“Tymm had things in his life that were just too pressing in order for him to continue on with the band – work and family commitments, mostly,” explains guitarist Chris Mojan.
“He did the record with us, and then our friend Teddy [Roberts] came in on drums in order for us to tour. He’s still a close friend of ours – he actually still comes out to shows and sees us play when we do gigs back home.”
Still, when a door closes a window opens. In this case, the window was Adam Mercer, a touring guitarist and keyboardist with the band who was brought in as a full-time member prior to the recording of Common Life, expanding Fireworks out to a sextet. “Adam’s been with us for about three years now – he actually did Soundwave with us the last time we were out in Australia,” says Mojan. “That was a pretty smooth transition into becoming a fully-fledged member of the band. When we did [2011 album] Gospel, we played a bunch of organ parts and third guitar parts. Adam was a close friend that had those talents and could help pull them off live, so it just made sense.”
Although three guitars is often seen as one of rock’s greater indulgences – up there with having two drummers – Mojan insists the somewhat unusual method is how the band has learned to operate. He claims it’s the factor of adding in something a little extra that lifts the songs from good to great.
“We’ve actually always written that way,” he says. “Dave [Mackinder], our singer, is usually the guy that gets a lot of the riffs and the ideas for the songs started. When we’re writing, it’s usually Dave with a guitar on him, with me as well and probably Adam. Gospel was the first record that we decided that we shouldn’t just pick and choose the guitar parts that we play live. When Adam came in, it meant that we were finally able to play all of the parts together.”
February will see the band return as a part of the Soundwave festivities, marking almost exactly three years since their previous run with the festival in 2012. Prior to that, the band toured in 2010 through both supporting dates for heavyweights New Found Glory and a string of their own shows that serve as a far cry from where they find themselves now.
“It was really cool to see that side of touring in Australia,” says Mojan. “We were touring around in a van, playing small halls and community centres. The next time we came, we were doing Soundwave, which is obviously such a different experience. It’s definitely grown for us, and we’re really grateful for that.” Soundwave will also allow Mojan and the rest of the band to come full circle with some of their oldest tour mates: “The Wonder Years are on the tour, and we’re great friends with those guys – we’ve known them probably about seven years,” he adds. “It’s always fun to be in that kind of setting. Soundwave is the kind of festival that takes such great care of its bands, and it’s remarkable that we get to do it with a band that we’ve done the real down-and-dirty kind of tours with back home.”
BY DAVID JAMES YOUNG
