JOIN THE ASCENT OF ROCK GREATNESS!
Hey everyone, Brendan the blind guy here! We all know it gives me Endless joy and an Endorphin rush when I get to Connect with talented bands on The Ascent in the Aussie music scene! Today, ladies and gentlemen I have the distinct pleasure of chatting to an alternative rock band breaking down all Walls in their path, CARTHASY!
Brendan; Thanks for being here guys! First up, the name Carthasy, what’s the story and meaning behind this intriguing name?
Lindsay; Cheers Brendan, thanks for having us. I think we were going for something which reflected the idea of catharsis, of releasing strong emotions, of everything coming together in huge moment. I think that when we're at our best we can get there with our music. Having that name has unfortunately led to a 'career' of having it pronounced a hundred different ways by everyone we meet, but it's always fun to see what people come up with.
Brendan; You guys recently unleashed your second studio album ‘Revolve’, a dynamic power-house of booming angst and furocity accompanied by fierce driving riffs, cracking beats and confronting vocal edge. So, what does this album and the songs on it represent to you, individually and as a band?
Lindsay; For me the album is a really nice testament to what we can achieve as a band. We went into the writing process with a really clear idea of what we wanted out of it, the sounds we were chasing, and the end result that we wanted to achieve. Getting to that goal required taking a lot of things away. We wanted an stripped back, raw, aggressive album, which meant there was no room for ego on any of us. We wanted a really huge guitar sound, which meant everything else had to get out of the way. We wanted a really consistent theme and impact on the songs, which meant that we weren't able to indulge some of our proggier tastes. I've always thought that the hardest thing to do in music is to write a simple song that's really good, and I think that at our best points on the album we've achieved that. Directionally, "Revolve" was also another step down a much heavier road than we've taken before, which required a bit of a recalibration in the vocal delivery and the tones we were using. Our vocalist Garry did an incredible job of adapting his vocals to the sound we were seeking for this album, and for me his performance is the highlight of the album.
Brendan; When I personally listen to this incredible album, I’m treated to stylistic attributes reminiscent of Karnivool, Dead Letter Circus, Something With Numbers’ first album ‘Etiquette’ and even the mighty Tool. So, are these incredible bands key influences for you musically?
Man, 'Etiquette'! I absolutely thrashed that album in high school, I haven't thought about that album in years. There's definitely chunks of that album buried in Garry's and my DNA which are probably still coming through in 2019. I'm going to listen to it now, I bet it's still buried in my memory somewhere. 'Sunshine Showers' is an eternal jam. Born too late to explore the pop-punk universe...
Lindsay; Aside from forgotten and underrated millenial Australian pop-punk bands, our main influences on this album were Norma Jean, Rosetta and, for me at least, early Pelican. The album was also written during a period where I was listening to Architects' 'All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us' more or less on repeat so there are probably some thematic cues that have bled through there. We've also been trying to write a song with as much melody as an Oceansize track for some time. We'll get there one day.
Brendan; More exciting stuff that Revolve around the album’s release! You guys recently played an album launch show on July 12 in North Perth. How’d that go?
Lindsay; Playing live is always an absolute thrill and it was great to have a chance to play the new album stuff for more or less the first time. Being significantly stripped back, the new album tracks translate significantly better to a live environment, it was nice to not have to play 10 minute prog jams. We were lucky enough to be joined by our great mates in Altona who were launching an album on the same night and it was a pleasure to share the stage with them.
Brendan; For those of us who couldn’t make it to this show, tell us what we missed out on? Did you guys blow the speakers? Was there any brawls? Did you break everything in sight? Or was the atmosphere tame, civilized and full of elderly Bingo-enthusiasts complaining that it’s too loud?
Lindsay; Perth has its share of people moving into new apartments which overlook live music venues then complain about the noise, and Garry's amp does go to 11 (genuinely - Soldanos do for some reason), so I'm surprised the last one didn't happen. Nothing too crazy from us, I think most of the crowd we get down are now a bit past the brawling stage and guitars are expensive. I'm also tied to a laptop these days for samples and such so I can't even run too far from the drumkit. I think the whole big rockstar move of smashing shit is fun if your parents are buying your guitar or you're getting them for free from the manufacturer - neither are true for us yet unfortunately!
Brendan; Right, I reckon it’s time we get exclusive! So, what is an exclusive fun fact about each of yourselves?
Lindsay; Ha ha, we all have reasonably professional lives so I'm going to duck that question - nothing too scandalous or doxxable sorry!
Brendan; Now it’s time for my FAVOURITE question! That’s right people, it’s best cat-video on Youtube time!... just kidding, it’s W.T.F time! (although who doesn’t love a good cat video right?). So guys, what is THE MOST hilarious, priceless W.T.F moment on your musical career thus far?
Lindsay; It's gotta be our last album launch, where our bassist Jack launched himself off a cab and immediately shredded his ACL. He managed to get through the rest of the set on adrenaline and beer but realised what he'd done as he was trying to give me a hand carrying my drums out at the end of the night. The best part of a year worth of rehab and he was ready to play again without sitting on a stool on stage. He makes his living now as a stage manager in the UK for awesome bands like the Psychedelic Porn Crumpets so clearly he's still able to carry heavy shit. A credit to his physiotherapists.
Brendan; And last but not least, what else can fans look forward to from you guys lurking around the corner?
Lindsay; Life's getting in the way for all of us a little bit at the moment and we're spread across the world - I'm the only one in Perth most of the time - but we'd love to put out some more music when the time's right. Rumour has it there might be a few more tracks from 'Revolve' that were trimmed from the release, I'd love to get them out at some point - if nothing else because one of them has a pretty sick drum part. It depends on whether finances or my ego win out in the end I guess!
Lindsay; Thanks for having us mate, much appreciated.