Category: Interviews

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Q & A with Casey Barnes

Often Australian Idol brings us bright new stars, who seem to fade from view almost as quickly as they appear. One artist determined not to be just a flash in the pan is Casey Barnes, who is carving out a credible career as a singer-songwriter. I caught up with Casey this morning to chat about his new EP Red Lion Motel, his experience on Australian Idol, and his surprising European club hit.

You’ve just released your new EP Red Lion Motel. What can you tell me about it?
It’s a five-track EP and I wanted to do something that was a little bit different. I’ve recorded a couple of albums in the past which have had more of that processed pop-rock vibe, and I wanted to release something a little bit raw and acoustic and real, so that’s what we came up with when we wrote this EP. But it’s all personal experiences, and each song’s a little bit different, but it’s come up really well.

What made you decide to take that back-to-basics approach on this one?
I think I just wanted it to go in a deliberate, different direction. I’d recorded a couple of albums previously and I was really happy with those, but a lot of my career has been spent playing solo, acoustic gigs. And I think I wanted to go back to acoustic, real rock, because there’s so much stuff out there that’s that processed sound. Anyone can be put in a studio and sound good. And I just wanted to do something that sounded like every instrument was recorded live, which it was, and that was just that real, acoustic sound. So that’s sort of why we decided to go in that direction.

Most Aussies probably know you from your time on Australian Idol last year. How do you feel about that experience looking back?
I think overall it was a great experience, and I got a lot out of it as a performer and especially the exposure from the show that it gives you. People obviously get to know who you are a lot more than when you’re slogging your guts out in pubs every week, trying to do it on your own. I think overall it was a positive experience. Some of it I didn’t really like. I would have liked to have been able to perform my own songs, because as you see every week you’re up there performing somebody else’s songs. And knowing that I’m a singer-songwriter and I’ve got my own material, it’d be great if there was an opportunity to play your own stuff out there. But I think overall it was definitely a worthwhile experience.

Continue reading “Q & A with Casey Barnes” →

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Q & A with Mark Sholtez

It’s no secret that I’ve been enamoured of late with the new singles from homegrown singer-songwriter Mark Sholtez. So it was a bit of a thrill to chat to the man himself today about recording his new album The Distance Between Two Truths, his songwriting process, and his brand new sound.


I saw you live several years ago when your music had more of a jazz flavour, but these days your sound has a mellow acoustic pop-rock feel. Has that been a natural evolution for you?
It really has. I’ve been thinking about this a fair bit, and I think ultimately it stems out of the fact that I wrote most of these tunes on the road and being in hotel rooms with acoustic guitars, and not really being anywhere near pianos. And then when it came time to record these tunes, at the heart of all the songwriting was just these really simply acoustic guitar vocal performances. So that’s at the heart of this new record.

It seems like a rather dramatic shift to an outsider considering this is only your second album. How have your fans reacted to the new direction your music has taken?
I just finished doing a little tour around the country, and I purposely played acoustically and kept it really simple. And I was really surprised that people are connecting to this new stuff really positively. And I think that it probably helped that I played the majority of this new album on that tour and as well I played about half of that first record, but in that acoustic format. You can really see that at the heart of both records is that same singer-songwriter, but it’s just dressed up slightly differently.

I believe you contacted producer Larry Klein to work on The Distance Between Two Truths because you were a fan of his work. Did he live up to your expectations?
He really did. I love Larry’s work on a few levels. One, he’s an amazing musician and he has a great attention to detail in arrangements, and he’s a really song-focused producer. And secondly, he seems to be able to reference all of these beautiful old records. With Madeleine Peyroux he references old Billie Holiday stuff. And then the singer-songwriter stuff he does, he manages to reference things like Neil Young and JJ Cale, but the album’s come out sounding contemporary. And that’s one of the things I wanted to do. I wanted to make something that felt like a classic singer-songwriter record but still was very much contemporary work, and Larry really delivered in that department I think.
Continue reading “Q & A with Mark Sholtez” →

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Q & A with Jez Mead

Last week I was blown away by Jez Mead’s latest album Beard of Bees. Recently I had the pleasure of catching up with the band himself to chat about the disc, his unique sound, and life on the road.

