Company Of One with LUCAS STONE

Interview by Kris PetersUK reggae/metal/funk/rock outfit Skindred have successfully managed to combine a plethora of sounds, influences and genres together to create a completely fresh and vibrant sonic wave of destruction that on paper should not work but somehow does.Over eight albums the band has defied scrutiny, backlash and, at times, disdain for daring to be different, but you get the impression part of the reason they survive and continue to thrive is because of, and in spite of, that adversity.Since Skindred were last in Australia four years ago the band have released a new album, Smile, that saw them surge to number two in the UK album chart, in the process reaching the hearts and ears of a new generation of fans to celebrate in all of Skindred's deserved glory.They return to our corner of the globe in March as part of Knotfest 2024 with exactly the same level of enthusiasm and commitment - just with four more years of experience. And what's more, this time the band will venture over to New Zealand for their first ever show in Auckland on March 28, with Kiwi metal titans Kaosis in support.Last time HEAVY spoke with frontman Benji Webb it was a case of almost anything goes, so when the chance to speak with the great man was presented to us earlier this week, we cleared our schedule immediately.We put him on the spot straight up by asking why the band have neglected our neighbors in New Zealand for so long."I dunno mate, you've gotta book us," he cheekily replied, "that's the way it goes. You call us. We don't put a pin in the map and say we're going there, people book us. If New Zealand aren't booking us, we're not gonna be there, are we? We're very excited about going there, man. We know we've got a few fans over there, and it's a country that we haven't been to yet, so we're itching to get there."We point out the New Zealand show is at a brewery and pose the question of what could go wrong?"A lot of things," he laughed. "But you know what? It doesn't matter about the size. It's about the size of the vibe in the place. We're looking forward to it, we are."In the full interview Benji talks about visiting countries for the first time, support band Kaosis, playing at Knotfest 2024, the backstage vibe, what we can expect from their shows, what Skindred expect in return, the side shows with Halestorm, the reception to latest album Smile, refusing to conform musically and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

22 Feb 202415min

Interview by Kris PetersOne of the most enduring qualities of music - or punk music more specifically - is that as a listener or musician you don't feel the obligation to grow up.Ever.It's actually expected of you that your morals and beliefs will differ from the rest of society, and your outlook on life and sense of humour practically remain the same thing. So why fight it? That would be more difficult than conforming, and we all know that's not going to happen.Just ask the three Jeans that make up Mean Jeans - Billy, Houndy and Junior - a trio of friends/band mates who have stumbled through life since even before starting the band 15 years ago, and they couldn't be happier.With a new album, Blasted, having recently hit the shelves and an almost completed Australian tour with good mates The Chats life couldn't be much better for Mean Jeans.Just don't ask them if they are ever going to grow up.Making a mental note to avoid that question, HEAVY sat down earlier today with Billy Jeans to catch up on things, starting with the reception for Blasted, which came out on February 9."Awesome," he smiled. "I feel good about it. I'm judging primarily from social media and whatnot, but everybody's sending text messages… I saw a bunch of reviews that the label sent that were all in German, so I don't even know what they said (laughs). It's been a good reception and I think while we were making this record I could tell that it had a little more cohesion and was more true to what Mean Jeans is supposed to be about at the core."We ask Billy to go deeper into the album musically."We never have and never will stray from about a four-power chord progression structure," he offered. "We pretty much keep it Ramones simple and then see what we can sprinkle on top of there, but with this one we had… the band wasn't on hiatus per se, but we actually were living in three different cities when COVID struck. We had been touring in the US up until the end of 2020, so it was a week before the pandemic occured, and we had a support tour with The Chats on the books, and we had never met these guys. That got postponed and postponed and postponed and rescheduled, so we spent most of the pandemic anticipating the tour. We kept booking stuff, even though no one knew when it would make sense to be doing so. Ultimately, it took over two years for the tour to happen, during which time Mean Jeans were not really functional. So the stuff I was writing, I had to put out a solo record called Funky Punks In Space, but mostly because I knew there was no chance of the songs seeing the light of day with Mean Jeans. Then we hadn't played a gig in two years, and we did a six-week US tour with The Chats, and they took us to Australia a couple of months later and after that, after about 10 weeks of touring, we hopped off the stage, and we were like, okay, that was really fun. We gotta bang out another album."In the full interview, Billy talks more about the songs on the album, addresses the press releases claim that Blasted is a "weird, wonderful and wacky album", which of the tracks is his personal favourite, the current tour with The Chats and how it has been going, the benefits of having time off between shows to be able to drive to shows, maintaining a sense of humour and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

