Hey. Who are we chatting with and whaddya do in Shepparton Airplane?
Steve and Matt. Drums and guitar. We all sing.
For the uninitiated punter, give us a brief lesson in all things Shepparton Airplane. How did the band form, who plays in it, and when did you start writing and recording together?
Basically, it’s a bunch of mates who wanted to make some noise together – Stevie Striker, Matt Chow, Stewart Rayner and Ezra Dowling. We’ve all played in a bunch of other bands together and separately (The Peep Tempel, Graveyard Train, Escargo-go’s). We started writing this time last year.
You’re just about to drop your self-titled debut release – a record that was formed in a makeshift studio above a bar with a bunch of mates and booze. Walk us through the writing and recording process for the album, from conception to completion.
We had eight songs, had played a handful of shows and went into the studio to hear what they sounded like. Turns out they sounded pretty bloody good, so we decided to put it out. And here we are.
You’ve enlisted a huge lineup for your official launch at The Old Bar on Saturday April 30. Who’s on the bill and why should we bother heading along?
Jumpin’ Jack William & Neil Wilkinson – these guys can play. Two acoustic guitars, two magic voices, not to mention the nicest people you’ll ever meet. Ferla is Giuls from Twin Beasts’ new solo project in their debut show (featuring legends Chris Drane and Steve Gavan). Loobs are just plain awesome; they’ve been kicking around for a few years and will be making us all do that for much longer. Jacky Winter is the brainchild of Phil Gionfriddo who has played with everyone (Bowers, Spencer P Jones, everyone). Electro beats, loud guitars and sweet, sweet vocals. Good times. If this isn’t enough reason to head along, it’s at The Old Bar. ‘Nuff said.
Finally, if your record was a soundtrack to a film, what would the synopsis be and who would direct it?
Animal House, directed by Stanley Kubrick.
