HEAVY Music Interviews

Interview by Kris PetersFrenzal Rhomb are an Australian musical institution.Brash, outspoken, confident, flippant, but most of all entertaining, Frenzal Rhomb have been plying their brand of punk rock since the early 1990s and throughout their whole existence have not given one solitary fuck about convention and/or conformity.In fact quite the opposite.The band have made almost as many enemies as they have friends along the way, but the fact the Sydney upstarts have just released their 10th studio album The Cup Of Pestilence is all the musical vindication Frenzal Rhomb needs.Not that they would give two shits about vindication. Or acceptance. Or adulation.Frenzal Rhomb are simply happy being Frenzal Rhomb and for that they must be saluted.Even the fact that it has been six years since their last album Hi Vis High Tea proclaimed the eternal rebirth of the band doesn't seem to faze the quartet who have never been known - or expected for that matter - to fall into company line.Has it been worth the wait?My oath it has, and even more worth it was the chance to sit down for a bit of banter with the irrepressible vocalist for Frenzal Rhomb, Jason Whalley."It took a bit too long but we've finally made it," he offered, without a hint of apology.Six years for any band is a long time between drinks so we ask Whalley what Frenzal Rhomb have learned about themselves and their music since their last public musical venture."I've learned that I'm not very patient," he laughed. "We were ready to go in 2020, we were booked to go back over to Colorado with Phil Stevenson and record it but it turns out that the world had other ideas and so we couldn't go. We rebooked it for the next year and then the next and then finally we got to do it."Ever the type to push buttons we ask why the band had to wait and go to America to record the new album rather than complete the process at home."That's what everyone says," he sighed, "but it wouldn't have sounded as good. Sorry Australia... Nah, I'm sure we could have done that but after doing the last two records over there we just felt the production was so good and when we did that Smoko record in 2011 - which is the first time that we went to The Blasting Room - it was a bit of a step up for us production wise. We thought man, is it going to be something that's almost as good, but not quite as good? The guys over there, for them it's their kind of music, the fast melodic punk stuff, so it was sort of a no-brainer. And we thought no-ones really screaming down the phone at us going 'when's the next Frenzal Rhomb record?' We don't have the record company breathing down our necks or anything, so we thought we would wait. In a way it's a different record to what it would have been because we ended up keeping on writing and demoing between then and now and I think it turned out pretty good. We ended up demoing close to 60 songs in the end, and most of them were terrible but there was alot, whereas if we recorded it two years ago then we might have only had 40 songs."In the full interview Jason talks more about the recording process, how the band settled on the final album tracks, the musical direction of The Cup Of Pestilence, their love of the C word and the increasing negativity towards the word, the meaning behind a few of the songs, the upcoming tour, Frenzal Rhomb's longevity, his three commandments of punk and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

6 Apr 202318min

Interview by Erin EddyThe acclaimed Melbourne Ska Orchestra is celebrating a milestone this year, and taking theirinfectious and energetic show on the road, as well as releasing a ‘Best Of’ to mark the occasion.20 Years Young may sound like a cliché choice for a title, however, captain of the helm Nicky Bomba says he felt it was the perfect choice.“Some of the team thought it was a bit cliché,” Nicky admits, “but this isn’t cliché, this is real. We are 20 years, and we are still chomping at the bit, you know, so I celebrated that and I flew the flag for that title.”A new single, Something Strong, has been released and is a reflection on the past 20 years.“We’ve looked back at what we’ve done and how the band started, and it was all out of the love and good, beautiful energy of the music,” Nicky reflects, “That’s why we had our first gig, we were celebrating the genre, and it’s great that after all this time it’s still as exciting.”“We were putting out the vinyl and we realised we should do a single for the tour,” continues Nicky, “and it’s a great feeling, being able to celebrate and write a song about your own band and your own adventures, and the fact that it’s not actually the end of something, it’s still very much a valid, creative energy; it was great to write it and great to have that feeling.”HEAVY spoke with Nicky about the past 20 years, the upcoming tour and vinyl release and you can listen the interview in full now!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

