More Rock Waiter Please With GAVIN HANSEN From THE POOR

Interview by Kris PetersAussie rock outfit Shotgun Mistress exploded out of the blocks with their debut self-titled album in 2021, showcasing an old-school approach to songwriting that saw them instantly branded amongst rising bands to keep an ear out for.Spawning a string of chart-topping singles such as No Friend Of Mine, Save Me From Myself, Glorious Machine, Collide and Bleed Me Out, it seemed Australian rock had finally found a fresh talent to proudly call their own.Following a highly successful 2023 which saw Shotgun Mistress complete sold-out national tours with Electric Mary and Palace Of The King, the boys decided to take stock and capitalise on their continued momentum with album number two, always considered the making or breaking of any band.With the new album Kings Of The Revolution in the can and planned for a June release, Shotgun Mistress have unveiled the first taste of what to expect with the hard-hitting single Jude Judas, just ahead of their national tour as part of GlamFest 2024 which also features Slaughter, Lynch Mob, H.E.A.T, Janet Gardner and plenty more.HEAVY sat down with frontman Glenn Patrick to dive deeper into Shotgun Mistress' new music and their exciting next few months."The track is the best single from the second album," Patrick declared about Jude Judas. "The first album is always going to test the waters and see what it's like and how we all work together as a band family and democracy, so the second album was a good chance to spread our wings knowing how everyone works. The recording process was ten times easier, and we all had a good time working together. It only took almost 40 years to find a band I actually get along with (laughs). The song itself is typical, the word Judas obviously biblical in the fact you've got a friend who took advantage of you in a situation. It pays homage to a mate of mine who has gone through a bit of shit, but he's on the up and up, so this goes out to him."We press Patrick as to why the band chose Jude Judas as the first single and representation of the new album."It was tough," he conceded. "There's a couple of really good standout ones. The second single, I absolutely love, which is going to be coming out shortly after this one. And even the third one is an amazing song, which we actually got Rusty from Electric Mary in to do some vocals. That's a really, really good track, and that one is called Mary Jane. It's a fitting name as well (laughs)."In the full interview, Glenn talks more about Jude Judas, the remainder of the album and what to expect, their goals going into the recording process and if they were achieved, the upcoming Glamfest tour and their part in it, the high number of Australian bands on the bill and how important that is for Australian music, Shotgun Mistress' live show and what to expect, what sorts of things they learned as a band touring with Aussie heavyweights like Electric Mary, their own headline tour later this year and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

27 Tammi 202417min

Interview by Kris PetersFollowing the release of last year's album Dreams And Lies, LA-based rock singer/songwriter John Demena found his career on an upward trajectory.With his music now circulating in the right circles - including album opener and single I The People making Loudwire's Weekly Wire Playlist as one of the Best 50 Rock & Metal Songs of the week it was released - Demena attacked his craft with renewed vigour.Opportunities began to open up, one of which was the chance to play at the legendary Viper Room in West Hollywood. And what better way to celebrate that landmark than recording your whole set? And what better than that?Re-releasing the album's successful single as a live cut.Which is exactly what Demena is doing on January 27 when the live version of I The People - recorded during that show at the Viper Room - is released.HEAVY spoke with Demena about the track and asked him to tell us a bit more about himself."I'm a rock artist out of Los Angeles," he explained. "I grew up in Spain, then moved here in 2008 around the recession and all that. I was playing in bands and doing sessions for other musicians and many different things. Then I started my recent project as a solo artist five years ago. The debut album came out last year. It's a full and diverse sonicsphere, all over the spectrum of rock. It goes in the hard rock sound, but sometimes it goes a little heavier, sometimes it can be a little more spacial and progressive."In the full interview John talks more about the project, the live version of I The People, what it was like playing and recording at the Viper Room, his previous release which was a cover of The Doors People Are Strange, putting his own spin on a classic song, future plans and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

