From Good To Great With TIM GAUCI From PRIMITIVE
Such is the wealth of talent currently in Australian music that you don't even have to win a battle of the bands style competition to be a winner.When Melbourne melodic metal outfit Primitive failed to win their place on the local Good Things line-up last week their disappointment was only shortlived.Not long afterwards the band got the nod to support Soulfly at both of their Melbourne and Sydney side shows, going a long way to numbing the pain of missing out on the full festival.It has been a massive year already for Primitive, who released their well received EP With The Rats And Snakes in August and have been making waves ever since. They close this year out by supporting Exenobiotic in Melbourne and see in the New Year playing alongside King Parrot and Unearth.Not bad for a band who are less than half a decade old.Frontman Tim Gauci sat down with HEAVY to discuss a whirlwind last half of 2022."Honestly, it was probably one of the most fun shows we have had," he enthused of the Good Things battle. "We had the two shows, the first heat and the final, and because it was done during the middle of the week it was a little bit of a nervous thing figuring out if we were gonna get people there or not but because there was an effort to go there and support our friends and support us during the week - it was free entry - it ended up just being a really good, fun vibe. The shows were great. We played as best as we could. I won't give us any less credit for not winning, but I think we did a great job and had a great time. I can't say anything bad about it. All of the other bands were great and we met a lot of new people and made some friends along the way so there's really nothing more you could ask for. Other than getting a festival slot of course (laughs). In saying that, it eventuated into some good things, so we can't complain."In the full interview, Tim talks more about how Primitive approached the shows, finding the balance between enjoying yourself and competing, choosing the set list, what Primitive learned as a band from the experience, scoring the Soulfly support, the reception to With The Rats And Snakes, upcoming shows, new music and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.
29 Nov 202210min
Connecting The Blanks With UNSCORED
To pigeonhole Melbourne outfit Unscored into one set genre would be worse than difficult.It would almost be criminal.With a musical disparity that belies their youth, these four high school friends are refreshingly yet to be tainted by the expectations of the music world at large.Instead they are still encompassed in their own sonic bubble where anything is possible; a place where music dictates direction and expectation fades quickly into the background.After introducing the world to their craft with Cowboy and Static in 2021, Unscored are now preparing to unleash Big Fkn Aorta, a track which is lifted from next years debut album Amorphis.Accompanied by an even more eclectic music video, Big Fkn Aorta is an amalgamation of everything and nothing, highlighting a band in their infancy with nothing to prove and everything to gain.Daniel (guitar), Carter (bass) and Harry (vocals, guitar) sat down for a chat with HEAVY to strip back the layers of Big Fkn Aorta and things to come."It's a song that was written in the first lock down," Harry began. "I feel like it's quite accurate of that because it's a bit of a suffocating type of song. It's loud, like a massive wall of sound. We wanted to go with something that was a bit unsettling, that's kind of the vibe of the song. The music video really captures that as well.""We really tried to go for the contrast of loud and soft, melodic base with crunchy guitars and wavey vocals and get a sense of contrast musically through the whole song," Carter added.In the full interview, the boys run us through Big Fkn Aorta in more detail, disect the awesomely creepy music video, discuss the lyrical content, the rest of their debut album and how this song reflects the overall sound, why they chose it to represent the album, this weekend's launch party at Whole Lotta Love and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.
29 Nov 202210min
Feeding Your Sweet Tooth With ERIC BUTLER From MOM JEANS
US alternative rock outfit Mom Jeans are returning to Australia after a three year absence early next year for The Sweet Tooth Tour with fellow US rockers Microwave.The band's latest album Sweet Tooth, released at the start of this year, saw Mom Jeans deviate from the emo foundations that launched their first two albums, instead focussing on more of a late 1990's, early 2000 style pop rock and pop punk nature.So named because the band members universally refer to the new sound as "ear candy", Sweet Tooth saw Mom Jeans strike an even bigger market and justified their decision to spread their metaphorical wings somewhat.HEAVY caught up with frontman Eric Butler to find out more."Nothing too crazy," he laughed when asked what Mom Jeans have in store for the tour. "It's been so long. Especially now, but in general it's so hard getting across the ocean and trying to play gigs so we're more or less trying to give whoever manages to make it to these shows their monies worth as much as we can and make sure that we take advantage of the time and play as many songs as we possibly can in the amount of time that we have. We try to treat every tour like it's the last one we're gonna get to do and we try and leave it all out on the field in that respect. We're gonna give it our best and we're gonna play loud and have a lot of fun. We're gonna play a whole bunch of songs from our new record and a bunch of old ones too. We don't play any favourites in the catalogue, so we're gonna practice as much of our songs as we possibly can and be ready to take requests. That's our goal."In the full interview, Eric talks more about the run of shows, why they are bringing Microwave with them, the reception to Sweet Tooth, how their fans reacted to the sonic change, why they changed things up, memories of previous trips Down Under and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.
