So then, what’s the band name and what do you ‘do’ in the band?
We’re called Meet Me In Cognito, sometimes affectionately known as Mince Meat in Burrito. I’m Toto Valentine and I play bass in the band and never sing, not even backup vocals.
What do you think people say you sound like?
Lots of people say we’ve got a Blink-182 vibe, I guess that’s because our songs usually have a fast tempo with fun pop punk-esque drum beats and fills. Some say we sound a bit like Motion City Soundtrack, and our vocal melodies have a Stealing O’Neal feel, which we think is a pretty big compliment.
What do you love about making music?
Personally I love the sense of accomplishment we all feel when it all comes together after weeks and months of writing the perfect riff or the perfect melody for a song. Playing it to other people is just a bonus I think, it’s a luxury.
What do you hate about the music industry?
Autotune abuse and people referring to themselves in songs. Yeah I’m talking to you, Jason Derulo.
If you could travel back in time and show one of your musical heroes your stuff, who would it be and why?
From watching shows like Fringe I’ve concluded that time travel is pretty dangerous. If we believe that time is linear and that going back in time doesn’t change the future because it has already happened (whoa) then I think that going back in time to see Beethoven (before deafness) or Mozart would be awesome.
What can a punter expect from your live show?
We reckon that if we’re having fun on stage, that energy can be felt in the audience. We love playing our songs so hopefully the punters can join in and enjoy themselves too!
What’ve you got to sell CD-wise?
We released our debut EP Baby last year (which is now on iTunes by the way) and in a few weeks we’ll be releasing a split EP with our friends Broadway. It’s going to be awesome and all the money raised from the sales of the split will go to the Nick Foundation, a charity set up to help fight depression in young people.
When’s the gig and with who?
The gig is on Friday March 23 at Noise Bar in Brunswick. We’ve played there a few times and it’s always been an amazing night! Our friends Have You Seen This Boy and Onslow are coming along to rock your faces off, and we are lucky enough to have Paper Wolves coming all the way from NSW just to play some new tracks off their EP.
