Backstage With RUBY FIELDS - Newcastle 13/11/2020"

“AW THAT SHTINKS!”

This year has been a Pretty Grim year, but live music IS BACK!

Much loved indie-punk/rock-babe RUBY FIELDS and her fellow lads of musical honour, ripped the bandaid off of the concert dry spell for Newcastle and Brendan the blind guy, with two epic shows at the Cambridge Hotel during Great Southern Nights throughout November 2020!

Brendan was thrilled to hang out with Ruby and the band for a chat after the show to find out how they've been through the pandemic, new music lurking in the near future, and lots of banter that will leave a suspicious taste in your mouth as you wonder how a dishwasher got on his leg!

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“I had goosebumps during the show from the purity and earnestness of Ruby and the band’s performance!! It felt like my first gig all over again!

Being a table-seating, atmospheric, candle-lit setting gae the show a special intimate feeling to it, which the way Ruby was able to speak to and connect with everyone personally, not just to a crowd of people in the same way she’d speak and connect with you in any other one-on-one setting made for a truly special night!

- Brendan -”

DIP ROAD DOGS 'Shakshuka EP' Q&A

PERFECT FOR A LAZY SUNDAY LISTEN!

DIP ROAD DOGS 
DROP NEW SINGLE ‘LAZY’ 
AHEAD OF FORTHCOMING EP ‘SHAKSHUKA’

Reemerging from that dusty dirt track deep in the Mallee are the Dip Road Dogs, who have today dropped their dreamy new single, Lazy, a comforting, hypnotic journey into Americana.  Lazy is the third taste of their new EP, Shakshuka that is set for release on May 21. 
 
Dip Road Dogs are back with some of their finest music to date. Lazy is exquisite Americana folk rock from the fun loving Aussie country boys.  For fans of The National and The Church, haunting cello, and mesmerising, deep vocals will entice the listener, but it’s the unassuming emotional force that will sock you right in the feels and keep you coming back for more.  Contrastingly, Lazy is a song about a relationship where one partner is not pulling their weight with the household chores and the other becomes fed up with this behaviour and finally leaves for greener pastures. “It’s a warning to everyone to make sure you mow the lawns and do the dishes or you will end up alone!” Jests lead singer and songwriter Dave Chirnside.
 
Recorded in Nashville, Tennessee between The Amber Sound Studio, The Secret Genius Studio and producer Josh Frigo’s home studio, and mastered by John Davis (The Killers, Gorillaz, Royal Blood, The XX) at Metropolis Studios in London, the EP is a real mixed bag, with all six tracks working as a commendable package that showcases the band’s diversity and capability.  “The EP title Shakshuka is a very apt analogy for the EP as it is a delicious tomato-based dish that can be served at dinner or breakfast and you can throw nearly anything in to make it work. Our EP is a collection of old and new ideas that have created quite a variety of genres and sounds, so it’s a bit of a mixed bag but we think the songs gel well together,” explains Chirnside. “Once we had recorded the demos we got in touch with Josh Frigo in Nashville and set a date in June 2019 to head over and start recording. Josh’s time was very tight between touring so I locked in the dates without asking Matt, Ollie and Jack - better to beg for forgiveness than ask for permission, Jack had been travelling around Australia and was in Rockhampton when I called him to ask if he would come and record in Nashville, he had to put his trip around Australia on hold, but there wasn’t a whole lot of objection!”
 
Dip Road Dogs are a group of friends who once shared a house on Dip Road in the Mallee – now living miles apart from each other all around regional Victoria, they are one of the few bands that haven’t been hugely affected by these bizarre Covid19 times.  “We have been practicing isolation all our lives, so we feel we are well placed in these interesting times. There are a lot of challenges living so far away from each when it comes to live touring, but it doesn’t affect our writing, as long as our internet doesn’t cut out!  And we have a studio in Appin where we can put our collective ideas together - demos for the next release are well underway.”

Dip Road Dogs is Jack Pay, Dave Chirnside, Oliver Close and Matthew Close.
 
Lazy is out now and Shakshuka will be released on May 21.
 
Stream: Lazy
View: Lazy lyric video
Stream: Shakshuka

DIP ROAD DOGS - LAZY (lyric video)

DIP ROAD DOGS - LAZY (single artwork)

DIP ROAD DOGS - SHAKSHUKA (EP artwork)

Q&A WITH DAVE CHIRNSIDE (LEAD VOCALS)

What’s the inspiration behind your new single & EP? 

