Welcome to the Tone Deaf couch, why don’t you tell us a bit about yourself?
My name is Petey Dammit and I currently owe one dollar and nine cents to a man named Iron Balls McGinty. I also play bass for a band called Thee Oh Sees, I’ve been doing this since January of 2007. I’m currently sitting on a couch in Melbourne Australia, it is lovely here. This is the fifth time I’ve been to Australia, I am addicted to Four’N Twenty meat pies. I am about to play a lot of shows in Australia, and this is very exciting for me. I will drink a staggering amount of Coopers in the next three weeks.
What’s your earliest memory of performing and who inspired you to start?
The first time I remember performing was in kindergarten, I had to be a lion in a school play. I had a mask made out of a brown paper bag that was sloppily colored with crayons. All I was supposed to do was be on all fours and roar once or twice while the lion tamer gave a speech.
For some reason I decided to improvise and I bit the lion tamer on the leg really hard and got in a lot of trouble, that’s what lions do right? I reckon watching countless hours of television as a small boy was my inspiration to be a performer .
You’re based in San Francisco, what’s the music scene like there?
The music scene is great in San Francisco, it always is. There are a lot of great bands playing almost every night, bands like The Mallard, Sic Alps, Burnt Ones, Warm Soda, Blasted Canyons, Culture Kids… There are too many people knocking it out of the park to list right now!
Your song ‘Tidal Wave’ was featured on an episode of Breaking Bad. If you could write the soundtrack to any TV show or film, what would it be and why?
I would write the soundtrack to a movie about sport. Then hopefully I could have a song as epic as ‘We Will Rock You’ that would be played at some point during every game at every stadium in the world and in a commercial every three years and rake in the dough. Then I’d write a check for a million dollars and wipe my ass with it.
You’ve released a huge volume of work in quite a short amount of time. Is this a purposeful work ethic or does it all come naturally?
It’s natural. We write songs so we record them. I don’t really understand why this is new or shocking to anyone. I guess it has to do with a long history of music being made a certain way so people assume you still have to follow those rules. But now with the internet, cheap recording techniques, and information on how to do anything available at your fingertips you don’t have to follow the old ways of making music anymore. It’s better now for the artists, you can write, record, manufacture, and tour a record in virtually no time at all. I don’t know why more people don’t.
You’re in Australia for ATP’s I’ll Be Your Mirror Melbourne. How does it feel to be chosen as part of such an iconic festival?
It feels great! We’ve worked with ATP many times in the past, this might be our six or maybe even seventh time playing for them. They are wonderful people and have a really great festival, I’m honored to work with them.
If the tables were turned and you could curate your own festival, where would it be, who would be on the bill, how many people would you let in?
I’m honestly not sure I would. Putting on those festivals is an incredible amount of work, I feel sorry for people who do that, my hat goes off to you. But I reckon if I could make it happen without much effort, I would have a small festival that happens on a large boat that floats around a harbor somewhere.
We did one in the Venice harbor, I think it was three bands and some DJs (and a lot of beer) for a few hours. That was heaps of fun, I will never forget that. I reckon I’d do something similar if I could.
You’re also headlining a tour while in Australia. How are club shows different for you than festivals? Do you have a preference?
Festival stages are usually massive and a bit further away from the crowd. But really when it comes down to it – it’s about the same. I reckon maybe you might have to work a little harder at a festival because a lot of the crowd may not be fans or even have any clue who you are. In a club most people are there because they already know they want to see you, but in a festival they might just happen to be standing there when you play.
It’s a really nice feeling to win over a large festival though, just as it is to win over a crowd in a club. I reckon despite a lot of differences, they are still the same in the end.
You’ve always been a huge hit with Australian audiences. Why do you think your music is so well received Down Under and is the feeling mutual?
I don’t know why we’ve done so well here, but I really appreciate it! Australian fans and crowds are amazing! There is such a good vibe here and everyone we’ve met has been incredibly friendly, funny, and generally awesome people. I really hope everyone continues to like us here so that we can keep coming back and have a great time year after year.
Your live shows have been described as “super high energy.” What can Australian audiences expect from your gigs?
I hope they can expect a great time. We try to give as much as we can to entertain and put on the best show possible so that everyone has fun. When the crowd has fun, we have fun, so it’s a win-win for all. Let’s get drunk and go crazy together! Tops off, everyone get in the pool!
Putrifiers II is out now Fuse records, read the Tone Deaf review here.Thee Oh Sees play ATP I’ll Be Your Mirror Melbourne this February 16th & 17th, full details here, and are currently playing shows across Australia. Dates below:
Thee Oh Sees Australian Tour 2013 Dates
MONDAY 28TH JANUARY –SMF SATELLITE SHOW – SCHOOLHOUSE STUDIOS
W/ DICK DIVER + SCOTDRAKULA + MORE TBA – via moshtix
THURSDAY 31ST JANUARY – THE HI FI – MELBOURNE
W/ EASTLINK – via moshtix– co-presented by Triple R
FRIDAY 1ST FEBRUARY – LOST CITY FESTIVAL – ADELAIDE * venue change
W/ HEAPS OF AWESOME BANDS
SATURDAY 2ND FEBRUARY – THE BAKERY – PERTH
W/ THE LONG LOST BROTHERS + THE DIANAS + RTRFM’s DJ JADE NOBBS – vialifeisnoise.com
WEDNESDAY 6TH FEBRUARY – THE BARWON CLUB– GEELONG * venue change
W/ special guests – via moshtix
THURSDAY 7TH FEBRUARY – WHAMMY BAR – AUCKLAND
W/ RAW NERVES + HANG LOOSE – via undertheradar.co.nz
FRIDAY 8TH FEBRUARY – MIGHTY MIGHTY – WELLINGTON
W/ special guests – via undertheradar.co.nz
SATURDAY 9TH FEBRUARY – CAMP A LOW HUM – ALOWHUM.COM
W/ HEAPS OF BANDS
SUNDAY 10th FEBRUARY – THE FACTORY THEATRE – SYDNEY
Tickets on sale now and only $44 + bf
MONDAY 11TH FEBRUARY – TRANSIT BAR – CANBERRA
W/ Special guests – via moshtix
WEDNESDAY 13TH FEBRUARY – THE GREAT NORTHERN – BYRON BAY
W/ WAX WITCHES– via oztix
THURSDAY 14TH FEBRUARY – THE ZOO – BRISBANE
W/ PER PURPOSE – via oztix
FRIDAY 15TH FEBRUARY – ELSEWHERE – GOLD COAST
W/ THE OTTOMANS – via moshtix
SATURDAY 16TH FEBRUARY – ALL TOMORROWS PARTIES– MELBOURNE
SOLD OUT