28 Nov 202214min
Putting The Fun Into GOOD THINGS With KEVIN RATAJCZAK From ELECTRIC CALLBOY
Electric Callboy are a band like no other.By blending modern trap with alt rock, pop punk and many other genres, the German entertainment machine transcend musical barriers in a way that allows them to appeal to a broad spectrum of music lovers.The band will make their first visit to Australia this weekend as part of the Good Things Festival, which starts in Melbourne on December 2 before hitting Sydney on December 3 and Brisbane on December 4.Celebrated for the energetic live performances, Electric Callboy are champing at the bit to give Australian crowds their first taste of the band, with vocalist/keyboard player Kevin Ratajczak sitting down with HEAVY to prepare us for their run of shows."We've been around for more than ten years now," he began, "and we've travelled to so many countries but we've never been to Australia and it has always been on our bucket list. From the stories we know about Australia the people are nice and laid back and relaxed totally matches our lifestyle so we can't wait. We've already got many messages on social media and everyone is very excited. This makes us even more excited so let's go!"Electric Callboy are no strangers to playing the festival circuit, having appeared on most of the worlds biggest concert events, so we press Kevin as to whether the thought of playing a new festival still excites the band."Absolutely," he stressed. "Festivals are always a different situation. You can play your own headlining shows or support shows but festivals are so many people coming together that are not coming out for you in particular, so I love to be in other countries and having people in front of the stage that haven't heard about us before. Or they have heard of us and just wanted to check out those crazy guys from the internet (laughs). Either way I love festivals, and to be in Australia... come on. Leaving the cold Germany in winter and arriving in Australia in summer at the beach... there is nothing better."In the full interview, Kevin talks more about what to expect from an Electric Callboy show, who he is most looking forward to sharing a stage with, their blending of styles and how it works, the band's universal appeal and the benefits of that, keeping the flow of a set list with so many moving musical parts, their latest album TEKKNO and how it was received, the early days of Electric Callboy and where they fit in, side shows in Australia and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.
28 Nov 202212min
The Road To Nowhere With LAURENCE COLBERT From RIDE
It's not often a band can lay claim to having an entire musical movement named in their honour, but that's precisely what was bestowed on UK rock outfit Ride early in their career.When British press dubbed the band "shoegazers" for their shy disposition and head down, focused concentration on their guitar pedals when playing live little did they know the term would become synonymous the world over with the style of music performed by Ride.To this day shoegaze is a recognised genre, and one which might not have been birthed had it not been for the unassuming quartet.When Ride debuted their album Nowhere in 1990 they unleashed a musical monster which has resonated with fans around the globe ever since.It is widely regarded as one of the greatest albums of the shoegaze genre, spawning the track Vapour Trail which is now considered the blueprint for the man made genre.Now, some 30 years later, Ride are taking to the road to re-introduce fans to the album that started it all, with an Australian run of shows scheduled to commence on November 29 in Adelaide.Drummer Laurence Colbert sat down with HEAVY to talk about the tour and 30 years of Nowhere."Luckily we were pretty young when we recorded it (Nowhere)," he laughed when reminded that anniversaries such as this remind us of just how old we are. "so the thirty years doesn't weigh quite so heavily, but it's always a bit of a shock when that number comes up. Thirty years, my goodness (laughs)."Although Ride will be playing Nowhere in its entirety as part of the celebrations, we also press Colbert on what else fans can expect."You're gonna get a very energetic, lively and truthful, authentic rendering of that album," he affirmed. "The album was recorded basically live in the studio, before the days of digital editing etc, etc. The band were very new and very young. It was our first album. So we weren't really doing many clever studio techniques or anything. We just went in and played it. And that's what you're gonna get live, with the exception of lots of experience and lots of practice (laughs). We're getting good at doing these songs, so I think you're going to get a real exciting, live, electric version of it."Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.
28 Nov 202213min
Cranking Up The Volume With RICH WARD From FOZZY
For just over 20 years American hard rock/metal outfit Fozzy have been riding a gradual wave of success.After starting life as a cover band in 1999, Fozzy released two albums mainly comprising other band's material before deciding to release an album showcasing their own orginals with All That Remains in 2005.That album spawned the singles It's A Lie, Enemy, Born Of Anger and The Test, in the process establishing Fozzy as a band to look out for in their own right.Chasing The Grail followed but it was with 2019's Sin and Bones that the Fozzy train started gathering steam.Do You Wanna Start A War (2014) preceded 2017's Judas which saw Fozzy break free from their shackles and hit the stratosphere of metal.This was helped in no small part by the titular single, which became frontman Chris Jericho's entrance theme song for his highly successful wrestling career and introduced Fozzy and their music to legions of fans that have remained strong ever since.Now, following the sustained success of this years album Boombox, Fozzy are set to hit Australian shores for a series of shows with good buddies Buckcherry, starting in Brisbane on Wednesday, November 30.HEAVY caught up with Fozzy's guitarist and founding member Rich Ward for the lowdown."I'm so excited to be coming over to Australia for a big tour," he beamed. "I'll be looking forward to seeing all of you guys at the gigs and playing some crushing riffs and having some fun. It's been since 2018, so it's exciting to get back on that plane again and come and visit my friends."We press Ward on what to expect from the shows."Big set and travelling with our friends in Buckcherry, which is fantastic," he smiled. "We've toured with them previously and built a great kinship and brotherhood with those guys, so riding down the road with them is gonna be a lot of fun. It's gonna be a double treat for the audience because I think both bands feel like they belong on the same bill, but we are very different in other ways as well. Buckcherry is much more rooted in classic rock n roll, where we're kind of rooted in classic heavy metal. Still living under the same big tent, but it's gonna be fun. The same ice cream, just a little different flavours. It's gonna be a fun gig. It's always fun when you get to see friends of yours again on the road and I've got so many friends from Australia that I look forward to seeing every time we're over. I love the culture. I love the climate. It's exciting. I'm an American, so every time I get to travel and tour I feel like a bit of a tourist too. I try to find a great coffee shop and a nice meal and soak up some of the local flavours."In the full interview, Rich talks more about what to expect from the shows, what's different about Fozzy and their stage show since their last visit in 2018, their relationship with Buckcherry, the early days of Fozzy and how they grew from a covers band to playing their own material, having a well known wrestler in the band, the reception to Boombox, the gradual ascension of Fozzy as a band, his status as a guitar player and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.