“The EP is a bit of a mixed bag of ideas stemming back from around 6 years ago up until early last year but the main inspiration was to create music that people can enjoy, whilst challenging ourselves musically.  it sounds very cliché, but it’s pretty much all it came down to!”

Who are your greatest musical influences? 

“I’m a big Tool fan so I’d have to say Maynard James Keenan, his story is pretty impressive and not your typical “rock star” story. I also love that he’s in Agriculture as well with his vineyard in Arizona! The Brian Jonestown Massacre is another big influence for the band.”

What do you bring to the live stage? 

“The Dogs bring plenty of Fazazz to the stage that’s for sure. If you have been to any of our concerts you have most likely been on the stage with us or played an instrument for us. We love to get everybody involved!”

How was the recording process?

“The process was amazing and a little unconventional I guess. We found our producer Josh Frigo online and he liked our demos and invited us to record with him in Nashville, because of his touring requirements we had a week to get the EP done. This meant our time in Nashville was very full on but we loved every minute of it. We still managed to fit in some honky tonks of a night.” 

What was the inspiration behind the music video? 

“Nate Hill was the man behind this one and we love it, he had about 3 nights to get it done as we were very disorganised and what he came up with was terrific. He really bought our album cover to life and the video is incredibly soothing.”

How would you describe your writing process? 

“Our writing process to date usually starts off with a riff on guitar or a drum beat and then thrown to the band for input, once we have the song basically done the lyrics are usually the last thing that comes to us. With the exception of our latest single, Lazy where the lyrics came pretty early on in the writing process.”

Give us an interesting personal fact! 

“I’m a scorpio!”

Check out Brendan the blind guy’s review of Dip Road Dogs ‘Shakshuka EP’ here.

KIT (All Our Exes Live In Texas) 'Good Guy' Single Q&A

THE GOOD GUY IS BEST!

KIT ANNOUNCES DEBUT SINGLE AND VIDEO GOOD GUY

An integral part of the beloved Australian group All Our Exes Live In Texas, Kit (otherwise known as Katie Wighton) has today announced her debut solo release, Good Guy.  A gritty, guitar-led powerhouse of a single, Good Guy calls out every dude who’s ever gotten away with bad behaviour.  Kit has also released a stellar clip to accompany Good Guy, created in collaboration with Gina Somfleth of Pop Candi Films (Merpire, Peach Noise, Press Club).  

Following the outbreak of COVID-19, Kit has had to be creative with her single launch shows. After performing at ISOLAID on March 22 she was inspired to do her single launch show live on Instagram. With support from Bonnie Songs , Nancie Schipper & Hannah Blackburn, Kit will perform live from her livingroom on Friday April 17 at 7pm AEDT. She will have a Bandcamp set up with the idea that people can buy the single and donate what they may have paid to come to the show, and a percentage of the proceeds from the night will also go to Support Act to help those who are seriously suffering in our musical community."I find it very interesting that at the moment the things we seem to be talking about are our healthcare workers and hospitals, schools and universities and The Arts. In a crisis, these things become the most important and I hope that when we get through this awful time we will remember that.” Kit remarks.  “Being creative can sometimes be a burden but right now, it's our biggest asset. I've been doing the crossword on Instagram live and also have started an insta-choir – which is so much fun. I was sitting in my room playing a Hank Williams song and really missing the harmonies, so I chucked it up on my socials and asked people to send in their harmonies. The second week has really taken on a life of its own - we did Two Strong Hearts and had drums and bass and even a wine bottle solo! It’s so beautiful to connect with people safely and bring a little smile to people across the interwebs!”

Co-written with Ali Barter (also featured on backing vocals) and created with producers Dave Symes (Boy and Bear, Sarah Blasko, Missy Higgins) and James Seymour (Merpire, Eaglemont), Good Guy is a sharp, hard-hitting track with a vital message.  One for fans of rockers Alex Lahey, Angel Olsen and Ruby Fields, Good Guy leads with its heart on its sleeve; with amps cranked and driving percussion alongside clever and playful melodies, this track is impossible to ignore.  Speaking on the inspiration behind the track, Kit explains, “I wrote this song with Ali Barter last year after having one too many conversations with amazing women about men in the entertainment industry getting away with bad behaviour.  There is a long and specific story behind it, basically I was tired of hearing sad songs by incredible women about other remarkable women who were wronged – I just wanted to get mad about it. The chorus is kind of a G-rated ‘fuck the patriarchy’.  One of the lyrics is 'it's bigger than us both’.  The conversations stopped just being about my own sadness, anger, disappointment and horror and turned into ‘What the actual shit is going on around us?  How can we fix this?’”