You’ve got such a unique sound. What influences your music?
I do a lot of writing on the road while I’m driving so it seems to suit being listened to in that way. I like all sorts of music but don’t tend to listen to that much blues rootsy stuff even though I get put into that department. I’ve only got a tape player in my van so it’s anything I can get from the op shop on tape, lots of 70’s stuff. But I like bands like Talking Heads, English 80s stuff like the Cocteau Twins and Talk Talk and also heavier bands like Tool. The Drones and Dirty Projectors are my latest favourite things.

Beard of Bees has such a beautiful, spontaneous feel to it. What was it like to make?
I love being in the studio and I don’t really know what I’m going to do ’til I get in there. The only thing with this album is I wanted to make it a bit more raw and to try and capture more of what I sound like live.

One of the tracks on the album, “Devil,” sees you duetting with the lovely Julia Stone. What was she like to work with?
On one of the tours I did with those guys, we were singing that song in their set and it worked well so I was keen to record it again as a duet. We’ve been mates for quite a while so it was just hanging out really; there was no work involved.

Continue reading “Q & A with Jez Mead” →

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Q & A with Brittle’s Geoff Slingsby

In less than a week, Brittle will unleash their debut EP The Owls, a project that the band are preparing to give away for free! Today I caught up with the band’s drummer Geoff Slingsby to chat about his band’s generosity, their massive three-month tour, and more.

Brittle’s an interesting band name. Where did that come from?
We started off as teenagers in high school, and we just started out playing covers and stuff like that. And my mum booked us a gig at the local ampitheatre, and we didn’t have a same. So it was just really spontaneous. We were first called Brittle FX, but then we changed it just to Brittle because of other band names like NO FX and Def FX, stuff like that. We changed it to Brittle and then we just stuck with that. We liked it and it’s a bit different.

You’re about to release your new EP The Owls. Was it as much fun to make as it is to listen to?
Yeah, it was amazing. We had a really good experience because we worked with a well-known producer called Mark Opitz. It was a lot of fun because he was showing us a lot of different skills and stuff that he had, and he was sharing a lot of stories with us from working with people like Michael Hutchence from INXS, Rose Tattoo, stuff like that.

I was reading over the names of some of the bands he’s worked with. Was it a little intimidating getting in the studio with him, knowing all of those big names he’s produced?
Yeah, it was a bit intimidating because we’d never worked with a producer before. So we didn’t really know what to expect. We were like sponges. We just listened to every thing he said and we just did it.

You’re preparing to give the EP away as a free digital download, which is an extraordinary step. Why did you decide to be so generous with your music?
Well, one way or another people are going to like it. It takes one person to put it up on the net and they can get it for free anyway. But also it’s good to give something for free as well. We talked about it a lot with each other and we thought to get some really good fans if we just start giving away stuff for free, then they’ll be more likely to come to a show because they’ll know the songs. Rather than having to download it and worry about paying for it, this is a lot quicker and a lot more available.
Continue reading “Q & A with Brittle’s Geoff Slingsby” →

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Q & A with Midnight Youth’s Jeremy Redmore

After conquering their native New Zealand, Kiwi act Midnight Youth have their sights set on Oz. The band are currently in Australia preparing to support Birds of Tokyo and release their album The Brave Don’t Run, which debuted at number one in NZ. Today I caught up with the band’s lead singer Jeremy Redmore to talk about the album, life on the road, and why he loves to tour Australia.

You’re here to tour with Birds of Tokyo. Are you looking forward to that?
Yeah, it’s huge for us really. We didn’t really expect this, and it’s come at a really good time with the album coming out this week as well. To get on a tour like this, out of nowhere, was a big score for us so we’re really excited.

You’re regular visitors to our shores, having played last year’s Come Together festival and four Aussie tours. What keeps you coming back?
It just feels like a real place to tour. You tour New Zealand and it’s all over in a week. You feel like a real band touring for a month or six weeks. And you can drive for eight hours to a gig. It just feels like you’re really working and you feel like a real band and you can have those stupid bonding moments where you’re fighting or totally going crazy over something, so it’s cool.

What’s life like on the Midnight Youth tour bus?
It’s pretty sweet actually. We actually prefer driving to flying. We get to play our own playlists; we kind of pass the iPod round. I think it goes in waves of taking the piss out of each other to being fast asleep. We tend to have a lot of little stops here and there for pies. We like the odd mince pie.

