The Blackmail

Wild Thing

tristan — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 03:15:40 +0000

Text: Joseph Allen Images: Mike O’Meally

Dedication and an unwavering attention to one’s passion are necessary tools to become great. Mike O’Meally is a photographer who has used these traits, as well as an understanding of the advantages of competition with others and with one’s self, to become one of skateboarding’s best image makers. I have witnessed Mike’s drive to create ever-better pictures and it’s intense. When you see it in his steel blue eyes there is no doubt in its truth. Whether shooting subjects such as amateur boxing or Hollwood film sets it’s to inform his first love. The admirable quality of authenticity, that he recognises in others, has led him to carve a path in a niche media and has changed skateboarding’s landscape.

Joseph Allen Shea: What got you started in photography and were there any defining moments leading you to skate photography?

MOM: I took photography as part of a fine arts degree at COFA UNSW. Not really one defining moment, but I knew that I was really drawn to the photos in skate mags at that time, ‘89-’92, so it was fairly natural thing for me to want to shoot my friends skating and try to make it look like those early mags such as TWS, Poweredge, Slap and Big Brother.

JAS: You shoot a lot of non-skate photography, such as film stills, portraiture and the La Familia series of east Los Angeles boxers. Is shooting boxing, for example, closely related to shooting skateboarding or is this a needed difference from what you do on a daily basis?

MOM: It’s both of the above. I like to shoot other things besides skating as it keeps my eyes fresh to come back to skateboarding and see it in a new way. Generally, if I am really interested in something [then] shooting photos is a great way to get to learn about something that you might not have known about otherwise. Boxing, in particular, I found to be very similar to skateboarding in the fact that they are both fairly solitary activities for the most part, and they both deal with avoiding and accepting pain and achieving something after a hard struggle. I found that getting to know about one informed me more about the other, in a way that I had not anticipated.

JAS: Skateboarding is an autonomous entity. The companies are run by skateboarders, building skateboarding products for skateboarders. Every decade there is a resurgence in skateboarding’s popularity and those outside companies return looking to capitalise. How does this impact on the culture and industry and can outsiders help diversify a monoculture?

MOM: Deep! I am not sure I am qualified to answer that, other than to say I still believe the real stuff is done by real people who do it because they love it and aren’t motivated by trying to capitalise on anything. The best companies such as Alien Workshop, Girl and Chocolate, Anti-Hero and all the DLX brands are, and will always be, ahead of the pack because there is love in their work and no amount of market research or projection forecast analysis or whatever will be able to predict what those guys do next. I think the ebb and flow of popularity is a natural part of any cycle, witnessed in nature as well as culture. Things like this are beyond any one person’s control, and that’s what keeps it exciting.

JAS: The Beach Boys wrote songs about surfing, but you and I know that Brian Wilson was always the first fat kid of the summer to get caught in a rip. How important is it to be an insider when photographing skateboarding?

MOM: It’s not some secret sorcerer’s covern, although sometimes I feel it should be! But I can tell you when you are shooting high level gnarly skateboarding by the best pros in the world, there is a strong level of trust involved when people’s health and sanity are on the line. I cherish those relationships dearly, as they have taken ages to build with each of the guys I have had the priivelege to shoot over the years. No kooks!

JAS: Who have been inspirations to your photography?

MOM: I have many many photographers who I admire and am inspired by. Some of my earliest influences still remain my favourites today: Richard Avedon, Dianne Arbus, Irving Penn, Daniel Harold Sturt, Gabe Morford, Tobin Yelland and Spike Jonze.

JAS: What motivates you to take photos?

MOM: The thrill of capturing the essence of something in one single well lit, tightly composed frame. It sounds corny but…. I still get a buzz from a good piece of film!

JAS: Skate photography is a profession like few others as it is essentially a career in illegal activity. It pays, but almost always involves trespass, destruction of property and often break and enter. The photographer regularly has expensive equipment onsite and the difficulty of moving it quickly should fleeing be necessary. Can you tell us how this outlaw element effects your work with any law enforcement stories?

