Tom Lark was born after the Christchurch earthquake destroyed the studio my previous band were working in and all our recordings along with it. Basically that meant I was stuck in my room mucking around, making whacky pop, super psychedelic saturated noises that ended up becoming the Tom Lark sound. From there I needed a band to make sure I didn’t become the next backing track dependant, karaoke styled sleaze ball. So Tom Lark found four other musicians to join the Lark family. We then spent the next 8 months playing shows and I recorded my debut album in Berlin, which was actually my first international flight. After that I did a solo tour around New Zealand with Lydia Cole, who’s this rad singer/songwriter that’s kinda a mix between The National and a lady Ryan Adams. Now we’re going to Big Sound in Brisbane, CMJ in New York, doing tours and prepping to drop these nu tunes!
What’s your earliest memory of performing and who inspired you to start?
As a kid I would pretend to play Cliff Richard songs with the tennis racket, but My first time singing in public was performance of a rockabilly tune I wrote when I was 13. It’s not a good song. Mum liked it.
You must answer this question honestly or we steal your rider. What and where was the first gig you went to?
I would love to say something awesome and cool, but my first real gig was when I went with this girl to Snow Patrol, she ditched me once we got there. Lame huh.
‘Fess up. What records have you stolen from your parent’s record collection and why?
HA, my parents listen to awful music, Dad’s into Jazz and Mum Barbra Streisand, especially that Album her and Barry Gibb did together. although sometimes on car trips we’d get to listen to The Carpenters which I still enjoy today.
What’s on heavy rotation on your iPod right now?
I no longer own an iPod (thanks earthquake), but I do have Spotify! So I give 0.0005 cents to each artist I listen to when I play their albums, which is at the moment mostly Artisan Guns’ ‘Coral’ and Sherpa’s ‘Lesser Flamingo’ two awesome albums released this year from NZ. Im also listening lots to Pavement and Melvins
How do you find new music?
It used to be from borrowing albums off friends like ‘OK Computer’ or ‘Is This It’. Now it’s probably from the related videos section on YouTube.
Do you have any particular ritual before you go on stage, or even a lucky charm you take with you?
No lucky charms! I just have my crazy colourful sweaters to slightly blind the audience’s line of vision. I guess it’s a bit of a confidence booster if they can’t look directly at me.
If you could curate your own festival, where would it be, who would be on the bill, how many people would you let in and what features would it have?
That sounds like a lot of work. But if it were possible how cool would it be to have a festival on different Tokyo rooftops. Call it “tomu raku no fesutibaru” which is Japanese for “Tom Lark’s Festival” and have The Flaming Lips, Supergrass and maybe Weezer playing the blue album. Only a small amount of ticket sales would be sold so it’s not so too intense. In terms of attractions/food/bars, just head down to the streets and enter the pinball machine that is Tokyo city.
When you’re Rolling Stones Big, what are you going to request on your rider: don’t be shy. We want specifics!
That’s just asking me what kind of food I’m into! On a rider I’d ‘need’ enough chocolate milk for my friends and myself, as it’s good for warming vocals, a vanilla coke fountain would be nice, cheese pizza and KFC that doubles as Fast Fret for guitars.
Because it’s more fun to do things together, which living Australian artist would you most like to collaborate with? Tell us why?
Savage Garden!!!!!!!! Or I could take a solo in an AC/DC song
But seriously,I have been really enjoying doing a bit of work with Simon Berkfinger (‘Philadelphia Grand Jury’ and now ‘Feelings’) for the forthcoming album and also doing an Australian tour together very soon. So, Simon Berkfinger!
What is your band’s music the best soundtrack for?
Well I think pieces of my music are more suited for different things. The new album has bits which could be soundtracks to Partys. Mostly the music I make is the soundtrack of my life as it was during writing. Everyday living I guess.
Where we can see you play next, what releases do you have available and where can we get them?
I’ve just played at Bigsound with my band and have a few other shows around the place with Feelings in September so that would be a great place to come see what we’re like and join the Lark family. Details for the tour are on my facebook and I keep my twitter up to date with up coming gigs and other fun things.
