|
 On the eve of their return home to launch
debut LP First Act, half of local rockers AT, ANDREW THOMAS and BEN VAWDREY,
chat with MORGAN JOHNSON about the recording, their hometown return, and
standing out from the pack.
Drawing from the likes of Foo Fighters,
Alice In Chains and even Jeff Buckley, Brisbane rockers AT launch their debut
LP this week, after a whip around the East Coast playing it for the frosty
southern folk.
MORGAN JOHNSON: You’ve been playing
around Brisbane for a few years now, how has your sound morphed over the years?
ANDREW THOMAS [vox/guitar]: We didn’t know
each other when the band formed so it would be fair to say that as we have
gotten to know each other personally we have also grown together musically,
particularly in the last year or so.
BEN VAWDREY [guitar/vox]: I reckon we’ve
taken advantage of having two guitars by making the rhythm parts of our songs
particularly interesting as we are both often playing different things, until
Andy busts a solo out.
MORGAN JOHNSON: Do you have any favourite
bands or artists that you cite as inspiration?
AT: Quite a mix between all of us: Foo
Fighters, Joe Satriani, Stevie Ray Vaughan, The Cult, Eric Clapton
BV: Metallica, Trivium, Pete Murray, Alice
In Chains, The Eagles
MORGAN JOHNSON: After releasing a couple
of EPs, and now recording your debut LP First Act, how did you find the
process?
AT: We produced/mixed our second EP which
was a warm-up for the album, to see if we could do it ourselves, so we ended up
producing/mixing the album which was a very special experience as a band;
everyone was very hands on and it was an enjoyable time, even though it took us
over seven months to do it.
MORGAN JOHNSON: Did you find the songs
altered a lot in a studio environment, as opposed to the live arena?
BV: I wouldn’t say they changed a lot, but
we definitely added more layers in some instances.
AT: When you’ve got those headphones on,
often ideas will just pop in there and if it sounds great and suits the song
then it’ll stay. Of the 12 songs on the album all the songs except two or three
have been played live a number of times.
MORGAN JOHNSON: Of the numerous bands
based in, and gigging around Brisbane, how do you guys distinguish yourself
from the pack?
AT: People have commented that we’ve
embraced a combination of classic and modern rock sounds, so a bit of old with
the new.
BV: Two of us are nearly a decade younger
than the other two, so I guess you don’t get that everyday.
MORGAN JOHNSON: There are a lot of rock
acts currently performing in Brisbane – how are you guys unique?
AT: Coming from different musical
backgrounds makes for an interesting mix. Barn [Gickel, bass] often gets full
on funk basslines under the heavy stuff, which sounds great! We also do our
fair share of three part harmonies on the vocals.
BV: Not too many bands have the main singer
doing crazy solos like our friend here.
MORGAN JOHNSON: Currently on a
‘writing-binge’, what’s the process involving song selection? Is it a
democratic band process, or more Stalin-like?
BV: You’ll play this or else!
AT: We actually do have a huge amount of
songs at the moment, but it’s all very democratic. Naturally people will angle
for their favourites, which is sometimes hard as we often have different
favourites of the moment. I do all the lyrics, so hopefully that’s not too
Stalin-esque.
MORGAN JOHNSON: You’re playing an East
Coast tour before returning home – what can the hometown crowd expect at The
Jubilee?
AT: Nudity and socks … It’s the last show
on the tour and we’ve had some great shows, but we want to make this one the
biggest of the lot! We would like to show off one or two brand new songs
written after the album was finished as well.
BV: Just being a hometown finale will make
it a special night for us.
AT launch FIRST ACT at The Jubilee Hotel on
Saturday Aug 1, alongside good friends Upsize. www.atband.com
|
| Comments are submitted for possible publication on the condition that they may be edited. Poster's IP addresses are logged. |
|
Be first to comment on this article
