Musical Chairs With JACK & DYLAN From DEAD POET SOCIETY

Interview by Kyra-Jade CoombsSydney rock outfit RedHook capped off a stellar 12 months last weekend by headlining Stage 5 at this year's Good Things Festival which traveled through Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.With two of the shows sold out and the third not far off, Good Things 2022 was an emphatic return for music festivals in Australia, showcasing the cream of Australian talent alongside some of rock and metals global heavyweights.HEAVY had the honour of conducting backstage interviews with a selection of bands in Brisbane, which we will share with you starting today.The sound quality may be affected in patches due to the interviews being recorded live with a full festival raging behind us, but sit back and enjoy the fully immersive experience of each band as they navigate the day. They are also sparsely edited for maximum effect.Full video interviews will be published later this week.But first, enjoy RedHook as they count down the hours before Sunday's spectacular headlining Good Things 2022 finale.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

11 Dec 202213min

Frankenbok have been a mainstay on the Australian metal scene for 25 years now.From the outset Frankenbok were a band who went well and truly against the grain - or, for that matter, against EVERY musical convention put in place up to that point - ensuring they never quite fit in with the cool kids or current trends.Not that they would have it any other way.Since bursting onto the scene with Greetings And Salutations in 1999, Frankenbok have very much been a band for the underdog. Musically, socially and geographically.Their refusal to bow down and conform to musical hierarchy has seen them become more of an underground institution despite supporting heavyweights such as Slayer and System Of A Down. They have always done things their way and in their own time, along the way gathering a loyal army of supporters who have stayed with them through thick and thin.This weekend, to fully celebrate their quarter of a century in Australian metal, Frankenbok will host a party unlike any ever seen in this country.On Saturday, December 10, every major incarnation of Frankenbok - totalling five in all - will assemble to play songs from their part of Frankenbok history in one night at The Tote in Melbourne.It is an ambitious and brave venture that has already proved a success, with friendships mended, past ailments buried, and music the overall winner, despite not one live note being played in anger.Yet.It is a night made possible by the collective efforts of every past and present member of Frankenbok, with guitarist Aaron 'Azza' Butler the only member to have played in every line-up.Azza sat down with HEAVY for a frank and open discussion about the life of Frankenbok in a must listen for every fan of the band, or lover of music in general.We start with the very early days of Frankenbok, when Azza returned from the US in 1997 with a renewed musical vision."I basically moved over to Florida chasing the death metal dream," he began, "and I was lucky enough to land in the right circles where I was hearing people talking about Morbid Angel -which were my heroes at the time - and talking about them unlike we talk about them, as in blokes. One guy was talking about Pete Sandoval, the drummer from those days and he said "yeah, he still owes me fifty bucks" and I was blown away because these guys were heroes of mine. So I was very lucky to be taken in by the inner circle of all these people that were - before I moved over to America - they only existed in CD's and posters on my wall and next thing you know I'm having breakfast with some of these people and getting to know them personally. It's kind of a strange thing when once you get to know someone more personally you start to forget who they were to you once upon a time. You have to remind yourself. You start to get comfortable and give them a bit of shit (laughs) and then you go wait a minute... I was lucky enough to get taken in to the inner circle where I learnt a lot from all these guys in bands like Malevolent Creation and the Morbid Angel dudes and another band over there called Pain God, but these are all serious hard hitters in the death metal scene. All of these guys had done time with the big bands, and I got to know these dudes really well and I would often see them in between shows when they came down to Tampa Bay and they would be staying the night and rather than drink the night away and get fucked up one guy would say to the other guitarist 'let's do that thing' and they had all these side projects. Just with eight track recording gear and while they were in town they would work on these things with a drum machine and some primitive recording gear, and at the time I started playing in a band called Shrill, and they were a punk band, which I really enjoyed but I really, really wanted to play death metal stuff. Then I realised that if I got myself a drum machine and a basic four track the Hell with waiting around to find the right musicians, I could just start writing music straight away and not have to wait to find somebody who is a competent musician and part athlete to be able to play some of the drumming I wanted to do. So I did a couple of demos like that, which is what evolved into Frankenbok eventually."In the full interview, Azza goes through the early days in more detail, the formation of Frankenbok, their early sound and where it came from, the sonic leap between Greetings And Salutations and the EP Loopholes And Greatest Excuses, their cover of Don't Call Me Baby, playing that song live with Ladybeard in Japan, Hutchy's involvement with Frankenbok, the decision to go with Adam B Metal when Hutchy left, Dan McDougall's addition as frontman and what he brought to the band, the inherent sense of family within Frankenbok, Dan White taking over as frontman, the decision to bring McDougall back, Frankenbok's legacy and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

