Taking It To The Streets With JAYANT BHADULA From BLOODYWOOD

Interview by Kris PetersRising from the ashes of the supposed next big thing, Sparta attacked the music industry as a whole with a point to prove.And prove it they did, releasing their debut album Wiretap Scars in 2002 and almost single-handedly redefining the term experimentation in music as the world had previously known it.When At The Drive-In split in 2001 the music world was left in shock. Coming seemingly from nowhere with an effervescent approach to music that combined genres unlike never before, At The Drive-In were quickly lauded with the title of the next big thing, and who was there to stop them?It is highly even the band themselves knew exactly what they were doing or what direction they were headed.The band was riding the crest of a wave that would sweep them however far they wished to go before the unthinkable happened and ATDI were no more.Spurred on by this, former backup vocalist Jim Ward and two other ATDI members Tony Hajjar and Paul Hinojos quickly turned their creativity to Sparta and before long the three musicians who had been reduced to supporting cast members previously were now in command of the ship.Sparta has had a spluttering progression - due mainly to Ward operating by his own rules and shunning industry expectations - but they are still very much a band with a point to prove and an axe to grind.That axe comes out of the shed next May when Sparta heads to Australia on the tail end of a massive tour that has seen them play and celebrate 20 years since the release of Wiretap Scars.HEAVY sat down with Ward to run through memory lane, starting with how long it has been since Sparta last toured this country."It will be about 12 years by the time I get there," he almost apologised. "Too long, for sure."We ask him what has changed with the band in that time."Members," he laughed. "We play as a three-piece now. It's still Matt Miller on bass, but we have sort of a rotating cast of drummers depending on the tours. Really the only two band members are Matt and I, so we make the records, we sort of have other friends play drums on stuff, and then we tour with whoever. Other than that, we have just aged gracefully (smiles) and are better looking than ever."In the full interview, Jim talks about the other shows on this tour and how playing the album in full has been received, the difficulties in reproducing a whole album live, the time in which Sparta made the album and how their recent exit from ATDI influenced the finished product, making the transition from back up singer to lead vocalist, why he thinks Wiretap Scars has stood the test of time, what to expect from the shows and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

10 Joulu 202316min

Interview by Simon Russell-WhiteIt was mid-Summer 2023, yet another balmy night had met us in good old Brisbane town. The Brightside was the venue, and Canada's own Comeback Kid had brought some friends along with them, and yet again it was party time from the get-go! Enter Drain from the sun-drenched beaches of Santa Cruz, California. As this quintet entered stage right that night, my first taste of this four-piece would be forever tattooed into my mind. Out of the gates Drain slammed their way through an energetic and enthusiastic set and honestly throwing down never looked and felt so fun! That night we got a back catalogue three-course meal, with the main ingredients being from the band's 2020 album California Cursed, with tracks like Feel the Pressure and Hyper Vigilance to stomp and bop to.Fast forward mid (this) year, the band serves up their second full-length effort Living Proof, a more rounded and explorative effort to say the least! Now, just before we enter a new calendar year, Drain are coming back down under, this time for their own headlining tour."Last year was a big year, we did support tours in Australia, in Europe and now we're back doing a headliner in Australia, it's crazy man!" Says Sammy (vocals) as we jump right into it. Alongside Drain will be Fairfield County's (California) own Anxious, which are a band that is something a little more "chilled and melodic" Sammy explains. I for one encourage you all to check this band out, as they're super talented and infectious.With another world tour under their belts, Drain can now offer fans more of "a show", with a more rounded and seasoned set with the usual specialities that make Drain their own hardcore punk entity.As Drain enter their second decade as a band, they're still learning and working the industry their own way, and honestly these dudes don't look like stopping any time soon.If you're keen for a cool summer beat down with friends, then you must come check out Drain on this tour. It's going to be a good good time, filled with good good things!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