21 Feb 202413min

Interview by Kris PetersSydney's chameleons of rock, RedHook have been pretty quiet since the release of their debut album Postcards From A Living Hell in April last year. And who could blame them?2023 was the year RedHook broke through from a band on the fringes of success to a bona fide international standard touring band, following high-profile shows with The Smashing Pumpkins and Janes Addiction on home turf and festivals such as Download abroad. Their work ethic as a band has always been the driving force behind their continued rise, but the release of their first album last year solidified their efforts and led to global recognition.So if the quartet took a bit of time off to recharge the batteries over a prolonged festive season, they certainly deserved it.But it was always a matter of when, not if they would return and that moment arrived with a massive bang earlier this month when RedHook released the single Scream 2 - a sequel of sorts to smash hit No Cure For Psycho.Not content to release new music and wait for it to filter through to the ears of their growing fanbase, RedHook this weekend venture North for the first time this year to headline Women In Rock. The night, as the name suggests, is a musical celebration of female artists and their contribution to the music scene, with Krave, Jollee, Veratie, Viper Syndicate, Acid Cherry and Miss LC rounding out the bill.With more live shows coming up and whispers in the air of more new music, HEAVY tracked Emmy, Ned and Alex down at their rehearsal room to chat more about everything."We're so excited to be heading back to the Sunshine Coast this Saturday," Emmy enthused. "We're coming to Caloundra for the very first time to play a groovy little festival called Women In Rock at the Norton Music Factory." We ask how the show came about and what such an occasion means for Australian music."We got hit up by the venue to be a part of it," Emmy began. "Supporting fem talent - especially in the heavy space - has always been very important to me, and the boys.""We're stoked that they invited us along," Alex added. "It looks like it's gonna be a really cool show.""Playing regional shows and grassroots venues and supporting that level of the industry is always important to us," Emmy continued, "and will always be important to us. We're just excited to meet some new people and play a new venue and have a good time."In the full interview, the band talk more about celebrating the achievements and role of women in music, the other bands playing and who they are looking forward to catching, the importance of everybody - not just women - to feel safe in the music industry, whether they feel the message is starting to get through, other things they have planned while they are in Queensland, new single Scream 2 and how it has been received, the reception for Postcards From A Living Hell, their continued rise as a band, how far advanced the new album is, their recent heavier leanings with new music, plans for the rest of 2024 and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

21 Feb 202418min

Interview by Simon Russell-WhiteTo be honest I thought The Vinyl Tour was a play on words, I thought to myself “Surely this isn’t the final tour for the almighty Cog?!’. Such thoughts are not only bad for oneself but more importantly for the reader/listener of this interview!But I can assure you, it’s time to relax and enjoy……Kicking off my conversation with Luke Gower (bass/ backing vocals) it became very clear that my thoughts were simply an irrational panic, and that I/we indeed had absolutely nothing to worry about, thank goodness for that!Byron Bay's (originally from Bondi Beach) Cog will go down as one of the all-time greats that this country has ever produced, though they require an entrée of “if you know you know”, they’re and have always been seen as rock royalty by those who do truly know! And at the end of it all that’s who really matter, the punters, the attendees and those who connected with the almighty band.The three pieces live show is something to behold, with Lucius Borich (drums/ backing vocals) enigmatic playing and emotion tripled with brothers Flynn (vocals/guitar) and Luke Gower's pounding conviction and sheer energy, knowing it’s all happening again this March is simply exciting for punters Australia wide.Now we all know that it’s now possible to gain all of Cog’s releases on vinyl now, with the again joined EPs Just Visiting being laid to wax in 2016. Now both of the band’s full-lengths, 2005s The New Normal and its follow-up 2008s Sharing Space are too part of the nostalgia that only vinyl can bring to a diehard listener.It’s no secret that life for original touring bands has changed, the days of making an income from the actual recorded music is simply a thing of the past, and just like most bands Cog has had to learn to adjust to these changes. Holding down day jobs, on top of all having families, touring isn’t like the old days, especially at the start (in the late nineties) when the band toured relentlessly.There’s two ways of looking at this, the fun is spanned out as Luke explained but with tours being further apart does make for more special times. Knowing how much the band means to people is something that has taken on more as he’s gotten older, and something that was looked over a bit in the past.Cog has stood the test of time, politics, and even major weather events to be where they are today, so it must be yelled from the top of a mountain, “IN COG WE TRUST!"Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