28 Nov 202220min
Feeling The Heat With DAN PRESLAND From BLACK LAVA
Emerging from the shadows of a music world left in turmoil, Brisbane blackened death metal outfit Black Lava have wasted little time in establishing themselves on the national radar.Comprising members and former members of known acts such as Hadal Maw and Ne Obliviscaris, Black Lava have remained relatively quiet in the lead up to their debut album Soul Furnace which strikes today, preferring to let their music rather than their profile dictate terms.With a sound deeply rooted in old school sensibilities that embrace groove-laden melodies and progressive elements, Black Lava have created a uniquely crushing and brutally heavy foundation that transcends labels and instead concentrates on the one thing that seemingly gets forgotten about too often in the modern industry.The music.Founding member and drummer Dan Presland sat down with HEAVY on the eve of unleashing Soul Furnace to bring us up to speed.*NOTE: INTERVIEW WAS CONDUCTED PRIOR TO THE ALBUM RELEASE SO WHEN DAN AND HEAVY TALK OF IT BEING OUT TOMORROW IT IS ACTUALLY NOW!!!*"I guess I am more known for extreme metal, progressive metal releases over the last 15 years so this is something different for me," he began. "It's more of a rock n roll, old school vibe and it's been quite a different process to get it all put together. It was very much a capture the moment rush, rush, rush to get it done to meet the deadline sort of thing, but I'm actually very happy with the end result. Typically speaking I'm normally calculated and planned out with the releases I do so this one is a bit more rock n roll but I really enjoyed the process."Prior to dropping the album Black Lava released the singles Northern Dawn, Eye Of The Moon and the title track, with Presland agreeing those three songs are a good sonic representation of Soul Furnace as a whole."I definitely think so," he nodded. "All three have different soundscapes going on. There's some more upbeat stuff on Northern Dawn and some blasty stuff in there, and the other two are a bit more rock n roll with a bit of mood, so I definitely think those three are a good representation of the whole record."In the full interview, Dan talks more about Soul Furnace, what types of things Black Lava considered going into their debut album, finding the balance between old school influence and modern music trends, the compact running time of Soul Furnace which comes in at a tick over half an hour, the nature of the fantasy themed lyrics, forming during COVID and how that impacted the bands formation and development, their double launch show at the Bendigo Hotel in December and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.
25 Nov 202211min
THORNHILL Prepare For GOOD THINGS FESTIVAL
Australian metal outfit Thornhill proved their musical confidence and diversity earlier this year with the release of their sophomore album Heroine, an album that defied the traditional safety first approach of second albums and instead veered into new sonic territory for the band.Where debut album The Dark Pool touched fans with its mix of crushing riffage and atmospheric metalcore, Heroine saw Thornhill flexing their skills in the alternative and rock worlds, referencing a tapestry of sounds from the likes of Smashing Pumpkins and Red Hot Chili Peppers, to Silverchair and Deftones. In two weeks fans will get the opportunity to hear some of that new album live when Thornhill jumps aboard the Good Things Festival train, with stops in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.HEAVY caught up with frontman Jacob Charlton to get more information."I'm really keen dude," he enthused. "It's a big, big honour for us for sure. I can't wait to play. It's reminiscent of Soundwave and that's the first festival I had ever gone to, I think I was only 13 or 14 and it was a big deal for me so I'm really keen."With Good Things taking in three states over consecutive days it almost becomes a war of attrition for the bands performing on the entire run, with Charlton admitting it almost becomes like hard work."It's definitely gonna be full on doing back to back to back," he smiled, "especially with my hay fever at the moment being outside the whole time is gonna kill me. Sometimes it's good because you get in the rhythm of it and shake the fear off a little bit. It will be fun."In the full interview, Jacob talks more about what we can expect from Thornhill's shows, the high number of Australian bands on bill and what that means for Australian music as a whole, the response to Heroine and if the fans appreciated Thornhill's experimentation, writing a cohesive set list that allows the band to perform music from both releases, plans for the festive season and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.
25 Nov 20228min
