make the record. It gave us the opportunity to stay on site and concentrate on the recording in a way we haven’t been able to do before.  The Asylum is located in a little seaside town called Seacliff just outside of Dunedin with rolling hills, sea breezes and not much else.

I believe you saw and heard some really crazy things during the recording process. Can you tell me a little about that?
There were a lot of things that happened while we there that made an impression. We heard some strange voices on a few takes through our headphones when we had the doors to the old stable building open during a session. On another day we saw a heavy-duty microphone stand move as if it had been knocked by someone. Three of us saw it and no one was within a few metres of the stand. It moved at least a foot from side to side and was definitely locked into position. Mat says he heard his drums being played in the middle of the night and we also had a fire restart itself as well. It was quite a spooky environment, especially as we had done a bit of reading about the site before we arrived. Unfortunately many people passed away on the site during a huge fire, so it has quite a sad history. It felt good to be able to go there and do something positive in a place that has such a heavy past.

Did that experience make your reevaluate your position on ghosts or otherworldly phenomena?
I guess it’s different for all of us. We were pretty well focused on making the album, so it was an interesting aspect of our time there, although there wasn’t really time for chasing ghosts. I think we are all definitely open to the concept of weird stuff happening and there were certainly some unexplained things that we saw. I guess in the end, everyone has their own take on the reasons behind them.

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