20 Feb 202420min

Interview by Kris PetersDespite their relative youth, New Zealand alternate rock outfit Voodoo Bloo are no amateurs when it comes to music. Don't let their baby faces or innocent looks fool you. When it comes to making the tough decisions that could ultimately make or break your career, these lads will invariably make the right one.Be it youthful exuberance, diligent studying or just plain luck, Voodoo Bloo have always ended up on the right side of the equation since their formation in 2020, constantly releasing new music and content for their growing fan base.After starting out with more than a dash of punk-fueled teenage angst, the former school friends gradually found themselves veering into rock territory, the trappings of youth giving way to a more mature outlook on life that ultimately flowed back into their music.Over two previous albums - Jacobus and The Blessed Ghost - the band has gradually adopted a safer approach to music without shunning their heritage completely.With their recent single Hot Garbage being revealed as the first song of a new album cycle, Voodoo Bloo have tapped back into their punk sensibilities to a degree, with vocalist/guitarist Rory McDonald saying in earlier interviews and press releases that the new EP will definitely be a trip down memory lane in many respects.HEAVY sat down with McDonald to find out more."The reception has been great," he enthused of the new single. "I think one thing that we have gotten pretty often with this single is that it's quite reminiscent of the stuff we were originally doing about four years ago, but it's just a level above what we were doing. From the people I have spoken to they say it shows a bit more maturity in what we're doing, even though I'd like to say the things we're talking about are probably a lot less mature (laughs)."In the full interview, Rory talks more about Hot Garbage and the shift in musical direction, whether the band set out to write a song with old-school leanings or it just happened, producing the track themselves and the pros and cons of keeping it in-house, the release plan for the next two singles and what they will sound like, the EP coming out in June and what it will be called, the musical direction it will take, the decision to revisit the band's old sound, Voodoo Bloo's musical journey over the last four years and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

20 Feb 202413min

Interview by Kris PetersEnglish punk/folk singer/songwriter Frank Turner is a man at peace with himself and his music.Not that he has had a sudden epiphany that washed over the daily trials and tribulations of everyday life, but more a peace borne out of contentment.Following his first UK#1 album FTHC in 2022, Turner made the bold decision to step away from the major label world of music and the relative safety blanket it provides to embrace the freedom and liberation of working as an independent artist.It was a move that invariably has its pros and cons, but when you are as recognizable musically as Turner is, the advantages of being independent far outweigh the drawbacks.His first album since unbinding himself from the industry is aptly named Undefeated and sees Turner producing his own album for the first time and able to have total creative freedom. The result is an eclectic assortment of styles and genres, all tackled with an unflappable and flexible attitude that only inner happiness can provide.Sonically switching from Black Flag to Counting Crows and from Descendents to The Pogues via Elvis Costello and Billy Bragg, Undefeated is more than a body of music.It is a statement and expression of artistic freedom from an artist who has felt somewhat stiffled by an industry that rewards figures rather than merit.With Undefeated slated for a May 3 release, HEAVY caught up with Turner at the start of his promotional campaign to find out more, starting with if he still gets nervous before each album is released."Yeah, of course," he smiled. "I think there's a funny inbuilt thing in the way that what I do works. I'll spend two years writing, rehearsing, arranging, recording, mixing an album that comes in at 44 minutes and people listen to it in 44 minutes. Sometimes people go 'that's alright', but that's two years of my life (laughs). It's the tenth time around, so I'm used to that on some levels, but yeah, I’m still nervous. I'm also pretty confident about this record. I think it's a banger, shall we say. I feel like on my last album FTHC I kind of got my mojo back a bit and hit my stride again. I feel with this record on the other side of the pandemic and I've got my new drummer in the band, first time recording with him… And it's the first time producing myself. First time on the other side of the universal label world kind of thing. Just the whole thing feels like a bit of a reset and it's nice. I'm excited about it."In the full interview, Frank talks more about Undefeated musically, how he handles the period between finishing an album and having it released, the singles released so far and how they represent the album, how stepping away from major labels helped shape Undefeated, the mixing of styles and how he makes it work, the temptation to rehash a winning album formula with the next release, touring plans and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

