Sure we’ve heard about you before, but we think it’s time for Tone Deaf to get to know you a little better. Slip in to something comfortable while we put on some music, pour us a couple of drinks and turn the lights down low. So, tell us about yourselves…Who are you – who who? We really wanna know….

Who are you and what do you do in your act?
Julian Teakle. Bass guitar, backing vocals, heavy lifting and half-time oranges.

‘Fess up. What records have you stolen from your parent’s record collection and why?
My parents are not really into music, though I’d probably nick my mum’s Burt Bacharach boxset I gave her for Xmas. I’ve gotten a lot of good records when relatives have died like The Singing Detective soundtrack and Motown compilations.

What’s on heavy rotation on your iPod right now?
R.E.M. – Murmur, New Order – Waiting On A Sirens Call, The Verlaines – You’re Just Too Obscure For Me, Patton Oswalt – Werewolves & Lollipops, Nirvana – Bleach, Can – Tago Mago, XTC – Nonsuch, Venom P Stinger – Tearbucketer, Bobby Darrin – Greatest Hits.

Home taping is killing the music business was the catch-cry of the record industry in the 1970s, but it managed to survive until now. What do you think is the difference between mates taping copies of friend’s records back in the 80s and 90s and file sharing now?
I guess the time it takes to make a mixtape/cd – making a compilation on a C90 cassette could take you a big chunk of an afternoon, especially if you were dubbing from vinyl. Now it’s takes bugger all time. Probably because of the time and effort you’d hold into these cassettes longer and treasure them. An ex-girlfriend told me she listened to a comp tape I made her for years after I gave it to her, she was a person who understood the effort and care. It’s funny that the music industry were at one point so initially eager to turn music into ones and zeros with the introduction of CDs that it’s now evolved into this thing that is apparently damaging them.

You must answer this question honestly or we steal your rider. What was the first gig you went to?Where was it and what was the venue?
It was either Hothouse Flowers, free concert – the City Council closed off Liverpool Street – or the Violent Femmes at Hobart City Hall.

What’s your favourite site to download music from and do you ever pay for it? Can we find any of your releases there?
Don’t download music, listen to stuff on Soundcloud, Bandcamp or Youtube. Usually prefer physical product.

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What artist made you want to pick up an instrument and/or sing?
The Beatles, the Smiths, 50 Million Clowns and Little Ugly Girls were the most important bands to me ages 16/17 when I started playing.

Have you ever been arrested?
I got a $40 fine for crossing at a red crosswalk light. I ran in front of a police car and there was a policewoman watching me do it across the road – it was a fair cop.

Do you have any particular ritual before you go on stage, or even a lucky charm you take with you?
I flick my guitar strap to it’s full length, it has a Stax Records badge on it, guess that’s some sort of ritual/charm.

What’s been your most outrageous rider request?
Cheezels, towels and signed picture of Dave Graney in the suit he wore to the ARIAs in 1996.

Because it’s more fun to do things together, which living Australian artist would you most like to collaborate with? Tell us why?
Kim Salmon. He’s into pretty varied music and approaches to making his music, I really like his guitar playing. Seems a pretty self-motivated and prolific performer and song-writer, we could learn a lot from him probably.

Right, let’s get really intimate. Tell us what releases you have that we can listen to with the lights down low, or even better, where we can see you play in person next.
From our first album (Always On) I’d recommend ‘Shovel On Shovel’ and ‘Game of Numbers’, although ‘Game’ has a bit of seedy fever-dream vibe to it, it might harsh your buzz. From our second album (Process Praise) for a real late night feel you’d find ‘The Singer Is Dead To Me’ and ‘You Need A Driver’ would guide you nicely to the bottom of your whiskey bottle, or laundry basket.

You can see us at our album launch on Friday the 30th of September at the Tote Hotel in Collingwood and again at the Tote on Saturday the 29th of October at the Maggotfest 2 festival. Come and say hello.

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