Stepmother blend electrifying psychedelia with proper rock ‘n’ roll and a gritty punk edge.
Fronted by the prolific guitarist Graham Clise (Witch, Annihilation Time, Lecherous Gaze, Rot TV), this Australian power trio released their album Planet Brutalicon last September, and have also toured with legendary rock band Dinosaur Jr..
They’re back on the road this month, including helping to celebrate the return of Melbourne’s Bendigo Hotel alongside C.O.F.F.I.N and more on August 31st (check their social media for details).
Drawing inspiration from Blue Cheer, The Pink Fairies, Nervous Eaters, and The Damned, Stepmother deliver a powerful concoction of punk intensity and nihilistic themes. Tracks like “Do You Believe” and “Settle Down” are prime examples.
“Just think of it as a fairy-tale hells-cape of children being dragged into the woods and eaten alive by goblins and trolls,” explains Clise. “It sounds like a proto-punk fuzzed out crazy horse… don’t forget to check under the bed.”
Recorded at Rat Shack by Robert Muinos (Saskwatch) and mastered by John Davis (The Damned) at Metropolis Mastering, Planet Brutalicon is out now via Tee Pee Records.
Tone Deaf caught up with Graham from Stepmother as part of our Get to Know series to get to know the band a bit better, which you can check out below.
How did your artist name come about?
“Stepmother”, to me, sounds funny and slightly menacing. I like the image of an evil stepmother that locks you in the basement or cooks you alive in a cauldron. Kind of like the evil stepmother in old fairy tales. I’ve been wanting to use that for a band name for about 20 years in previous bands, but it usually gets vetoed on the grounds of it sounding too stupid or Spinal Tap-ish.
How would you describe your music to your grandma?
Seeing that she’s dead I’d probably need a Ouija board for that, but I’m sure she would have hated every second of it!
Tell us about a few of your tracks; their titles and what they’re about?
To be honest, most of our songs are quite demented lyrically. For example, “Scream of Death” is about Richard Ramirez killing in the name of Satan, and “Do You Believe” is about little children getting dragged out of bed at night and eaten alive by trolls in the woods.
“Stalingrad” is about the battle of Stalingrad in WW2. “Here Comes the End” is about getting nuked. “One Way Out” is about a DMT trip where giant praying mantis doctors perform brain surgery on you, and “The Game” is about a sadistic older brother that tortures you when your parents are away. We also have a bunch of typical anti-authority “fuck the man” kinda songs too, like ‘Fade Away,” ‘Settle Down,” and ‘Waiting for the Axe.”
What do you love about your hometown?
The town itself is a suffocating void of nothingness for me, but the people are great. Some of them anyway. I wish I could relocate all the good ones to where I live now.
Career highlight so far?
Probably my fondest music memory was playing and partying with Black Oak Arkansas, who are heroes of mine.
Fave non-music hobby?
I like making guitars and going to gigs, which is music-related, so I guess I don’t like anything non-music related! Unless you count watching horror movies but that’s a dull hobby. I like getting drunk with friends, which also isn’t all that remarkable.
What’s on your dream rider?
I guess beer and Mexican food. Maybe some ceviche and tamales. An extensive salsa bar would be a bonus.
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Dream music collaboration?
Anything [English rock band] Pink Fairies-related. I always thought it would be so cool to get Paul Rudolph to do some recordings. I tracked him down on Facebook and messaged him a few times, but I think I creeped him out by being a punishing fanboy. I was in contact with Larry Wallace before he died, and I really wanted to get him to do some guitar solos on my old band’s record. He was a great guy. We sent each other records and CDs, but he had a degenerative nerve disorder where he couldn’t really use his hands anymore, which was very sad. He died a few years later unfortunately.
I also recently contacted John Hinckley Jr. to do a collaboration because he’s out of jail now. I think he’s pretty good at writing songs and probably the most punk guy I could think of, but he’s not interested either. What’s Leigh Stevens up to these days?!
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Probably just doing the same ol’ shit I’ve been doing the last 25/30 years. I like having a band and doing gigs. Will always play music and put out records because I think it’s the most fun thing ever.
What’s your go-to karaoke song?
[Ted Nugent song] “Cat Scratch Fever”.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
Always wipe front to back, I’ll never forget it!
What’s one obsession you have that no one would guess after listening to your music?
I like listening to theoretical physics lectures that I’m way too stupid to understand.