The clip for Good Guy reinforces the message behind the track wholeheartedly.  Reflecting on the video, Kit says, “It's kind of alluding to the experience of someone seeming like a lovely person at first and lulling you into a semi-false sense of security.  Then bam, they do something shit and you're all confused.  And I feel like it's so common now.  Sometimes it's not even something that bad.  Ghosting and not replying to texts, not going straight for a condom, not being honest and open about where they're at.  Anyway, it's that.  In a film clip.  You'll just have to watch it to get the full scoop!  And it's shot in Melbourne at some of my favourite spots!  The patriarchy is giving me a lot of creative fodder, ha!”

Good Guy is a far cry from the exquisite folk stylings of All Our Exes Live In Texas that fans might know Kit best for, but it’s all a melting pot of influences as she explains, “I've been listening to different music – more rocky, raw stuff.  We played folk songs for a long time and I got to a point where I wanted to yell a bit.  Get my punk on!  And have my own voice too.  The band has definitely been a part of KIT, even if it isn't conscious.  Those women are a really important part of my music and emotional history and it would be naïve to think it hasn't influenced KIT.”

Good Guy is out April 3 through Believe.

Listen: GOOD GUY

Watch: GOOD GUY

 FRIDAY 17 APR @ 7pm AEDT | LIVE ON INSTAGRAM WITH BONNIE SONGS, NANCIE SCHIPPER & HANNAH BLACKBURN

Q&A WITH KIT

What’s the inspiration behind your new single Good Guy? 

“I wrote this song with Ali Barter last year after having one too many conversations with amazing women about men in the entertainment industry getting away with bad behaviour. There is a long and specific story behind it, basically I was tired of hearing sad songs by incredible women about other remarkable

women who were wronged – I just wanted to get mad about it. The chorus is kind of a G-rated ‘fuck the patriarchy’. One of the lyrics is ‘this is bigger than us both’. The conversations stopped just being about my own sadness, anger, disappointment and horror and turned into ‘What the actual shit is going on around us? How can we fix this?”

Who are your greatest musical influences?

“Phoebe Bridgers, Merpire, my mum. “

What do you bring to the live stage? 

“I HOPE good banter and open, honest music. “

How was the recording process? 

“Long haha! But so fun. I was just so picky about this first single that it took awhile. Thankfully I had a lot of very kind, patient, BRILLIANT musicians and friends around me so that helped. And in the end I’m really proud of where we got to so it was all worth it!”

What was the inspiration behind the music video? 

“Well we’re tackling what I think is pretty heavy subject matter so Gina Somfleth (from Popcandi and who I made the clip with) and I were keen to stay away from that. We wanted to find a humourous route to take so we went with going on a date with the devil - except I don’t know he’s the bad guy!!”

How would you describe your writing process? 

 “I think it changes all the time. BUT I would say I mostly start with an idea or a melody. Then I usually build it from there. Honestly there’s no one way though! “

Give us an interesting personal fact!

“I once baked a cake with a BB8 (Star Wars) on the top of it for a friend’s birthday. I still sleep with a teddy bear called White Bear and he’s actually a cat. “

Cloning 'All Rise' Single Q&A

ALL RISE!

              CLONING ANNOUNCE NEW SINGLE & VIDEO ALL RISE

+ LAUNCH SHOW ON MARCH 13 

Emerging WA band Cloning have today released their ethereal new single All Rise, an introspective track that questions morality and is influenced by Nordic mythology.  The group have also released an impressive self-made cosmic claymation film clip to accompany the song.  To celebrate the release of All Rise, Cloning will be playing an exclusive show at the Indian Ocean Hotel in Scarborough on March 13.

All Rise pays homage to triphop auteurs Portishead while also evoking influences from Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds to Radiohead.  Recorded and mixed by Dave Parkin (Gyroscope, Karnivool) and mastered by Brian Lucey (Cage The Elephant, Arctic Monkeys, Royal Blood), this atmospheric track is the perfect soundtrack to a warm, hazy summer, with shining synthesisers, ample mandolin, cinematic guitar and idiosyncratic vocals.  Speaking on the intricate meaning behind the track, guitarist and lead vocalist Felix Parker says, “All Rise is about how groups of people can think their intentions are purer than they actually are, and end up committing morally questionable acts in the name of their chosen cause.  It's also about what gets left in the wake of pursuing a goal and how noble intentions can be corrupted by the pursuit of this goal.  The imagery in the lyrics is influenced by Nordic mythology and stories about the Yggdrasil which is a mythical ash tree at the centre of the cosmos.  I read way too much as a kid and a lot of that just seems to naturally flow into my lyrics.”

