Interview by Wanda De Verelle-Hill
Kooii will be playing at the brilliant reggae, soul and dub event Island Vibe Festival 2012 on Stradbroke Island this October. We caught up with Kooii’s Peter Hunt (vocalist) for a chat…
LMM: I love your Afro beat/funk sound and can’t wait to get up and dance with you at Island Vibe. Do you have any new songs or a new album coming out that you will be playing at the festival this year?
Peter: We’ll be releasing an EP with a few new songs that we recorded at the Tanuki lounge. There’ll hopefully be a few remixes as well, done by friends, of songs from our first two albums.
LMM: Will you be having any special guests performing with the band?
Peter: We’ll probably have a somewhat regular special guest in Charles Wall (aka Bobby Alu) on percussion, which is always great given the binding feel-good flow he concentrates with our drummer Dom and the rest of the rhythm keepers. Perhaps out of his hat, or fro, may appear none other than Paulie B, awesome producer and shaker player. Depending on who’s around and the call of our sound we may be blessed with the injection of one or two of our dancing/singing lady friends who thread with us from time to time.
LMM: Who are you most excited about seeing at Island Vibe this year?
Peter: Of course I’m excited to hear the Original Wailers. I’m also looking forward to hearing music I haven’t heard.
LMM: Have you had a chance to play with any of your main musical influences?
Peter: Well, my main musical influences are the people that I play with in Kooii and the other bands I’m in.
LMM: If you could play with any of your major influences, who would it be and where would you play?
Peter: Well if I run with the previous thread, I’d like to play with the brothers and sisters I’ve been rocking it with for the past decade all over the cosmos, starting with Earth and more specifically Africa, Europe and Canada as a starter and then in the meantime all the beautiful places and communities around here, in the Northern Rivers, Sunny Coast hinterland, Straddy and the likes! But, if we’re talking influences how I think you mean, I’d say with Tinariwen in Central Australia somewhere, or Ernest Ranglin at Island Vibe…When I was watching Midnite in Byron a couple of years ago I wondered how I’d go playing trumpet with them, wo! I’d say with Stevie Wonder at a party, but with him I probably wouldn’t play, just listen.
LMM: Apart from creating a fantastic vibe, do you have a special message that you’re trying to get across with your music?
Peter: Hmmm, it changes, but for now,..love what you’re doing, you’re at the centre of your experience
LMM: To date what has been Kooii’s best festival experience?
Peter: There’s been a few great one’s,..this years Blues Fest is clearest in mind as it’s the most recent. The reception from the crowd was inspiring. Last year’s Wallaby Ck festival up near Cooktown is another. It’s a small festival run by a community so it’s got a homely vibe to it with all the endearing wacky juxtapositions that FNQ creates and they received us so respectfully. It’s cornered by a crystal clear rain forest creek and near to a wonderful waterfall. Playing at the Parihaka Peace Festival in NZ was great, doing it with Kingfisha and being welcomed by Maori friends who gave us a glimpse of their culture and history. Of course, and I’m not just saying this to do sell it, Island Vibe is special. I’ve been to everyone one and they all kinda blend in to a general Island Vibe experience that threads the ocean and the stages and the many familiar friendly faces.
LMM: Your video clip Kick it, recorded at the Tanuki Lounge gives people a great taste of your style, will you be making some more clips in the future?
Peter: Yes, that’s up there on the list.
LMM: Do you think Australia is ready for a dedicated funk/afro beat music festival?
Peter: Good question. YES, with a surge of reggae to boot and one that doesn’t just have bands remaking an old sound but creating something distinctively theirs. Would be good to mesh in electronic sounds too because they’re such a big part of our experience and evolution. An important thing about the music you suggest is the way it makes us dance and what happens to you when you dance to it. It demands that you let go of your shit in order to really flow and get inside it and it wants you to be happy and content somehow. This is a good thing for a country to encourage. In addition to those that’d flock to such a festival are those that would dig it but don’t realize because they’ve either gone numb from having crap lacking soul shoved at them for too long or they don’t go searching past this in the mainstream onslaught. What to do? Tune in to nature, do your thing and get into it.
LMM: So when and where are you touring next?
Peter: We’ll be returning to Sydney in Oct as part of our shows for releasing our EP. We’re looking forward to playing with the Strides down there at Bluebeat. We’re also going to Canberra for the first time that weekend to play at Honky Tonks, celebrating one year of their being open.
Don’t miss Kooii at:
Festival News: Island Vibe Festival 2012 – First Lineup Announcement
FRIDAY 26th – SUNDAY 28th OCTOBER 2012
More Info at www.islandvibe.com.au