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?
Sam: singer/guitarist.
‘Fess up. What records have you stolen from your parent’s record collection and why?
Can’t say I’ve stolen any from my parents. But I will admit that I stole a bunch of albums from my sister. My favourite stolen record was probably Highly Evolved from The Vines. I remember listening to it, loving it, realising I had no money, and taking it right from her collection. What a shit brother I am.
What’s on heavy rotation on your iPod right now?
Bon Iver – “Beach Baby”. I listen to that song everyday. It’s so perfectly written; it’s a great track to listen to when you want to escape from reality.
“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?
The big difference is that these days, only one person has to buy the record and upload it. Back then, everyone probably had a few mates who had the record and were offering to share it. And odds are that the quality wasn’t as good as what downloaders receive these days.
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?
The first gig I ever went to was The Swell Season. It was an all ages show at The Tivoli in Brisbane. I saw the movie ‘Once’ and was blown away by Glen Hansard’s song writing. The show was amazing. Jackson Mclaren was supporting and he was great too.
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 don’t download really. All the songs I download are from triple j unearthed and they are all free! New awesome music for free is always good.
What artist made you want to pick up an instrument and/or sing?
Grinspoon. I always wanted to cover ‘Chemical Heart’, so I taught myself guitar and gave it a shot.
Have you ever been arrested?
Nope, but I’ve done a lot of running away from police type people.
Do you have any particular ritual before you go on stage, or even a lucky charm you take with you?
Sometimes a few minutes before the show I like to go outside and just think about the set, like ideas for the show and things like that. Nothing crazy. I’d love to say that I shower in beer or something.
What’s been your most outrageous rider request?
We always send out a massive rider request, like a bunch of bottles of spirits, a case of cider and beer. Sandwiches and fruit too. We’re not really expecting to get it, but it’s always worth a try. We never really get it either, but we did recently play a music festival in Victoria called Shine On and they gave us almost everything. It was great!
Because it’s more fun to do things together, which living Australian artist would you most like to collaborate with? Tell us why?
I’d love to collaborate with Sam from Ball Park Music. We recently toured with those guys and we’ve all become great friends. He’s an amazing songwriter. It would be cool to see what we’d come up with.
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.
I’m definitely going to have to say Kurt Vile’s new record Smoke Ring For My Halo. There are some tracks in there that are perfect for low lighting sexy times. And our next show is in Brisbane, Decemebr 8th at Kobra Kai in The Valley. Some killer support coming from Oceanics, and a bunch of sweet bands.
