Interviews

Q1: Tell us about you. When did you become obsessed with music?

I’m a lifelong music fanatic who has been fortunate to turn my passion into a career. My obsession began when I was about seven years old, discovering my grandfather’s history owning a blues club here in Toronto called Grossman’s Tavern. That moment became the start of my journey to not just listen to music but to understand the scenes around music, the people that make music and work in the industry and champion artists.

Q2: What was the scene like when you were growing up?

When I was growing up, the music scene felt like a community, even before the internet connected us all. People would trade mixtapes, spend hours flipping through records at local shops, and religiously tune into the radio to discover the next big thing ( I think I still have cassettes I taped off the radio in the 1980s.) The concerts were plentiful in Toronto – Eric Clapton, The Cult, The Bee Gees, Culture Club, Depeche Mode, The Temptations all in the same week, and there was this sense that music could change the world—or at least your day.

Q3: What was the first, best, and worst concert you have been to aned why?

The first concert I ever attended was The Who, and it was like being hit with a wave of sound and energy I didn’t know existed. The best was Prince—his sheer talent and charisma made the room feel alive and it was about 3 weeks before he died. The worst was a local band where the sound system failed, and the group argued onstage. But even that was a learning experience about how much can go wrong in live music!

Q4: What trends in the music scene have you noticed changed in your time in the industry?

The biggest change has been how we consume music. From vinyl to CDs to streaming, each shift has made music more accessible. I’ve also noticed the rise of fan engagement through social media, which has created a more direct connection between artists and their listeners. But one thing remains the same: people crave authenticity.

Q5: What do you think of the current status of music? Is it still about the song, or more about an online presence?

It’s both. The song is still the heart and soul—without it, nothing else matters. But in today’s landscape, an online presence is crucial for reaching audiences. Great music will always find a way to shine, but a strong online strategy can amplify its impact.

Q6: Do you think music is trending in the right way?

I do. There’s so much creativity right now, from genre-blending to independent artists finding new ways to share their work. It’s not perfect—there’s still work to do in terms of fairness in streaming payouts—but I see a lot of innovation and a growing appreciation for diversity in music. It was always tough, the artists were always the last ones to get paid, but music streaming platforms make it accessible for anyone to find an audience, you wouldn’t have that 20 years ago.

Q7: What advice would you give to bands starting out now?

Focus on the craft. Write great songs, rehearse, and build your unique sound. At the same time, don’t ignore the power of social media—it’s your modern-day demo tape. Be patient, stay authentic, and understand that success takes time and persistence.

Q8: Were/Are you a Beatles or Stones fan? Okay to like both.

I love both, but if I had to choose, I lean toward The Beatles. Their ability to evolve and innovate over such a short period is unmatched – from Love Me Do to A Day In The Life in just 6 ytears. That said, The Stones’ energy and longevity are equally legendary—so, yes, it’s absolutely okay to like both!

Q9: Can you share a moment in your career that stands out as particularly rewarding?

There was a moment when an indie band I worked with hit #1 on the Billboard charts. Seeing their joy and knowing I played a small role in that success was incredibly rewarding. Moments like that remind me why I do what I do—it’s all about helping artists reach their potential.

Q10: What is the most memorable artist or project you have worked with and why?

Working with Ringo Starr was a career highlight. Not just because of his legacy, but because of his kindness and humor. It was a reminder that even icons are human and that treating people well goes a long way in this industry.

Q11: If you could create a dream concert lineup with any artists, living or dead, who would it include?

My dream lineup would include The Beatles, Prince, Nina Simone, David Bowie, Aretha Franklin, and Talk Talk. It would be a mix of unparalleled talent, showmanship, and soul—each artist bringing something unique to the stage.

Q12: How do you see AI influencing music creation and promotion in the future?

AI is already influencing music in incredible ways, from helping artists experiment with sound to analyzing trends for promotion. Almost 30% of the songs right now on the Billboard Hot 100 use some form of AI – from lyric writing to production and engineering, I think it will become a tool to assist rather than replace creativity. The key is to use it to enhance human artistry, not overshadow it.

Q13: Are there any upcoming artists you’re particularly excited about?

Absolutely! Artists Sam Fender, Wet Leg and Doechii are bringing something fresh and exciting to the table. They’re proof that the next generation of music is in good hands.

Q14: How has your role in the music industry evolved over the years?

I’ve gone from being a fan to a champion for artists, helping them navigate an ever-changing landscape. These days, I focus more on continuing to build relationships in the media for the artists and finding innovative ways to connect artists with their audiences.

Q15: Anything else you would like to say?

Keep listening, keep sharing, and keep supporting the artists you love.

https://www.instagram.com/thatericalper?igsh=MW9ndm9vNjVyd2xqYg==

Can you tell us a little history of the upsides. How did you meet and form?

My brother Matt (who is the lead singer and guitarist) and I have been playing together since I received my first drum set for Christmas in fourth grade. Matt DaSilva, our bassist, has been in different iterations of groups we’ve had over the years including a 90s covers band. Hopefully we’ve improved a little since those days. I met Hart (lead guitarist) in college although we never played in a band together there, we would just kind of jam together after a few drinks. I luckily ran back into him in Lower Manhattan after graduation and invited him to come to the next rehearsal my brother and I had lined up.

I am a big fan of your song “Jump In” can you tell me the meaning of this song?

Thank you! That one came about a few years ago and while all of our songs are collaborative, that’s a tune I had more of a hand in than others. Lyrically, it is really just about coming to a certain point in maturing as a person. Being more comfortable in your own skin and ‘jumping in’ if you will to who you actually want to be, rather than someone else’s idea of who you should be or what you should be doing with your life. It felt like a proper album opener particularly with the uptempo feel, sort of a “here we are” moment.

When you write, is it a band effort or does someone come to rehearsal with an idea or finished song?

For this first album, most of the songs were one person bringing forth an idea to the band that we would work together to fully form which was a great process. However, for the second album that we are beginning to work on we wanted to try to build songs from the ground-up as a unit in the rehearsal studio. We actually rented a cabin up in the Catskills in early July and had a really productive week forming ideas with that method. We’re really excited to finish out those songs that stemmed from a new writing process and it was invigorating to have a full blank canvas every day rather than quickly showing each other new ideas after a rehearsal in Brooklyn.

What is your career highlight?

It might be a toss-up between having our tune ‘Jump In’ played on either Pat Monahan’s (lead singer of Train) SiriusXM channel and also on WFUV 90.7 in New York City. We grew up covering Train in that aforementioned 90s covers band, and also grew up listening to WFUV which just had enough signal to make it to our hometown of Randolph, New Jersey. Shout out to Alisa Ali of WFUV who always supports local acts!

What is your favorite venue to play?

That would probably have to be Mercury Lounge right here in New York, where we had our album release show back in May. It’s an intimate vibe but always sounds great and has a great stage. You can almost feel the history of the bands who have played there over the years in the walls. And you can definitely see all the band stickers in the green room!

What does the next 6-12 months hold for you?

We’re going to be hard at work on album 2, hopefully finishing up demos for that by October and starting the recording process early next year. We’ll have a couple more shows in New York in New England to close out the year as well and then hopefully releasing more music as early as possible in 2025 and gigging in support of our second album!

What is your dream festival line up?

Speaking for myself, and keeping the list to a somewhat respectable number, I’ll go Cut Worms, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, Fontaines D.C., Arctic Monkeys, then Queens of the Stone Age.

If you could open for any band who would it be?

Funny you should ask, I just asked that question while we were killing time driving to a show in Philadelphia. I picked Spoon. I’ve seen them live a few times and they’re just a killer band who has been at it for awhile growing organically and are about as authentic as it gets in my opinion. Other picks I can remember were Alvvays and Fontaines D.C.

Who are your influences?

It’s definitely a mixed bag which is something I really appreciate. Honestly, and I’m not just saying this, the first Atlas Genius album was a big inspiration for Matt and I as we first started writing our own songs. And Hart even brought up how he was doing some “Atlas Genius guitar stuff” when we were up in The Catskills. We definitely first bonded over a love of The Strokes but have sought to differentiate our sound from them, as they’re an easy band to want to sound like particularly being from New York. I really love Australian bands like Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever and the feel of songs like ‘Jump In’ and ‘Grand Plans’ definitely comes from that influence. We all made pretty eclectic playlists of ten songs that were ‘mandatory’ listening ahead of the Catskills trip which was fun to see what ideas, even if it was just a quick drum pattern or chord progression, stemmed from that. Those playlists saw everything from Kevin Morby to The Chills (from New Zealand!) to Jonathan Richman to New Order.

If you were stuck on an island and could only take one record, what would it be?

‘Caravan’ by Van Morrison. I do have it on vinyl and it just instantly puts me in a good, nostalgic mood. Brings me back to sitting on the patio with my family growing up and is just timeless incredible music.