23 Tammi 202413min

Interview by Kris PetersEvery city anywhere in the world has bands that are considered legendary within their geographical area, but might not be so recognised much further than the next border crossing.For Brisbane that band is Boondall Boys, a band featuring a gentleman that goes by the name of Macka who also happens to be in a universally legendary band, the Cosmic Psychos.The story of the Boondall Boys initial album pressing - if not a national legend it should be - is piss funny and punk as fuck (listen to the interview if you want to know more), which in a roundabout way brings us full circle to why we are even talking about Boondall Boys in the first place!Australian label Bargain Bin Records, created by Aussie band The Chats, recently re-released that 2007 album Hard Rubbish and to thank the band as well as celebrate the label's fifth birthday, Boondall Boys are hitting the road for selected dates with The Chats for a run of select shows this February.To find out more about everything, HEAVY tracked Macka down while he was resting in bed. We start by asking if it feels like he is cheating on the Cosmic Psychos by getting back into bed with his mistress."No, not at all," he smiled. "The record came about a long, long time ago and we just re-released it. It goes back to about 2006 I think when we wrote the songs. Then I joined the Psychos at about that time, from memory. I think it was recorded… you would go back 15 years sort of thing."In the full interview Macka gives us a history on Boondall Boys, recalls making Hard Rubbish and what sound they were going for, forming the band and what drove him back then, what to expect from their live shows, what happened with the initial pressing of 100 copies, potential new music and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

20 Tammi 20247min

Interview by Kris PetersCanadian metal outfit Striker are a band not known for taking the safe approach to music.While old school fans bemoan the fact they refuse to continually churn out albums of pure thrash metal, Striker understand the importance of allowing their musical growth to be reflected with each fresh body of work.This is never more evident than their upcoming studio album Ultrapower - out February 2 -, an assortment of influences and genres ranging from speed metal to hardcore to hair metal to deathcore to Steely Dan. It would have been understandable - possibly even expected - that Striker would rehash the winning formula that saw previous album Play To Win earn them a Juno Award, but rather than stick to what they knew would work, the band elected to instead allow the music to dictate its own course.The result is an eclectic but still unashamedly metal album, being touted in the press as "Striker's triumphant return to reality".HEAVY caught up with vocalist Dan Cleary earlier this week to find out more."I'm super pumped," he enthused. "I'm really excited to get it out. We recorded it… - I guess it was early last year, so February, March -. You sit on the album for a long time, and it's always nice to get it out and see how people are liking it. I still really like it. There's been albums that we've recorded and by the time it comes out you're sick of it, but I'm still digging this one. I think there's a lot of different types of songs, so it's never too boring."Sitting on an album for 12 months waiting to release it is a long time. Musical tastes and trends change significantly over the course of one year, so we ask Cleary if there were ever any stages where the band started to second guess the finished product or think they should make changes certain bits of it."You kind of always do that stuff, but I feel like after doing it seven times we know what to expect," he replied. "I think the first couple we did, we looked back and thought 'oh God, we should have gone and recorded in this studio' or 'we shouldn't have recorded that song' or that kind of thing. Even on this album, there's still grumbling from some people saying we should have put that more brutal song on there and that kind of thing, but that's always gonna happen."In the full interview, Dan talks more about the musical side of Ultrapower, anything they paid specific attention to on this album cycle, following on from Play To Win and if the success of that album caused extra pressure, the temptation to repeat the successful formula for this album, the singles released and how they represent Ultrapower, the different influences that went into the songs, pleasing fans with new material, if the band ever thought maybe they had too much variety on the album, future plans and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