MOM: Let’s just say I am descendent of Irish bushrangers, so illegal activities are in my blood! I once had to run from a security guard in Wynyard while filming Michael Davidson, he was trying to take my camera or take me to the cops, so I legged it! My shoe flew off and the fat bastard chased me all the way through to Martin Place and he almost had me at one point, but once a jolly swagman as they say!

JAS: When was the last time you heard ‘aren’t you too old for this?’

MOM: Yesterday!

JAS: There is a lot of creative output within skate culture as a lot of skaters try their hand at art and design. Do you see a connection between skateboarding and creativity?

MOM: Absolutely. Skate and create, or skate and destroy – as is your preference.

JAS: Spike Jonze started his film making shooting skate videos. You recently shot the film stills and behind-the-scenes pictures on Where The Wild Things Are, did you witness any similarities between the way one would direct a skateboarding feature and the way Jonze created this film?

MOM: Mostly the spirit of fun and adventure. All the other stuff is technical jargon, but I could tell Spike is genuinely having a good time on the set of a Hollywood blockbuster. I found that quite humbling to witness. He wore a three-piece Armani suit, a fedora and Marc Johnson Lakai’s – he keeps it real and at the end of the day, thats what its all about.

Mike O’Meally

Next story: Breaking Free – The Black Ryder

Breaking Free

tristan — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 14:02:27 +0000

Text: Digby Woods Images: Stefan Duscio, Michael Spiccia & Synaesthesia

The Black Ryder was birthed in 2007, the musical love child of Sydney-based Aimee Nash and Scott von Ryper. They immediately set about crafting an entirely new sound, one that could be separated from the vagaries of whatever critics think ‘post-psychedelic’ is. 2008 saw them launched into the public eye, with a slew of coveted support acts for the likes of The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, The Charlatans and The Raveonettes. At the end of 2009, they released their much-anticipated debut album, Buy The Ticket, Take The Ride, cementing their reputation as a force to be reckoned with. Don’t look now, but a new decade is underway and The Black Ryder looks poised to do some damage.

Digby Woods: You just came back from playing at Playground Weekender. How did that go?

Scott von Ryper: The festival was a great place to hang out, I don’t know if it was as well populated as they would’ve hoped, but it feels pretty good when you’re walking around and it’s not too crowded. The show felt great though.

DW: How did you come to choose the name The Black Ryder? Is there some deeper significance that the general public isn’t aware of?

SCR: It’s influenced from Tom Waits’ ‘Black Rider’. It’s a stage production, almost a musical. Tom Waits did the music and William S. Burroughs did the writing, and it’s quite an amazing kind of production. So we’re influenced by that a little, and basically Aimee (Nash) came up with the name and it’s something that just felt right.

DW: Speaking of influences, your album title, Buy The Ticket, Take The Ride, is obviously inspired by Hunter S. Thompson’s classic, Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas. Are both of you big fans of his then?

SVR: Yeah, both Aimee and I are big Hunter fans. It just seemed to make sense and fit in with what was going on with us at the time, and how the whole [album] kind of got put together.

DW: Does Hunter’s philosophy apply only to your creative process or do you subscribe to it in your everyday lives as well?

SVR: Well, I think it applied to our creative process and in a way the non-creative side of putting a musical project together.

DW: Musical project?

SVR: At the time I didn’t say ‘band’ because it wasn’t a band when we started, it was really just a recording project. Aimee and I started, and then other people got involved as they came by the studio. When we started we didn’t have any backing or anything, and we pretty much just launched into recording thinking they could be demos, and we kind of just kept making it happen along the way and turning that into the album. And to be honest it wasn’t until very late in the game, when the album was pretty much finished, that we finally found someone that we were happy with, that was going to put it out. But it was really just us on our own for a long time.

DW: But then you struck a deal between EMI Australia and your managing company, Original Matters, that allowed you complete creative as well as distributive and marketing control over your music. Did this take a while to put together?

