1.Your songs have a real mystique to them, but are you interested
in rock n roll mythology and the mystical / indefinable
qualities that music can have?
As far as I can tell, the story is often as important as the music.
The bands that you get most obsessed with always have incredible stories,
often sad stories, like Cat Power and her mad mother Myra Lee, or John
Lennon and the mother who abandoned him. Bands that have an excellent
story surrounding them are fascinating, I love hearing about the early
days of Magic Dirt, an Australian grunge band, who were ridiculously
anti-commercial, and would play for forty minutes and all the songs
would meld into each other into some kind of deafening sludge, while
the crowd threw beer cans at them. Bands that play together because
they love it before anyone notices them. That sort of stuff. And why
are dead musicians so fascinating?
2.What for you, have been some of the landmark songs in the history
of popular music?
Fade Into You by Mazzy Star.
3.Is there a particular band or artist, whose career path and musical
output / consistency, you greatly admire?
I can't think of an answer to this one. I guess there's always
a dodgy record, or a song on an ad that ruins it.
4.Do you think the best bands are a product of their environment / feel
living in Australia has had a big impact on the music that you make?
There are those bands that have that parochial thing about them.
Like The Smiths or The Triffids or You Am I or The Strokes. But a lot
of musicians live in their own little imaginary worlds that are more
influenced by the music they listen to and the books they read than
the landscape surrounding them. Toby Martin from Youth Group reviewed
our second album, The Shiralee, and he said you can hear the desert
and huge wide-open spaces in it. I guess the central concept of that
record was based around the idea of a swagman and his relationship to
his swag (burden, but also comfort as it's his bed) so it makes sense
that you can hear space. Not that I live anywhere near the desert.
5.Some songwriters believe that they can communicate better through
songs, than they can in real life. Do you also feel like this, and how
often do you write?
Emotions come out better in song. I think that is a given. That's
why we need them. I tend to write only when I'm excruciated by a feeling
or a situation and thankfully that has been happening less and less!
6.Is it difficult letting your songs go, and if by magic you were
able to hear your own songs with fresh ears, do you think that youd
appreciate the nuances in your music?
Releasing a record is a wonderful feeling. I don't feel troubled
by it. Of course you hope people don't say horrible things, but on the
whole it's great to get it out there! As for hearing my songs as if
I never had before
you know there is a band in Australia called
Rocket Science and the singer fell over at a show and hit his head (he's
enormously tall, he hit his head real hard) and he lost his memory.
His family played him his own music in the hospital and he was like,
This is really cool, who is it? Ha ha, I hope I would feel
like that.
7.One of the most outstanding aspects of your music, is your sultry
voice but which vocalists do you find inspiring?
Why, thank you. I like Cat Power, Hope Sandoval, PJ Harvey. I
think the lady from Black Mountain is pretty awesome.
8.Whats the story behind your name, The Red Sun Band, and with
such a visual name, is artwork important to you?
Naming a band is hard. When the band started, it was just me and
John, the original drummer. One day we got sick of trying to decide
on a name so we got stoned, sat down at the kitchen table, wrote down
50 names, and then crossed em out 'til we had one left, theredsunband.
We do all our own artwork.
9.If you had to go shopping for someone and buy a record, a book
and a film what would they be and why?
Passover by the Black Angels, Franny and Zooey by JD Salinger,
and either The Royal Tenenbaums or Harold And Maud.
10.Do you collect musical gear, and if so, what are some of your
most treasured instruments and effects pedals?
I like distortion pedals. I have a beautiful black one with a
blue light called Rich Drive that a fellow in the Central Coast of NSW
handmade. I am very attached to my amp. It's a WASP, an old 70s metal
guitar amp made in New Zealand.
11.If you could be photographed for any magazine and be on the front
cover, which one would it be?
The Economist.
12.When playing live, do you feel a synergy between the band and
the audience and to date, whats the smallest gig and the
biggest gig that youve played?
Sometimes, when you're lucky, there is a synergy between the band
and the audience. That is good shit when it happens. The second half
of that question has perplexed me. I don't know.
13.From personal experience, what is the one thing that everybody should
try at least once in their lifetime?
Magners Cider.
14.Having been in The Music Industry for several years, career-wise,
what would now give you the most satisfaction?
Selling some records, ha ha. Um, seriously, making another album.
15.Lastly, chips or cream buns?
Hot chips!
A very special thanks to Sarah for all of her time
and help.
www.theredsunband.com
www.myspace.com/theredsunband
www.myspace.com/thejewelandthefalcon
The Sun Is Always Setting
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