“At the moment, we have a record in the can that’s just about ready to mix,” Rodd says. “We’re not gig pigs, we’re not out there trying to play once a week. For most of us it’s the second or third time around in a band, though we’re certainly not an old band. We’ve got bucketloads of energy, but for all of us it’s like the third decade of playing music, and there’s a bit of a metered approach. We’re not meaning to be elusive; I think we’re just at a point now where we’ve made certain decisions with band members, with our sound, with time.
“The album is a real ripper though, but mixing it is going to be a tall order. Some of the songs currently have 65 tracks on them. I struggle to even count them all.”
Seeking out the band’s online presence adds to the sense of intrigue. The songs you can find – like those from the 2014 release Cold Hands Warm Heart – are strong, but predate the involvement of many of the current band members. Their new material retains the country stylings of frontman Patrick Carr’s earlier work, but will inevitably find fresh perspective from the clutch of new players.
“Genre-wise we’ve been categorised as a country/roots band,” Rodd says. “Our instrumentation definitely fits that. Pedal steel guitar, Telecaster chicken pickin’ stuff, but then moody, big drum beats as well. It’s a bit of an accordion of a band, we can change shapes depending on what we need to be. But the core is Paddy and the backing singer Rikki [Arnott], who have done most of the groundwork together. They’ve brought them to the ensemble and we’ve put our own stamp on it.
“We can play to a crowd who are into indie rock, blues, country, whatever. We’re really not afraid to make it a full show. Plus we have a tendency to smash a whole lot of booze in there. Quite often people will buy us rounds while we’re performing, so we’ll look up and see these trays of shots coming towards us. I don’t think we’ve ever stopped a song to have a drink, but you know what? I’m putting that to the band tonight. Next time we stop what we’re doing, have a shot, and then kill the rest of the song. That sounds like a plan.”
As their gig at the Yarra Hotel approaches, Rodd is palpably excited about the current direction of the band and the creative soil from which it sprang.
“I kind of feel like I’m in a band from the ‘70s. We write it, we play it as hard as we can and that’s why people love seeing the show. We’re not in a race to gig all the time, so as a result it’s been a great writing process. Getting to know why Paddy sings songs like this – you see Paddy on stage, he’s really moving and shakes about. He really gives when he performs, it’s his nature, but he rehearses like that too. I’ll look up and he’ll have his eyes closed and his head back, he’s stomping his leg, and it’s just the three of us in a rehearsal room. That’s just our genuine space.”
BY ADAM NORRIS
