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?
I am Cap’n Daz from Brisbane folk/rock/sea shanty/country 8 piece The Good Ship. Aside from co-captaining this fine clipper with Cap’n John I also sing, attempt to play various stringed instruments and aid in the general navigation of said floating transportational vessel.
‘Fess up. What records have you stolen from your parent’s record collection and why?
My parents were too poverty stricken to actually own records but we bordered on religiously zealous in listening to the best of the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s on classic hits AM radio. It wasn’t until I left home and started buying music that I realised that there were songs on albums that weren’t released as singles. I couldn’t fathom the idea of a song that didn’t exist on the radio. I thought the purpose of songs were for mass consumption. I guess I still do.
What’s on heavy rotation on your iPod right now?
We recently hosted a British Invasion Party so I made the foolish attempt of trying to distill 50-odd years of awesome English songs into a 130 song playlist. There were tears over songs left off but 9 hours of gold nonetheless.
‘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?
It does seem a little indiscriminate nowadays with file sharing. Even with home taping you had to decide what you really wanted because tapes weren’t cheap and it took time to copy, even with high speed dubbing. The fact that file sharing is pretty easy means you can just copy someone’s whole hard drive irrespective of what is on it. So you end up having a lot more music but end up listening to less of it.
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?
A friend bought me tickets to see Transvision Vamp at The Hordern Pavilion in Sydney. I had a major crush on Wendy James. I probably still do. Those things don’t pass easily.
What’s your favourite site to download music from and do you ever pay for it? Can we find any of your releases there?
I remember having a tech savvy friend that would get me obscure songs from Napster back in the day. I nicked a few songs from Bearshare but eventually got the shits with it. It was mainly one hit wonders like Flagpole Sitter by Harvey Danger that I wanted to own but didn’t want the whole album. Once iTunes became ubiquitous I just get random songs from there. I still buy CDs or crappy old vinyl from Vinnies if I want albums.
What artist made you want to pick up an instrument and/or sing?
I don’t think I was ever influenced by an artist per se. I moved from Sydney to a small country town in central western NSW called Grenfell. It was a pretty small school and I was forced to do Music. As I arrived halfway through Year 9 I was 6 months behind everyone else and I was just awful at learning the guitar. I didn’t really touch it again until years later when I developed a healthy drug habit and needed to wile away the hours between scoring. I found myself writing songs straight away. I think it is the most unfiltered and uncensored form of writing and so you can be pretty honest with yourself and your audience. I also have the attention span of a gnat with ADD so 3 minutes is about all I can concentrate on at any one time.
Have you ever been arrested?
I was at a bar with some old bandmates when in our drunken stupor we thought it was a good idea to go to the local nightclub. Even though we were all 30 one of us had forgotten their ID and so couldn’t get in. It was $20 entry and I was absolutely busting to pee but I wasn’t going in if we all weren’t going. So, as it was in the middle of an industrial area, I thought it wise to follow an alley down behind a warehouse to relieve myself. Halfway through I feel a heavy hand on my shoulder and the exhortation that I’d been nicked. I spent the next 6 hours in the lockup and was 2 months later charged with indecent behaviour at the local courthouse. Your tax dollars at work ladies and gentlemen.
Do you have any particular ritual before you go on stage, or even a lucky charm you take with you?
Not really. A few stiff drinks to get the throat relaxed is about it. The band does have a dress policy so I do find myself either approving of or indeed helping with the wardrobe choices but other than that it is hanging with the audience and watching the support bands.
What’s been your most outrageous rider request?
Being a band with 8 members it is pretty outrageous to actually request a rider in the first place. We don’t want to bankrupt the venue.
Because it’s more fun to do things together, which living Australian artist would you most like to collaborate with? Tell us why?
Although I think he’d scare the absolute shit out of me I would love to see what The Good Ship and Nick Cave could do together. And what we’d learn from him. And how long it would take for him to have us killed when he realised that we’d stolen his shtick.
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.
We have released our debut album Avast! Wretched Sea and are actually in preparation for the next instalment to be released in mid 2012 (you heard it here folks!). We have also just started our Nautical But Nice Tour (see what we did there) with shows in Yamba, NSW and Tamborine, QLD last weekend with The Nimbin Hotel, Nimbin on Sunday, 13th November. Our remaining tour dates are below and you can also get a free copy of our cracking version of ‘Drunken Sailor’ if you Like us on Facebook.
The Cornish Arms in Brunswick, VIC – 19th November,
‘Dark Comforts’ at Feast Festival in Adelaide, SA – 20th November
Mullum Music Festival in Mullumbimby, NSW – 25th November
The Zoo in Brisbane, QLD – 2nd December
The Loft on the Gold Coast, QLD – 3rd December.
