By the time you read this, Parkway Drive will be days away from celebrating the release of their second album with their first Australian tour in a year.
Vocalist Winston McCall admits that they have neglected their home country over the past year, spending most of their time in the States with tours also taking them to the UK and Europe.
“We’ve been away so much and we’ve kind of ignored Australia a bit over the last year or so,” he said.
Forming in 2003, Parkway Drive have accomplished in four years what most bands hope to do in a life time.
Growing up listening to punk rock bands like Bad Religion, Pennywise and NOFX has had a profound influence on Parkway Drive’s sound.
According to McCall, “They’re the bands that made the biggest impact on my life.”
The boys from Byron Bay and their hardcore/metal/punk (whatever you want to call it) music has taken them around the world, building them a dedicated fan base along the way.
McCall and his band mates Ben Gordon (drums), Jeff Ling and Luke Kilpatrick (guitar) and Jia ‘Pipey’ O’Connor (bass) have just returned to home soil after a month long stint on the Vans Warped Tour in the US.
As the only Australian band on the line-up, Parkway Drive made the most of the opportunity to play to new crowds.
According to McCall, “The experience was totally different from anything we’ve ever done before. It was like being in a travelling music circus.”
The opportunity to play with over 100 bands in over 30 cities was, according to McCall a once in a lifetime experience.
“American kids seem to go pretty agro. They have a lot of aggression to get out and more than once we had to stop to break up fights.”
“I think they were under the impression that because we were from Australia, they might not get to see us again so they made the most of it which was cool.”
Playing alongside bands including Bad Religion, Pennywise and New Found Glory, was a dream come true for McCall.
“Being able to play with so many bands I’ve loved for so long and being able to watch them every day was awesome.”
With hundreds of bands and even more crew, McCall recalls the daunting task of trying to remember everyone’s names.
“It came to the point where you’d meet someone, then five minutes later you’ve met 10 other people and you’ve forgotten the other person’s name.”
“So it came to the point where everyone just gave up on names. At times it was a bit awkward but still good.”
Playing shows everyday, watching your favourite bands and touring around America is what every band dreams of. But surely there have to be downsides to being a part of Warped Tour.
“The heat in America was probably the worst thing. It was around 40 degrees every day and people didn’t understand what we were complaining about. They think it’s that hot in Australia all the time.”
“But other than that there is nothing to complain about because you get fed, you get driven everywhere and you get to play and see all these amazing bands.”
Parkway Drive’s energetic blend of punk and metal built them up a reputable fan base at Warped Tour and according to McCall, they didn’t have a problem with people who might not have been their fans.
“The thing with Warped was if people didn’t like your band they moved on because there were so many bands playing at once there was always something for someone.”
With around 10 stages running at the same time, Parkway Drive were one of the bands that stood out.
“If people hadn’t heard us before and they did stumble across us they really liked what they heard. We got a lot of good feedback from the tour and people watching us.”
Music festivals all over the world are renowned for being full of strange sights. Interesting fashions are the most common, but in Parkway Drive’s case, it’s lucky they’re still alive.
“While we were playing in Cleveland an enormous storm hit. Apparently there was a tornado down the road.”
“We hid in our van and when we came out after the storm 100 merchandise tents had been blown down and destroyed and three kids had been struck by lightning.”
After that little episode, Parkway Drive continued on their way showcasing new material to thousands of fans.
Having just completed recoding their follow up album to ‘Killing With ‘Smiles’ in Massachusetts, ‘Horizons’ is the album that will set Parkway Drive Apart from the rest.
“It’s the same sound as ‘Killing With Smiles’ in the sense that it still sounds like Parkway Drive. But we have tried not to write the same record twice.”
“With ‘Horizons’ there are differences in there and we did endeavour to put them in, but at the same time there are similarities.”
Parkway Drive have progressed in their song writing and they have tried to look less to other bands for inspiration and more to themselves.
“We try and step forward every time we write an album and it may not be hugely noticeable to other people but for us this has always been a challenge.”
‘Horizons’ was produced by Killswitch Engage guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz who has also worked with the likes of……
“We’ve got to work with him twice now so we’re really good friends. I think when you work with someone you know and you’re friends with it makes it a hell of a lot easier.”
“He worked us really hard to make sure everything was the best it could be. He makes it easier because he’s very encouraging and instead of being half arsed about everything he just pushes you as opposed to bringing you down.”
Parkway Drive are not planning anything big to celebrate the release of ‘Horizons’ on October 6th. They’re just looking forward to coming home.
“The celebration for us is getting to play Australia again. I can’t wait to come home.”