After you supported INXS in New Zealand, they called you one of the best band they’ve played with in Australasia. What’s it like to hear compliments like that from such music legends?
That was crazy actually because we’d only been together, in the line-up that we played with, for about three or four months. So that was pretty crazy. It was the first time we’d played in front of a decent crowd, a couple of thousand people, and you’re totally in a way out of your depth because you don’t know what you’re doing really. But to come out of it with people saying that you did a good job is pretty cool.
Continue reading “Q & A with Midnight Youth’s Jeremy Redmore” →

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Q & A with Amy Meredith’s Christian Lo Russo

After support slots with Stereophonics and Cobra Starship, Amy Meredith are stepping into the spotlight. Following the success of singles “Pornstar” and “Lying,” the band is preparing to release its debut album Restless on June 4. Today lead singer and keyboardist Christian Lo Russo took time out from the band’s current tour to chat to me about the forthcoming album, their big name support slots, and their loyal fans.

You’re in the middle of your Lying tour. How’s that going?
Really good actually. We’ve been on tour since the end of February actually, so it’s been like a massive rollercoaster road: very exhausting and very fun and exciting at the same time.

You clearly love touring, because as you mentioned you’ve done a couple of tours back to back. What do you love most about being on stage?
I guess I love being in the spotlight and being the centre of attention, ever since I was a kid. No, I’m kidding. You know what? The best thing about being on tour, especially back-to-back tours, is you kind of become tighter as a band. You become tighter than you’ve ever been and you don’t lose touch, it’s almost like practicing continuously for months and months. You become a super-band, so to speak. You don’t even need to have a set list on stage any more and it becomes very intuitive.

The tour before this saw you supporting Stereophonics. What was it like to be a part of that?
It was fun actually. It was really funny because obviously, as you know, that band is massive in the UK. Like on stage levels they sell out Wembleys and Milleniums and 70, 000 people on their own tours. So when we played Brisbane it was really funny, because we played a 1100 capac. in the Hi-Fi Bar. And when we got in there the first thing they said was “Oh, this looks a little smaller than our rehearsal stage.” I go “Yeah, same here.” So that was kind of funny.
But it was definitely an experience to watch a band so professional in everything they do, and obviously they’ve been around for a long time.

You’ve done a few large-scale tours now with Stereophonics, and Cobra Starship. What did you learn being a part of these big productions and watching those shows?
I guess they were such different shows, from seeing Cobra Starship to seeing Stereophonics it was such a different vibe. You definitely learn how different different bands are on tour. Cobra were a party band, and Stereophonics were a much more chilled out band. And I think their performances definitely rung true of those personalities.

I think on tour with Cobra it was really interesting. One thing I really enjoyed was Gabe [Saporta], the lead singer of Cobra, was very humble. You could learn a lot from him. He was willing to guide you along the way and put you in contact with all his contacts. And when we went into their dressing room after the show and hung out, the first thing he’d ask us was did we want any food, did we want any beer, and then we’d sit down and have a chat. And I asked him one day, “How come the first thing you say before you even say hello is do we want food or beer?” And he said “I just remember what it was like to be the support band and get like one beer to share between six people.” And I thought that was kind of admirable that nature. Because a lot of bands, they get very bitter because it’s almost like when they’re the support they’ve seen so much crap, that when they become the headlining band they do the same thing because it’s now their turn. So I found that really professional of Gabe to kind of go, “I don’t need all this food and drink, come party.” Life lessons on the road are really fun as well, rather than just the performance aspect of things.

Continue reading “Q & A with Amy Meredith’s Christian Lo Russo” →

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Q & A with The Black Ryder’s Aimee Nash

When we last touched base with The Black Ryder they were preparing to release their debut album Buy The Ticket, Take the Ride. A lot has happened since, so I recently caught up with Aimee Nash to talk about all these exciting events.


When I spoke to Scott last year he was hopeful that your album Buy The Ticket, Take The Ride would be released overseas. Since that time you’ve signed deals for release in Japan and the United States. How does it feel to have that dream realised?
To be honest it’s been so busy the last few days/weeks/months that I don’t think either of us have had time to think about how we feel. Since the beginning of this musical project/happening, we’ve always thrown ourselves into every aspect of it, including the business side of things, which sadly can take up a lot of time (particularly lately!).

I guess there’s certainly a feeling of relief that things are coming together, but there’s no time to rest or get too silly about things; there’s plenty more to be done.

You’ve signed up with relatively small record labels overseas. Why did you choose that route over the larger, more commercial labels?
I wouldn’t necessarily call Mexican Summer a ‘small’ record label, but more of a strong independent.