9 Dec 20221h 2min

Emerging Melbourne metalcore outfit, Ironstone, has recently released an EP titled The Place I Cannot Find.HEAVY had the pleasure of sitting down to talk to vocalist Dan and guitarist Ed, to chat about the band and this most recent release.The Place I Cannot Find is the band’s second EP and a testament to the growth this band has achieved in its short career thus far.The release is comprised of six tracks, all an infusion of heaviness, melody and catchy hooks, including two acclaimed singles Mr Struggle and Shiny Things.“Our writing process is quite indicative of the blend of genres of the band itself,” says Ed, “I am very influenced by extremely heavy, technical music; Meshuggah, Periphery, Tesseract - and Dan has a lot of pop influence, and you can really hear that in the music.”Ironstone felt the hardships of the pandemic like most bands did, with live shows grinding to a halt disrupting momentum. To further add to disappointment and frustrations, the members of Ironstone were also reaching legal age over the course of the lockdowns, something that Ed explains instilled a sense of urgency in their desire to succeed with their music.“The effects of Covid were relative, they were different for everyone, but for me it happened just after I turned 18 and so I felt like a really significant chunk of my life had just been totally erased and I’m never going to get that back,” Ed reflects. “I don’t think anything has made me more resolute about the pursuit of a music career.The boys both agreed that the pandemic also helped them write more mature and possibly darker songs this time around. While they are still proud of their debut release, Prophecy, living through two years of Covid lockdowns and wrestling with the mental challenges that accompanied this was poured into The Place I Cannot Find.Check out the interview with Dan and Ed to get the full scoop on the new EP and all things Ironstone.The Place I Cannot Find is out now.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

8 Dec 202228min

You Me At Six have wound up their follow up album to the hugely successful Suckapunch, with Truth Decay slated for release on January 27, 2023.Suckapunch saw You Me At Six experiment musically like never before, with the band going back to their roots somewhat for the incoming Truth Decay. So much so that the band sat down pre-production and outlined the path, direction and sound they wanted Truth Decay to follow before starting the writing process, with a unanimous decision to focus on the albums and period between 2010's Hold Me Down and 2014's Cavalier Youth being the focal point for proceedings.Frontman Josh Franceschi sat down with HEAVY to help paint the bigger picture. We start by asking how this period between finishing the album and waiting for it to come out feels."You've gotta put it to bed," he replied, "if not... because ultimately a song's never finished. There's always something you could do or convince yourself that you have to do rewrites or change aspects of the song. I think this period of time now is kind of... luckily for us, we've got that sweet Christmas period coming up where we can switch off if we like but traditionally the lead up to any album is quite frustrating. You wish you were one of those artists who could drop an album the next day. It's the build up and anticipation of hoping people feel the same way that you do about it and that it leaves an imprint on your fans that they stick around (laughs). That sort of vibe.As mentioned, Truth Decay follows a slightly different path sonically to Suckapunch, with Franceschi admitting the music has taken influence from You Me At Six's earlier material."I think at the start we were talking about... when we started the writing process we went on a couple of Air B'N'B writing trips and we were talking about what You Me At Six meant to us and I think the value of what kind of record we wanted to make, because Suckapunch was a great record - it had versatility and lots of different layers to it - but it was also a bit of a mix and match record. It wasn't one thing and it wasn't the other, it was spread across lots of different genres and sub genres, but with this I think we were really keen to focus in on one particular sound. So we started listening to our band, basically, and going through our back catalogue and identified what we thought our strengths were and we all unanimously agreed that we loved - and we still love being in the band generally - but we loved the period of time between Hold Me Down, Sinners Never Sleep and Cavalier Youth; the emo rock and pop punk stuff. And we thought how can we do this in 2022 without it feeling contrived and forced, and if it felt natural and sounded good then we were gonna run with it. We started writing a couple of tunes and it felt good, so it was like we have evolved enough that we can come back to this and we have something different to say. Something different to offer that particular route, if you like. The easy way to describe it would be retrospective You Me At Six, but in 2022."In the full interview, Josh talks more about going back to the band's roots, how they did that, the difficulties in going back to go forward musically, why they chose that era of music, what being in You Me At Six means to him, the collaborations on the album and why those musicians were chosen and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