20 Tammi 202416min

Interview by Kris PetersThe Butterfly Effect are possibly one of the greatest rock outfits to emerge from this country.Since releasing their self-titled EP in 2001 which led to their superb debut album Begins Here two years later, The Butterfly Effect have epitomised the Aussie battler in musical terms, often punching above their weight but invariably taking the points on a TKO every time.As with most bands, The Butterfly Effect have had their share of ups and downs but have always emerged triumphant with their integrity intact.Now, 20 years after the release of Begins Here - an album that spawned the singles One Second Of Insanity, Crave, Always and Beautiful Mine - the boys from Brisbane have decided to relive those early days of struggle and uncertainty by taking to the road to celebrate that groundbreaking album by playing it in full.What started as only a handful of shows soon swelled to double digits, with almost half sold out already - still two weeks out from the first show.HEAVY tracked down frontman Clint Boge earlier this week to discuss the tour and the album that started it all."They said we'd never make it mate, and we're here," he smiled. "Australian heavy music is alive and well and still going. You've got all of the bands that paved the way - trail blazed - back in the day, and can I just say I am super stoked to be a part of it 20 years on. I'm probably a little bit heavier, a little bit wiser with a few more grey hairs, but I'm still here."We mention the tour and press Boge on how excited the band is to hit the road and journey back to their musical roots every night."We're nervous. There's a sense of anxiousness around the group at the moment, and we're nervous," he admitted, "because we want it to be great. We haven't played some of these songs for 20 years. I think we played Without Wings in its demo format at the Hard Rock Cafe on the Gold Coast in 2001/2002 and that was the last time that thing got played. Overwhelmed got played in I think 2004 - that was the last time it got played - so we've had to relearn, rejig and duck, weave and dodge because the brain isn't as malleable as it was 20 years ago. The excitement is palpable around the group at the moment. Glen is coming up this evening, and I'm going in the studio tomorrow to do some touch ups for vocal stuff. We're doing a full band practice, it's all systems go. We're firing on all cylinders, which is great."In the full interview, Clint talks more about the tour, the fantastic response from fans, what we can expect from the gigs, playing Begins Here in full and any difficulties it presented, the planning stages for the album and what was discussed, his memories of making it, his initial thoughts on how good the material was, his personal favourite tracks on the album, if he thinks the songs have stood the test of time, how The Butterfly Effect have changed as a band since it was recorded, their latest album IV and how the fans reacted to it, future plans and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

18 Tammi 202423min

Interview by Kris PetersEven the biggest metal bands in the world can divide their fans when it comes to different eras of music.Even Iron Maiden.The band has had two main frontmen throughout their career - as in two that fans identify with the most -, Paul Di'Anno - who sung on the band's debut self-titled album and the follow-up Killers, and current vocalist Bruce Dickinson who has sung on thirteen studio albums.They are two different and unique lead singers and debate can and will rage on forever about who sounds the best, but the good news for Australian lovers of metal is that in the space of eight months we get the opportunity to hear both performing in their own right.Iron Maiden and Dickinson hit our shores in September for a run of shows, but, before that, the man who started it all, Paul Di'Anno plans to reacquaint audiences with those first two albums on a tour which is underway as we speak!Performing classics such as Running Free, Sanctuary, Wrathchild, Remember Tomorrow, Murders in the Rue Morgue and plenty more, Di'Anno - who has fronted a number of bands since leaving Maiden in 1981 but is only unleashing songs from those first two Maiden albums on this tour - has vowed to take us back to where it all began and reignite the flames of early heavy metal, Iron Maiden style.Despite health problems that nearly curtailed his career over the last couple of years, Di'Anno has fulfilled his promise to bring Australian fans the music that shaped a generation and has cast aside any lingering issues to deliver in style.HEAVY caught up with Di'Anno not long after he arrived in Australia ahead of his first show in Perth. We asked the great man what fans can expect from the shows."This is my first time back in 8 or 9 years now," he began, "because basically, I have been able to do fuck all. What we are doing is saying a big thank you and a farewell - not from touring - but from doing Iron Maiden stuff. This is a whole Maiden heavy show featuring songs from the first two albums, and it's been quite successful. I'm surprised. Because Iron Maiden can't play the fucken songs (laughs). Then next year we come out… coming out very soon is a Greatest Hits of mine with tracks from Battlezone and Killers and other bands I have been in. It's an album called The Book Of The Beast, and we have the movie coming out in a couple of months as well - it's like a Rockumentary we've been doing - once we've got all that stuff out I will go back into rehearsals to learn all the stuff of mine."In the full interview, Paul talks more about the show and what to expect, preparing mentally and physically for a run of shows so far from home, how his injuries have changed his approach to playing live, his early years singing with Iron Maiden, who he based his vocal style on, his reaction to leaving the band, how he has changed and grown musically over the years, what's next after this tour, his top three Commandments Of Metal and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