I was over in NYC and LA in November/December having meetings with different labels with our manager at the time. We met with a fair few bodies; interestingly enough one of the meetings we’d had with a really large/commercial label, which resulted in Mexican Summer getting in contact with us.

Things seem to fall into place at the right time with the right people. We’re still in discussions regarding a UK/Europe release, hoping to make more announcements on this front soon.

Are you planning trips abroad to support those international releases?
Most definitely, more on this later.

You don’t often play live shows, but you’re heading on the road next month to support The Cult. Are you looking forward to getting back in front of an audience?
Very much looking forward to the tour.  We had a lot of fun playing at Playground Weekender at the beginning of the year. We have a new drummer playing with us now as well, Nick Kennedy, who brings something quite incredible to our music. Jules and Archi are still playing with us, we all enjoy playing together. I believe we’re close to announcing our own run of dates soon post Cult tour. I know that we haven’t played many of our own shows but it’s all feeling good right now so we really do want to get out there and play some more, not too much though. Less can sometimes be more, and we never wanted to be a band who plays every other weekend.
Continue reading “Q & A with The Black Ryder’s Aimee Nash” →

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Q & A with Resist the Thought’s Tim

Sydney metal band Resist the Thought are set to take Australia by storm with the release of their debut album Damnation. I recently caught up with the band’s guitarist Tim to chat about the album, their upcoming tour, and what lies ahead.


Many of my readers will be unfamiliar with your music. How would you describe your sound?
We meld bone crushing breakdowns with fast, technical riffs to create a new brand of modern metal!

I’ve heard you say you try to push the boundaries of the metal genre. What sets you apart from the other metal acts out there?
It’s nothing new for a band to fuse breakdowns with riffs. We try and push past the typical metal riffs and the unoriginal breakdowns and do something that is both technically challenging but effective as well. We write music that we enjoy to play and write, regardless of scenes and trends which is the main reason for our original sound.

You’re just about to release your debut album Damnation. What can you tell me about it?
As a band we really pushed ourselves to create this record. We took an entire new approach to the writing process. We actually bought a mic and a laptop and recorded everything that we wrote, and only kept the riffs that we were all happy with. After we were finished in the studio and heard the final product, we were all stoked with it!! Our new record Damnation, will be available in stores May 7, through New Justice Records.

Your album addresses a lot of dark themes like greed and corruption. What inspires your songwriting?
We wanted to give the record a theme that had real meaning rather than something superficial. We intended for each song on the record to represent a fault in humanity, ultimately resulting in the damnation of humankind. Themes such as greed and corruption are mostly predominant in the track “Misery’s Miscreation,” but we also touch on ideas such as war, vanity and selfishness throughout the album.

You’ve been playing together since 2007. Why did it take so long to get around to recording an album?
When we first started playing in 2007 we were pretty young, about 16 years old. We spend a lot of 2007 playing local shows, trying to get tight and write good music. We released an EP late 2008, which gave us the opportunity to play around Australia in 2009 including QLD, VIC, SA, WA and NSW shows. So we have been pretty busy the past few years! Now we are all 18 and 19 years old, we feel we are at the top of our game and we are really stoked with the new CD!

You took six months away from the road to write and record this album. Are you itching to get back out on the stage?
Definitely! Playing live is by far our favourite thing about being in a band. We cannot wait to get back on the road with our brand new set!

I’ve heard that playing live is your favourite part of the music process. What is it about being on stage that you love so much?
Nothing beats the feeling of playing to a crowd that’s enjoying something that you have created! It’s the most fulfilling feeling, it’s what keeps us going!

You’re spending virtually all of next month on the road. What’s life like on the Resist the Thought Tour bus?
Touring is amazing! We usually just hire a van, bring a tent and a few friends and go! There is nothing better than travelling thousands of kilometres with your mates to play shows to people that really like your music.

You’re playing several shows at youth-friendly venues. How important is you to make sure young people can come and see you play?
The majority of our fanbase is in the under 18 crowd. We try and keep as many shows all ages as possible, purely because we don’t want anyone missing out on catching a show just because of their age. Although a lot of the all ages venues are average set ups, the crowd responses make up for it!

After this tour, what’s next for Resist the Thought?
We have a lot of plans on the horizon. We are currently in talks with a few international promoters who are eager to bring us over to tour a few countries and we have another Australian tour in the works now!

Damnation hits stores on May 7. You can catch Resist the Thought at the following shows.

