Category: Interviews

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Q & A with Nikki Jenson

Nikki Jenson, or Nikki J as she’s known on stage,  is the latest young hopeful on the way to country music stardom with the help of the Telstra Road to Tamworth competition. I recently caught up with the Queensland girl who’s just taken out the Cairns heat to chat about the competition, her love of country music, and the dreams she has for her musical career.

You just won the Cairns heat of the Telstra Road to Tamworth. What was it like to be part of that competition?
It was a bit of a whirlwind on the day. The wet weather meant a last minute venue change from the lovely esplanade to a little hotel conference room, which made the process a lot more intimate and daunting. But it was such a great experience to see how much talent there is in North Queensland and see what Telstra are doing for the development of music in Australia. It ended up being a very fun day win or lose, and obviously I was incredibly stoked to win.

I hear that you were stunned to win the Cairns competition. Why was it such a surprise to you?
Well I am only very new to performing my own songs and the songwriting game. So as each person got up I became more nervous because they were just SO good, and I was just thinking the whole thing would at least be really good experience for me. I thought one of the others would win it for sure. So when they announced my name I was just genuinely shocked, but very very happy. This is one of the first serious steps I’ve taken with my own music and I was really excited to that I was successful.

I believe you’ve only just returned to performing and songwriting. What inspired you to get back to it?
All the time while I was at university I was singing on and off but all my other music fell away as I was busy pursuing my “real job.” All that time I felt a massive void and longing for music, so I promised myself that when I moved away for work that I would pick up a guitar and try to start writing. I moved into a gorgeous one-bedroom apartment right on the water at Clifton Beach, and I have to say that location combined with the big life change was very conducive to creativity.

After your break from music, what inspired you to get back out in front of people in this competition?
There is a guy named Terry Doyle who runs a singer/songwriter night at a place called Mondo’s here in Cairns. I had heard about him, so went along to watch and he made me play him one of my songs, and he immediately made me get up on stage and play. I have been going back every week since pretty much and and every time you learn something different, he is very good with feedback and encouraging, so I suppose that along with some pushing from friends helped me get in front of people.
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Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Q & A with Dan Webb

Singer-songwriter Dan Webb is preparing to load up the van and get out on the road to support his new EP Hyperspace Clearance. But before he does I caught up with Dan to chat about the tour, the EP, and his love of the keys.

You’re touring along the east coast next month. Are you looking forward to getting out on the road?
I’m not gonna lie – it’s been hard organising this tour, but I am really looking forward to playing these shows. Myband members have been on holiday overseas for a few months so I’ve used that time to develop some new songs. I’ve never performed outside Melbourne so it’s really exciting.

This tour is in support of your new EP Hyperspace Clearance. What can you tell me about it?
I really set out to prove a point on my first EP. It was quite heavy compared to this new one. Capitulation was all about showing people that you can play rock music without relying on guitar. Hyperspace Clearance is taking that same concept but taking it to a whole new level by experimenting with some other styles and genres. It’s an EP with a focused direction, tied together by the theme of travel.

You produced this EP yourself. Why was that important for you?
I wanted to head back to the same studio with the same team of people and see if we could make something that sounded completely different to my first EP. I like setting myself challenges. I had a clear idea of which instruments and microphones I wanted to use and so I wanted to have as much of a creative input as possible.

What’s it like being on the other side of the musical desk?
I have to say straight up that the whole project wouldn’t have been possible without my engineer Matt Voigt. He’s responsible for all of the mixing and he did a really great job. I might be able to give directions, make suggestions and requests but at the end of the day, I can’t make a good recording without a talented engineer.

This is your second EP. How do you think you’ve grown since the recording of the first one?
I feel like I’m developing as a songwriter and I’m becoming a bit more confident and adventurous when it comes to writing songs. I was able to take more risks on this EP as a result. I wanted to explore a few different styles and approaches this time round. I recorded clavinet on a track called “Weekends” for example; it’s only there for a few bars but it’s really funky!

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Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Q & A with The Checks’ Callum Martin

The Checks have conquered their native New Zealand, and now they have their sights set on Oz. I recently caught up with the band’s guitarist Callum Martin to chat about their upcoming Aussie tour, their new album Alice by the Moon, and what he loves about Oz.


You had a mini tour here in April. What made you want to come back so soon?
We enjoyed the seafood so much that we booked flights as soon as we got home! Regardless of outcome, we’ve always wanted to release an album in Australia, we think this one could go down well with you guys.