Fender or Gibson?

While I’m the drummer, I can definitively say Fender. Hart just got a new Fiesta Red Made in Japan Jaguar, so now we have just about every Fender option available other than a Mustang I believe. The Upsides arsenal includes a Stratocaster, Telecaster, Jazzmater, Jaguar, Precision Bass and Jazz Bass all from Fender. We’re open to a Fender sponsorship!

Any upcoming gigs you would like to promote?

Yes we have a big one on Saturday September 7th at Bowery Ballroom in New York! That will be in support of our friends Gooseberry and their album release, and another dear friend B. Miles will be on the bill as well. And then Saturday October 26th we’re going to make our debut up in Portland Maine which will be a blast.

Lastly, where can people find out more about you?

https://www.instagram.com/theupsides_?igsh=OTl2dHg4c3cxc2Fr

Tell us a little bit about Maisie? Members, how did you get together etc?

The beginnings of Maisie goes back around 6 years ago after I had started a deep dive into the psychedelic music realm (Think Pink Floyd, The Beatles, Tame Impala and early Psychedelic Pxrn Crumpets). Since the bands creation I’ve been the main driver of the project and because of that has seen a number of changes over the years, with the band still being inspired by psychedelia, blues and rock n roll but now we are very groove and energy focused taking huge influence from the funk and soul. These changes have been a result of the growth and development of my personal perspective and connection to the expression of music, performing and song writing over the years and as well shifts in members to really embody the same feelings and passion.

What are you short and long terms goals?

The short term focus right now is to finish our first full length LP and to be able to express and capture that in a cohesive manner. Along side the album our short term goals are to expand our audience and focus on breaking out of Adelaide and playing more interstate shows.

The Long Term goal is to be able to take our expression and passion that is within our performance and share that with the world and inspire as many people as possible, a big long term goal is international touring and playing festivals, taking our music to the US and to Europe!

What is your career highlight so far?

Honestly career highlight is just having people sing the lyrics to a song that we wrote back to us before we can even get to it. We’ve supported a band from the US (Earthless) and a few of our fave interstate bands but the moments of connection, mentioned above, is what we do it for.

Your song “Hot Juice” is my personal favourite of yours. What is the inspiration behind it?

Hot Juice is a funny one, the origins of this one came around the time I was going through a big Parliament/Funkadelic phase and so when some really stupid lyrics just slipped out telling the story of a raunchy 70s pool cleaner and a love affair with a car we just had to roll with it. Conceptually and Lyrically with the car theme I took great inspiration from my favourite Van Halen tracks, “Panama” and David Lee Roth’s use of cheeky car metaphors.

Have you got any new music coming out? Or are you still recording?

We are still in a bit of a recording phase for the majority of the album but we have just announced our next single, “Sugar for Dinner” is due for release on April 11. It’ll be the very first single that was written and performed by the current members of the band.

The whole band is super excited about this one, as it took us a long time to get the vision the way we wanted it, but personally I am incredibly eager to have it out in the world because I absolutely love and adore everyone in the band and it feels like we have made something special together and is the most cohesive piece of music I’ve ever been a part of.

Who are the greatest influences on you? Individually and as a band?

Individually I would say, as an artist and guitarist Jimi Hendrix is probably the biggest one, The Beatles, Khruangbin, Tame Impala and David Gilmour of Pink Floyd and Marvin Gaye are big in there too all of those artist never stopped exploring, growing and trying new things which to me is the most important part of life let alone music.

As a performer I am greatly influenced by Michael Hutchence of INXS the way he could charm and take control of a crowd is something I admire and think is one of the rarest things and another big mention is David Byrne from the Talking Heads and I think that can speak for itself.

As a band theres a huge mix bag of influences similar to the likes of Funkadelic, Yussef Dayes, Santana, Led Zeppelin, Creed and the Doors.

What are your opinions of the Adelaide music scene?

I think the Adelaide music scene is super fun and diverse, I’ve seen some extraordinary bands over the years, I honestly don’t think it gets the recognition it deserves both within and outside of South Australia, I feel bigger Aussie music media outlets don’t give enough credit to the raw, exciting sounds that are coming out of Adelaide. A few of my fave Adelaide artists include the Empty Threats, Coldwave, Sons Of Zoku and The Hazys.

Favourite Adelaide venue to play?

At the moment it’s probably the Cranker, just feels like home, it’s sweaty, it’s crowded.

If you could invite 4 musicians to dinner dead or alive) who would you invite?

I swear my answer changes every time but I always have Jeff Buckley on there alongside Jimi Hendrix, Marvin Gaye and Jack White. I feel as through there would plenty of good convos w those guys.

Any gigs coming up you want to promote?

We’re Playing March 16 on the Gov main stage which is a great, iconic room and the big one is our “sugar for Dinner” single launch on April 20 at the Queens theatre which we have a few surprised in store!!

Gibson or Fender? What gear do you play?

I’m definitely more of a Fender man, guitar wise I mainly switch between my Fender US strat or my Rickenbacker.

If you were given the chance to support one artist in the world, who would you pick?

Right now, it’d be Tame Impala, one of my biggest inspirations over the years. but I’ve also heard that George Clinton and the Parliament-Funkadelic are touring at the moment, I wouldn’t say no to that!

Dream festival line up?

It’d have to be something like Coachella haha

If you were stuck on a deserted island with only one record, what would it be?

Probably The Universe Smile Upon You by Khruangbin

Where can people find out more about you?

via our socials - we’re most active on instagram

and you can find links to our music and upcoming shows here (including our Sugar for Dinner Launch show on Saturday April 20): https://linktr.ee/maisieband_

Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get into music?

First got into music in the Rock quest at school. I never really had a spot in the band and only had been playing guitar a few years but there Singer got sick and my mate knew I could sing a bit so I wrote 2 songs to there music in a week and we performed and did well. That was my first taste of playing in front of a large crowd at 16. Mostly after that what kept me in music was that it was a great outlet for me to write about my troubles and play it out loud to get any pain out of my system and out in the open.

Who are your inspirations?

Ben Harper , Jim Croce, Chris Stapleton for their writing and GnR and plenty of bands of that era for their classic hits I still enjoy today.

What are your short and long term goals? Short term is another song or 2 released next year and commercial airplay. Long term - Top 10 Rock 2000, music Award, Headline Festival, Make enough from touring and shows to support family financially.

What is your career highlight so far?

Playing in front of 50k people for opening of the Bledisloe Cup. And getting my first song on commercial radio ( The Rock) last year. Also getting a signed record deal in Nashville which unfortunaly came to an end because of COVID.

Have you got any music In the works and ready to release?

Yes I have 2 Songs almost finished. One Rock Pop Country track I'm doing with Rodney Fisher from Goodshirt and another heavy rock track I'm doing with producer Dave Rhodes and JP Carroll.

If you could invite 4 musicians to dinner(dead or alive) who would they be? Wow that's hard. Ben Harper, axle rose, Chris Cornell, Tom Petty

Any gigs coming up you want to promote? I will be a headliner in the Tussock country music festival next year and a tour next year is on the cards.

Gibson or Fender? Fender but I mostly play acoustic so I prefer Maton Guitars.

Beatles or Stones?

Beatles but that's to hard to choose I would probably say stones if you asked tomorrow

If you could support any artist In the world, who would it be? Would be cool to play with FooFighters or Chris Stapleton

If you were stuck on a desert island with only one record, what would it be?

I would probably go for something totally different like lazy Sunday vibes otherwise think I would lose my mind

Finally, where can people find more about you? Socials?

What are you short and long terms goals?- Our short term goals as a band is quite honestly securing our signature sound and really just releasing as much music as we possibly can. In terms of long terms goals we would love to travel, whether that's national or international is still to decide but having a strong fanbase in places all over Australia and the world is a huge dream!

How was it dealing with the Covid Pandemic? Is everything back to normal?- We were never too affected by COVID given being in WA and starting the band and playing gigs after covid so all in all we were fairly unaffected but regardless, all is back to normal now.

What is your career highlight so far?- It's hard to choose just one but there are two shows that come to mind when we think about career highlights. First off was playing our debut single launch, the energy and sheer amount of people at that show was unbelievable and nothing beats the feeling of having a crowd singing words to songs you have written straight back at you. Another one was opening for one of our favourite bands of all time, pacific avenue. These guys have been huge influences since before we even started the band and the opportunity to warm the stage for them was an experience we will always be grateful for.

Your new song “Cold Hands ” is my favourite of all your music releases. I can’t stop listening to it. What is it about and how did you come up with?- Cold hands is symbolic of an idealistic sort of relationship dream orientated around the chasing the sun lifestyle which a couple once had, this relationship comes to an end with leaves each of them with cold hands and keep them dreaming to live that lifestyle once again. We came up with this song as we always do with songs that stick in our setlist, our guitarist harry will usually bring a set of chords and for all the successful songs, it will always just flow so naturally and we will always feel what direction the song is heading in. That's really the beauty of the relationship and friendship we have within the band where we can always collaborate to make something we are very happy with and this was really evident with cold hands.

