Category Archives: Interview

Interview: Penny Hewson – Penny Hewson

Interview by Stuart Blythe
LMM: You’ve recently returned to Australia after 10 years in the USA.
How was the USA experience and what prompted your return to Australia?

Penny Hewson: I’d spent quite a bit of time traveling around the USA with my past bands prior to moving there, and although Los Angeles wasn’t necessarily at the top of my list of places I wanted to live I was able to create my own niche in amongst it all. I initially went over because I was offered a great job at the beginning of the dot-com boom to help musicians figure out how to navigate their way through the internet to connect with their fans and to empower bands to be a bit more DIY, etc. So it was a great opportunity for me to do something I was passionate about, one thing led to another, I made great friends, got into the buzz of life in a big city and all of a sudden a decade zoomed by. I was always going to be coming home to Australia, I just caught up in daily life over there and guess I was waiting for things to slow down. But LA never slows down! Ultimately I was really wanting to make this solo album but I just wasn’t in the right place to do it. I had to come home to Melbourne to find a certain “quietude” in order for it to happen.
 
 
LMM: You’re about to release your second solo album “It’s An Endless Desire”
How was the recording process and working with producer Phil Butson (Sea Stories)?
Continue reading Interview: Penny Hewson – Penny Hewson →

Interview, Stuart Blythe

Interview: Chris Hetherington – The Slow Push

The Slow Push are launching their 2nd album “Misshapen Giants” at Beetle Bar, Brisbane on 8 June 2012 (Click here).

Lead man Chris Hetherington of The Slow Push takes time out with Life Music Media…

:: What track changed your life ::
Through Being Cool by Devo.

:: What is your favourite Album ::
It changes with the seasons. I’m currently into Wild Flag by Wild Flag.

:: Name a band or artist we should checkout ::
Tiger Beams.

:: Favourite Quote ::
“When angry, count to four; when very angry, swear.”– Mark Twain.
Continue reading Interview: Chris Hetherington – The Slow Push →

Interview, Stuart Blythe

Interview: Thomas Oliver – The Thomas Oliver Band

Interview by Life Music Media

Ahead of their debut Australian headline shows The Thomas Oliver Band lead man Thomas Oliver takes time out with Life Music Media…

:: What track changed your life ::
Pleasure & Pain by Ben Harper, because it made me buy a lap-slide guitar.
 
 
:: What is your favourite Album ::
I can never decide between Dave Matthews Band : The Central Park Concert, and NOFX : So Long And Thanks For All The Shoes.

:: Favourite Quote ::
“Perfection is a quest, not a destination.”

:: When on tour, you can’t live without ::
My skateboard. There’s always something to do in fast food and supermarket carparks.
Continue reading Interview: Thomas Oliver – The Thomas Oliver Band →

Interview, Stuart Blythe

Interview: Callum Stevens – The Arachnids

Interview by Life Music Media

Guitarist Callum Stevens of Brisbane four-piece The Arachnids takes time out with Life Music Media…
 

:: What track changed your life ::
Enter Sandman…that riff!

:: What is your favourite Album ::
Faith No More – Angel Dust

:: Name a band or artist we should checkout ::
Jake Diefenbach

:: Favourite Quote ::
Don’t sweat the small stuff
Continue reading Interview: Callum Stevens – The Arachnids →

Interview

Interview: Jack Colwell – Jack Colwell & The OWLS

Interview by Stuart Blythe
With the imminent launch of his highly anticipated debut album ‘Picture Window’, Sydney’s classically trained composer (Conservatorium of Music) turned alt-pop pioneer Jack Colwell takes time out to chat with Life Music Media.
 
LMM: You’re about to release album “Picture Window”
How was the recording process and working with producer Chris Rollans (Lanie Lane, Cloud Control)?

