Define your genre in five words or less:
Minimalistic Alternative Rock.
When are you playing live/releasing your album?
I’m launching my album Pockmarket this Saturday July 21 at Schoolhouse Studios in Collingwood. We’ve hired out this little old chapel and my mate Darcy, who does these really intricate ink and acrylic paintings, is going to have his art up on the walls. So people can come in and check out his stuff, get a drink from the bar, and Jade from Tantrums is going to be doing some atmospheric DJ sets before and after I play. I can’t wait; it’s the kind of show I personally love going to see.
How do you balance making and playing music with your other commitments?
At the moment I work two days a week in a video store and get the rest of my cash from Newstart. It’s not that hard to be honest.
What’s the strangest place you’ve ever played a gig, or made a recording?
I had a sweet deal in the town where I grew up with this guy who ran an art gallery out of an old converted stable-house that was about 150 years old. We used to put on shows there with me and my friends’ bands.
What inspires or has influenced you the most?
All the early Palace albums, Shellac, old blues singers like Blind Willie McTell and Son House. I just love all those guys that managed to cut the shit. I’m trying to do the same thing in a lot of ways: just strip everything back to its most basic state and get whatever message I’m trying to put across as simply as possible.
Tell us about the last song you wrote.
I got an old pump organ for really cheap a few weeks ago and I’ve been writing a bunch of stuff on that since. It has this weird sound that somehow manages to be both comforting and creepy at the same time, which is kind of how the last song I wrote turned out as well.
Anything else to add?
Just that if people are reading this and interested, they should come down to Schoolhouse on Saturday. It’s only $5 entry and starts at 7pm, so still early enough that they can come and see something really interesting before they go out and do whatever else it is they have planned… plus there will be cheese and crackers.