Have you got any new music coming out?, Or are you still recording? We are currently recording with the absolute wizard Mitch Santiago. Mitch is a young gun just like us who has been releasing his own music and playing live for years, we were somewhat of a test dummy for him trying out recording and seeing what he could do and we were absolutely astonished with the end product which was cold hands. We are currently recording lots more music with mitch and hoping to release towards the end of this year and start of 2024.

Who are the greatest influences on you? Individually and as a band? Personally, as a drummer my favourite artists include Daniel Caesar, Anderson Paak, Jorja smith and Stormzy. Some of our influences as a band include Spacey Jane, ocean alley, south summit and many more Australian bands.

If you could invite 4 musicians to dinner dead or alive) who would you invite?- Bruno Mars, Jeff Buckley, Kendrick Lamar, Jacob collier ( Probably the toughest question on this interview i have been sitting thinking about this for an HOUR)

Any gigs coming up you want to promote? We have our very own acoustic single launch on Saturday 16th of September launching the acoustic version of our song cold hands!

Gibson or Fender? What gear do you play?- Fender

If you were given the chance to support one artist in the world, who would you pick? Coldplay (Pick us for the WA support slot guys please we love you)

If you were stuck on a deserted island with only one record, what would it be?- NEVER ENOUGH- Daniel Caesar (This album has NO skips)

Where can people find more about you? Socials?- Instagram is our main source of socials and we are regularly posting on there!!!

https://instagram.com/heysohungryband?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Tell us a little bit about Ten12? Members, how did you get together etc?

-We’re a 4 piece alternative rock band that started in 2018 out of Aspley state highschool in north brisbane. Our school talent show was approaching at the time and our school music teacher suggested to a few members to put a band together. We got along almost instantly and found that we all shared a love for a similar music which for me personally meant a lot. Much to our neighbours delight, we managed to organise a few rehearsals at Luke (drums) house, and eventually played at the talent show. We’ve never looked back since.

What are your short and long terms goals?

-We’ve always had goals. In the beginning we wrote down a list of goals and although for a group of naive and stary eyed teenagers some things listed may have been “play a stadium tour”, there were still more shorter term realistic goals like “sell out 50 person capacity venue” we still strived to learn and develop ourselves to complete the goals. A current Short term goal is to sell out a venue ideally equal or larger than 120 people capacity, another is to gain radio play on triple J/ unearthed. And a long term goal is to have to opportunity to be on a festival line up. playing to as many people as possible along side the bands we look up to

How was it dealing with the Covid Pandemic? Is everything back to normal?

-being a band during covid was kind of like when a sporting team travels away to focus on training. The world was in lock down and there were no gigs. It gave us the opportunity to write music with no distractions or having to rehearse specifically for gigs. We tried our best to use that time productively and would write and demo as many songs as we felt made the cut. Gigs slowly made their way back in and we were able to snatch up good slot times and days (a Friday or Saturday) without much drama. Although our audience were forced to wear masks and sit still in seats during a rock show, we made the most of it! Fast forward to today and gigs are back to normal crowds and require to be booked 3-4 months in advance!

What is your career highlight so far?

-This one’s hard to pick but I think it would have to be placing number #50 in the 4zzz Hottest one hundred last year (2022) for the single “Burden”. This song’s currently proving to be our most streamed song and we’re proud of it!

Your new song “Whiskey in a Smokey room ” is my favourite of all your music releases. I can’t stop listening to it. What is it about and how did you come up with?

-For this particular song I remember having the title down before the song! We liked the picture that “whiskey in a smoky room” painted by simply saying that line. The song came later. From memory We had the music written for a while before the lyrics or melody. I came up with the riff and the chords to the song and presented it to the band. From there we arranged it together and awaited lyrics. While we waited we jammed it for a while as an instrumental where we found a jam based direction to end the song. Luke (drums) worked with Liam (vocals) and eventually wrote the lyrics to the song to complete what would become our favourite single.

I asked liam to describe what the song means to him. Liam - “Whiskey in a Smoky room pushes the essence of mortality, deity’s and nights out playing music where the day break never comes nor it ever leave. When writing for the song I wanted to take a different direction than I usually would and took a lot of inspiration and had a large focus on where the instrumentation took me instead of what it made me feel”

Have you got any new music coming out? Or are you still recording?

We have new music coming out very soon!

1st of July will see the release of our 2nd EP “the singularity”, which you can now pre-save! The pre-save link is in our bio on our Instagram! As for new recordings, we are always working on new music and aren’t shy to throw down some tracks..

Who are the greatest influences on you? Individually and as a band?

-Individually we have a a range of different influences. Ethan (bass) is a huge beetles fan, Liam (vocals) loves grunge, predominantly pearl jam. Luke (drums) draws influence largely from Led Zeppelin, and I (Jack, guitar) look up to mostly David Gilmore, and Angus Young for guitar techniques.

As a whole we’ve gone through stages of bonding over similar or the bands. This greatly influences our songwriting. These bands include the likes of AC/DC, Oasis, Led Zeppelin, Nirvana, and then on to more local bands like Ball Park Music.

If you could invite 4 musicians to dinner dead or alive) who would you invite?

I feel like with an opportunity like this I’d want the dinner to have some outgoing souls to keep it exciting mixed with some unmatched talent and knowledge for learning purposes. Straight away the people that come to mind would be:

Paul McCartney

Freddy Mercury

Jimmy Page

Bob Dylan

Any gigs coming up you want to promote?

-We actually have a huge show coming up on the 9th of July for our EP release at Black Bear a lodge in fortitude Valley, Brisbane. Joining us on the night will be our friends New Living, and Lazy Guns. We’re really looking forward to this one! It’s gearing up to be some kinda night!

Gibson or Fender? What gear do you play?

-This one’s a bit tricky. This is a good time to give a shout out to my dad (Jack’s Dad, Graham) who took up the art of being a luthier as a pass time. He’s made mostly of my guitars as well as Amps. He likes to keep nothing but a wooden finish on all of his gear.

My favourite and most used guitar is the body and headstock of a Gibson SG, with a fender Strat bridge, and fender scale length for the neck. I’ve never felt anything like it so I use it as much as I can. For amps, he’s made 2, along with several different size cabs. The best way I can describe the first and most used amp is simply referring it to a Vox AC15. However, everything he makes has its own unique sound and is hard to compare to professionally made gear. I’m a big believer in this unique sound is a big part of the TEN12 sound.

If you were given the chance to support one artist in the world, who would you pick?

-There are so many options here! However I feel like if I didn’t choose this band I’d regret it forever. It would have to be Paul McCartney’s Wings. But I’d like to give an honourable mention to Bruce Springsteen and the E street Band.

If you were stuck on a deserted island with only one record, what would it be?

-That's a tough one. I think we’d all have a different answer to this question, but if I had to pick one it would have to be Dark side of the moon by Pink Floyd. I think the variation in the album is enough to keep you going for a bit. And the music is just whacky enough to match the state of your mind which would eventually probably go insane.

Where can people find out more about you?

-you can find us on all platforms! But make sure to check out our official website which I’ll attach below! From there you can sign up to our emailing list and receive monthly updates on what’s to come!

Tell us a little bit about Feed the Fire? Members, how did you get together etc?

We are a powerhouse trio playing our own brand of guitar driven rock music!!

We formed after another band we were all in was no longer really scratching our musical itch so to speak.

Whilst there was never any guarantee that us three would all end up in a band together again, the stars aligned and the rest is history.

What are you short and long terms goals?

For us I think that they are one and the same. To be continually getting better at our craft and writing the music we enjoy and getting it

out to as many people as possible be it via live shows or on line.

How was it dealing with the Covid Pandemic? Is everything back to normal?

We stayed as busy as we could. Our drummer built our studio. We continued to write and release more music and as soon as we could

we were out there playing live even though it was quite restricted and a bit strange for us to be playing to seated audiences, we definitely didn't lose any drive or love of doing what we do.

What is your career highlight so far?

We’ve been lucky enough to play alongside some pretty big Aussie bands that we look up to and have been on a few big festival stages as well.

Playing third headline at 'Caltowie Chilled Out and Fired up Festival' is definitely up there with some of the most fun we've had!

Your song “Haunted House” is my favourite of all your music releases. I listen to it a lot. What is it about and how did you come up with?

That was the first single off of our debut LP 'Maybe You Need This!?'

One of the main riffs in that song is one that had appeared in different guises in different songs over the years and finally found its home in Haunted House.

