“Oh yeah,” says Rubalcaba, enthusing on memories of NYE shows past. “We did a New Year’s bash at the Tote a couple of years ago…that was a really fun night,” he pauses. “I think my wife would prefer that I was home,” he chuckles. “I’ll have a smile on my face and drinking a pint or two…or three or four.”
When it’s time for Mario to pop Beroccas into tall glasses of water, Rubalcaba’s friends are gearing up for the night ahead. “Hopefully, I won’t be replaced,” Rubalcaba says, jokingly. “Luckily, we have a dog.” He has a fair few friends, too.
Though on the clock for heavy psychedelic power trio Earthless, he’s taking a break from duties in two other internationally touring bands; hardcore punk supergroup OFF! and the recently resurrected ska-rockers Rocket from the Crypt. He’s a busy dude.
“Oh yeah, it definitely comes in surges,” Rubalcaba says on dividing his time. “I gotta be careful about booking things on the spur of the moment. I’m so thankful to have a phone that has a calendar in it,” he laughs. “I keep myself as organised as possible and I have a super supportive wife because there’s moments when my time is spread super thin. I haven’t had a nine-to-five job in over three years.”
That job was at a skateboard distributor, Black Box, seeing Rubalcaba performing various roles from production to logistics. It was a lingering remnant of his former professional skateboarding life.
Drum skills and business acumen don’t quite fold like neatly clasping hands, but getting a handle on the business side proves useful in the long term. “It taught me a lot, dealing with vendors and skateboarding companies and stuff like that,” Rubalcaba recalls. “I just apply all of that stuff into the band. The bands can also be a business at times. If you can use that knowledge to help out with other little things like touring then it’s going to make it a lot easier.”
Rubalcaba gives bands caution: don’t neglect the business side of making music. He’s seen what miseries befall them when they do. “There’s been some bands I’ve known throughout time that were really good bands, but if you don’t have someone within that infrastructure that takes on a managing role it’s much harder,” Rubalcaba advises.
“You have to have some kind of marketing strategy. You have to make your band appealing to people. Looking at skateboarding, I’ve seen so many people with such amazing raw talent but they never had anything that set them apart from say, a mediocre talent who worked hard and was driven to succeed.”
Jumping out of stable employment and into professional music’s maelstrom, does taking more opportunities lead to more work? “Oh yes, absolutely,” he confidently affirms. “If you go with your heart and your intuition and it’s something that you’re passionate about, there’s going to be a risk involved. I think about 98 per cent of people are afraid to take that initial risk, to jump into the fuckin’ fiery cauldron. Most people think they’re gonna burn. Even if you fail, something’s gotta come out of that. I mean, at my age, I was either going to go for it or do nothing. So now I’m coming over to Australia, twice.”
True that; after mellowing the Thornbury into 2014, he’ll be back two months later ripping up Soundwave with Rocket from the Crypt. He’s tempted to stay, enjoying an alternately sweltering/shivering Melbourne summer. If he did, he’d be terribly, achingly missed by one particular member of his family.
“I have to remember the dog,” Rubalcaba jokes. “But I’d love to stay. It would be a nice little summer vay-cay.”
BY TOM VALCANIS
