Hello this is Jess from Sydney duo, Toucan.
People can check you out soon at the Openair Cinema in Bondi, having produced some pretty awesome film clips; do you ever write music with visuals in mind?
I usually think of images as I write so I guess in a way, visuals are part of my lyrics writing process.
First of all you, recently finished the Big Day Out tour, how was that whole experience?
Inspiring! It was such great experience being able to see and meet so many amazing bands. Highlights for me were Foals, Animal Collective, The Killers and Delta Spirit. It is crazy to see your band name on a lineup like that.
You also had an extra musician on the BDO tour, what challenges have you faced creating a more ‘live’ show?
We are constantly reassessing how we present our songs live so for us adding a bass player seemed like the natural next step in developing our live sound. It also helped that he’s one of our best friends so it certainly added to the tour stories!
What was the most memorable part of the BDO tour?
For me it was a mix of watching the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s backstage, seeing Foals play ‘Inhaler’ and getting to see Animal Collective’s amazing live electronics set-up during sound check.
Your sophomore EP Swim was released last month, are you happy with how it’s turned out?
Definitely, we are really proud of ‘Swim’. We tried to really push ourselves with this EP, trying new things during the recording process and developing our sound and I think the songs really show how we’ve evolved from our first EP.
How does a Toucan EP come together? In terms of songwriting and recording…
We usually start acoustically at Piano and then develop the songs further during the recording process. We produce our own music so we spend a lot of time in our home studios together, developing the sound worlds and arrangements for each song, with plenty of coffee breaks in between!
From a production point of view, we’re really interested in combing both electronic and acoustic instruments. Some of the songs on the EP leant themselves to more orchestral settings so we worked with a bunch of amazing instrumentalists including string and horn players, drummers and a chamber choir.
What’s on heavy rotation on your iPod right now?
Lianne La Havas and Bob Dylan. There’s so much amazing music out there, my iPod can’t keep up!
Do you have any particular ritual before you go on stage, or even a lucky charm you take with you?
Just relax and have a good time nothing complicated.
If you could curate your own festival, where would it be, and who would be on the bill?
Wow, tough question… hmmm the answer would no doubt be pages long, with loads of band, art and food but for now lets go with three bands… Miike Snow, Jack White and Aufgang for music would be cool.
What is your band’s music the best soundtrack for?
Good times!
What’s coming up next for Toucan?
Writing more music and touring. I’m also heading to New York for a few weeks so I’m hoping to be inspired and write a lot while I’m over there.
Catch Toucan at Ben & Jerrys Openair Cinema on March 3rd.
