Hello! My name is Rick and I play keys in Money For Rope. We’re a bunch of guys that spend too much time together discussing Mediterranean cuisine and football. Sometimes we play music too, for example we’re currently on tour with The Delta Riggs who are lovely lads. We’ll be playing around Victoria and Queensland with them for the next two weeks.
What’s your earliest memory of performing and who inspired you to start?
I recall performing interpretive dances to a Michael Jackson cassette in front of my family when I was about seven. I started playing shitty covers of Nirvana and Grinspoon songs when I was about thirteen. So yeah…M.J and Grinnas. Fuck.
You must answer this question honestly or we steal your rider. What and where was the first gig you went to?
I grew up in Ballarat and I reckon the first gig I saw was The Mavis’s at the Central Square shopping centre food court in about 98’. It was mind blowing. That chick was so hot.
‘Fess up. What records have you stolen from your parent’s record collection and why?
All of them because my parents are much cooler than me. I started early; flogging anything Beatles or Stones related and discovered some really cool shit. I’ve also got a rare Neil Young live record of theirs that’s probably worth some money. I hope they don’t read this.
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What’s on heavy rotation on your iPod right now?
Don’t have one. I bought a copy of Mother and Son’s album when we played with them in Wollongong and I strongly recommend that to anyone. There are some stalwarts on rotation on my record player like: DEVO – Are we not men? We are Devo, The B52’s self titled, Sam Cooke at the Copa and anything by Buzzcocks.
How do you find new music?
Often accidently by playing gigs with sweet bands (see: Mother and Son) or by picking up random compilation LP’s at Polyester records.
Do you have any particular ritual before you go on stage, or even a lucky charm you take with you?
The band has a ritual to get into ‘the zone’ before a show, it involves standing in a circle and chanting, “zone, zone, zone”. Works every time.
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?
It would probably be at Jules’ farm and be BYO. There would be no reformations of 70’s or 80’s bands whose music you love and then begin to hate after you watch them perform live as 60 year olds. The line-up would be something like this: King Khan and the Shrines, Black Lips, Royal Headache, Those Darlins, The Once Overs, Fraser A Gorman, Mother And Son, King Gizzard + more.
When you’re Rolling Stones Big, what are you going to request on your rider: don’t be shy. We want specifics!
I would just be happy with a dressing room that separates me from our guitarist Carl.
Because it’s more fun to do things together, which living Australian artist would you most like to collaborate with and why?
I’d like to get Shaun Micallef to produce an album so I could spend time with him and get him to do his characters and impressions. I imagine the album would be dreadful. I’d also like to get Wayne Carey to star in a film clip. Go Kangas.
What is your band’s music the best soundtrack for?
A stage production of the life and times of Wayne ‘The King’ Carey.
Where we can see you play next, what releases do you have available and where can we get them?
We’re playing at The Northcote Social Club this Thursday followed by The Loft in Warrnambool on Friday and Karova Lounge in my old hometown of Ballarat on Saturday. Next weekend we’ll be in Brissy and the Gold Coast. And further down the track we’re appearing at Bigsound and The Queenscliff Music Festival. We’ve got some singles on iTunes and on Vinyls. Check out our Facebook and Bandcamp.