10 Joulu 202313min

Interview by Kris PetersBrisbane rock/metal outfit Torizon have made a triumphant return to music over the last couple of months, re-acquainting themselves with fans with the single Damaged in August before pulverizing them with recent track Martyr.After taking a year off to focus more on what makes Torizon special moreso than how special they could be, the band members returned fresh and with greater intent, firing out of the gates with a catchy single and promising a fresh musical direction that had been hinted at previously without ever being fully realised.The two fresh tracks, while offering glimpses into the revitalised Torizon, have already been declared as stand-alone singles, with the real change in momentum to come on next year's planned EP which is still in the development stage.Vocalist Mish Sha sat down with HEAVY to talk about not just where they have been, but also where the band plans to go."Really good," she enthused when talking about the reception afforded Martyr. "I think it was a mixture of things, relaunching the band with Damaged, and that setting the foundations for this year with our first single release in a couple of years. And then coming from that releasing Martyr a few weeks after that has really helped. You had people that were excited to hear the new sound and the more metalcore vibe and new elements that are there in the new songwriting style, and then to give them something new was really great. It felt awesome."In the full interview, Mish talks more about the new musical direction, what sorts of things the band focussed on during their time off, what the new EP is sounding like, coming back into the music scene after so long out of touch, upcoming shows and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

9 Joulu 202314min

Interview by Kris PetersBy sheer virtue of the fact they were hand-picked by Foo Fighters for the Australian support slot, Hot Milk just HAVE to be a good band.But it's not until you sit back and listen to the band that it becomes evident that they are actually shit hot and if the Fooeys hadn't chosen them as support then they probably wouldn't have been doing their job right.Comprised of co-front people Han Mee and Jim Shaw who grew up together in Manchester, Hot Milk have captured people's attention on a global scale, amassing 50 million global streams across 3 x EPs and playing the likes of Reading + Leeds, Download, Lollapalooza, Rock Am Ring and more.Just looking through their brief, but busy career trajectory tells the true story of success, with Hot Milk deliberately restricting themselves to three EPs initially as a way of discovering their sound and musical identity and allowing time to fully flesh out their vision, rather than rushing to put out a full album.That planning and patience was realised earlier this year with the release of their debut album A Call To The Void, which has elevated Hot Milk even further into the sonic stratosphere.Thus, their current Australian run of shows, not just supporting Foo Fighters, but also containing two headlining shows in Melbourne and Sydney.HEAVY caught up with Han and Jim not long before their second headlining show, which is tonight in Sydney."It was great," Han enthused when asked how the first show of the tour went. "But we're changing the set because we got angry at ourselves. It's one of them, it's like, when you're playing with the Foos you just have to do your best and have fun doing it. You've gotta absorb those moments. It's the stuff dreams are made of, really."We press Han on what she means by saying they got upset at themselves."We're perfectionists, and we didn't play the best set we could play," Jim chimed in."We basically came off the back of our own headlining tour," Han continued, "and didn't have time to think about what we were gonna do for the Foo Fighters. We kind of did a stripped-back version of that, and then we realised we need to do something specific for this crowd and specific for the Foos."In the full interview, Han and Jim talk about the magnitude of sharing a stage with Foo Fighters, having to shut that out and focus on the task at hand, playing their own headlining shows, the emotional difference between playing to tens of thousands with FF one night and then playing to a more intimate pub crowd the night after, what to expect from their shows, their debut album and how it was received, how they planned the album over three EPs and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