Following the Nordic mythology theme, the video for All Rise was cleverly and masterfully worked in-house by the band, from conception to completion, excluding the editing which was completed by Jake Crawford (Psychedellic Porn Crumpets). From set making, to directing, to filming – the band did it all.  With over forty hours of footage filmed over one very long weekend, and after almost setting fire to Felix’s living room twice, the video was taking shape.  “We wanted to create visuals that complemented the lyrics and the myths they were influenced by. We came up with the concept first and were trying to think about how we could pull it off. We thought about hiring an animator to make an animation video at first, but we couldn’t afford it. Bevan made stop motion videos as a kid and does photography in his spare time, so we decided to make the video ourselves using Claymation,” explains Felix.  “And we are really happy that we decided to do it ourselves because we ended up making something that is way more us than if someone else had done it,” adds guitarist Bevan Green, “But it definitely pushed the limits of our sanity. We spent ages gluing fake leaves to sticks to make trees which is really finicky when you’re dealing with things this small. And we had to be careful when filming not to move the clay figures in the wrong way or knock the camera, because one dodgy photo would ruin the hundreds of photos we had already taken up to that point for the scene.” 

Cloning formed among friends Nic Rollo, Felix Parker and Jack Brett during their final years at school.  The untimely loss of a close friend and musician around this time drove them to invest heavily in their musical pursuits.  They were soon joined by guitarist Bevan Green, who grew up in the goldfields mining town of Kalgoorlie; joining the band when he moved to Perth.  Though in relative infancy, Cloning have already been notching up some impressive achievements - touring nationally and scoring a WAM Song of the Year nomination last year – it’s safe to say 2020 is set to be a big year for this talented alternative act out of Perth!  

All Rise is out February 3.

Cloning is Felix Parker (lead vocals and guitar), Bevan Green (guitar and vocals), Nic Rollo (bass and vocals), Jack Brett (drums).

Listen: ALL RISE

Watch: ALL RISE

CLONING ALL RISE LAUNCH GIG

FRI MAR 13 | INDIAN OCEAN HOTEL, SCARBOROUGH WA | 18+

Tickets from Oztix https://heatseeker.oztix.com.au/

 Q&A Interview With Felix, Jack & Bevan.

Q; What’s the inspiration behind your new single ‘All Rise’?

A; Felix - All Rise is about how groups of people can place a lot of significance on their beliefs, but be quite misguided in doing so. I was reading a fair bit about nordic mythology at the time and some of the lyrics are influenced by that. In particular the Yggdrasil which is a mythical Ash Tree was something I tried to incorporate into the imagery of the tune. 

Q; Who are your greatest musical influences?

A; Radiohead, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Portishead, The Doors, Everything Everything. 

Q; What do you bring to the live stage?

A; Bevan - I think theres something in there for everyone in our live shows. We like so much different styles of music and we try to make our music reflect that. 
A; Felix - We've spent a long time getting our live set tight so now we're just trying to have fun and give the audience a good experience. 

Q; How was the recording process?

A; Bevan - We recorded with Dave Parkin at Blackbird studios. 
Jack – Dave is great. He's so experienced and easy to work with. He fits in so well with our band band. The song took a couple days to record.
A; Felix - We spent the longest time getting the drum tones sounding nice before we recorded. They're the foundation of the song so once we're happy with how they sound everything else usually flows smoothly from there. 

Q; What was the inspiration behind the music video?

A; Felix - The video draws from nordic mythology like the lyrics. We tried to make a video which complemented the words in the song and gave some more life to the ideas they were influenced by.  

A; Bevan - In the video a traveller is attempting to find ‘The Yggdrasil’, which is a sacred ash tree that features a lot in Nordic mythology. But on the way he has to face a series of challenges designed to stop him from reaching the tree. 

Q; How would you describe your writing process?
Felix - Usually a song starts with Bevan or I recording ideas at home. If we're vibing then we get Jack and Nic to come in to flesh out the song more. 
A; Bevan - Felix started 'All Rise' when he recorded a mandolin riff and some guitar chords on his computer one night so I came over a couple days later and wrote my guitar parts for the song. We thought it was sounding cool so we got Jack and Nic involved to finish off the song. 

Q; Give us an interesting personal fact!
A; We should win an award for most pizza eaten by a band. We eat a lot when we're together and if pizza could be a muse it would be ours.