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?
Hi I am Jess, I sing and cowrite in the duo Toucan!
‘Fess up. What records have you stolen from your parents’ record collection and why?
The Doors! I remember first listening to ‘Riders on the storm’ while driving through the rain with my dad, i’ll never forget first hearing Jim Morrison! Also, The Easybeats, ‘Friday on My Mind’ makes me dance wildly even after running the track on repeat for years!
What’s on heavy rotation on your iPod right now?
I just looked up my Itunes top rated and Elliot Smith’s ‘Between the Bars’ and ‘Angeles’ are my number 1 and 2 respectively. He wrote beautiful songs but his life ended so early! Sad….
‘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?
Wow! I think there are a lot of people that could give you amazing and very different answers to this question! For me it is interesting to look and be a part of the changes in strategy and reformatting of the industry! File sharing gives people an amazing amount of access to music and as opposed to home taping I can get tracks from a total stranger on the other side of the world! Crazy, exciting, the world seems to be getting smaller and smaller! where to next?
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?
I went to see The Wiggles when I was young, maybe around 5 years old. I was wearing a Dorothy hat and tail and danced to the Hot Potato! :)
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 think I am behind the times I usually go to places with CD’s such as libraries and burn them while reading or Itunes on the odd occasion! Who do you suggest?
What artist made you want to pick up an instrument and/or sing?
I loved Elton John from the beginning and that led to a range of pop acts that broke internationally in my teens such as Alicia Keys and Destiny’s Child. ‘Songs in A Minor’ by Keys was a big influence on me when I began songwriting.
Have you ever been arrested?
No but I did get pulled up for j-walking in Adelaide last month. It was 3am and I was worried I was going to get a criminal record for it but my friend assured me the policemen was not going to take serious action. It was a close one!
Do you have any particular ritual before you go on stage, or even a lucky charm you take with you?
Breathe! If you have done the work no ritual or lucky charm is needed. Oh & water!
What’s been your most outrageous rider request?
5 packets of Allen’s snakes with all colours except blue taken out!
Because it’s more fun to do things together, which living Australian artist would you most like to collaborate with? Tell us why?
She is a Kiwi, but Ladyhawke would be amazing! Also, I would be super interested in doing some cross-media collaboration with artists as I think a paint throwing pop show would be fun!
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.
‘On the Run’ and ‘Brave New World,’ are our first releases to check out when turning your lights down low or wooing a potential partner! The links are:
– http://www.facebook.com/toucanmusic
– http://toucan.bandcamp.com
Live we are looking to bring these tracks to you around mid august with an EP so keep your eyes out for dates and venues!