You’ve enjoyed real success in your native New Zealand. What’s inspired you to try and crack the Australian market?
It’s the closest country to us and Australia seems like a natural step in our direction as a band.

You’re about to tour Australia next month to support the release of your album Alice by the Moon. Why are we going to love it?
Because you’ve never seen a rock band do it the way we do. Ed really looks great on stage and Sven is bound to melt your face off!

You’ve got shows all the country. Is there anywhere in particular you’re looking forward to seeing?
We have some mates in Melbourne who we’re quite keen to catch up with. I always enjoy that city.

You’ve got some time between your Melbourne and Brisbane shows. Are you planning on doing any sightseeing?
Well we’ll have to see; I’d really like to see Ed wrestle a croc! The wildlife in Oz has always been a draw card for me anyway.
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Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Q & A with Breaking Orbit

Breaking Orbit kick off their tour tonight to support the release of their new single “My Direction.” But before they took to the stage I caught up with the progressive rock act to talk about life on the road, their forthcoming album, and cover songs.

You’ve toured around the country with Cog, Dead Letter Circus and MM9 this year. How did those experiences prepare you for your own headline shows?
Dylan: Playing with those bands has been such a great learning experience. You get to see bands that have done this thing for such a long time that it becomes natural to them. You get to experience their ups and downs and
learn more about this music industry, which can be so rewarding but so challenging at the same time. In the same way, we have had a blast hanging with them and we are forever grateful that they allowed us exposure to their audiences. It has really help sculpt our fanbase around the nation.

Matt: They are bands that we have been fans of and watched develop over the years, along with taken some influence from, so it was great actually sharing the stage with them and getting the overwhelming response we got from their crowds.

Tyson: The opportunity to share the stage with Australian musicians who, within our own genre, have driven us both as individuals and as a band was awesome. Exposure to that level of production has provided us with a great basis to build and mould our own identity.

You’re earning a real reputation as a must see live act. What do you think it is about your live shows that resonate with audiences?
Dylan: I think mostly it’s about the energy and positivity. We really enjoy what we do on stage, and we’ve often received reviews commenting on the smiles that are always visible when we are on stage. We have a pretty active stage presence also, and I think the thing that most audience members relate too and really enjoy are the moments where the drums and percussion are played. There is just something about drums that everyone can relate to, and I think that tribal aspect of our live show is really a big highlight for a lot of the audience.

Matt: Definitely the positive energy we generate on stage. Anyone that has experienced one of our shows, can see that we are having the time of our lives up there, and it tends to rub off on the crowd. We work hard to get our songs and performance to the level it is at, so when we are up there its SHOWTIME!

Tyson: I guess we try and communicate with our audience using as much raw tribal energy to develop our own style and stage presence.

You recently headlined Progfest, which had such an interesting concept for a festival. What was it like to be a part of this event which showcased bands that push the envelope?
Dylan: It was fantastic. We also performed at this festival when it was in Sydney in 2009, and it was definitely one of the best shows we did that year. The vibe is great and the audience is massively appreciative because they are generally open to music that challenges them, whether that is sonically, rhythmically or stylistically. The best part is that we get to experience some of the best local and Australian bands in our favourite genre of music!

Tyson: Always a blast. The vibe at a festival like that means that you have the opportunity to share ideas with a whole lot of other musicians and punters in a real proactive and cohesive environment.

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Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Q & A with Ryan Murphy

Melbourne based singer-songwriter Ryan Murphy is making waves in the music industry with his new outfit the Lion and Ryan. I caught up with Ryan ahead of the band’s upcoming residency at The Wesley-Anne to chat about his love for his adopted home, his new band, and his plans for the future.

You’re preparing to take up residency at The Wesley-Anne. How do you approach those kinds of shows to ensure they stay fresh, despite being in the same venue at the same time each week?
That’s the challenge I guess. The idea of a residency is that your following builds each week, but people aren’t going to keep coming back to the same gig week in week out. It will just be a case of playing new material every show, and making the performances unique. My live shows have a lot of improvisation, whether it be musically or just mucking around between songs, so hopefully people come back.

These shows are a bit of a warm-up to a full-scale tour later this year. Do you enjoy life on the road or do you prefer to stay in one place?
At this stage in my life I prefer life on the road. I’m a very uncommitted person so living day to day comes very natural to me. Someday when I decide to settle down a little I guess life on the road could take its toll, but for now I just want every day to be a new adventure!