I don't really like to delve too much into what a song is about for fear of taking away from what it might mean to a listener. Suffice it to say, it was written whilst going through some dark times and heartache, much like the entire album its from.

Have you got any new music coming out? Or are you still recording?

We most certainly do and we most certainly are! We have one track that we recorded at the same time as our

last two singles 'SHAKE' and 'POLITICS' that will likely be our next release and it won't be too far off. We are currently writing for our second album.

Who are the greatest influences on you? Individually and as a band?

There are a whole lot and they are ever changing.

Individually:

Dan - Vocally it was always Chris Cornell and Axl Rose. For guitar if we go all the way back it was Billie Joe Armstrong, Darren Malakian, Chris Cheney, and Slash. But in more recent times its guys like Joe Bonamassa, Garry Morre and Marcus King.

Paul - Pantera, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath

Keeny - Black Sabbath

You'll find most of those mentioned in some part shaping the band and the songs we write.

If you could invite 4 musicians to dinner dead or alive) who would you invite?

Dan - Joe Bonamassa

Paul - Chris Cornell

Keeny - A couple of muso mates to round out the four

Any gigs coming up you want to promote?

ENIGMA BAR on July first with SISTERS DOLL!!!

If you were given the chance to support one artist in the world, who would you pick?

Dan - BIFFY CLYRO

Paul - STONE SOUR

Keeny - Any band that wants to take us the road and look after us so we can all have a good time bringing rock n roll to

the masses!!

If you were stuck on a deserted island with only one record, what would it be?

Dan - Bringing Down The Horse by The Wallflowers

Paul - Themata by Karnivool

Keeny - Thirteenth Step by A Perfect Circle

Where can people find out more about you?

Stopping short of giving out our home addresses you can find out all the goss on Feed The Fire via all the usual suspects.

https://instagram.com/feedthefireofficial?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Tell us a little bit about Gone Fishin’? Members, how did you get together etc?

Gone fishin’ came about I think mostly through mutual friends. We didn’t all know each other super well but Joey Skewes our guitarist knew that we were all into the same sort of stuff. We started jamming on some originals straight away and got really close pretty quickly.

Bass and trumpet - Mitch Davoren

Electric guitar - Austin Bellany

Guitar - Joey Skewes

Drums and backing vocals - Lachlan Coe

Lead vocals and synth - Anna Skewes

What are you short and long terms goals?

In terms of this year we would love to have a show in a city, maybe Canberra or Melbourne would be amazing. We’d also love to have an EP out before the end of the year

Some long term goals we’re aiming for include some bigger headlining shows and mostly just growing our following as much as possible. A tour is something we all dream of, it’d be incredible to play overseas and grow our monthly listeners to the thousands.

How was it dealing with the Covid Pandemic? Is everything back to normal?

We managed to form just after things started to settle down in terms of COVID (start of 2022). We haven’t really struggled in that area of things which we are very grateful for.

What is your career highlight so far?

Definitely the release of our single ‘Dive In’. It was possibly a year in the making, just with things going wrong with recording and sending it off. Thankfully Austin did amazing engineering and managed to get it across to Caleb Skewes who did an incredible job for us on the production. We’ve been so happy that so many people have been enjoying it.

Your song “ Dive in” is beautiful. I listen to it a lot. What is it about and how did you come up with?

The song sort of speaks to a girl who has rushed into a bunch of different relationships and has been constantly hurt over very small and short romances. And something that we’ve seen through school in particular is that potential friendships are often ruined by this unnecessary pain, and people feel like they have to avoid each other. Hence the line ‘no need to try and hide from your boyfriend’. I think overall we are trying to encourage younger people to slow down and think about who they chose to become romantic with to avoid pain and heartbreak.

Have you got any new music coming out? Or are you still recording?

We’re currently in the decision phase where we love all our songs and can’t choose which ones to release. We’re hoping to get in contact with some professional producers and studios to get at least a couple more songs going. Our good friend Josh Barr has been a huge help in linking us up with some big names.

Who are the greatest influences on you? Individually and as a band?

Joey Skewes - Alvvays

Mitch Davoren - Coldplay

Lachlan Coe - Spacey Jane

Austin Bellany - Snarky Puppy

Anna Skewes - The 1975

As a band I think someone we all take influence from would be The Strokes. Especially there debut album ‘Is This it’. We’ve written a few tunes that take from the choppy and tight movement particularly in the guitar and bass lines.

If you could invite 4 musicians to dinner dead or alive) who would you invite?

It’d have to be Paul McCartney, Lauren Hill, Phil Collins, and Chris Martin

Any gigs coming up you want to promote?

We’ll be playing at the Jungle Duke in Wagga Wagga along side The Radicals and Social Afterparty on the 17th of June! Starting at 8pm

And again in Wagga at the Festival of W on the 1st of July which will be awesome:)

If you were given the chance to support one artist in the world, who would you pick?

We’d all agree on Gang of Youths for sure. A few of us saw them live with Greta Ray opening who did such a great job, it’d be a dream to be up there with them

If you were stuck on a deserted island with only one record, what would it be?

We think something pretty influential, like

In Rainbows by Radiohead, incredible album

Where can people find out more about you?

Check out our Insta and Facebook for more info

https://instagram.com/gone_fishinofficial?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

Q) Tell us a little bit about Thoma and the Humbugs? Members etc

A) Thoma and The Humbugs originally started when I (Thoma) returned to Adelaide to study at the Elder Conservatorium (Bachelor of Classical Composition) in 2019. The original members were all fellow students who helped bring to life the music that I had written since my previous album Thoma Henbest - An Invincible Summer. https://open.spotify.com/album/1bD0tQ9iVeLI1x8c7r038V?si=0gq4azE8T0CdKPk-iKp5Dw

The Humbugs are now most commonly;

Thoma Henbest - Lead Vocals and keys

Reggie Parker - Saxophone

Kyron Weetra - Backing Vocals and Bass

Barnabas Bossisto - Guitar

Zed Crawford - Drums

Esmond Choi (originally the moog synth bass player) has become an occasional bonus add on

Q) What are your short and long term goals?

A) Short term - Spread the good word, "The Humbugs exist, they sound groovy and they are a super fun live act to go see!"

Long term - Successfully achieve said short term goal?

Q) How was it dealing with the Covid Pandemic? Everything back to normal?

A) Well, I'm not going to lie, Covid kind of stole my dreams away... But, we turned it into a song at least! https://open.spotify.com/track/5LCyGM9YhKobiP9RMVAL7L?si=qh0HjO7ESvGHiX1DOxU7tQ

Is everything back to normal? I'd say probably not? People have learnt that staying at home is something to be encouraged and I think although the mainstreamers might be doing fine, the underground and niche scenes are struggling with crowd rehabilitation...

Q) What is your career highlight so far?

A) 2021 grand finalists in The District's battle of the bands was pretty good, so I guess the semi final verdict was probably the most thrilling moment of our career.

But we're also a far better band now, so shows like Hindley Street music hall for skullduggery or our Nexus Arts Fringe show would be up there too.

Q) Your music reminds me of bands like Jamiroquai and a little bit Earth Wind and Fire. Who are your main influences?

A) Bless you kind sir, as well as those guys, I'd include The Davids - Byrne and Bowie. Also, I don't do much without thinking, WWTMD (what would Tom Waits do).

Q) What is your writing process? Do you come in with songs already written, or is it normally a jam session?

A) Generally speaking, although nothing is ever normalised, I'll bring some scrunched up piece of fabric to the table, and the fellas, each with their own flavour, will help me sew and iron things out into the beautiful sonic garments that are The Humbugs tunes.

Q) With new venues like The Hindley Street Music Hall opening up, what do you think of the Adelaide music scene?

A) Haha, Well... Although I fear further ostracism, I will say; I think there are a PLETHORA of incredible bands in the Adelaide scene!

... And then there's a handful of gatekeepers whose interests don't necessarily lie within innovation, creativity and cultural development.

Q) Any gigs or new music coming that you would like to promote?

A) I'm currently in Europe for the next month, but I'm constantly writing and keen to play upon my return!

The only thing booked at this stage is going to be the proverbial tits though! Wednesday 19th of July at the cranker with my favourite Adelaide band Big Sloe!

Q) What Adelaide bands should we look out for?

A) BIG SLOE, I think they are sometimes up to 12 on stage? Which proves they really play for the love of music and not for financial gain.

I wouldn't think twice if I passed Harry Styles in the street, but I blush just thinking of the last time I saw those guys play!

Q) Apart from you guys of course, what would be your dream festival line up?

A) If we're dreaming... The Humbugs are playing just after sunset on a warm summer evening.

