As hotly tipped local band Husky get set to launch their new single ‘Deep Sea’ at Goodgod Small Club in Sydney this Thursday 25th August and at the East Brunswick Club in Melbourne on Saturday 27th August, Jim Murray caught up with drummer Luke Collins to discuss the band’s seemingly unstoppable success, which will see them play the Bigsound Music Conference in Brisbane next month, before then heading out on tour supporting the soaring star that is pop chanteuse Kimbra.
Husky, led by their namesake and self proclaimed poet Husky Gawenda, are clearly in thrall to the great songwriters – Cohen, Dylan, Lennon, McCartney, Simon, Wilson. While such influences are commonplace, it’s worth asking if there was ever a teenage obsession with gangsta rap or death metal rattling around in Husky’s collective closet.
Collins isn’t afraid to confess that behind his band’s indie folk exterior there was plenty of that. “Yeah, I grew up on 60’s and 70’s music plus a healthy dose of 80’s hits when I was about 10 or 11. I used to go into the garage and put on the Beach Boys and Dire Straits tapes and make guns out of my Dad’s plumbing stuff, and shoot pretend enemies! So, music was always around even before I started to play it.” Indeed, he confesses, there was a long teenage flirtation with metal and gangsta rap. “Then came the teen-angst, metal days: Metallica, Korn, Pantera. I was obsessed! Plus Warren G, & Snoop were huge at that time too. Loved it all!”
However, despite the teen rebellion, it was actually a high school teacher that led him to pick up the drums. Collins reveals: ‘I had an awesome music teacher in high school, Steve Seymour. He would get everyone in the class on acoustic guitars and teach us all the classic tunes from bands like America, The Beatles, The Doors, Jimi…etc. If he hadn’t taken over as music teacher right there and then I probably wouldn’t be where I am today. So, Mr. Seymour, if you’re out there, thanks for showing me the drum beat for ‘Lily Was Here’ and introducing me to music!”
It was also around this time that Collins experienced his teen rite of passage – attending his first gig. Like many first gigs, it wasn’t exactly the coolest gig in restrospect. “Ah…. from memory I think it was Grinspoon and Headlifter at the Port Macquarie RSL club back in probably 1997?? God, so hard to remember to back then!”
The band received an immediate boost to their profile when they won Triple J’s Unearthed Competition last year. Does Collins attribute much of their recent success to the importance of Triple J, and indeed does Triple J have too much power when it comes to breaking bands? Collins is diplomatic in his response. “[It’s] very important I think. It does have a lot of power but not too much. It’s great for emerging and established artists to really get their music out there.”
The ease with which fans can access and download music through Triple J Unearthed gives it an unrivalled opportunity to give bands a platform to ‘show their wares’ so as to speak, so from Husky’s perspective, is file sharing and the ease of copying music of benefit to musicians in the long term? Collins agrees. “Yeah I think so. That way we can bounce ideas off each other before we even get to the rehearsal room. Say like, Husky can record an idea on guitar, then send it to me and I can start to work on drum parts, send that idea back to him or Evan (Bass) or Gideon (Keys) to get the ball rolling.”
Husky have received comparisons to local success stories such as Cloud Control, Boy and Bear and so on, but it’s worth considering that while indie folk is so hot right now, does he fear that many of the acts finding success right now will be forgotten when the kids and Triple J move on to a new obsession?
Collins is unsure but confident that there are enough fans out there to keep the scene healthy. “Who knows, anything can happen. The indie folk thing has been around for a while now. Australia is fairly new to it compared to the U.S and U.K, so I don’t think it will be going anywhere for a while. There are a lot of folk fans out there to keep the music alive and kicking.”
Touring with Kimbra, who has seen her star soar on the back of well received shows and THAT number one collaboration with Gotye, is a collaboration something in Husky’s sights, especially as it seems that collaborations in Australian music are now the new indie folk?
Collins is unsure of whether the band have plans for such a pair up, but he knows who he’d personally be keen on working with. “Not sure about that question, people have collaborated forever – Kylie and Nick, Stevie and Paul, the list goes on. I don’t think it’s an indie folk thing. Some people just want to work with other people for a change. I’m not sure about strictly vocalists but personally I would love to collaborate with Jeff Lang. He is incredible and would sound so amazing with Husky. We would really tear the roof off the place! Plus Bobby Singh, who is an amazing Tabla player from Sydney, if those two were to work with us it would be soooo fun.”
While Husky may have a squeaky clean image along with many of their indie folk peers, when sprung with Tone Deaf’s perennial favourite left field question of asking if he had ever been arrested, Collins sheepishly confesses to a brush with the boys and girls in blue. “Yeah, taking a drunken leak in an alleyway in Lismore, NSW” he admits.
“The cops found me and decided that 8 hours of community service, a day in court and substantial fines would deter me from ever doing that again. Ha Ha suckers !!” When pressed as to whether the band’s increasing tour schedule and spending so much time together has them on tenterhooks and fistfighting on a daily basis, it seems that their reputation as nice guys is holding firm. The most grating trait about a band mate Collins can come up with is bassist Evan Tweedie’s snoring. “I wouldn’t say grating, more endearing. Oh wait no, Ev’s snoring is unbelievable. Sorry Ev.”
Thu 25 Aug Good God, Sydney NSW ** HEADLINE SHOW
Sat 27 Aug East Brunswick Club, Melbourne VIC ** HEADLINE SHOW
Thu 8 Sep Bigsound, Brisbane QLD Woodland Bar
Fri 9 Sep Forum, Melbourne VIC Supporting Kimbra
Sat 10 Sep The Gov, Adelaide SA Supporting Kimbra
Fri 16 Sep The Metro, Sydney NSW Supporting Kimbra
Sat 17 Sep Astor Theatre, Perth WA Supporting Kimbra
