MARIA BAILEY catches up with HENRY KEENAN – bassist for five-piece Canberran folk-rockers VOSS – prior to the launch tour for their debut album The Inland Sea.

Cannily escaping the nation’s dull and public servant-filled capital, Voss are on the road introducing audiences to their lovingly created debut The Inland Sea while accompanied by like-minded Queenslanders Cascadeer. Encased in a poster wrap, map case and accompanied by a string-stitched lyrics book, The Inland Sea is clearly a labour of love, so it stands to reason their shows will be too. Let’s find out more…

MARIA BAILEY: So tell me about the origins of Voss.

HENRY KEENAN: Jed [Stone] and I were living with somebody who could sing really well, but he ate out of the bins too often so we had him replaced with Owen [Carroll], who can sing really well and has a moderately healthy diet. Elyane [De Fonentay] and Sam [McKusker] are amazing musicians, and good friends of ours.

MB: I’ve seen a few descriptive terms bandied about for Voss’s style. How would you describe your music?

HK: We play rock music, really. This is complemented by country and folk influences as well as a strong narrative sense. Lately we’ve been looking to rock out harder than we have in the past.

MB:  What compelled you to conceptually base the album, The Inland Sea, around a novel by Patrick White?

HK: The songs on the album cover a diverse range of subject matter. It is not a concept album; it is a collection of songs that we really enjoy playing.

MB:  What are you looking forward to the most in regards to the launch tour?

HK: Going to Brisbane will be great. Playing on the radio will be even better. We’ve never played outside of Canberra so that will be exciting for all of us.

MB: Given that Voss use an array of instruments such as the guitar, bass, drums, banjo and violin, do you have plans to make any additions?

HK: We would like to explore some new sounds on the next album but we have no plans to add any other members. That would be silly.

VOSS play The Globe on Sunday Apr 11 with Cascadeer and Lion Island. (They also perform a live-to-air on 4ZzZFM at 5.40pm on Saturday Apr 10) THE INLAND SEA is out now through Camofleur. www.myspace.com/vosstheband

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