You’re earning a real reputation as a must see live act. What do you think it is about your live shows that resonate with audiences?
Hmm, well I hope its because I’m reasonable at what I do [laughs]. People seem to enjoy how relaxed I am on stage. Making a room turn around and listen is something that comes over time, but years of performing in front of strangers, basically telling them my secrets every night, has given me the confidence to know that audiences want to see me be myself, which should be easy.

The Lion and Ryan is your latest band. What does it feel like as a singer-songwriter to start playing with a bunch of new guys?
It’s a great feeling sharing the stage with other musicians! Especially for me after so much time spent playing solo. Playing in different situations with different people is the best way to improve, plus it gives the songs more dynamics which makes them more effective.

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Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Q & A with Scott Mellis

You might not have heard of ex-pat Scott Mellis, but this talented Aussie muso is making some serious waves overseas. I recently caught up with Scott to chat about his time abroad, his forthcoming album, and what it’s like to be back home.

You’re back in Australia after spending much of the year abroad. What’s it like to be back on home soil?
It’s great to be back for a little bit and catch up with my friends again. Coming back is always really good for gaining perspective on what’s going on because when you are travelling or overseas you can get caught up in the new surroundings and be distracted from your priorities.

Many locals may not be familiar with your music, so how would you describe it?
I am inspired by so many different things ranging from writers like Milan Kundera and George Orwell and artists like Etta James, Jeff Lynne, The Doors and Django Reinghart, personal experiences and the environment around me.

You topped the Triple J Unearthed charts in 2009. How important was that in opening doors for you?
Being voted at the top of that chart was proof that we had genuine underground support from our fans and that we did not have to rely on industry politics to make noise. However it did not open any doors within the industry. I think partly because the record at the time was a bootleg and was recorded live.

You’ve supported some massive acts overseas including Jason Mraz, Tom Morello, and Jeff Martin. What have you learnt being a part of their shows?
Playing with these guys at their L.A. shows I imagine would be different to doing it in Australia as Jason Mraz and Tom Morello both live in L.A. and it’s kinda like their hometown shows. I found them to be really genuine and humble people that love what they do and I think to be appreciative and grateful to do this is the most important thing.

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Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Q & A with Kelsie Rimmer

Kelsie Rimmer is on the path to country super stardom after taking out the Brisbane heat of this year’s Telstra Road to Tamworth competition. I caught up with the 18-year-old from Palmwoods today to chat about the competition, her love for country music, and why she’s heading to “Boot Camp.”

Congratulations on winning the Brisbane heat of the Telstra Road to Tamworth on the weekend.
Thank you very much.

What was it like to be a part of the competition?
It was really, really great. I got to meet so many talented performers and lots of industry professionals as well. It was just really great to be up on stage singing and performing, which is what I love doing.

What made you decide to enter?
I have been a singer-songwriter for a long time, and I realised that it’s really what I want to pursue as a career so I’ve just been entering lots of competitions actually. But I know that country music is my calling, and I know that Tamworth is the country music capital, so I feel really privileged to be a part of it.

At 18 you would be one of the younger competitors. Was it daunting taking on some of the more seasoned performers?
Well actually, it was pretty daunting because we’d all practiced together and I’d heard them all singing and playing their guitars and stuff, and they all sounded amazing. But I kind of just went into the competition with the attitude that I was just going to get up there and be myself, and if that worked out well then it did, and if it didn’t it didn’t. So I actually wasn’t very nervous at all, just because I wasn’t expecting anything.

Was the crowd one of the biggest you’ve performed to?
No actually, even though it was the Ekka, I expected it’d be much bigger. I’ve performed in a few musicals and stuff which have had huge crowds, so the crowd wasn’t the most daunting part. It was mostly the competition part.

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Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Q & A with Gypsy & The Cat’s Lionel Towers

Aussie expats Gypsy & The Cat have been enjoying some time back home supporting Foals and The Strokes and playing Splendour in the Grass. Today I caught up with one half of the duo, Lionel Towers, to talk about these shows, the band’s forthcoming debut album, and the challenges of being a support act.

You’ve been living in London for some time now. What’s it like to be back on home soil?
It’s wicked. It’s actually pretty funny because it’s hot in London at the moment and cold over here.

