Every day is a celebration with Melbourne Ska Orchestra, but right now they really have a reason to party. Three years on from the release of their acclaimed debut album, the MSO have unveiled their eagerly anticipated sophomore effort, Sierra-Kilo-Alpha.
The album is set to drop on 22nd April and sees the band picking up where they left off, shining their horns and straightening their hats to bring their unique style of big-band ska music back to Australian ears and reminding us all of why we first fell in love with them.
To celebrate the release, the 30+ piece collective are about to hit the road for a massive national tour. As we’re all aware, more often than not touring as a small indie band can be super tough, but what’s it like when you have over 30 members in your band to account for? We caught up with Nicky Bomba from Melbourne Ska Orchestra to find out just what are the fascinating realities of playing with a huge band.
What Big Bands Must Consider That Small Ones Don’t
It’s a big band so it’s kinda like a soccer team mentality. Accommodation, ground transport, food and whether we can actually fit on the stage provided. Then there’s Dean’s make up and wardrobe, Tony’s singing bowls, Sally’s Yoga kit and Steve’s Vespa.
The Benefits Of Playing In A Big Band
There is a real sense of family when we get together. Every gig is like an immediate party backstage! Performing with that many musicians onstage is an experience to behold too. From a creative view there are so many minds and ideas to draw from…keeps things fresh. There is also a warming sense of safety when you’re travellin’ big. We haven’t lost a fight yet! (probably because we’ve never had one….)
The Challenges Of Playing In A Big Band
[include_post id=”472412″]Musically, staying relevant and fresh is big on our agenda. Touring overseas is the real killer from a financial and logistical perspective. Though we get thousands of requests to play different countries ,joining the dots is a hard task.
Music grants once helped us along the way but they seem harder and harder to secure these days. On top of that we’re like a chemically aligned dysfunctional family that manages to embrace all the quirks. Getting into a nightclub creates all sorts of problems but on the other hand there’s safety in numbers. We generally feel safe when Dean is with us as he is the consummate diplomat.
Underestimating stage sizes is a classic reoccurring theme. When we did Bigsound some years back it was hilarious. We had to adopt a new formation where you could hear people but couldn’t see em! Travelling in America was lots of fun – everything from buses to rickshaws to skateboards. You have to be adaptable!
The Formation Of A 30+ Piece Band
It started as a celebration of SKA . it was the 40th anniversary of the explosion of SKA (1963) and we called up anybody who wanted to be involved. The numbers grew to big orchestra size so we thought we might see if we could set a world record for the most amount of horn players on stage at one time doing the ska upbeat skank. We forgot about the world record but the band was born that night. However it wasn’t until 2010 till we got serious.
In The Studio
[include_post id=”452348″]With the first album it was all live with vocal and solo overdubs. With the second, we had more songs to get through so we had the rhythm section track first with a small horn section then overdubbed the extra horns later.
It allowed us to experiment more with grooves at the engine level and same with the horns, we could play more in that world. We did good work in a short space of time. Most efficient!
Travelling As A 30+ Piece Band
Planes, trains and buses …literally. We’ve done the multi-car hire thing a couple of times but I think it’s time we secured ourselves our own jet. Ska Jet Airways. I can see it now! Plus it’s the only way we could ever get a group upgrade.
Plans For The Rest Of 2016
Mainly taking our new album Sierra-Kilo-Alpha to the world and having some wicked gigs. A national tour in April/May, Malta in June, UK in August, and whatever else happens! We’ve also got some secret releases coming up.
Upcoming Tour Dates
22nd April – THE NIGHT QUARTER, Gold Coast QLD
Tickets www.oztix.com
23rd April – THE TRIFFID, Brisbane QLD
w/ Special Guests CHEAP FAKES
Tickets www.oztix.com
24th April – SOL BAR, Sunshine Coast QLD
Tickets www.oztix.com.au
Fri 13th May – MANNING BAR, Sydney Uni NSW
w/ Special Guests Hot Potato Band
Tickets www.oztix.com
14th May – THE GRAND ARCH, Jenolan Caves, Blue Mountains NSW
A Special Night, with guests THE RHYTHM HUNTERS
Tickets https://www.stickytickets.com.au/35437
20th May – THE GOV, Adelaide SA
w/ Special Guests GORILLA JONES
Tickets www.oztix.com
Sat 21st May – SS&A CLUB, Albury NSW
Tickets www.oztix.com
28th May – MAX WATT’S, Melbourne VIC
w/ Special Guests KOOYEH
Tickets https://maxwatts.ticketscout.com.au
24th June – SAWTELL RSL, Coffs Harbour NSW
Tickets www.oztix.com
25th June – MULLUMBIMBY CIVIC HALL, Mullumbimby NSW
Tickets www.redsquaremusic.com.au