8 Dec 202220min

Rock music doesn't get much rawer and honest than Nashville Pussy.Even their name invokes visions of decadence, but it is their live show that has seen Nashville Pussy endorsed publicly by none other than Lemmy Kilmister.Think a bunch of the coolest hillbilly's and hippies you have ever seen, throw some instruments in their hands and point them at the nearest amplifier, and you have a rough insight into the world inhabited by Kentucky's (least) favourite sons and daughters.Brought up on a diet of Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix, Nashville Pussy guitarist Ruyter Suys has been likened to a female Angus Young, and rightfully so. Her guitar playing is frenetic and infectious and when coupled with the vocal brilliance of singer (and Suys' husband) Blaine Cartwright, delivers a sonic output that almost dares you not to enjoy.With Nashville Pussy set to touch down in Australia for a run of shows next week, HEAVY caught up for an entertaining chat with Suys who seems excited to be coming back."It's Nashville Pussy," she replied when asked what we can expect from the shows, "so it's a classic Southern brand of debauchery and sweat and subtle sexuality and class (laughs). Just what you would expect from a Nashville Pussy show. Leave your best clothes behind because you will wind up sweaty and covered with whisky and hopefully with some new friend on your arm (laughs)."The last time Nashville Pussy were in Australia they packed out every show they played, such is the love for the band and their music in this country.Without being disrespectful, we ask Suys why Aussies gravitate to her band so much."I think our music is definitely spawned of the same shit that most Australian pub rock is," she offered. "It's like we are all cut from the same cloth. We all bow down to the same Gods (laughs)."In the full interview, Ruyter talks about the secret show they are playing, why they aren't coming to Brisbane, what you might get at the meet and greet, the early days of Nashville Pussy, going to the Grammy's and getting locked out, comparisons to Angus Young, proposing while on acid and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