6 Apr 202325min

By Kris PetersWith the sudden influx of international touring artists currently setting their sights on Australia, the concert going public are understandably selective when it comes to venturing out.But one travelling musical spectacle that is impossible to resist is The World Is A Vampire Festival - led by The Smashing Pumpkins and Jane's Addiction - which kicks off on April 15 in Brisbane before taking in Bribie Island, Sydney, Melbourne, Ballarat, Adelaide and Newcastle before finishing up on the Gold Coast on April 30.Not only will fans be treated to two of the biggest and most successful bands of the last four decades, they will also have the chance to witness world wrestling live and like never before as Billy Corgan's troupe lines up against their Australian counterparts in a display of controlled hostility unlike anything witnessed on these shores before.Throw in Australian bands like Amyl & The Sniffers, RedHook and Battlesnake as well as select local supports and you have the makings of one of the biggest and best festivals to hit Down Under since forever.On the eve of their long journey to Australia, HEAVY had the privilege of sitting down for a chat with Jane's Addiction members Perry Farrell (vocals), Eric Avery (bass) and Stephen Perkins (drums) for an entertaining insight into what to expect."I'm just starting to pull out the boots," Farrell laughed when asked if the band had started packing yet. ""It was great to hear the list of shows said by an Australian," Perkins added, "because we've been looking at that list for the last two weeks and now I know where we're playing (laughs). We just got back from South America, so I didn't really unpack but I did wash everything and changed some ideas, but we're ready!"It's a long run of shows for all of the bands involved, so we press the boys on how they prepare mentally for a tour like this."We know Eric does his homework last," Farrell smiled. "For me, I start to imagine the stage. I start to imagine the people in the place and then I start to imagine what I would wear and like I say, I start with my feet because you don't wanna get up there with bad shoes (laughs). It will just bum your night out.""I play barefoot on the drumset," Perkins chimed in. "No gloves, no shoes or socks, but luckily I've got a room with a drum set here at the house so I've been playing every day and taking care of the mental side and keeping stimulated creatively. That's real important. Because the physical thing, I always keep tuned up. My stamina and endurance is always number one importance and always trying to stay with that creative juice so I can get up there and just hit the stage running."In the full interview the boys tell us what to expect from the shows, the wrestling side of things and the possibility of the bands getting involved, their previous manager, Australian Ted Gardner and some fun stories of him, their knowledge of the Australian bands playing including Perry taking his daughter to see Amyl & The Sniffers, the bands longevity and why plus more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

6 Apr 202315min

By Kris PetersAdriatic have long been considered by many - myself included - to be one of Brisbane's best kept musical secrets.Their blending of technical and intricate metal with Bulgarian influences has endeared them to all who have heard and witnessed their live performance and it now seems the band are ready to capitalise on that groundswell with the release of their new single A Lighthouse in the Desert and album Krile.HEAVY sat down with enigmatic frontman Ctorh Sharks (Stoyan) to dig deeper."There's been some good, positive comments so far," he smiled. "We've got a lot of support and I'm really excited. We've got a few personal messages from people saying how much they love the song. That's always a great thing to see ad hear. Knowing how I normally follow new music when it comes out, it takes a few days for people to actually properly listen to the song so I'm not holding my breath. I'm gonna wait a few more days for people to properly listen to it and give us some feedback."Playing it smart, Adriatic released the audio to the track earlier this week with the video to be premiered this Thursday at 4.30 pm via HEAVY."That specifically relates to what I said earlier about people not necessarily listening to the song right away," Stoyan explained. "We felt that giving them a few days to potentially check out the audio on the streams - because people forget about things with attention spans being two minutes long nowdays - maybe they get reminded to check it out once again when the video comes out. It's hopefully going to give people a second chance to go out and explore the song."In the full interview Stoyan discusses the new single in greater detail, delves into the cryptic title and what it means, the special guest female vocalist and what she brings to the track, the new album and what to expect, some interesting musical surprises on the album, exploring within their music while still retaining the Adriatic DNA, where Adriatic have been hiding the last 5 months, this weekends two shows with King Parrot, the limited edition vinyl and why you need to get your hands on one and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