Before us, in a nice shaded spot, were some groove gods like Nicholas Jaar, Bonobo, the whole Kuti family - who have created a supergroup to make the people dance! Then, we play (and for some reason it's not totally underwhelming in comparison and everyone loves it and has a great time). After that there's a brief intermission where we all get to hang out together, followed by a long night of dancing to Groove Armada, Manu Chao, some spicy techno swing of some description and then, they bring out sleeping bags, there's no mosquitos, lots of space, the ground is surprisingly not muddy and we all fall asleep listening to Ludovico Einaudi and Yann Tiersen taking it in turns playing the Piano with a backing string section. In the morning, a mariachi band wake us up and there's breakfast for everyone!

Q) If you could invite 4 musicians to dinner (dead or alive) who would you invite?

A) Tom Wait, David Bowie, David Byrne and Nina Simone

Q) If you were given the chance to support one artist in the world, who would you pick?

A) Less of a dream, more of a - I think we'd be a great support act for them - Amyle and the Sniffers!

Q) If you were stuck on a deserted island with only one record, what would it be?

A) Blue Valentine by Tom Waits was my immediate thought, but maybe something less abrasive and instrumental like Solo Piano II by Chilly Gonzales?

Q) Where can people find out more about you?

Tell us a little bit about Fuselage? Members etc

I first met Toby in the UK in 2004 and got talking about music and playing in bands. We resolved to catch up when we were in the same hemisphere at some far of distant point in the future. Once I moved to Adelaide in 2012 we started jamming in his shed - that’s how all good bands start right?

Before long we had some good tunes and wanted to work on them with a full band. It took us a while and we had a few false starts along the way, but through some connections we got in touch with Marcus who was into what we were doing and thus we had found a drummer. We spent the next 18 months or so writing some decent songs (and some not so good ones) and managed to score our first gig. Not long after Wozza joined to make us a four piece and we’ve been going ever since.

Our line up is:

Rob Penny – Guitar & Vocals

Toby T-Bone Roberts – Bass

Marcus Langman – Drums

Wozza – Guitar & Vocals.

What are you short and long terms goals?

In the short term we want to keep writing new songs and perfecting our sound whilst playing shows around Adelaide and getting known as a band that’s worth seeing. Playing live is what we’re all about and It’s a huge buzz watching people get out of their seats to come and dance to music that we’ve made.

Longer term we want to get more stuff recorded, we released our first EP in January 23 and the reception has been great. We got a whole bunch of songs that need recording so to get them out there has got to be the goal. Playing some festivals and interstate shows would be also super cool.

How was it dealing with the Covid Pandemic? Is everything back to normal?

It was tough for sure. We played our first gig about 6 weeks before the first reports of COVID began hitting the news screens which led to a handful of shows getting cancelled. Once we could venture out the house we started rehearsing and that’s when Wozza came onboard. There weren’t any shows around so we concentrated on playing as a four piece and writing. Once gigs were allowed we managed to secure a few slots around the place. It was a weird experience playing in front of an audience that had to sit and couldn’t dance or sing.

It seems to be back to normal these days and COVID is a memory in the back of everyone’s mind I guess.

What is your career highlight so far?

We’re all very proud of our Blacksun EP.

Your music reminds me of good 70’s rock like sabbath. Who are your influences?

That’s not the first time someone’s mentioned the 70’s rock vibe which makes sense to all of us as we’re no spring chickens and have been listening to a lot of that stuff for a long time and yes, Ive lost many hours to Sabbath although not for a long time. Maybe They’ve subliminally found their way into my writing process!

One of the things we love about writing music is that we all bring something unique to the songwrting process and hear things slightly differently. Personally I’m a huge 70’s fan, meaning that I love Glam, Disco, Punk, New Wave, and early electronic music and as I do the initial writing for the band it stands to reason that there’s a 70’s base for our music.

To name a few I would say (off the top of my head), The Clash, Roxy Music, Elvis Costello, Fleetwood Mac, The Cure, Tom Petty, David Bowie, Echo & The Bunnymen, New Order, the list could go on for days.....

The other lads will no doubt offer up some other suggestions.

With new venues like The Hindley Street Music Hall opening up, what do you think of the Adelaide music scene?

It certainly seems to be alive and kicking that’s for sure. It may be my memory but I don’t recall there being as many bands to see on a weekend immediately prior to the pandemic. Myself and Toby went out a few weeks ago to see who was out and about and caught some great shows at different venues and a lot people having have a great time listening to them.

Incidentally we played with a band from Albury a few months ago who said that Adelaide’s scene seemed a lot more vibrant than Melbourne’s....Just saying.....

Who are the most successful Adelaide bands in the last 2 decades

That’s a tough one as I haven’t been here for the last two decades to judge however, for me it would have to be Hilltop Hoods – my family love them and I have come to love them also due to the number of times they get played around the house, and Cold Chisel. The number of people I know who seem to have a religious experience every time the name is mentioned is impressive.

What Adelaide bands should we look out for?

Well there’s us of course s and I really like a band called The Dainty Morsels.

If you could invite 4 musicians to dinner dead or alive) who would you invite?

Firstly it would have to be Joe Strummer – one of my all time heroes. 2023 needs Joe Strummer and he should be here right now sorting things out from a stage. Secondly it would be David Bowie. The world lost a lot of it’s mystery the day he died. Thirdly I should probably choose someone still living to balance thing up a bit so I’ll pick Elvis Costello as Ive been listening to his stuff for as long as I can remember and he keeps putting out great and varied albums. Finally it would have to be Johnny Marr as he’s my Guitar Guru and I’d want to learn all I could from him. A real nice bloke too.

If you were given the chance to support one artist in the world, who would you pick?

I guess I should pick someone active as they may read this and get us onboard so I’ll pick The War On Drugs. Love their albums and Adam Granduciel is a genius.

If you were stuck on a deserted island with only one record, what would it be?

That’s an impossible question to answer as I have so many I’d want to take. I’m guessing that taking a box-set is out of the question so I’ll pick my current favourite which is Tom Petty’s Live at the Filmore. Its a triple album and will keep me going for a while. Hearing the audience’s cheers and chatter amoungst songs would make me feel like there people on the island with me.

Where can people find out more about you?

https://twitter.com/bandfuselage?s=21&t=s5VFwt0bhjJwXHMHuAKF8A

Tell us a little bit about yourself?

I'm Stu Daniels from the Adelaide foothills. I have young children, a wife, a dog, chickens... it's crazy busy! I work a 9-5 job and pretty much play music in all the spare time!

What got you into the music industry?

For as long as I can remember I’ve always been drawn to music and its always been an outlet for me. As a famous author once said 'Where words fail, music speaks". This quote really resonates with me as writing my own music helps me to say the things that I need to say, and it also helps get a lot off of my mind. So it really is quite therapeutic for me!

Apart from that I guess music always has been in the family... fun-fact: My great-great grandfather actually composed the music for the coronation of King George V! Also, my dad and grandfather played in live bands which exposed me to live performances at an early age.

What are you short and long terms goals?

Firstly, to head back into the studio to finish recording some solo work, ready to be put out into the world, it won't be too far away.

I played in Tamworth this year at TCMF23, it's inspired and helped me realise that alternative country genre is where my music belongs as it really connected with me and where I am at with my song writing. Since I’ve been back home I've been writing with a folk/blues country inspired sound and it just feels right.

Long term... I'll release the tracks and EP I've been working on, hopefully connect with others and increase my fan base on socials and more live performances.

How was it dealing with the Covid Pandemic? Is everything back to normal?

It was chaotic at home, with everyone locked in...

But it gave me a chance to write more, experiment with my sound. But of course all venues shut up, so I really felt it, not being out there performing. I love playing, connecting with people who like what I'm doing, I really missed that.

It's been slow to get back in, but it's definitely picking up

You have a gig at Pirate life on April 16. What can we expect to see from you on this day?

40 minutes of my heart and soul!

I've got some real emotive songs in the set, and some foot tapping numbers, I'll throw a love song in there and maybe even a new one!

What is your career highlight so far.

Definitely supporting the legendary band, The Animals is a highlight for me personally. Being able to play before such talented and highly held artists and also chatting to them about their successes gave me so much inspiration. The audience were awesome, and it felt like such a good moment in time, I don’t think I will ever forget that feeling.

Your new single “enemies” is great. Can you tell us a little bit about this song?

I wrote this song during Covid actually. When everything was shut and there were restrictions on what we could do, it really got me down for a bit. Not knowing a way out, I took to the guitar. The lyrics really unravel what was going on in my mind, the spiral into the dark. Every mistake that you do and things you say, some people don't let it go and I guess the hardest critic is yourself sometimes. While this emotive song is quite sombre and confronting, it's is also about rising above the haters, the demons in your own head and feeling ok with where you're at.

With new venues like The Hindley Street Music Hall opening up, what do you think of the Adelaide music scene?

There are a lot of venues who have shut due to the Pandemic. The new venues that are opening are great for Adelaide, we all want to get out there again. They are definitely booking out quickly as so many artists, local and interstate want the opportunity to play again. It seems like a fresh bunch of really cool and good new music is starting to come through, but it was also sad to see a few bands fall away and not return.