Jack Colwell: Studio Ripple is a special studio as it holds a vintage feel, (think new york studio apartment 1964) It’s where Picture Window was recorded.
Chris Rollans is a producer who comes from a really ‘old world’ idea of recording, I’d gotten to know him over the years as he worked as the sound guy at a club where I was the band booker. He has a lot of really interesting ideas, mainly from Pink Floyd records and early 60s / 70s recordings which is what I wanted for my sound. I’d created lists down to every 30 minute block of the night recording sessions and I think Chris patiently worked through my meticulously organized schedule. My best memory from recording the album is attempting to imitate the vocals from ‘Great Gig in the Sky’ and our few discussions on Clare Tory’s vocal work on that track.
Continue reading Interview: Jack Colwell – Jack Colwell & The OWLS →

Interview

Interview: Tom Milek – Tom Milek

Interview by Life Music Media

Celebrating the release of his EP ‘Love & Ambition’, Tom Milek takes time out with Life Music Media…
 
 
:: What track changed your life ::
Breathe Me by Sia

:: What is your favourite Album ::
The Submarine by Whitley

:: Name a band or artist we should checkout ::
Sleep Decade

:: Favourite Quote ::
“I do not fear death. I had been dead for billions and billions of years before I was born, and had not suffered the slightest inconvenience from it.” – Mark Twain

:: When on tour, you can’t live without ::
Coffee during the day, whiskey at night
Continue reading Interview: Tom Milek – Tom Milek →

Interview

Interview: Carly Dickenson – Vocalist / Producer / Electronic Artist

Interview by Life Music Media
Carly Dickenson is launching her debut EP ‘Still Life’ at Black Bear Lodge, Brisbane on May 16 2012. Life Music Media invites you to Take Five with… Carly Dickenson
 
 


:: What track changed your life ::
Roads by Portishead. It’s part of what inspired me to focus on vocal driven trip hop.

:: What is your favourite Album ::
Faithless Outrospective

:: Name a band or artist we should checkout ::
Imogen Heap

:: Favourite Quote ::
I am always better than I think and stronger than I believe
Continue reading Interview: Carly Dickenson – Vocalist / Producer / Electronic Artist →

Interview, Stuart Blythe

Interview: Frankie Poullain – THE DARKNESS

Interview by Robert Pugsley
The Darkness, the glam rock, balls out quartet from Suffolk are coming back to Australia for the first time in 6 years and Life Music Media was able to catch up with bass player Frankie Poullain as he told us about their comeback, new material and a surprising approval of One Direction.

We started off asking Frankie about why The Darkness decided to reform after their fracturing and eventual drug induced implosion in 2006? Frankie exclaimed down the phone that it was “A sense of duty, we have a sense of duty to rescue people from getting their ears assaulted by vacuous soulless music”
Continue reading Interview: Frankie Poullain – THE DARKNESS →

Interview, Robert Pugsley

Interview with Gary Stringer – REEF

Interview by Robert Pugsley

British rockers Reef are heading back to Australia in June, so put your hands up and your eyes down as Life Music Media interviews Gary Stringer lead singer of Reef.

You may remember Reef for their 1997 hit “Place Your Hands ” from their Glow album or you may remember them from their Hey Hey It’s Saturday performance when they hilariously reacted to the poor treatment of some young Red Faces contestant by trashing the stage whilst screaming “Your Old”. Reef then threw down their instruments and literally did a runner. An angry Daryl Somers stared down the camera and boldly claim that Reef “will never work in this town again!” But alas poor Daryl it looks like Reef and their Aussie fans that are having the last laugh.
Continue reading Interview with Gary Stringer – REEF →

Interview, Robert Pugsley

Interview: Dominic Maker – MOUNT KIMBIE

Interview by Stuart Blythe
With London’s premiere post-dubstep duo Mount Kimbie returning to Australia in May (2012) as part of the The Hi Fi Shoreline Series, Stuart Blythe from Life Music Media caught up with Dominic Maker *one half of Mount Kimbie* for a chat.

LifeMusicMedia: You’re heading to Australia in May as part of The Hi Fi Shoreline Series of shows. What can fans expect at the shows?

