Lava Lounge Radio Australia

Where do you live? 

We are originally from the Isle of Wight but are now based in Brighton. The Isle of Wight is a tiny island off the south coast of the uk and we felt we had exhausted a lot of the opportunities there, so went to Brighton for uni and the music scene, which is incredible.

How did you all meet?

The original line up met in high school when we were 14. We formed the band in our music class and performed for 3 years together. Our bassist, Michael,  stepped down not long ago and we met our lead guitarist Gabriel Randall. We didn’t have a bassist but wanted to stay a 3 piece which was a challenge. We worked this out by splitting my guitar signal to create a synthetic bass. It took a lot of practice but it fits our sound and we haven’t looked back since. 

What do you like most about playing music?

When people sing our lyrics back and make the effort to come and see us and support us that’s amazing. Also when someone says they started learning their instrument because of us. There’s no better compliment than that for a musician. 

What inspired you to start playing and making music?

Music was an obsession for all of us. Growing up with parents who loved classic rock and alternative music, 70s, 80s and 90s, was a big inspiration. We all wanted to perform from a young age but never imagined we would do the things we’ve done. Although we’re still relatively small as a band, every time we get up on stage it’s the best feeling in the world. No matter how big or small the audience, their enjoyment keeps you going 

Describe your creative process when you write new music

We sit down in our home studio with a guitar and a couple of beers. Eventually a riff or idea will come up and we work on it. I think we’re all perfectionists so it’s difficult to get a full song finished quickly. We tend to split songwriting into many different days and work on a few projects at once. 

How would you describe your musical style and the evolution of your sound over the years?

We started as an indie band and stayed like that for a year. We progressively, naturally got heavier and dabbled in different genres like funk too. We ended up sticking to a genre we all collectively love, modern rock. The evolution was slow but we can finally label ourselves as a specific genre now. 

Are there specific themes or messages you aim to convey through your music?

We usually talk about darker subjects but leave the lyrics open to interpretation for the listener. If you look at lyrics for individual songs the meanings are quite twisted. Julie Anne is about a stalker obsessed with someone he can’t have. Red river is about war and destruction in any sense, emotional or physical. Our lyrics are more of a social commentary with a little bit of personal experience thrown in. They tend to represent a feeling or type of mental space rather than anything literal. 

Can you share the story behind your latest album/project?

Red River originally started as a song with no real meaning but the chorus collectively made us think of destruction and war. It became more about a mental battle than a physical one and, to me, represents the struggles mental health and personal battles bring every day. We have always thought it’s more beneficial to let listeners create their own meaning though and make it personal to them. 

Who's your ideal musician to collaborate with and why?

Mike Kerr from royal blood as he has been a huge inspiration for our sound and riff writing.  The Amazons, Dead Poets Society, Muse and Guns N Roses also influenced us heavily. It would be a dream to collaborate with any of them. 

Are there any musicians who inspire you?

We are fans of lots of different genres. Louis (drummer) grew up with funk, jazz, house and hip hop and Gabe and I grew up on 80s and 90s alternative rock and metal. We all love Ozzy Osbourne. Black sabbath, Soundgarden, Alice in chains and Pearl Jam. I honestly think we were born in the wrong era!  The amazons are a good, more modern, band to look at for success in our genre. They’re in a great position and we aspire to be like them as we are huge fans. 

Where do you live? 

We Live in Portland, OR.

How did you all meet? 

Zach and I (Kris) met in college and formed the band as a duo back in 1998. We quickly had our first rhythm section and have had a multitude of bassists and drummers since then. Our current and irreplaceable drummer Andy was found answering a Craigslist add almost 10 years ago. A few years later, he brought his friend David in to audition on Bass and that cemented the current lineup. 

What do you like most about playing music?

 I think for all of us, it’s a combination of the execution of well rehearsed songs with an emotional and energetic performance.  It’s difficult to perform technically very well, while maintaining a lot of feeling/freedom and expression in your performance and we really thrive on that as a band. 

What inspired you to start playing and making music? 

Personally, I had a couple of injuries and medical conditions back to back when I was in HS that kept me on the couch and immobile for many months. I played violin and was always musical as a child. My mother brought me home a broken acoustic guitar with 3 strings on it from a garage sale and I couldn’t put it down. I was a huge fan of music, growing up in the grunge era in Seattle, and once I realized I could play guitar and sing a little bit myself, I never looked back. I started writing music in college and I think what inspired me the most was people’s reaction to my music and my voice. I was able to make people think and feel with those tools and it was really powerful, and kept me wanting to improve and write more and more. It also was a major form of therapy for me, allowing me to express and deal with trauma in a healthy way. 

Describe your creative process when you write new music.

 I almost aways start with a guitar part, some riff or piece of music that I like. I start humming and singing melodies to that and just let whatever comes out of me come out, without much thought. It’s hilarious sometimes as I’m just making nonsense noises and randomly spitting out words who’s syllables match the meter and melody I’m honing in on. Usually, along this process, something will come out of me that gets my attention. A word or a phrase. And then I know, that’s what this song is about, and I can start trying to build it around that. 

How would you describe your musical style and the evolution of your sound over the years? 

Our musical style is really anchored in melody and catchy guitar riffs. We are very driven by the “hook” in our songs.  We started out very much a product of the 90s with a super wide variety of influence and sound from hard rock to latin, but gravitating towards mellower, soulful music with an undeniable 90s influence. As we’ve aged and progressed, our sound has gotten a little heavier on the rock side, and more refined. Our sound is considerably bigger, thicker, harder hitting and tighter, while still leaning on that core of melodic hooks and riffs. 

Are there specific themes or messages you aim to convey through your music? 

Not really. Much of lyrics that I write are about my personal experiences, mostly around trauma and love. If there’s a message in the music and the performance it is honesty. Honesty in the subject and the performance of the song. It’s genuine and very personal. Many of our songs, lyrically take you on a journey through some type of trauma, but leave you with a message of hope. 

Can you share the story behind your latest album/project?

 Our most recent release is a single called Real. It is a song written collaboratively by the band. Started with a great guitar riff and parts that Zach brought to rehearsal which was quickly formed into a super driving and powerful piece of music. I took that home and using the process I described above, ended up writing the song about a very cathartic experience and breakthrough that I had recently experienced in therapy. This experience was my ability to, for the first time in my life, genuinely see myself the way others see me, as opposed to the distorted lens I had been looking through forever. It was so freeing, so powerful, and that experience was just the perfect message to convey with this piece of music we had created. 

Who's your ideal musician to collaborate with and why? 

For me personally, it’s my band mates in Purusa, as well as my son. My son is a very talented guitarist and song writer and I love trading ideas with him and working out parts where I’m stuck. The band is an incredible collaborative machine as each person brings such a wealth of experience, knowledge as well as taste. We don’t always agree and we all bring such different things to the mix that once we hone in on something it ends up being a very methodical and refined end result which none of us could have accomplished on our own. 

Are there any musicians who inspire you?

 I mean, there are thousands. I’m constantly inspired by musicians for a great many reasons. For me, over the last several years, what has really drawn me into certain musicians is the way their music makes me feel. This is different than the sound of it, or liking someone’s voice or lyrics, etc. There are a few artists whos music just really hits me in a certain way that I can’t explain and I don’t really try to analyze. A few of these artists most recently are Big Wreck, Nada Surf, and Lizzy McAlpine. 3 Very different sounds but all are irresistible to me and get a lot of my ear time. There are also artists, like The Tragically Hip, who have greatly inspired me without me really realizing it. The band has a completely different list of inspirations which makes more sense when listening to our sound.