Who are the most successful Adelaide bands in the last 2 decades

Probably the first ones that spring to mind are Bad Dreems and West Thebarton

What Adelaide bands should we look out for?

Corda Negra blew me away with their amazingly good acoustic folk.

The first muso I met in Tamworth was Scott Rathman Jnr who by chance is also from Adelaide – I think he is looking at recording by all accounts.

And of course, my other music project – Already Gone – which diverges more towards Indie Rock.

If you could invite 4 musicians to dinner dead or alive) who would you invite?

Probably John Bonham, Paul McCartney, Jimi Hendrix and Freddie Mecury and hope for a post dinner jam session!

If you were given the chance to support one artist in the world, who would you pick?

Don McLean as he is a great storyteller through song and also American Pie is one of my all-time favourite songs.

If you were stuck on a deserted island with only one record, what would it be?

I’m bad at these sort of questions as I’m always changing what my favourite record is! So perhaps a best of album by the Beatles or Creedence Clearwater Revival as there are a lot of great songs covered (although this is probably cheating!)

Where can people find out more about you?

Socials: Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, YouTube, and of course come see me play and my next gig!

Can you tell us a little history about The Wired Serenity? Members etc?

The Wired Serenity (TWS) formed when a group of passionate music students, from the special interest music program at Playford International College, got together to create original music. They had their first gig at Broadcast Bar on 23rd Dec 2021 playing a mix of covers and originals, unbelievably back then one original was still having the lyrics generated the day before that event. The band has learnt a lot since those early days and recent restructuring with a new singer joining the band has cemented the decision to produce and perform high quality music.

The band now consists of Dylan on the drums, Toby on lead guitar, Bernard on Bass and Winifred (Fred) on vocals. There is also a rhythm guitarist that has been dabbling with TWS at rehearsals and there might be an announcement about that soon. TWS are so excited about the direction the band is taking.

They will have their debut their new singer Fred on 15 April 2023. TWS will be back where it all began, at The Broadcast Bar, 66A Grote St Adelaide this time with Brat 86 and Hoffmann and the Cosmonauts on the line up for the night.

Which musicians/bands are your biggest inspirations?

There is no doubt Dylan is a fan of Dani Washington, the drummer from Neck Deep. He says the style is complex but in a way that it doesn’t overfill the song and is still easy to listen to.

Toby’s biggest inspiration is Marty Friedman, guitarist from Megadeath. Marty creates very melodic, but still fast, guitar solos and harmonies by incorporating classical music theory. Toby originally developed his writing style on this however has branched off to his own style that he has found comfortable.

Bernard is inspired by Ryan Martinie from Mudvayne, He fuses a lot of genre specific techniques into his playing but it works. Bernard likes his style because it is non-traditional and unique.

Fred is heavily inspired by the 80’s and 90’s, especially bands like Tears for Fears and Radiohead, with biggest inspiration from Jeff Buckley, Fred was absolutely obsessed with him back in high school.

What is your impression of the Adelaide Music Scene?

Adelaide really does have an immense amount of talent, so many other local bands clearly doing what they love, and their passion is so intense. The bands are incredibly supportive of each other as well, there is a real community feel in the industry. The venues TWS have played at have all been very friendly and supportive with good crowd interaction.

What is your writing structure? Is it a jam together, or does someone bring a song in already written and you put it all together?

TWS each bring something in at different times and then expand on that as a group. Sometimes one of the band members will have an idea and we’ll workshop on it together; this can be as simple as allocating time to create and just mucking around until something sticks. Toby has focused on writing some of the music, Fred and Dylan usually come up with lyrics or melodies, Bernard is the in-house editor and deals with quality control, but TWS all work on different things at different times.

Your song Faker is one I have heard a lot recently. Can you tell me what it is about and how it came about?

Faker was written by our past member Jaydn. Sadly, the future of this song is currently in limbo with some ongoing issues from the recent restructure, but TWS are excited about the new direction the band and its music are taking. The new singer Fred has released work as a solo artist in the past and TWS are super excited with the dynamics in the band now. The new sound is more refined, and TWS are confident with the new direction the band has taken. They already have a new song called “Without Me” that they are really thrilled about sharing with everyone.

Do you have a favourite venue to play?

TWS have enjoyed all the venues they have played at, but Broadcast Bar has to be one of their favourites. It’s not a big venue but it’s quirky and fun and Bryan is very encouraging of emerging bands. He was the first venue to give TWS a shot at playing on stage and has continued to be super supportive of the music. This is the reason TWS wanted to debut the new lineup back where it all began, the Broadcast Bar. If you haven’t been there go check it out, some amazing new talent comes through that venue.

When can we expect to hear new music from you?

TWS have a couple of existing songs that are undergoing some changes that are in the production pipeline already and they have a completely new song called “Without me” on its way as well. This is the first song created with the new band line up and will debut on 15 April 2023 at The Broadcast Bar, we are so excited to see how the song is received by the crowd.

What is your career highlight so far?

Dylan’s pick for a career highlight is The Halloween Show that was held at Lowlife Bar. The crowd really embraced the theme and some of the costumes were insane. It was a good turn out and the crowd was so engaged with the music. There was a smoke machine, fake cobwebs hanging from the ceilings and so many people in costumes, it created such a good atmosphere.

Playing as the support act for Teenage Joans at the PUSH Music Career Expo was a great experience and was the highlight for Bernard. This event was held at Northern Sound System, Elizabeth, such a great facility providing an opportunity for bands in the north to be able to access a high-quality venue.

Toby said being invited to play at Slingshot Festival was his highlight. With back-to-back gigs on the weekends during the festival, TWS played at Arthur Art Bar for the first time. It was awesome to see people walking past on the street, stop and then decide to come in during our set.

Fred still credits performing with Dylan and Toby at events for school. Some might say it sounds lame but that was the first real step into serious performing, and honestly had a really big impact on Fred. Despite where TWS play in the future those early performances will always resonate with the band.

What is your ideal festival line up?

Having a punk genre background logically TWS would go for a punk genre festival. Local Bands they really enjoy performing with are Newgate Crowd and Violet Harlot, but they would also be keen to perform with Tunnel Vision and Lola.

If TWS could invite Interstate bands, then Spici Water would be on the list and the wish list bands for the festival would be Dragged Under, Radiohead and My Chemical Romance.

If you could invite 3 musicians (dead or alive) who would you choose?

When choosing possible musicians(dead or alive) for a festival, the ex-drummer of Slip Knot Joey Jordison or Taylor Hawkins drummer of Foo Fighters would both be high on the list, as well as Chester Bennington, the singer from Linkin Park. These musicians have all left a massive impact on the music industry.

If you were stuck on a deserted island with only 1 album, what would you pick?

There probably wouldn’t be a lot of vibes on a deserted island so these albums are the bands pick to bring some good vibes to such an isolated venue:

• Dylan – The Peace and the Panic, Neck Deep

• Toby – V by Havok

• Bernard – Government Plates by Death Grips

• Fred – Danger Days by My Chemical Romance

What are you long and short term goals?

The short-term goal for TWS is to get out there more, finish recording and release their first EP. All proceeds from performing go towards recoding their music.

Long term TWS would love to be successful enough to make a career from the music, travel, go on tour and be the band that others want to open for.

Finally, where can people find out more about you? Socials etc?

The Wired Serenity (TWS)

Left to Right:

Bernard Chrominski (Bass)

Winifred Lewis (Vocals)

Dylan Ballone (Drums)

Toby Trenwith (Guitar)

https://instagram.com/thewiredserenity?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Can you tell us a little history about RWS?

Running With Scissors is an Alternative Rock band from Adelaide South Australia comprising of Angus Porter on guitar and vocals, Patrick Femia on drums, and Henry Norton on bass. We formed as a band back in 2018 when we met in Middle School. Patrick and Angus met in Year 8 and started playing together as a duo after school and at lunchtime, and soon after Henry joined to play on bass. We started jamming, learning covers and playing at school assemblies and stuff but soon after Angus started to write original music and we put together a collection of original material. Eventually we recorded our debut EP in December of 2020 and released it the following June followed by a EP Launch gig at the Unibar in August. Since then, we have released two other singles, Devout and Stick Around in 2022, and are planning to release more in 2023!

What musicians/bands are your biggests inspirations?

As a band we all really love 90’s/2000’s Alternative Rock. Bands such as Harvey Danger, Weezer and Oasis have always been some of our favourites. We also especially like some Australian bands such You Am I, Radio Birdman, Silverchair and The Living End as they all embody that sort of style of music that we try to emulate in some of our songs.

