A lot of bands start out in high school or as remnants of old bands. Your story is a bit different. Tell us about about how you met and how the dynamic between the three of you has worked?
Myles and I were introduced by Jules from our label Rice is Nice. I had some demos and was looking for a band, the pre-requisite being “nice people only, please”. Myles liked the songs, so we met in a rehearsal room and started working on them, with the goal of making a record. I was looking for a keyboard/bass player and Myles suggested Chris. We clicked. It seems like the band is constantly evolving. We had a starting point, those songs and this record, and now we are writing all the time and exploring new ideas.
The three of you have each respectively been in other, notable bands. How did coming together actually work? Is there a main songwriter or is it entirely collaborative?
Someone asked me the other day what I thought the main element is that makes bands work. I said, “luck”. Sometimes you just click and happen to have good ideas together, and things flow rather than being difficult or forced. That’s the way it is with us.
We started off with a collection of songs to work on, but now we write together entirely from scratch, so it is completely collaborative.
Who are your major music influences of the past?
I would say for Chris and Myles it would be Pink Floyd and Black Sabbath, whereas I’d be more The Beatles.
Love The Beatles?
Get the latest The Beatles news, features, updates and giveaways straight to your inbox Learn more
Your music seems to combine both old and modern sounds. Are there specific eras that inspire you in particular?
60s and 90s. Early psychedelia and early heavy metal as well as stoner-rock, grrl-rock and grunge.
The cover art for Strange Dreams and also your single It’s Not Easy Being Mean is original and stunning. Can you tell us about it?
Myles did the artwork, he is a very accomplished visual artist in his own right. I had a concept for the artwork (which I thought would reflect the music quite well), which was to use the anatomical drawing’s from Gray’s Anatomy of viscera, particularly hearts, but then to colour them in a bright, un-lifelike way. Myles took the idea and ran with it and it is way better than I could have imagined. He used ink drawings and watercolour splatters.
How do you like your music? On digital, CD, or vinyl (maybe even cassette)?
I like records. Especially for listening to older stuff.
We have recently been recording our rehearsals onto cassette tape. They are extraordinarily good recordings considering the tape player has just one tiny microphone. Thanks to the natural compression of tape everything sounds sweet, and is audible. You can even hear the vocals. Sure couldn’t do that on your iPhone.
What has been your most memorable gig to date? Either as Good Heavens or separately?
We played a pretty sweet gig at the Gallery of Modern Art last week on a stage built above water. Which was a little nerve-wracking actually. Take one step too many back and you land in the drink!
If you could play any venue/festival where would it be and why?
I’d love to play the Meredith Supernatural Amphitheatre again. I have very fond memories of that stage.
Finally, what have you guys got coming up?
A couple of shows in Sydney and Melbourne. We just spent three days in an old country mansion filming a clip with Brent Griffin and I am hankering to see the results. And we are putting the record out on vinyl early next year.
www.facebook.com/goodheavensband?fref=ts