Parkway Drive will be hitting the road in October for a national tour with special guests The Warriors (USA), Her Nightmare and No Apologies.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
my first ever published article & interview April 2007
When asked how The Vasco Era would celebrate the release of their debut album, drummer Michael Fitzgerald replied, ‘I guess if we sell 5 million albums in the first week we’ll buy a big boat and sail around the world’. Seriously? ‘No, we just want to start playing heaps of shows and get the album out there’.
The trio from Apollo Bay in Victoria also includes brothers Ted (bass) & Sid (guitar/vocals) O’Neil. Sid, Ted and Fitzy all grew up together playing in bands since they were in their teens. ‘We’re all just mates. Most of the time it’s all really good’ says Fitzy on being in a band with two brothers. ‘I’ve only really ever had one problem’. It involved the band driving down a freeway at 100 km/h, Ted’s phone ringing, Sid answering the phone and Ted kicking Sid in the head. Poor Fitzy was stuck in the back unable to do anything.
The band began recording their album in September last year at Different Fur Recording in San Francisco. ‘The actual recording was over a month… normally when people record they do it over two months…so it was a bit stressful’. The month long recording process was all work and no play according to Fitzy. ‘We didn’t get to see much because we had two days off the whole time. We were working 12 hour days’. Who ever said that being a rock star was glamorous had obviously never met a real band before.
Jeff Saltzman was chosen to produce the album, having previously worked with the likes of The Killers and The Black Keys; both bands favourites of the Vasco Era. ‘We signed up to Universal Records and they gave us some names of people to talk to…he seemed really cool and laid back and interested in what we were doing with the album’. Major record labels are notoriously renowned for not giving bands freedom when recording their album. Usually all they care about is selling as many records as possible. This was not the case with The Vasco Era and Universal Records. ‘We had a lot of ideas already and they pretty much just wanted to make sure that we did it with someone with a bit of a name…someone who might help us’. It’s nice to know that there is still some originality in music we listen to and it isn’t all created with the idea of becoming a #1 single. ‘We didn’t want to make a strong commercial album and it sounded like he [Saltzman] was up for that’.
And the finished product? Ten blues/metal/rock (whatever you want to call it) songs on an album titled ‘Oh We Do like to be beside the Seaside’. The title obviously comes from the fact that Sid, Ted and Fitzy grew up beside the sea in Apollo Bay. ‘The whole album is like a big story…based on experiences from Apollo Bay’. Two songs off the album are already getting airplay, titled When It First Showed Up & When All Was Lost. But according to Fitzy, people should wait until the album comes out so they can hear the songs properly. ‘With this type of [concept] album its hard just putting one song on the radio…because the album as itself flows so well…to listen to one song by itself can be a bit confusing’.
Oh We Do like to be beside the Seaside’s sound is a lot different to their last two EP’s. ‘The first EP was pretty bluesy and the second…we won a competition to record so there wasn’t much time of effort put into it’. The Vasco Era believe that this is a showcase of their best material with no song on the album alike. ‘One could be really soft and acoustic…and then the next one could be really rock’.
The Vasco Era’s influences for this album came from a wide variety of artists, although when Fitzy was asked the question, he wasn’t quite sure whether they had actually had any influence on them. ‘We listen to Bob Dylan and Nick Cave and grew up listening to Neil Young and The Beatles. I don’t know whether they influenced us. They probably did…it makes sense they would because where else would we get influences’? Fitzy didn’t always know that he would one day be a drummer but couldn’t find anything else to do. ‘I’ve always been into music and I played music a lot growing up. I didn’t know whether I’d do it as a career or not’. So what would he do if he wasn’t a rock star? ‘I also played a lot of sport as well. I think the idea was either do sports and if you’re not good enough try and do music. It ended up that I wasn’t good enough for sports so I gave music a try’. I’m sure a lot of people, especially musicians will agree.
The Vasco Era are getting restless and cannot wait to showcase their new album to the world. After the album is released on May 5th the trio will embark on a national tour beginning at the end of May (after they’ve sailed around the world on their big boat). ‘We’re really happy with it [the album]. It’s just a matter of other people hearing it… hopefully everyone likes it’. Fans have been waiting a long time for this album to come and according to The Vasco Era, they won’t be disappointed.
The trio from Apollo Bay in Victoria also includes brothers Ted (bass) & Sid (guitar/vocals) O’Neil. Sid, Ted and Fitzy all grew up together playing in bands since they were in their teens. ‘We’re all just mates. Most of the time it’s all really good’ says Fitzy on being in a band with two brothers. ‘I’ve only really ever had one problem’. It involved the band driving down a freeway at 100 km/h, Ted’s phone ringing, Sid answering the phone and Ted kicking Sid in the head. Poor Fitzy was stuck in the back unable to do anything.