2 Dec 202214min

Good Things Festival not only brings Australian music fans a feast of international talent for their annual December listening pleasure, but they also showcase the best in established and rising local talent as well.Not just with the bands named on the initial bill but also by way of a unique and unexpected finale to the line-up that involved local bands in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane facing off for one last spot in each city.It is a bittersweet situation. On the one hand, it pits mates against each other in a show of public popularity that reflects on the groundwork put in by bands on all levels, but on the other, it is a concept that has to be taken seriously by participating bands with such a prestigious and potentially career starting prize up for grabs.Brisbane winners Apate deservedly take their place on stage just after midday this Sunday, December 4, after emerging triumphant in last week's final.Now, with the competition stage of the journey now behind them, the Brisbane metal outfit can focus on the big stage, with vocalist Zakk Ludwig and guitarist Caleb Patch joining HEAVY to talk about their path to Good Things. We start by asking if they feel they are ready to rise to the challenge of mixing it with the big boys."We're ready brother, trust me," Ludwig said confidently. "We've been looking forward to it for a long time, so we're ready. We're hungry to play. We wanna play, so…""We're used to playing a lot of small rooms and stuff," Patch took over, "but I think our set has the energy to hopefully take a couple of people that haven't seen us and make them think 'oh, I'd love to come see that again'."Although the whole experience will be unlike anything some bands never get a chance to experience, even smaller things like stage sizing has to come into consideration. Bands at the local level are generally used to playing on smaller, indoor stages, so the shift to a massive outdoor expanse is something that can't be overlooked."We actually have experienced something similar to this before," Patch offered. "We won the chance to play a festival when we were first starting out as a band - it was called the Live It Up Festival - and Apate got the chance to open up the festival and In Hearts Wake played and Parkway Drive played. Violent Soho were there… it was a pretty cool experience. That was when we were really young, and we ended up playing to… 3000 kids showed up super early to watch us play which was mental. We did well then, and I think we've been touring quite heavily the last few years as a band with several months playing back to back shows, so I think we're definitely ready. We all play off each other quite well in that sense."In the full interview, the boys talk more about the heats in the lead-up to last week's final, the feeling amongst the other bands, who they are looking forward to sharing the stage with, tailoring set lists to suit crowds, Good Things' focus on Australian music, the deluxe release of their recent album RAGE, heading back into the studio, next year's tour with Dregg and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

1 Dec 202216min

The annual Chopped Festival in Carisbrook, Victoria, is on again this weekend, featuring the usual array of music, motorcycles and hot rods.To be held on December 2,3,4, Chopped promises another bumper year with all of the things you love about the festival and more.This year, for the first time, Chopped will play host to the Indoor Chopper Motorcycle Show which compliments the muscle car theme with drag races and a load of live music also returning.Amyl & The Sniffers headline the 20+ bands playing over the weekend, with C.O.F.F.I.N, Smoke Witch, Grindhouse and more all on display.HEAVY caught up with the main man, director Kyle Ford, to find out more."It's a pretty wild mix," he laughed. "It's good fun and nice the way it brings three groups together and get a few people that just have a little bit of interest in some of the other parts which expands their horizons a little bit. There's always something else happening that you haven't seen or heard of before. It's pretty good on that note."In the full interview, Kyle talks more about the activities over the three days, some of the bands playing, getting a good variety of music for people to listen to, the new additions to this years event, where to get tickets, camping availabilities, some of the highlights of the last 11 years and moreBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

1 Dec 20229min

Emerging Brisbane progressive rock/metal outfit Gladiolus have thought long and hard about introducing their music to the world.Earlier this year the band released Chrysalis, a more accessible take on the prog genre that showcased the more up-tempo style of the band, while for their second single The Wanderer - to be released on December 2 - Gladiolus selected a more stripped back and open side of their musical psyche.Both songs are strong representations of Gladiolus' musical DNA, acting as a gateway into their sonic universe that promises to continue with more plans laid out for the not too distant future.Vocalist/guitarist Dan Hendrex and bass player Anson sat down with HEAVY to talk more about The Wanderer which will be premiered via HEAVY at 2.30 AEDT on December 2."Compared to the first thing we put out, Chrysalis - which was mid this year - this is more of a calmer, stripped back thing," Hendrex explained. "I guess, the material we've been working on spans from very heavy stuff to very light stuff, and this is kind of the lighter side. It's also a bit more of a deeper cut. It's less accessible in a way; it's not traditional song structure, it's got a lot of messing around in it but it also flows nicely.""That's not to say that it does'nt have its hard hitting bits," Anson added. "A lot of thought and effort and time went into its composition and recording. It's been quite a journey getting to where we are now where we can actually show people our art and what we've spent so much time creating and really trying to curate to our target audience."In the full interview, the boys run us through The Wanderer in greater detail, the thought process behind releasing early singles to best represent the band, the history of Gladiolus, whether these two songs are stand alone tracks or part of a bigger picture, what that picture is, choosing to release an album as a first major release rather than an EP, building interest through music, music as an artform, future plans and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.

1 Dec 20229min