To add a certain integrity and mythology to their music Chinatown Angels’ three axeman are brothers – Jason Mahar, Cam Mahar and Adam Vincent – with the drummer being known only as The Panther (or Rory George to his mum).
“It’s a funny dynamic but I think has worked the best of any other band I have been in [having three quarters of the band siblings],” explains the straight talking Adam Vincent. To add to this supreme working relationship Vincent has previously been in a band with George – that band was called Sabasrockets.
This overall comfort and familiarity of the band members has avoided situations Vincent has previously found himself in where a band persists despite there being a fatal personality clash. “The dynamic is good because previously I have had non-relatives in bands where you think ‘they’re not a bad guy’ but then you end up in certain situations with the band where you fucking hate them. At least having a band where the majority of the members are brothers, you know what you are getting. Things might be a little rawer because you’re not worried about what you say to them but it is generally a good thing because you can say to them ‘that riff’s shit’,” explains Vincent as he laughs heartily. Adam Vincent is the middle brother with Jason the eldest and Cam the last brother to join this earth.
Vincent now discusses Jason’s singing style, “He has a very Bon Scott voice so I will always work lyrics and words towards that but he can also lead into areas of like Cheap Trick style vocals – that higher register rock vocals. There are songs where if I was writing them for myself I would phrase things a bit different because of the way I sing whereas with Jason I can push it more. And also too we are that four piece so Jason is part of the band structure so he doesn’t quite have the freedom of a lone frontman to improvise and really break from the structure,” he says.
The influence of 1980s hair metal and rock’n’roll seeps into every aspect of Chinatown Angels aesthetic, not just their sound. Interestingly the band’s name was inspired by 1980s hair metal band Hanoi Rocks.
“I think it was Cam that came up with the name. It’s hard these days to come up with a name because you try to come up with names but everything is taken,” reflects Vincent. “When we were coming up with this band’s name it seemed that every name you thought of was already taken – there’ll be some fucking band in Norway. It was quite a frustrating process but then Cam just blurted out ‘Chinatown Angels’ and I guess we just all liked the sound of it. What we liked about it so much was that it was in the vein of New York Dolls / Hanoi Rocks,” contends Vincent, wrapping up his band’s name’s origins.
As previously established, Chinatown Angels is a band that has an incredibly fluid inner dynamic where, due to shared blood and history, all four members understand each other. Adding to this fluidity is the fact that Vincent has been the band’s drummer, guitarist, sometime vocalist and now the bass player. He explains how this inherent cohesion works in context to Vincent writing lyrics for Jason.
“I think Jason is definitely a major driver of the band’s music as the rhythm engine. Being a heavy rock’n’roll band based around riffs it stands to reason that he is a pivotal part of that sound. He doesn’t think of himself as just a lead singer – much more of a workman like attitude. He is always trying to get me to sing songs and I do sing little bits here and there. I tend to not really head down that path, if we’re doing a low key thing like a Cherry midweek residency then we will just have a bit of fun and do a bunch of rock metal covers and I will sing,” states Vincent.
So what about the only non brother in the band? Vincent talks warmly about the enigma on the sticks, “The Panther is a strange cat. I think he penned that name himself. When we cross the state border out of Victoria he transforms into The Panther. It’s pretty stupid but funny as fuck. We’d forget about it and then be on the plane crossing the border and then he’d just be like ‘Reeeowww’ and make this ridiculous panther noise,” he explains in a highly bemused tone.
Finally, Vincent discusses the main reason for the catch-up with Beat Magazine and that is Chinatown Angels’ Gypsy Blood… Live At Cherry album they are launching this Saturday.
“It was recorded Saturday December 29. We brought in a portable studio. It was a bit of an effort because we had to work hard to avoid sound bleed across the mics but we have mixed it professionally and the final product sounds really good.” Now he adds, “I am really excited to be playing with The Love Bombs because I was living with Pip from the band when they first started and I actually drummed for their first rehearsal. Killshott are straight up guns and roses rock’n’roll, I like those guys a lot and we are all looking forward to seeing Rise Of The Rat.”
BY DENVER MAXX
