The eclectic array of influences within Echo Drama’s music stems from not only the collective consciousness of the band, but the plural of influences from respective members.
“It more so comes from the fact that the head composers of our team have a wide pallet for good music, irrespective of genre. It’s all flavoursome stuff and it has attracted likeminded musicians who also share an interest in a wide variety of music,” Sinks offers.
“We all play in other projects outside the group and venture into musical territories far and wide, so I think it’s inevitable that our individual influences and broader experience filter back into Echo Drama’s collective sound,” Jeremy says.
The band’s recently released Bury The Weapons EP showcases a consolidated musical acumen. “It was a rigorous process of long days in the studio. It was a very stringent operation, each segment of the band coming in for their allocated days. Recording itself turned out to be the simplest part of the exercise before turning to post-production,” Sinks recalls.
“Yeah, I second that,” Jeremy adds. “The bulk of tracking was done at Woodstock Studios with Robin Mai who is a phenomenally experienced and talented engineer, so those sessions were pretty smooth and we got a lot done in a pretty short time-frame with minimal headaches. A lot of the hours and serious work really kicked in after with the smaller detail stuff. Being our debut release, this was our first chance to fully exploit the possibilities of our studio sound and delve into more textural and layering elements. There was an epic few months of experimentation in overdubs and arrangement. Naturally not all of these extra ideas made the cut, but the parts that stuck around are amongst my favourite moments on the EP. Finally seeing our little babies pop and come to life in the mix was a very exciting time.”
One of the foremost defining aspects of the band’s music is the vocal interplay between Sinks and lead singer Thando Sikwila, deftly navigating the dynamic between their disparate styles. “Watching those two evolve together onstage over the last couple of years has been awesome. They are always surprising me with new interactions and live antics. I may be a little biased, but I believe they are one of the most original and innovative vocal duos around,” Jeremy smiles.
“It very much occurs organically from the constant stream of gigs, you quickly become a team, you know each other’s parts in and out and you bounce of each other,” Sinks explains. “We just try to up the energy and bring out the best in each other’s style.”
While there are no doubt many more onstage memories to come, Echo Drama already have more than a few in the bag already. “For me, it’s The Evelyn residencies that have made for the most fun,” Sinks states. “Especially getting people on side on a week night where you see the vibe of the room turn from trying to take it easy, to knowing that people will be calling in sick the next day.”
“Evelyn shows are definitely great memories, that stage is so familiar now we feel right at home and always bring it 110 percent there,” Jeremy agrees. “Also Folk Rhythm and Life festival was heaps of fun. It was a stinking hot day and punters and musos alike were melting but we managed to get the crowd up and dancing regardless.”
BY LACHLAN KANONIUK