4 Apr 202326min

By Kyra Jade-CoombsKing Parrot are local legends in our Australian heavy music scene. Their live shows are guaranteed to be a good time with high-energy chaos that everyone in the room rises to match!Over Easter these Melbournites are coming up North to play two shows. Firstly poppin' their Mo's Desert Clubhouse cherry on April 6 and secondly ushering in a new era at Fortitude Valley's newest metal haunt Bad Luck on April 8 at their '0th Birthday Party'.HEAVY took the chance to catch up with Matt Young, King Parrot's frontman, to see what they've been doing leading up to these shows and pry into what's in the pipeline of Parrot land.We delve into opening a new music hotspot in the heart of Brissy, Slatt's subtitle PSA's (if you know, you know), what it was like releasing their most recent E.P Holed up in the Lair in the midst of Covid and what it was like working with Mike Foxall on their animated film clip for their title track Kick up a Stink (almost acted out in real life, which is absolutely terrifying - check out the link below).Matt and I got talking about King Parrot's past tour diary and where they are heading off to next and on that note there's lots of good news for fans in Australia and abroad! Currently, they are working away on a new album and have plans to hit the road in Australia for a local tour circuit before taking their show over to the USA later in the year.It's an exciting time for these Aussie legends and I can't wait to hear that energy translated into their new material. Have a listen to the full interview to enjoy all the other Easter Eggs sprinkled throughout our chat.If you haven't already there's still time to grab your tickets and catch King Parrot doing what they do best.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

3 Apr 202317min

By Erin EddyEvery heavy music punter in Melbourne knows The Tote. It has incubated and hosted some of this country's biggest acts, such as King Parrot, Amyl & The Sniffers, Magic Dirt, The Beasts Of Bourbon, The Datsuns, The Hard Ons, Mudhoney, The White Stripes and the list goes on.The building itself is 152 years old, but has been operating as a live music venue since 1981. If you’ll allow me to do the maths for you, that’s 41 years of punk, rock and metal marinated into the walls of this iconic structure.In recent months, The Tote has been put on the market; not simply the business but the entire building. It has a hefty price tag of 6.6 million dollars, and unsurprisingly the Melbourne music community is extremely nervous that we’re about to witness the demise of one of the city’s most important hubs for rock and roll.The heroes of this story are power couple Shane and Leanne, who have been at the helm of another legendary Melbourne music venue, The Last Chance Rock & Roll Bar, for around eight years now.They have embarked on a quest which they have titled “The Last Chance To Save The Tote!”Shane and Leanne have dedicated their entire adult lives to working in and running venues and they eat, sleep and breathe the city’s live music scene.Shane says The Tote is a venue he has wanted to own and run for 20 years, and has been waiting for his chance to swoop in. But he was never expecting that when finally, his chance arose, that the sale would include the actual building itself, and therefore was not prepared for the price tag associated with that.“I’ve wanted to run The Tote forever,” Shane told HEAVY, “simply because I love going to The Tote!”“We knew that at some stage it would come up for sale, but we were kind of blindsided by the fact that the entire building was up for sale and the price that’s on it… it’s not doable.”Shane isn’t exactly the type of person to let pesky finances deter him from a crusade to save this venue, however.Together, he and Leanne and the patronage of The Last Chance Rock & Roll Bar have begun a crusade to raise funds for half of the asking price of the building, in a bid to save it from falling into the hands of developers, who Shane fears will convert this piece of history into “shitty apartments.”“With a six-million-dollar price tag, it’s unattainable for someone who is passionate about music,” Shane laments. He’s calling upon the Australian music community to rally and attempt to achieve the seemingly impossible and ensure magical music moments continue to take seed within the walls of The Tote.The deadline is this Thursday April 6 th .“The time is now,” Shane says. “Don’t protect the walls, protect what happens within those walls. If we’re going to let our most important venue die because some shitty investor has lots of money and they want to build apartments, then we can’t claim to be the live music capital of the world.”If Shane and Leanne are successful at obtaining The Tote, the first thing they’re going to do is put the building in trust, so that it remains untouchable and a live music mecca forever.Shane is one of the most enthusiastic, passionate, salt of the earth people we at HEAVY have had the pleasure of speaking with and his bid to save The Tote is nothing short of admirable.Please listen to our interview to get the scoop straight from the horse’s mouth, then make sure you hit up www.facebook.com/thelastchancerockandrollbar for updates on the campaign, and more importantly, to make a donation.No money pledged will be taken from your bank account until the start of May, and donations will only be extracted IF the guys are successful at meeting their target. So pledge today, you have nothing to lose, and can be a part of Melbourne music history if the target is met.The Last Chance Rock & Roll Bar is also hosting a pledge drive spectacular this Monday the 3 rd and Tuesday the 4 th of April, which will be live streamed via YouTube, with some of the industry's most well known musicians getting involved.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

