 CHRIS HETHERINGTON, vocalist with long-running Brisbane indie-rockers THE TEAPOT DOME SCANDAL, tells PERRY COUCH about the upcoming launch of the band’s first full-length album.
Think of all the great Brisbane bands that imploded just as their potential was beginning to be fulfilled – yep, it’s a huge list. Bands are notoriously volatile entities; the relentless negotiating of several (often clashing) egos and agendas in the pursuit of a shared musical goal tends to snuff out all but the most hardy and determined of groups. So a band like The Teapot Dome Scandal, who’ve not only been together for seven years, but have managed to thrive artistically, is a rare thing indeed.
But thrive they have; the group’s fourth release, and first full-length album, You Ruined My Revolution, effectively showcases their original brand of quirky indie-rock, heavy on distorted bass, off-kilter keys and the strident vocal delivery and distinctive lyrical bent of frontman Chris Hetherington.
“In April 1999,I was in a band called Huupercon, which was very rock to me, and it was fun, but I’d discovered I wanted to get back to the quirkiness of Devo, and bass-driven bands like Morphine and Folk Implosion also made an impact, so it was time to try something different.” Chris explains of the band’s genesis and the development of their sound.
“You Ruined My Revolution” is the closest we’ve come to the live thing, which has always been our goal,” he continues. “But nothing really compares to a loud, crackling set, with all the sweat, desperation and mistakes that makes a song memorable.”
To that end, the band will give the album its live launch at the Globe this weekend, an event they’ve been planning for some time. “Hopefully it’ll be a bit of a visual show with some projections,” Chris says. “Our friends The Captain’s Package from Sydney are turning up, and our friend Hunz will be having his first gig in a while. We also plan to film the night, so we can show all of our overseas friends what we’re like live.”
While the band is certainly the main priority, all the group members are involved in other pursuits, either to pay bills, or follow interests, or both.
“For me music is all I do; I’m dabbling in a solo effort. I’m rubbish at everything else!” Chris laughs. “Marj [Hetherington, keys] still teaches ratbags. Natalie [Ferdinand, bass] has discovered fashion and is pursuing that. Todd [Hunter, drums] works and is slowly drumming up a very classy photography business, Phil [Driver, guitar] also teaches for now but music and comedy are his passions. So we are discovering other things outside the band, but we feel we still have a lot of distance in us yet.”
In fact, the band are already looking forward to their next release; following the launch show, Chris says he foresees “more writing, more scraping and saving, and more recording. Hopefully in that order.”
The Teapot Dome Scandal launch their You Ruined My Revolution CD at the Globe on Saturday
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