Them Bruins have been fermenting in a tin shed in Brunswick for the last 12 months or so honing our riot rock guitar riffs and seeing how many words we can shout in a verse. Trying to write songs that you can get drunk too and shout back to you best pal is what we’re all about.
What’s your earliest memory of performing and who inspired you to start?
When I was about 12 my older sister had a kick arse cd collection. She was also the only one in the house with a stereo to play em too so I’d continually sneak into her room and play Nirvana on repeat, so yeah she’d be up there as an inspiration. The old man should get a mention too. The amount of times we’d sit and listen to him (beatles song book on lap) run through his favourite numbers is countless.
Earliest performance would have been Year 7 High School Awards night I suspect. A couple of friends and I got up and lip-synced ‘Johnny Be Good’. I owned that shit.
You must answer this question honestly or we steal your rider. What and where was the first gig you went to?
If we’re not counting dad’s Beatle sets in the lounge then I think it was ‘The Offspring’ at Rod Laver Arena… My shame knows no bounds.
Fess up. What records have you stolen from your parent’s record collection and why?
Although, not in possession of it now I definitely remember a Dire Straits record floating around in my hot little hands for a while. That and ‘The Mysterious Fox Of Fox Hollow’.
What’s on heavy rotation on your iPod right now?
Seem to be giving Jeff The Brotherhood, Cast of Cheers and Band of Skulls a fair workout at the moment. On the softer side I’m loving the new Bat For Lashes single and that new one from the XX.
How do you find new music?
I’m not a massive music discoverer, more stumblerer. Spotify hasn’t really captured my attention yet so I’m really at the mercy of radio, street press and word of mouth.
Do you have any particular ritual before you go on stage, or even a lucky charm you take with you?
Well we are only a handful of gigs deep but early on I was sculling 3 red bulls just before we went on to bring the ruckus. I realised it probably wasn’t for me when my vision went two songs in.
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?
Shitballs, that’s a hard question. I really liked the Harvest setting last year so plonk it there. Presuming it’s a fantasy and the acts don’t have to be alive I’m going to say Nirvana would be headlining and then Super Furry Animals at about 2am; Rage would play some new stuff, Radiohead would play their old stuff and that gumbo truck thing will have to be there but without the damn line. I also think I should be the guy to bring back Slip n’ Slides to public events.
When you’re Rolling Stones Big, what are you going to request on your rider: don’t be shy. We want specifics!
Sumo suits and fresh towels! That’s when you know you’ve made it US-stylez. Why is it that even the smallest of American bands always have fluffy towels on stage? Any other nationality tours here, there ain’t a napkin in sight but a US band comes the stage looks like a Bed, Bath and Table.
Because it’s more fun to do things together, which living Australian artist would you most like to collaborate with?
Couldn’t go passed Tim Rogers I don’t think. Timmy has been the king of the Aussie alternate scene for as long as I can remember. Loves a collaboration too. You haven’t got his number have ya?
What is your band’s music the best soundtrack for?
Being Olympics time I reckon we’d go pretty well taking the Ping Pong to a commercial break.
Where we can see you play next, what releases do you have available and where can we get them?
2 gigs over the next couple of weeks. We are playing a show with Sheriff at The Tote on Thursday 9th, then Sat 11th with Calling All Cars at Ding Dong.
We’ve just wrapped up recording our first EP. Plan is to release single in a month or so then EP in October’ish. So eyes out for Them Bruins peoples!