19 Feb 202413min

Interview by Kris PetersSometimes I feel Japanese bands don't get the recognition they deserve.Sure, you could mount that same argument the world over, but after having toured Japan on close to ten occasions with different bands and seeing around 100 of the country's emerging artists on the same line-ups I feel I am qualified to highlight Japanese music in this instance.Take Boris for example, widely recognised and revered in their home country but relatively unknown here in Australia.The band are considered pioneers of heavy rock in Japan, having recently notched up three decades in the music industry. Their ability to channel 70s proto-metal vibes into a fresh and unique sonic explosion has seen the band attain great heights in Japan but failed to earn them global recognition outside of their core fanbase.Following their 2022 album Heavy Rocks, Boris are finally returning to Australia with first-time visitor Kiyoharu for a run of shows and festivals this March.HEAVY recently spoke with Boris frontman Atsuo Mizuno via a translator to find out more."We're very excited for this tour," he began. "We haven't done a national tour for a while. Last time we came back was only Sydney, Tasmania and Melbourne, so we are looking forward to this tour. Also, very excited to tour with respectful Kiyoharu, the Japanese artist. It is our first time touring together. There should be some songs we will play together on stage as well, so very excited."In the full interview we ask Atsuo to give us a brief history on Boris and what to expect from their live show, what has changed with the band since their last visit, the difference between Japanese and Australian crowds, the latest album Heavy Rocks and how it was received, how much of that album will be in the set list, new material and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

18 Feb 20246min

Interview by Kris PetersAfter sixteen albums and rising, you would think Bruce Soord from The Pineapple Thief would know pretty well what he is doing with himself and the band musically.Essentially a rock outfit, The Pineapple Thief have released a consistently steady stream of albums, amassing a staunch, loyal and growing fan base with each one.Their place in rock history is assured, but despite having done the hard yards already, Soord refuses to rest on his laurels.As a songwriter he can lay claim to being amongst the best in the business but with the band's recent album It Leads To This, Soord has managed to tap into a delicate nuance of material and compile it in such a way that what would generally be a depressive and seemingly hopeless landscape has been transformed into a bright and optimistic take of life itself.The basic premise for It Leads To This has Soord reflecting on the world and fearing for the life his children will inherit, but at its core is an introspective look at life and each of our roles within it.Soord sat down for a chat with HEAVY to tell us more."It's been good," he enthused at the early reception for the album. "You know what it's like, you can't hide from the reaction these days on social media, so you get to see everything. It's been really positive, thank goodness for that, because the internet and online can be quite brutal sometimes."We ask Soord to dive deeper into the concept of the album."I've always written about things that…," he measured. "…I wake up in the morning and how I feel. You put the news on and look out the window - I live in a small town in the South West of England that has its fair share of problems like drugs and alcohol - so you look out the window, and you see it. You see these lost souls walking around. You read the news, and it's just getting worse and worse then you look at the kids and my kids are a lens to the world. I think, 'oh shit, what's going on?' and then you pick up a guitar and that's the inspiration. But the thing about it is, even though it's all dark thoughts about the future and what the Hell are my kids going to inherit, it's still positive. There's still a positive message. It's not all doom and gloom."In the full interview, Bruce talks more about the idea behind the album, how he puts a positive spin on it, if the personal nature of the subject matter made it a difficult album to write, runs us through each track individually and the message behind it, talks touring plans and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

18 Feb 202412min