What is your impression of the Adelaide music scene

We absolutely love the local scene! It is great to be able to play in such a cool environment where you can meet new people and get to know each other. We’ve met a ton of amazing bands through the local scene and it has been great to be able to play gigs with them. It is always great to go to a gig and know you will run into someone you know there. Not just bands but also other familiar faces like photographers, venue staff and sound techs all make it such a great community.

Do you have a favourite venue to play?

We would probably have to say Adelaide Unibar - every time we play there it is an absolute blast. But we also have a soft spot for the Broadcast Bar on Grote Street because we have played there a bunch and it is just such a rad venue. So it’s a tie between those two.

When can we expect to hear new music from you lads?

We have some new singles all recorded and ready to go! Our cover of Flagpole Sitta by Harvey Danger came out Friday January 13th and we also have some other tunes planed for release later on in 2023. We were keen to release this one as it is one of our all time favourite songs and we have covered it at every single RWS gig so it seemed fitting to put our own spin on it!

What is your career highlight so far?

Our biggest career highlight so far is probably releasing our debut self titled EP in June of 2021. Releasing the EP was such a highlight because we were finally able to release music that we were holding onto for so long. It was satisfying to be able to put something out there that we had been anticipating to release and it being met with positive reception. We also learnt a lot as a band throughout the whole EP process. Either that or our Devout single launch at the Adelaide Unibar in April last year because it was just such a great gig and probably the best one we ever played.

What is your writing structure? Is it a jam together, or does some one bring a song in already written and you put it all together?

Well, most of the times the songs are written and then demoed by Angus and he gives the band a basic idea of the sound of the track. However, Stick Around had a bit more of a collaborative feeling around it, as I wrote the song the day before practise. The breakdown after the solo came from a jam between Henry and Patty, where they figured out that interesting interplay between the bass and drums. It was a cool way for us to put a song together in a more collaborative way and it’s much more of a group effort than anything we’ve released before.

Your new single "Stick Around" is catchy. Can you tell us how this song came about?

This song came when I was messing around with the intro riff, and it came easily from there, as do the best songs. It was about 15 minutes before I had most of the music, and I started on the lyrics. I was listening to Tim Buckley’s Song for the Siren, and I thought I could take that lyrical theme and apply it to a manipulative all-consuming relationship. I don’t have much personal experience with the lyrical theme, but it’s always interesting to try and assume a perspective of someone else for the sake of pulling different emotions out of the melody.

What is your ideal festival line up?

Probably this: Headliners are You Am I, Fugazi, The Replacements, The Kinks, and the Damned. The rest of the line-up is probably featuring Ball Park Music, The Cardigans, Ween, and other assorted bands we love. I don’t think many people would attend this festival.

“I would totally go to that festival”

If you were stuck on a deserted island with only 1 album, what would you pick?

Angus: Probably going to be Pet Sounds. I know it’s cliché, but that’s one album I’ve listened to 200 times and still, I’m not sick of it.

Patrick: I’d have to say Milo Goes to College by the Descendants. It is honestly just a perfect album and I never get tired of it despite having listened to it so many times

Henry: Tubthumping by Chumbawamba

What are you long and short term goals?

Our short term goals are honestly just to continue playing gigs. We want to play more gigs this year as we were quite inactive last year so we will see how we go this year. Long term our goals we aren’t too sure honestly. We would love to play interstate eventually.

Finally, where can people find out more about you? Socials etc?

You can find us on Instagram at @runningwithscissorsadl. That is where we are the most active and the place to go for all music and gig announcements. For music all of our songs are available on Spotify and most other streaming platforms too!

https://instagram.com/runningwithscissorsadl?igshid=NDk5N2NlZjQ=

Tell us a little bit about yourself?

I was made in Fiji, born in Australia. My grandparents were descended from India, taken to Fiji by the Brits. I’m the only one of my family born in Australia. I assimilated pretty thoroughly. Except I love curry and chilli. Although, a lot of Aussie’s do, right? Grew up in South Australia, Adelaide. Great town to live in, as long as you don’t fuck up. Then you kinda have to leave.

How did you get into music?

My grandparent were living with our family when I was about 3 or 4 years old. My grandmother taught me the piano. She tried to teach my brother too, but he wasn’t interested. I was a curious kid, and stuck with it. And then I would teach myself rock and roll and stuff. I remember being allowed to play the piano at this child care place we used to go to. I was such a show-off really, But I really enjoyed it, and I guess a lot of other people thought it was pretty cute, this little Indian kid knocking out rock and roll tunes on the local piano. was living with our family.

Later, when I was about 14 years old, I asked my brother to teach me guitar. He was in a country rock band at the time, one that he ran. He told me he needed a bass player for his band, and taught me that instead. I had my first gig 3 weeks later. A couple of years later, I switched to Hammond Organ. My brother was heavily into the Neil Diamond Hot August Night album, and would cover some of those tunes. So he convinced me to get a Hammond. Cool move big brother. Thank you.

So yeah, piano from about 5. And bass from about 14. Hammond from about 16. A bit of a hack though. Not much formal training. Read a little bit. Play mostly through feel. I like arranging too.

You were a member of the Hiptones. What is their story?

I remember getting serious about the music business. I used to do all of these courses, like on music business management and the like. I worked out that song-writing was a key part of the business, in terms of the royalty streams and stuff. So I started digging deep into roots music. Soul. Blues. Funk. Found bass players like James Jamerson, Duck Dunn, Jaco, Stanley, and Hammond organ players too. Jimmy Smith, Booker T, McGriff, the blues tinged players. And a lot of soul stuff. Anyways, I wanted to get into the songwriting, so I decided to start a band, and sing and play the tunes. Bass with Left Hand, Chords and solos with right hand, and sing. I figured that if I learned the best songs of all time, and sang them, I might learn something. It was a lot of work, but it worked a treat. The band was called Brother T and the Soul Troopers.

So the guitarist I had in the band, Steve Smith, told me about this other band that he was in, The DeliveryMen – that was about to need a bass player. So I joined them, and met Snooks La Vie. A little while into it, I asked the guyz if they would let me play Hammond, and I would keep up the bass with my left hand. I said I thought that would give us a point of difference for a blues band in Adelaide. And I kind of really wanted to get my head more into the Hammond, and in particular with The DeliveryMen, the blues side of the tracks. Both Snooks (harmonica, and singer) and Steve (guitarist) were amongst the best blues players in Adelaide. I knew if I could cut it with them, I’d really hone my blues chops.

So we really quickly became one the bands to see in Adelaide. Then I chatted to the guys about the importance of song-writing, if you really wanted to ‘make it’. Snooks was the main one who picked up on it. So as a challenge, I said to Snooks, “mate, come around every Thursday night to my place. We’ll dring beer and knock out an original tune EVERY Thursday. And I’ll apply for an Arts Grant once we reach 15 songs, to record an album”. So we did, and that’s where we wrote the album RIGHT NOW. Then we went for Gold and decided to do something different and record the album in Melbourne. I cold-called James Black (RockWiz) and asked him to produce us, at WoodStock Studios. Snooks had heard about Woodstock (Joe Camilleri’s studio) and loved the vintage gear approach that those guys had.

So we got an Arts grant (thanks to the SA Government) and went to Melbourne to record the album. I remember driving through a bushfire to get there. Couldn’t see 20m in front of us. The start of a really big adventure. We recorded the album in 4 days. And then we had to get out of the studio, because John Butler Trio was coming in. Our album was pretty much completely live takes. I reckon the guitar leads and the brass tracks were the only overdubs. Snooks vocal tracks on the final album are actually the ‘guide vox’ tracks that he did to keep us on track for our live music tracks. We also did like 3 radio interviews (including Triple R and PBS), 4 gigs, including the Rainbow Hotel, and the Corner Hotel. It was a completely crazy time. Five guys in one room in a cheap hotel, one toilet, with the bathroom in it. Seriously?

Anyway, we came back with this album that I was really proud of. We all were, but I was pushing hard to make things happen. So I spoke to a guy I knew in Sony BMG, about how to market the album. And pretty soon after, we were signed to Sony BMG. We were over the moon. Thought we had hit the big-time. We kinda had, for a while, but big record company business is pretty brutal. We found that out. But along the way, we got nominated for best Blues and Roots Song, by APRA. Such a proud moment. Beaten by John Butler Trio. Damn!

Eventually the band folded. Delusions of grandure, toxic management at Sony BMG (Denis Handlin days!), rock and roll baby. Wouldn’t change a thing though. We learned a helluva lot. Did kind of fracture some friendships though. Kind of like the uncomfortable feeling you get when you bump into your ex-wife. That kind of thing. Still. All okay now. If you never never go, you will never ever know.