17 Tammi 202412min

Interview by Kris PetersSince first making their way to Australia in 2009 Orange County hardcore outfit Stick To Your Guns have almost made it their mission statement to return back as often as possible.Their music for some reason resonates well with Australian music lovers, and despite a five-year gap between visits, this time the band has vowed to make up for lost time when they hit our shores from January 24 for a run of shows.The tour will see Stick To Your Guns celebrate one of their most popular albums, Diamond, with the gang from California offering up the whole album live by way of thanks for sustained support.With the tour just over a week away, vocalist Jesse Barnett took some time out to speak to HEAVY about the tour and what coming to this country means to the band.We start by asking if he is all packed and ready to go."No," he laughed. "I pack light. I'm a light packer, so I'm not stressed about the packing. The travel stresses me out. I'm not a good plane guy. Flying scares me, so that 15 hour flight is a brutal one."We bring up the album Diamond and ask why the band chose that particular album to perform."We knew we always wanted to do a ten-year thing for that album specifically," he began. "I think in terms of our career or whatever term you wanna use, that was a pretty path-changing album that we put out. A lot of things started happening for us after that, and I think people started connecting with the band in a different way than they were before, maybe. So we wanted to make sure that we were able to celebrate that. I say it in every interview, but I want to reiterate the point that Stick To Your Guns never set out to do anything profound. We just wanted to speak our truths and do our thing as a band. It's not the band that creates a meaningful album. It's the receiver, the listener, who gives the albums any sort of meaning whatsoever. I just feel grateful that we have people from all over the world engage with this album."In the full interview Jesse talks more about the album Diamond, his memories of making it, what made it so special, the musical direction taken on that album and if it was planned, if he thinks the songs have stood the test of time, bringing SeeYouSpaceCowboy as supports and why, how Stick To Your Guns have changed since their first visit to Australia in 2009 and now, what we can expect from their shows, what they expect from us and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

13 Tammi 202411min

Interview by Kris PetersAs Australia prepares for a massive influx of international touring bands in the first three months of this new year, punters are becoming increasingly torn over which shows they will go to - borne purely out of financial reasons.While many upcoming events are struggling to sell as many tickets as they should or would like, one tour that has not been cast into the 'maybe' pile is the Klash Of The Titans Tour, which sees heavyweights In Flames and Kreator head Down Under for a string of shows in February.On their own each band is a formidable live unit, but when thrust together on one stage for a co-headlining tour, the promise of something special magnifies exponentially.With the tour only one month away, HEAVY caught up with In Flames drummer Tanner Wayne to find out what the band has planned for us. We start by asking if this will be In Flames' first live performances in 2024."Yes sir," he replied."And what a crazy one. Before we get to Australia we do Indonesia, Japan, China, Singapore, Bangkok, India… maybe I'm missing one… so it's gonna be where am I? I look at some weathers, and it's all over the place, so it's gonna be a journey for sure."We press Tanner as to what fans can expect from the shows."We've discussed playing a different set list than we have been," he offered, "so we're gonna pull some songs out from the first records as well as the newer ones. We're just gonna go out there and have a blast as we always do. We're excited to see the fans. I have never done a club tour with them in Australia and some of the parts of Asia, so I'm looking forward to seeing a literal representation of the work we did at the festivals. See who from the festivals as well as who already knew the band we are gonna bring out to these shows."In the full interview, Tanner talks about what the band expects from the crowds at their shows, playing with Kreator, the reception afforded recent album Foregone, how much of that they will be playing live, what he considers In Flames' contribution to metal music is, future plansBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

12 Tammi 202412min