The band began recording their album in September last year at Different Fur Recording in San Francisco. ‘The actual recording was over a month… normally when people record they do it over two months…so it was a bit stressful’. The month long recording process was all work and no play according to Fitzy. ‘We didn’t get to see much because we had two days off the whole time. We were working 12 hour days’. Who ever said that being a rock star was glamorous had obviously never met a real band before.
Jeff Saltzman was chosen to produce the album, having previously worked with the likes of The Killers and The Black Keys; both bands favourites of the Vasco Era. ‘We signed up to Universal Records and they gave us some names of people to talk to…he seemed really cool and laid back and interested in what we were doing with the album’. Major record labels are notoriously renowned for not giving bands freedom when recording their album. Usually all they care about is selling as many records as possible. This was not the case with The Vasco Era and Universal Records. ‘We had a lot of ideas already and they pretty much just wanted to make sure that we did it with someone with a bit of a name…someone who might help us’. It’s nice to know that there is still some originality in music we listen to and it isn’t all created with the idea of becoming a #1 single. ‘We didn’t want to make a strong commercial album and it sounded like he [Saltzman] was up for that’.
And the finished product? Ten blues/metal/rock (whatever you want to call it) songs on an album titled ‘Oh We Do like to be beside the Seaside’. The title obviously comes from the fact that Sid, Ted and Fitzy grew up beside the sea in Apollo Bay. ‘The whole album is like a big story…based on experiences from Apollo Bay’. Two songs off the album are already getting airplay, titled When It First Showed Up & When All Was Lost. But according to Fitzy, people should wait until the album comes out so they can hear the songs properly. ‘With this type of [concept] album its hard just putting one song on the radio…because the album as itself flows so well…to listen to one song by itself can be a bit confusing’.
Oh We Do like to be beside the Seaside’s sound is a lot different to their last two EP’s. ‘The first EP was pretty bluesy and the second…we won a competition to record so there wasn’t much time of effort put into it’. The Vasco Era believe that this is a showcase of their best material with no song on the album alike. ‘One could be really soft and acoustic…and then the next one could be really rock’.
The Vasco Era’s influences for this album came from a wide variety of artists, although when Fitzy was asked the question, he wasn’t quite sure whether they had actually had any influence on them. ‘We listen to Bob Dylan and Nick Cave and grew up listening to Neil Young and The Beatles. I don’t know whether they influenced us. They probably did…it makes sense they would because where else would we get influences’? Fitzy didn’t always know that he would one day be a drummer but couldn’t find anything else to do. ‘I’ve always been into music and I played music a lot growing up. I didn’t know whether I’d do it as a career or not’. So what would he do if he wasn’t a rock star? ‘I also played a lot of sport as well. I think the idea was either do sports and if you’re not good enough try and do music. It ended up that I wasn’t good enough for sports so I gave music a try’. I’m sure a lot of people, especially musicians will agree.
The Vasco Era are getting restless and cannot wait to showcase their new album to the world. After the album is released on May 5th the trio will embark on a national tour beginning at the end of May (after they’ve sailed around the world on their big boat). ‘We’re really happy with it [the album]. It’s just a matter of other people hearing it… hopefully everyone likes it’. Fans have been waiting a long time for this album to come and according to The Vasco Era, they won’t be disappointed.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Tin Alley are breaking the ice with new fans
ON their last national tour, the stages and venues Tin Alley were set to grace were left empty.
Fans eager to see them live sat at home twiddling their thumbs.
And the Melbourne rock trio sat at home wondering what to do next.
Just days before they were set to leave on their first major tour, drummer Pete Hofbauer was involved in a motorcycle accident.
Frontman and guitarist Jim Siourthas thought that could have been the end of Tin Alley.
“Pete was out of action for a few months and we had to cancel all our shows,” Siourthas said.
With Jim’s brother Paul on bass, all is well in Tin Alley, and the band can’t wait to hit the road.
“It is really good to finally get out there now with Pete in one piece,” Siourthas revealed.
As with most bands, touring is what it’s all about for Tin Alley who thrive on sharing their music with as many people as possible.
“My favourite thing about touring is meeting different people everywhere and having the opportunity to travel around,” says Siourthas.
“We went to Hobart and played a show and we had a great time doing sightseeing and being tourists.
“We wouldn’t have had the opportunity to do that if we weren’t touring.”
Releasing their debut album Every Turn in October 2007, Tin Alley have enjoyed regular airplay on stations like Triple J and 3RRR and have acquired a dedicated fan base around the country.
In June this year, Tin Alley released their new single ‘Polar Bear’.
When asked why they chose ‘Polar Bear’ as their second single and third release in nine months, Siourthas’ response was simple.
“It’s a great song. It is funky and it gets people moving,” he says.