Dominic Maker – Mount Kimbie: We’re not 100% sure yet. We’ve been locked away for a few months but hopefully we’ll be ‘bringing the party’ by the time we get down there.

LifeMusicMedia: Have you got any pre-show routines/superstitions?

Mount Kimbie: Used to like arriving about 5 minutes before we played but now we just make jokes about the local culture and try and stay at the optimum level of drunk for performing. Which is not very.
Continue reading Interview: Dominic Maker – MOUNT KIMBIE →

Interview

Interview: Amy Findlay – Stonefield

Interview by Chris Dornan
The most famous sisters from Darraweit Guim, Victoria are just about to hit the road on their BAD REALITY National Tour. They’ve had an exciting 12 months sharing the stage with such iconic bands as The Foo Fighters, Tenacious D and The Kaiser Chiefs and playing to huge crowds at The Glastonbury Festival, The Sunset Strip Music Festival and Big Day Out 2012. Just in case you’ve been living in a dark cave for the last three years without a radio, the band I’m speaking of is STONEFIELD.

We caught up with Amy Findlay, drummer and lead vocals from STONEFIELD prior to their BAD REALITY National Tour

Chris Dornan LifeMusicMedia: I Just had a listen to your new single “Bad Reality”. It’s got fresh new sounds with well written lyrics. Who wrote the single and where did the motivation and creativity come from to package it all together?

Amy Findlay: We all wrote the song together. We were finishing recording the first half our new EP and just as we were going into the studio to record the other half no one felt like we had our first single yet. We were kind of freaking out a little bit and putting a lot of pressure on ourselves. We just realised that we didn’t have to put so much pressure on ourselves and chill out and let it come naturally as we have in the past recordings. One day I just got the melody in my head and Hannah just played a few chords and it all just came together in a few minutes. It luckily was one of those songs that came along naturally.
Continue reading Interview: Amy Findlay – Stonefield →

Chris Dornan, Interview

Interview: Jhindu Lawrie – THE MEDICS

Interview by Life Music Media
With THE MEDICS kicking off their “You Built Walls” Australian tour on April 5th 2012 (tour details here), we thought it would be great to find out more about The Medics drummer and vocals – Jhindu Lawrie
 
 

:: What track changed your life ::
– Voodoo Child by Jimi Hendrix

:: What is your favourite Album ::
– Hard to pin point, but my favourite album I would have to say is Queens of the Stone Age – Songs for the Deaf. Dave Grohl is a beast!

:: Name a band or artist we should checkout ::
– “Drunk Mums” From Melbourne!
Continue reading Interview: Jhindu Lawrie – THE MEDICS →

Interview, Stuart Blythe

Interview: Al Marx – The Fearless Vampire Killers

Interview: Stuart Blythe
The Fearless Vampire Killers are hitting the road thoughout March (2012) with their Batmania tour. We caught up with TFVK guitarist Al Marx for a chat. Al gave us an interesting and humorous insight into TFVK.

LMM: Tell us a little about The Fearless Vampire Killers

Al Marx : I have a little birthmark below the waist, Sean used to be a pro scooterer, Jacob’s fluent in every language and Justin shot J.F.K.
 
 
LMM: You’re debut LP, “Batmania” has enjoyed rave reviews.
For fans who haven’t yet heard “Batmania”, how would you describe the sound and the vibe? Were you channelling any musical influences at the time of production?

Al Marx : It’s good, I like it. Musical influences are a bit of a no-no as far as we’re concerned. We have music we love and we play how we like to play. We focus on writing good songs, and playing with all our hearts. If you can actually pinpoint a specific influence, you’re not doing your job right.
 
 
LMM: In 2011 you toured with Lanie Lane, how was that experience?

Al Marx : It was funny, you’ve got to have fun right? We got to stay in Sydney for a few nights, and it’s rare to stay in the one place on tour. It let us put our roots down and get a little loose.
 