The experience did teach me about putting together big bands though. At one stage – so that Snooks and I could keep working in Adelaide, without over-exposing The Hiptones, I had invented a duo (Mo’ Roots) a trio (Los Tonos – kind of folk country blues), The Hiptones, of course, and the big band. A soul review “I Know You Got Soul” where I put together a repertoire for Snooks to show off his soul chops on vox. Including Sam Cooke, Marvin Gaye, Otis Redding, The Temptations, Donny Hathaway – all the greats. And kind of presented a history of Soul music on the way through the show. Put the music together for at 12 piece band, organised the horn charts. Great experience.

After The Hiptones folded, and Snooks decided to go it alone (and I totally supported him on that decision) I ventured off to do more ‘big band’ shows. I did a Soul Sistas Review. Then I put together a 60s British Rock show. Then a 70s Disco Show. The 60s and 70s shows were working REALLY well, great music, packed dance-floors, SO much fun. I was playing Hammond, and keys, and doing a lot of singing. Having a ball. Did heaps for FRINGE shows and was scaling up.

And then COVID. No dancing. Bummer right?

So one of the venues rings me up and asks me to put on a show in July during COVID, and did have any ideas. So I’ve always wanted to do a tribute to New Orlean music. So started up the New Orleans Funk Express. Worked a treat, and now the band has a 4 piece brass section. The next gig is and advance on the original idea. A big day out. Check it out here. www.inthevinesevents.com.au. Where live music, wines, beers, chef-prepared food, all come together, outdoors, in a beautiful winery location.

You are now playing in the Take It Easy 70’s country Rock Show. How did this band come about?

One of the other shows that I out together during COVID was a tribute to the timeless chilled vibes of 70s Country Rock. Bands like America, Doobie Bros. The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac. I really loved the harmonies and the way the music made you feel. We’re gearing up for a “Country Rock in the Vines’ event. Outdoor on a balmy afternoon is going to work really well for this show. Can’t wait!

What is your career highlight so far?

As a songwriter, being nominated for best Blues and Roots Song of the Year by APRA, is pretty big deal for me. It was the first album that I had a go at writing. SO yeah, I felt good about that. The song was “I’ve been loving you too long”. I wrote the music for it, and a lot of the lyrics. I remember being inspired by ‘Crawfish” song by Elvis Presley in ‘Kind Creole’ the movie. That’s kind of where the intro for our song came from, inspired by The King.

What is your impression of the Adelaide music scene?

It’s a great scene. The support from fellow musicians is astounding. I remember James Black saying when he wrote some stuff about RIGHT NOW about the value of the original music that comes from smaller cities, like Adelaide. In towns like that, you tend to have to play lots of genres of music as a player, because no one particular genre is big enough to sustain ALL of your gigs. From a songwriting point of view, that diversity in your playing is great, because it leads to cross-over. The Hiptones managed to do that to some degree. We were a blues band, that had pop-sensibility. Tinges of Soul and Funk. The band was absolutely AMAZING to see live. There’s this footage of a show we did at the Famous Spiegeltent. We pretty much did our entire RIGHT NOW album completely live. That was nuts. James Black told me. But we did it. It was a show I will never forget. I really want to resurrect the footage. Way back then we had that plan. But at the time, someone who was a camera man went a little crazy, and wanted to sue the band. He thought we were making money. Nothing could have been further from the truth. But anyway, that kind of put a hald on the Spiegeltent Footage idea. But I want to revisit it, and not use the guy’s camera shot. It wasn’t that good anyway!!

Have you got a favourite venue to play?

Love The Gov. The vibe at The Wheatsheaf has always been amazing. But we are really digging the outdoor Festival vibe. Last time we did it, it was on the beautiful grounds at Richard Hamilton wineries, in McLarenVale. So beautiful. Such stunning vibes.

If you could invite 3 musicians to dinner, who would they be?(dead or alive)

Ooh. Good one.

Sam Cooke.

John Lennon.

Sia Furler

What are your music goals for the next 12 months

I want to put on great music events that float the boat of the musicians, and leave people with a real feel good vibe.

I want to write more. For the new platforms available. See if I can get my head around that.

I want to finish my shed/music studio/rehearsal room.

If you stuck on an island with only 1 record, what would you choose?

Wow. One record…. Umm…

Marvin Gaye. What’s going on.

Finally, where can people find out more about you?

There’s news about a big gig at

www.inthevinesevents.com.au

https://instagram.com/inthevines.events?igshid=NDk5N2NlZjQ=

1- Can you tell us a little history about Burnt Orange? Members etc.?

We formed Burnt Orange in late 2021 (just another COVID baby) and while a relatively new band, Nigel (drums), Marcus (bass) and Adam (vocals) have a much longer connection through our hometown on the West Coast of SA where we all played in a variety of bands growing up. We connected with Tom (Guitar) over the past 2 years who has spent a lot of time in the Adelaide music scene including playing with ‘The Wanderers’ and ‘Hindley Street Country Club’. From the first jam we discovered a great vibe as a group and creating music has flowed naturally.

2- What is your impression of the Adelaide Music Scene?

It feels like the start of a new era really. COVID and the ensuing restrictions had such devastating impacts on the entertainment industry which sadly meant the end for some bands and venues. But since then, there seems to be more focus on local talent from Adelaide venues and events now that people and bands have come out of hibernation. We recently checked out the battle of the bands that was held at ‘The District’ and really enjoyed the quality and diverse range of music that was showcased. It also highlights that there’s an enormous amount of competition out there for gigs, but that can only be a good thing for the industry to reach better standards, right??? It is certainly great to see venues like ‘The District’ giving opportunities to local original acts and we hope to more of these opportunities created by venues as that is such a tangible and real investment into the future of the Adelaide music scene.

3- Do you have a favourite venue to play?

Due to being a new band we have only had the one show at ‘The District’ so far and that is a great stage! But prior to this band, Nigel, Tom and Marcus have all played in ‘The Gov’s’ main room and that was MAGIC! On that note, we’d definitely like to make a shout out to those industry main stays like ‘the Gov’ who have never waivered from their support of live original music, even through all of the ups and downs. We always take the opportunity to return thanks and attend gigs at those sorts of venues where we can. Such great history and atmosphere at those old Rock ‘n’ Roll Pubs and they’re great for both performers and punters alike.

4- Holding out my thumb is the song I heard on Facebook? As a bass player myself I love the bassline. How did that song come together?

That song was born from a riff that our guitarist Tom had up his sleeve. Marcus (who likes to be complicated) then tweaked it to be the “beast” that it is today. But most, if not all, of our songs are collaboratively written and shaped over time and that makes it such a fun process to be apart of! Lyrically the song is about letting someone go to allow them to be happy, while also finding the courage to let go and walk your own path.

5- When can we expect to hear new music from you?

We recorded a live demo of 5 songs at ‘Wundenberg’s Recording Studio’s’ a little while ago that we will use for promotion. We plan to release these very soon on our socials for people to hear! But we also have a bunch of other songs we are working on and can’t wait to play at our next gig. We want to get back into the studio to lay them all down and in the not too distant future we can hopefully release our first full studio album.

6- What is your Career highlight so far?

As a new band on the scene, it would have to be spending time recording our songs and of course playing our first gig together! All of us have had some really great individual highlights along our own musical journey’s but we’ve all really enjoyed coming together to create what we have today, and we think we’ve got something pretty special going on. We can’t wait to showcase our Burnt Orange blend of styles with more audiences soon and create a few more highlights ASAP.

7- If you could invite 3 musicians dead or alive who would you choose?

Well that really does depend on what we’re inviting them to!?!? Plenty of our idol’s that we’d love to party with might not be a hit at Christmas dinner with Gran... Even if we assume it’s somewhere in between it’s very hard to choose. But if we throw some names out there, Chris Cornell, Jeff Buckley and Dave Grohl come to mind, but that list could go on forever! There are so many great people out there who we would love to just have a conversation with!

8- If you were stuck on a deserted island with only 1 album, what would you pick?

Man, that is such a hard question… but after some deliberation we couldn’t really go past Fresh Hits of ‘98… I mean, Celine Dion & Busta Rhymes on the same album???That SHIT just doesn’t happen any more! 🤣

9- What are your long- and short-term goals?

To be honest, we just love jamming, writing, playing and recording music (& drinking beer) together, not to mention sharing our music with as many people as will listen. Our plan is to do as much of all that as we can, wherever we can, for as long as we can and probably feel like the rest will fall into place as the universe (or beer gods) see fit. However we’ve certainly got a few things we’d love to do if we can... Things like, getting back to the west coast to play our tunes to mates and family; venturing interstate would be a lot of fun (ROAD TRIP!!!) and it would be great to get onto the Gov’s main stage again or into the Hindley Street Music Hall amongst many other great venues we’ve got our eyes on.

10- Finally, where can people find out more about you?

https://instagram.com/burnt_orange_band?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

We also hope to have our music up on SoundCloud and Spotify in the very near future! But anything you need to know will be on Instagram and Facebook for now!