It also has a strange name and an interesting story behind it, which it seems the band love to talk about.
“My brother Paul was out one night at a Melbourne club and a hot looking girl came up next to him,” Siourthas said. “He turned to his friends and asked them what a good icebreaker was.”
“She heard the question and turned around to him and said, ‘Polar bears. Polar bears break ice’. She walked off and Paul went home and wrote ‘Polar Bear’.”
Tin Alley’s sound is as diverse as their song titles and their influences have been plucked from a range of genres, in particular rock.
“I’d say the biggest influences would be Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots, The Doors and Smashing Pumpkins. There’s so many bands I listen to the list could go on forever,” says Siourthas.
Like so many other successful musicians, Siourthas knew he wanted to play in a band from the moment he picked up a guitar at the age of seven.
“I was in my first band when I was about 14 and have been in and out of bands since then,” he says.
According to Siourthas, when Tin Alley were still playing in each others garage, they had not yet found their own style.
“I think in the early days we were struggling to have our own individual sound. Instead of writing our own songs, we were subconsciously copying other bands sounds and styles,” he said.
As time goes on, Tin Alley have thankfully developed their own signature sound according to Siourthas.
“Music is like wine,” he explains. “The more you work at it the more it matures. Our music is reaching a much higher standard as time goes on and has definitely changed since we started out.”
Fans eager to see them live sat at home twiddling their thumbs.
And the Melbourne rock trio sat at home wondering what to do next.
Just days before they were set to leave on their first major tour, drummer Pete Hofbauer was involved in a motorcycle accident.
Frontman and guitarist Jim Siourthas thought that could have been the end of Tin Alley.
“Pete was out of action for a few months and we had to cancel all our shows,” Siourthas said.
With Jim’s brother Paul on bass, all is well in Tin Alley, and the band can’t wait to hit the road.
“It is really good to finally get out there now with Pete in one piece,” Siourthas revealed.
As with most bands, touring is what it’s all about for Tin Alley who thrive on sharing their music with as many people as possible.
“My favourite thing about touring is meeting different people everywhere and having the opportunity to travel around,” says Siourthas.
“We went to Hobart and played a show and we had a great time doing sightseeing and being tourists.
“We wouldn’t have had the opportunity to do that if we weren’t touring.”
Releasing their debut album Every Turn in October 2007, Tin Alley have enjoyed regular airplay on stations like Triple J and 3RRR and have acquired a dedicated fan base around the country.
In June this year, Tin Alley released their new single ‘Polar Bear’.
When asked why they chose ‘Polar Bear’ as their second single and third release in nine months, Siourthas’ response was simple.
“It’s a great song. It is funky and it gets people moving,” he says.
It also has a strange name and an interesting story behind it, which it seems the band love to talk about.
“My brother Paul was out one night at a Melbourne club and a hot looking girl came up next to him,” Siourthas said. “He turned to his friends and asked them what a good icebreaker was.”
“She heard the question and turned around to him and said, ‘Polar bears. Polar bears break ice’. She walked off and Paul went home and wrote ‘Polar Bear’.”
Tin Alley’s sound is as diverse as their song titles and their influences have been plucked from a range of genres, in particular rock.
“I’d say the biggest influences would be Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots, The Doors and Smashing Pumpkins. There’s so many bands I listen to the list could go on forever,” says Siourthas.
Like so many other successful musicians, Siourthas knew he wanted to play in a band from the moment he picked up a guitar at the age of seven.
“I was in my first band when I was about 14 and have been in and out of bands since then,” he says.
According to Siourthas, when Tin Alley were still playing in each others garage, they had not yet found their own style.
“I think in the early days we were struggling to have our own individual sound. Instead of writing our own songs, we were subconsciously copying other bands sounds and styles,” he said.
As time goes on, Tin Alley have thankfully developed their own signature sound according to Siourthas.
“Music is like wine,” he explains. “The more you work at it the more it matures. Our music is reaching a much higher standard as time goes on and has definitely changed since we started out.”
Riff Clothing
I have started a clothing company.
www.riffclothing.com.au
www.myspace.com/riffclothingau
Yes, it's very small and I haven't even got any of my own
designs done yet but i promise whoever
reads this that they're going to be good.
And limited edition so you won't look like everyone else.
Check it out and tell EVERYONE you know
about rock inspired fashion & footwear.
It's coming.
xxx
www.riffclothing.com.au
www.myspace.com/riffclothingau
Yes, it's very small and I haven't even got any of my own
designs done yet but i promise whoever
reads this that they're going to be good.
And limited edition so you won't look like everyone else.
Check it out and tell EVERYONE you know
about rock inspired fashion & footwear.
It's coming.
xxx
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)