6 May 2010 – NEXT, Melbourne
7 May 2010 – MusicMan, Bendigo
8 May 2010 – Urban Youth Café, Ringwood
9 May 2010 – Youth Arts Centre, Geelong
13 May 2010 – SNITCH, Brisbane
14 May 2010 – Southern Cross Tavern, Gold Coast
15 May 2010 – Price Street Hall, Nambour
16 May 2010 – Epic Skate Centre, Tweed Heads
22 May 2010 – Civic Hotel, Perth
23 May 2010 – YMCA HQ, Perth
29 May 2010 – Masonic Hall, Blacktown
4 June 2010 – Club Blink, Sydney
5 June 2010 – The Loft, Newcastle

Image used with permission from AAA Entertainment

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Q & A with Skarlet Blue’s Ryan Di Cecco

After years rocking out on Aussie pub stages, Skarlet Blue have turned a corner. The Melbourne four-piece are showing off a new, more melodic sound with the release of their debut EP Shades of Grey. I recently caught up with the band’s bassist Ryan Di Cecco to chat about the CD, their upcoming Aussie tour, and that brand new sound.

Many people may not have heard of your music yet. How would you describe your sound?
Our new sound combines elements of rock, electro, dance, ambiance and is quite textured. We have explored how we can really exploit having a keyboard in the band and the different effects and sounds it can produce. The goal is to create something a little bit different that is accessible for all listeners that doesn’t overuse the effects or become monotonous. The lyric content is sincere and definitely based on life experiences shared by each member. We have focused on telling a story and dealing with themes that everyone can take something away from.

You’ve just released your debut EP Simple Shades of Grey, yet you’ve been touring for the last three years. Why did this release take so long?
I think it took this long because we hadn’t quite found our sound yet that gelled with us as musicians and songwriters writing comfortably. We needed those three years of touring and life experiences to help shape our sound and assist us in evolving as a not just a band but as human beings. We had some great opportunities along the way and played for some amazing influential industry people, but were always ‘9’ out 10 but never a 10. In hindsight they were exactly right.

You’re going to tour up and down the East Coast to support the EP. What can fans expect from your live set?
The fans can expect good quality music. The songs are not all one pace or one particular style; they range from melodic ballads to electro dance to quirky pop songs. In saying this, each track still maintains the Skarlet Blue essence and sound, while still being uniquely different from each other.

What do you love about playing live?

Playing live is the time we get to actually get to see the audiences’ reaction first hand during particular moments that we have spent time creating. Because everyone is facing you, their expressions tell one million words. If they buy our CD that’s great, but to see first hand people dancing, singing, laughing or intensely listening, is something we really get a buzz out of.

Continue reading “Q & A with Skarlet Blue’s Ryan Di Cecco” →

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Q & A with The Avett Brothers’ Scott Avett

North Carolina’s The Avett Brothers are making music industry waves with the release of their latest album I And Love And You. To coincide with its local release the band is currently enjoying some time Down Under. Yesterday I caught up with Scott Avett, the band’s multi-talented singer, percussionist, harmonica, and banjo player, to chat about his time in Oz, working with legendary producer Rick Rubin, and why he can’t wait to return home.

Byron Bay Bluesfest 2010 - Day 1

I believe this is your first Australian tour. How does it feel to be here?
It’s been very nice. Everyone in Australia’s been very inviting and friendly to us.

Many people in Australia may not be familiar with your music yet. How would you describe your sound to the uninitiated?
Every different song you’re going to possibly take subtleties from every different genre, but we just try to play as honest as we can according to the song. For instance, if you’re writing a song in regret, you try to put your place in that regretful sort of state and deliver it as honest as possible. So I think I would describe it as honest.

You’ve just played shows as part of the Bluesfest festival and a sideshow last night in Sydney. How did that festival experience compare with the solo show?
The outdoor festivals always involve variables: weather variables, space variables, crowd variables. The festival show was many many more people, and it was a little more fly-by-night, sort of quick, quick on stage and quick off stage. That adds an urgency that I think comes across on stage. The Sydney show last night, the club show, was much more … it could be subdued at times even though it wasn’t really a subdued show. It was darker and probably a little more calm, calmly delivered if you will.

Do you prefer those smaller, more intimate venues for your music?
We like ‘em both, and we’ve been – since we started in 2001 or 2002 – we’ve been playing all types of different venues. We’ve found that the variety is really healthy for us, and we enjoy playing all types of venues. It forces us to change nightly, which is great.

Continue reading “Q & A with The Avett Brothers’ Scott Avett” →