Heavy Beach are self-described ‘psych-pop-grunge’ band from Melbourne, comprising of Ali Edmonds (Little Athletics, Damn Terran, Ali E), Mark Renall (Howl at the Moon) and Clayton Pegus (Spun Rivals) this Melbourne trio have an uncanny knack of blending modern rock sensibilities with just the right amount of 90s nostalgia.
What was the name of the first song you wrote and what was it about?
Clay: For me it was warm shadows. I wasn’t in the band at the time and was helping Ali and Mark record some demos. While mixing it I felt that the track really needed some big bottom end so I wrote a bass part and mixed it in so you couldn’t really tell it was there. What’s the song about? No idea.
Ali: For Heavy Beach? It was Warm Shadows! I wrote the music first then wrote the lyrics after a dinner party I went to; I was half asleep on a bean bag and felt sleepy – sooooo… it’s about lying in a warm Shadow feeling sleepy!
Considering the bands evident psych-rock involvement, what was your favourite Australian psychedelic release of the year?
Clay: Pond – Beard, Wives, Denim LP. I don’t know what’s in the water over there in W.A. but it’s good.
Plus a special mention for: Buried Feather – Time It Takes / Maybe 7”
Ali: What he said…
One record for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Clay: One record for the rest of my life? It would be impossible to choose 1, so I would probably turn my back on music all together…
Ali: Patti Smith, Outside Society…
Favourite effect pedal and why?
Clay: My favourite pedal is a modified for bass “hot cake”. Mark gave it to me for my birthday recently, and while I haven’t tried it yet (!!) I’m confident it’s going to be awesome. How could it not?
Ali: Headrush! It has loop functions and delay and echo!
What is your preferred platform of finding new music?
Clay: I work at Thornbury Records pretty much 7 days a week so I guess that’s “record store” by default. It doesn’t hurt that Ali works here too so we’re constantly listening to new music, pretentiously claiming that ‘their old stuff is better than their new stuff’ and then changing our minds a week later.
Ali: Yeah, Record Store. We get new stuff in and I get to listen to it. There’s plenty of obscure stuff to discover out there…
Who would you get if you could get anyone to design an album cover for you?
Clay: The guy that just did our EP. His illustrations are insane! Or maybe Lluis Fuzzhound… His art is all over the Melbourne music scene and for a good reason.
Ali: A photographer like Dorathea Lange or someone who takes simple but extremely moving images.
Lyrical content, where does it come from?
Clay: One for Ali
Ali: I get a lot of inspiration from books that I’m reading at the time, or movies that I’m watching. I steal words here and there and use them to make a story that relfects the song style or, something political at the time, or just the general mood i’m in at the time…
Which living Australian artist or band would you most like to collaborate with?
Clay: Tough question. Personally, if I was asked this question a couple of years ago I would have said Mark and or Ali… thankfully they got it together and I found my way into that collaboration.
Ali: I’d like to do the Summer Lovin’ duet with Olivia Newton John…
What would your band’s music the best soundtrack for?
Clay: Can’t read question.
Ali: A documentary about Heavy Beach.
Where we can see you play next, what releases do you have available and where can we get them?
We are launching our self-titled 10″ vinyl EP on Friday 30 November at the Gasometer. It’s out through Thornbury Records (thornburyrecords.com) so you can get it in store there and a few other indie stores around Melbourne. It’s also released digitally via bandcamp – heavybeach.bandcamp.com.
We have a few more shows in Melbourne before the end of the year, then hopefully getting up to the East Coast early 2013.
Check out heavybeach.com with links to find info.