 
LMM: You’re about to kick off on a nation headline tour. What can fans expect at the shows?

Al Marx : We’ve worked a bit of trapeze into the set. Sean and I even do a bit of the performance with no net, because we’re badass. Jacob has beefed up his juggling act and bowing to the demands of animal rights groups has removed the poodle grand finale.
 
 
LMM: Have you got any pre-show routines/superstitions?

Al Marx : I know it sounds gross but i generally don’t like to shower in the day before a gig. I like to feel gritty, and I sweat like a pig onstage anyway. I also find someone to hold my phone before i play. Jackie Stewart used to do the same with his watch, so it’s a bit of an nod to the greats.
 
 
LMM: Which bands did you grow up with, and who still inspires you now?

Al Marx : We all grew up with the classics – The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, etc. Right now i think our biggest interest is in the great Spaghetti Western soundtracks of Ennio Morricone.
 
 
LMM: With “For You & Me” on the American TV series 90210… do you have any plans to tour internationally?

Al Marx : There’s plans and there’s dreams. I think we’re still in the day-dream stage, but we are making some steps for that possibility in the future. We play better inter-state, imagine how we’ll be internationally.
 
 
LMM: Is there anything you would like to say to your growing fan base?

Al Marx : We love you all, thank you so much for your support. Just remember to look both ways before you cross the street, and don’t put plastic bags in your recycling.
 
 

—- Quick Questions —-
:: What track changed your life ::
Across the Universe
Across the Universe – The Beatles 1967–1970 (The Blue Album)
 
 
:: Biggest influence ::
you
 
 
:: Name a band or artist we should checkout ::
Dungen
 
 
:: Favourite Quote ::
All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.
George Orwell
 
 
:: When on tour, you can’t live without ::
Humour
 
 
:: When in the studio, you can’t live without ::
Humour
 
 
:: Three words to describe the last year?
Nice to visit
 
 
:: Three for how you feel about the year ahead? ::
It’s getting better

*** Click here for tour dates and details -> The Fearless Vampire Killers – Batmania National Album Tour – March 2012

www.thefearlessvampirekillers.com
www.facebook.com/thefearlessvampirekillers
www.myspace.com/tfvk
www.twitter.com/tfvk

Interview

Interview: Mårten Hagström – MESHUGGAH

Interview: Billy Geary
We caught up with MESHUGGAH guitarist Mårten Hagström just ahead of the bands arrival in Australia for Soundwave 2012

LMM: Soundwave 2012 will be the second time you’ve toured with the festival, what made you want to come back and do it again?

MESHUGGAH : Australia has been a real good experience for us so it was a no brainer actually. The perfect way to get away from the Swedish winter.
 
 
LMM: Your new album will be coming out around the same time you’re playing at Soundwave. Do you plan to include any of the new songs in your set?

>MESHUGGAH: Don’t know yet. We are still debating that issue.
 
 
LMM: What are you most looking forward to about doing Soundwave 2012?
Continue reading Interview: Mårten Hagström – MESHUGGAH →

Billy Geary, Interview, Soundwave

Interview with Jeremy McKinnon of A Day To Remember

Interview: Billy Geary
With A Day To Remember set to hit the stages of Soundwave 2012 (along with a couple of sideshows), A Day To Remember singer Jeremy McKinnon took time out for a quick chat ahead of their Australian visit.

LMM: A Day To Remember has come to Australia quite a lot in the past few years. Is there anything in particular that makes you want to keep coming back?

Jeremy McKinnon: Australia was the first place that got it right away. It always feels like the people are more appreciative when we play in Australia as opposed to other countries.
 
 
LMM: When you last toured Australia in early 2011, you guys brought over a pretty big stage production, complete with beach balls and confetti.
Do you plan on bringing something on a similarly larger scale for Soundwave?
Continue reading Interview with Jeremy McKinnon of A Day To Remember →

Billy Geary, Interview, Soundwave