1 Apr 202335min

Interview by Kris PetersGerman metal outfit Accept have rightfully carved their horns into metal history.Arguably the most influential and definitive heavy band to ever emerge from the German music scene, Accept left in their wake a score of classic albums such as Breaker, Restless & Wild, Balls To The Wall and Metal Heart that have defined heavy music for decades.Frontman UDO Dirkschneider was a large part of the bands drawing power with his tenure with Accept the most successful and recognised chapters in the bands history.Despite since forging a massively successful solo career, Dirkschneider has yet to perform a full set of the songs that made him a global name in Australia - a blemish that is about to be rectified with two select shows in Sydney on April 6 and Melbourne on April 8 where he will play nothing but tracks made popular by Accept.Not only that, his current backing band also includes original Accept bass player Peter Baltes, adding further authenticity and excitement to the shows.On the eve of the first show Dirkschneider joined HEAVY to discuss the upcoming history making performances."We tried it many times and it was sometimes very close to coming off, but it never happened," he shrugged, "so now I'm really looking forward after over 40 years for me personally coming down to Australia and performing there. Hopefully a lot of people show up and maybe we can open up a new market and do some more shows in Australia."Other than a full night of Accept music, we press UDO on what fans can expect from the shows."We try to make a good mix up with all the classic accept songs," he smiled. "We play songs from I'm A Rebel, Restless & Wild, Balls To The Wall, Metal Heart, Russian Roulette so it will be a hit parade (laughs). A lot of people ask me why I'm not coming under UDO but maybe the next time. Promotors have been asking for me to come and play only Accept songs because people want to hear the original voice and for me it's not a problem to do. I did a three year tour with Dirkschneider through Europe and that was only playing Accept songs. It's a good thing. I can make UDO and I can make Dirkschneider with Accept songs. In the end it's always what the people want."In the full interview, UDO tells why it has taken so long for him to perform Accept music to Australian audiences, having Baltes in the band and how that helps with the Accept set, the early days of Accept and riding the wave of heavy metal, leaving the band and what changed to make him return, burying the hatchet, at what point he knew Accept were going to be a force in metal, what he considers Accept has contributed to music and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

1 Apr 202310min

Words by Kris PetersWhile the perils of COVID shone a murky light on many in the music industry there are some bands who possibly benefitted from the experience in various ways.When the onset of the pandemic halted the gathering momentum newly formed of Newcastle heavy outfit Telurian the band elected to use the extra time to strengthen their musical resolve and tighten their existing material with a view to coming out even stronger when things returned to normaility.Thankfully the young band survived where others sadly met their demise and used their time creatively, fine tuning an already promising landscape and harnessing those songs into what would become the two track EP Of Earth.Following the success of their debut single Arachnid, Telurian earlier this year dropped the title track, in the process giving a glimpse into the exciting musical future that awaits the Novacastrians.Vocalist Brenton, drummer Lochie and bass player Eric sat down with HEAVY to delve deeper into their brace of songs and flesh out the narrative some more, starting with the cracking new track Of Earth."It started with the initial iteration of the band, which actually was a little less technical," Lochie began. "When Liam (guitar) got his 8 string and I jumped on the drums and Brenton jumped on the vocals we decided to rewrite the song, particularly after the intro we just wanted to change the whole thing. We jammed it out... we just wanted a, long, seven minute pic. Me and Liam just jammed it out and it came out as it is now basically."In the full interview the boys discuss both singles in greater depth, what they were going for musically, releasing a lengthy track as a single in the modern age of music, why they chose these two songs to introduce their music to the world, forming through COVID, drawing influences as a young band and knowing your boundaries, new music and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

1 Apr 20239min