Have you been able to catch up with family and friends?
Yeah. It was kind of difficult last night because we played our gig at The Toff. All our family and friends were down there, so it was a little bit hard afterwards catching up with everyone. So I just kind of bailed. I’ll catch everyone on Facebook or something.

You’ve got such an interesting retro sound. Where does that come from?
We listen to a lot of music from the 70s and the 80s, so most of our influence is drawn from those periods I guess. It comes from everyone from The Bee Gees to Tears for Fears to Michael Jackson.

You’ve supported some amazing acts in Foals and The Strokes during your time back in Oz. What have they been like to work with?
They’ve been amazing. Both bands have really nice guys in them, so it’s been really good. It’s been a bit weird though because their music’s a little bit more left of centre, a little bit more targeted towards an indie audience as opposed to ours. So it’s kind of been a little bit weird sort of playing to an uber-cool crowd.

So how do you approach that when the crowd isn’t necessarily there to see you and your music is so different?
We just carry on and do our thing. And it’s cool though, because we have picked up some of their following which is weird, but yeah. The Melbourne gig was quite difficult at The Hi-Fi bar, the second night which apparently sold out first, for the Foals gig. That was probably the toughest audience that we’ve played to so far. They were just kind of standing there and not getting into it, but having said that they were listening.

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Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Q & A with Princess One Point Five’s Sarah-Jane Wentzki

Princess One Point Five are earning rave reviews for their fourth studio album What Doesn’t Kill You, and are preparing to take the songs to Australia on a national launch tour. Before hitting the road singer-songwriter Sarah-Jane Wentzki chatted to Sounds of Oz about the new release, life on the road, and that quirky band name.


Your band has a really interesting name. Where did that come from?
It’s actually kind of lame; Princess is a vague interpretation of my name (Sarah means princess, or lady in many cultures) and my height (1.5 metres). Over time it’s come to mean something different every time someone asks. A very drunk girl recently gave me the idea that it should mean “modern day princess.” God bless trashbags.

You’ve released four albums now, yet many music fans may not be aware of your music. How would you describe your sound?
Ethereal vocals, lush soundscapes juxtaposed with straight up rock and roll and catchy pop hooks.

You’ve just released album number four, What Doesn’t Kill You. What can you tell me about it?
Where do I start?! What… is like the sister album to The Truth (our second album).  Sort of like ten up but it’s actually only 5 years on. It’s a return to heart-on-your-sleeve honest songwriting and musically it’s a really collaborative effort.  It’s a sonically mature album; like we stopped caring what other people think and just went ahead and had fun with it, and it really benefits for that ethos. The songs themselves are a collection of conversations (some real some fictional) and stories: about us, about other people, about … stuff. It was a rough year while we were writing, so the title represents coming out the other side of it. It’s a joyous album, though, not at all maudlin like I’m making it out to be. I’m very proud of what we’ve made. If our last album was an awkward teenager, this one is the really decent person she grew into.

You’ve been playing a few warm-up shows ahead of your launch tour. How have the crowds responded to the new material?
The people who get the chance to see us live really love it, actually. We’ve been so chuffed about the response. I even have a brand new stalker. Yay me!
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Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Q & A with Aston’s Hanna Oblikov

Classical pop act Aston have built some serious online buzz with the release of the viral video cover of “Telephone” and their soon-to-be-released new single “Bulletproof.” I caught up with the band’s cellist Hanna Oblikov today to talk about online success, performing on The Matty Johns Show, and what it’s like arranging chart toppers for her classical act.

You’re Aston’s cellist. What inspired you to take up the instrument?
I was actually three when I started. It wasn’t really my choice; my dad’s a cellist, my mum plays the flute as well so it was kind of a parent thing. But after I left school I decided I’d continue on. I don’t know, I just loved it. It was just in my blood and my family had always done it; it was kind of all I knew. I think my mum said when I was little she saw my hands and said “She’s going to play cello.”

But starting at three though, do they have little cellos?
Yeah, little mini cellos. I think they’re a quarter size, or an eighth. They’re really cute. They’re really little.

You were all trained at the Conservatorium of Music. So what inspired you to start playing Rihanna rather than Rachmaninoff?
We’d done it for a few corporate sort of gigs, and we were really quite surprised by how it came off. We just thought it was normal, whatever we did, but the people who listened and heard us, they just came up and absolutely raved about it. And they would always be so excited by it. And I mean we’ve done a whole heap of classical gigs and no one really comes up and says anything! So we realised that people were more inspired by that kind of music.

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