8 Joulu 202311min

Interview by Kris PetersIt makes sense that someone who is already in a band would also want to dip their toes into promotion and putting on shows themselves, but it's not as easy of a process as you would think.Dealing with bands and booking for bands is another stress level of its own, and often the two - although seemingly perfect bedfellows - are too difficult to negotiate.It takes a special kind of person with an honest and genuine love of music to successfully blend the two into a functioning unit, and even then the constant source of emails and phone calls can become too much of a burden.One such person who has managed to combine both passions without completely losing his sanity (yet) is Brisbane guitarist for Dirty Brew and head of Brewhouse Productions, Mick Brew. Mick is a well-known and highly respected member of the local music scene and has been juggling his time and energy between both band and promotions for a number of years now. He has put on a consistently large number of successful shows and played at some of those and other big-name festivals, but his sights presently are firmly set on Brewhouse Production's annual end-of-year celebration of music to be held at The Back Room, Annerley on December 30.Featuring Counterfeit Limp Bizkit Show, F.U.C., Krave, Snake Mountain, We The Hollow, Dirty Brew and others, the annual bash will house 20 bands over two stages in one afternoon/night of entertainment that celebrates everything that is good about Australian music.HEAVY managed to track Mick down recently to chat about the event and the constant demands of the music industry."It's gonna be a big day," he smiled. "Doors are at 12 with the first band starting around one o'clock. I just need to finalise those set times this week. It should be good. There's already a fair few tickets sold and if it's anything like last year, we sold nearly 400 tickets, so hopefully we can do that again."While many people call the annual event a New Years Eve Party, this year it will be held the night before New Years Eve on Saturday, December 30. It seems like a good idea to us, but we ask Mick why he isn't keeping it to the actual date of New Years Eve so people can remember more easily."To be honest, New Years Eve was on a Sunday and everyone has the Monday off or whatever, but last year when it was on the Saturday and the Monday was a holiday it just gives you those extra couple of days," he explained. "It's not so much a New Years Eve party anymore, it's more of an end-of-year party for everyone to tell the whole year to get fucked and start again."In the full interview, Mick runs through a few of the bands playing and why he put them on the bill, where to get cheaper tickets from, how to help out bands by buying direct from them, the venue and why it is the perfect place for live music, the range of sponsors on the night, future plans and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

8 Joulu 202311min

Interview by Kris PetersThe expectations placed on new and emerging bands in the modern era surpass any of those from eras gone by.Not only is there the sheer abundance of new music being released on a daily basis, but there is also the proportionately high number of new bands forming at a rate never seen before.Because of this, there is not only competition in the form of bands vying for their own slice of the market pool of listeners, but there is also the growing attitude of complacency when it comes to recycling familiar trends and genres while also striving to stand out and be heard.Melbourne four-piece alternative rock outfit Terrestrials are just one of a plethora of bands starting on that long industry road to acceptance and success, but have done everything in their power to avoid being absorbed into a growing pack of fresh artists by choosing to diversify their sounds within the label so graciously applied to them.While promoted as alternative rock, Terrestrials upcoming debut album Iridescent - to be released on December 8 - contains elements of many more styles and influences, creating, according to their press release, "intensely dark, melodic moods through subtle hints of prog rock and metal".HEAVY caught up with vocalist Scotty, Bassist Lee and guitarist Adrian to find out more."Pretty pumped," Scotty enthused when we ask the boys how they are feeling about the album's release. "It's something that we have been working towards for a copious amount of time now. We were probably about a quarter of the way during all the pandemic stuff, and we were starting to get a bit of momentum happening up to that point. So it's been a bit of a journey, but I think it's that extra bit satisfying to get through having a little bit of resilience."We ask the band to delve into the musical side of Iridescent a bit more."We did alot of songwriting over the years," Adrian began. "It's the best of, but it all fits together still. Quite a while ago Lee put together the song order, and we worked that into the album a bit with quite a few transitions. I wouldn't say the songs are that prog, but the album feels proggy.""There's moments of prog," Scotty continued. "It's called alternative rock, but it sounds aesthetically… We dipped our toe in a few different genres, just to a touch to keep things interesting for us, and it seems to be accessible to people."In the full interview, Terrestrials talk more about the direction of the album, what sorts of things they discussed going into their debut, the singles released and how they represent the album as a whole, the awesome video for Hollow Hands and where they came up with the idea, combining their influences in music, supporting Osaka Punch recently, their upcoming album launch show and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

6 Joulu 202314min

Interview by Kris PetersHelmet are a niche kind of band in that once you discover them you can't help but fall in love with their music.The problem is, they are also not a band given much exposure in commercial channels, which makes the task of discovering them ultimately harder. But infinitely more rewarding.Formed by Page Hamilton in 1989 - with Hamilton being the sole original member still in the band - Helmet have had a stop/start career, punctuated by a 6-year siesta from 1998 to 2004, but have consistently churned out high quality, and musically diverse albums.While their popularity peaked with the 1992 album Meantime and 1994's Betty, Helmet have always maintained an ever-increasing fan base, due largely to the talent and vision of their enigmatic frontman.Their latest album Left has been a long seven years in the making, with Hamilton taking time to chat to HEAVY about the final product.We start by asking how the album has been received."Everybody tells me all the positive stuff," he smiled, "so as far as I know, positive (laughs). I don't read reviews and I don't pay attention. They send me emails saying you got this add and that add, and it's number 1 metal album in Australia on Spotify, and it all means next to nothing to me. My job's done as far as the album is concerned once it's released. Essentially, once it's mastered and the artworks done, and I pass it off to the label then I just have to learn the songs live and that's my job. I can't worry about the other stuff."Having an established fan base often means certain expectations when it comes to new music, with Hamilton admitting it has been an issue in the past."I don't know about now, but I think early on with Helmet mark 2 everybody had expectations because the band had been gone for a while, and it wasn't the same rhythm section," he offered. "So, of course, we had expectations, but the first album was Size Matters in 2003 or 2004 when it came out after the hiatus - the band broke up in '98 - and I remember Decibel Magazine reviewed the album and a few years later they re-reviewed it, and they were like 'we were wrong about this one. It's a really great album, it just doesn't sound like Betty or Meantime'. You are always gonna come up against that. If you do an album that everybody holds in high esteem or a couple of albums, then people want that for the rest of their lives, I guess. But… I couldn't write the same song over and over again. It's just not in my DNA. I had a conversation… I sang and played on a Linkin Park song and Mike Shinoda said 'yeah man we made our first album and sold millions of records so we made our second album exactly the same' and I said yeah, my approach is different. I like to do the opposite. Some people are cool with it and some people are not cool with it."In the full interview, Page talks more about Left, its musical direction, expectations following the success of their previous album Dead To The World in 2016 and runs through HEAVY's review of Left and gives his opinion on what we thought.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

6 Joulu 202322min

Interview by Kris PetersThe music business can be an unforgiving mistress. Bands can - and do - give it everything they have, writing, recording and releasing high-quality material and developing an ever-growing fanbase yet still see minimal reward for effort.But when the planets align and the wheel starts turning in your favour it can be a beautiful industry and one which suddenly starts giving.After plying their trade without much overall success for the last couple of years, Newcastle rock outfit Wayward Kings were almost by chance introduced to Tim McLean-Smith from new Australian label XMusic and the rest, as they say, is history in the making.The band released their new three-track EP Another Life Another Time last Friday, which, coupled with the recent signing, suddenly has the planets aligning in favour of Wayward Kings.HEAVY caught up with frontman Ryan Daley to find out the full story."There's always gonna be a time when people are gonna judge you, or they're gonna hate it," he said matter-of-factly when asked how he was feeling about letting the EP free into the world. "I was talking to a mate the other day, and he said he didn't like ALAT, and that's awesome feedback. We're not out there to please everybody. Matt and I are pretty much the brains trust of Wayward Kings. We've played together and wrote together, and we come up with ALAT being a bit of a rock tune that's gotta be consumed on different levels, you know what I mean? I think it's good to have people in your corner that go it's shit mate, or it's fucken awesome, because they're the people that you really listen to. The more and more stuff we put out, the more people have a chance to have a negative feeling about it."In the full interview, Ryan talks more about the EP musically, runs us through each of the three tracks individually, how Another Life Another Time differs to their last EP The B Sides, releasing EPs over albums, signing to XMusic and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

4 Joulu 202312min