SVR: From the idea of it to when it finally happened, no, it didn’t, not in the scheme of things. It did happen on the tail end of things though, we weren’t lucky enough to strike midway through the process. We went through a lot of ups and downs in terms of people wanting to get on board, getting behind the album, and then once we started talking to them, we just didn’t feel like it was the right thing.

So there were lots of ups and downs through the recording process, which can be quite distracting if you let it be. In the end we were just so thankful, because our original vision was to release something on our own label (The Anti-Machine Machine), and we did that, but with the benefit of having the distributive power of a major (label) behind us.

DW: Was Original Matters already in play with EMI, or did you have to shop around first?

SVR: Yeah, they have ties with EMI in terms of some of the other artists they manage, so I guess that was the other reason why it wasn’t as hard as it could have been, because there was a lot of trust going on between some of those blokes at the company (EMI) and some of our folks, so a lot of the game playing just didn’t need to happen. What they said was what they did, and the same on our side, and that’s all we ever ask for. It’s amazing though how often that just wouldn’t happen. So, yeah, there were ties in place, which made it that much easier.

DW: So was that a refreshing experience from what you’d had to deal with in the past?

SVR: [Laughs] Yeah, it’s always refreshing when you meet people on the business side and they feel completely genuine, and you find out that they are, and they mean what they say and do what they say. Unfortunately it just doesn’t happen a lot. So it’s great when you do meet those people.

DW: Your album has created a lot of buzz with both the public and the critics, but you were introduced to the world as a ‘live’ band, opening for Brian Jonestown Massacre and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. Was there a certain pressure then to make the album live up to the hype that had been created?

SVR: It was more inspiring than anything else, for two reasons: one, because it was the first time people had heard our stuff and it really inspired us to get back in the studio and get cranking again on the rest of the album, and two, it inspired us in terms of what we learnt in the rehearsal room versus the studio. That allowed us to go back with a fresh set of ears and work out what we could tune up or what we could do differently. And sometimes it’s not until you play those songs to a live audience that you can feel whether it works or not. It definitely made a difference.

DW: Now that your album is out though, you must have the pressure of expectancy on you, like, “What’s your next move?” or “What sound are you working on now?” How are you finding that?

SVR: There’s a massive pressure, as soon as (the album) comes out, because there’s such a short time frame on everything now. On the business side of it, we just want to focus on releasing the album in as many places a possible, and on the creative side we want to play in all those places. So it never really stops, you can never get to that point where you say, “Okay, the album’s done, now we can just sit back and relax and hope people like it,” because there is always something going on. It’s quite healthy though, because if you just sat back and waited, and your whole satisfaction was based on what people thought of it, then you might be in a bit of trouble if people didn’t think too much of it.

DW: Do you think you’d be in the same position now if BRMC hadn’t come along and forced you to get the band together, in a sense?

SVR: It’s hard to say whether it would’ve happened in the same time frame. I think whenever something like that happens, where an opportunity arises and you’re given a deadline when you didn’t really have a deadline before, other than the one you’ve given yourself, it definitely spurs you on. It you’d been working for a year already on sounds and toying around in the studio, it’s very easy to lose that urgency of finishing. You don’t want that urgency, but sometimes it’s good for something to come along and give you a bit of a kick up the arse.

DW: As an artist, you just want to keep experimenting and building on something, and you don’t know when to stop, right?

SVR: For sure, and those bands that we played with, a lot of them were bands that we knew, or knew of, who had asked us to play with them and had never seen us, so of course we wanted to make sure that we played really well. So that was really inspiring as well, it gave us that drive.

DW: Your sound has been described as a mixture of psychedelic and shoegaze, however, certain songs such as ‘The Greatest Fall’ and ‘Sweet Come Down’ show a clear country/blues influence.

SVR: Well, those two songs in particular are so incredibly out there, in terms of being labelled as a psychedelic, shoegaze band, and I actually enjoy that, because if anyone were to try and label us as simply that, these songs provide a clear retaliation to those people thinking we just do that kind of sound.

We get a lot of comments quite often, because it goes both ways. There are people who are very much into psych/shoegaze music who would hear ‘Sweet Come Down’ and think it’s quite radical, and at the same time, people who don’t know that kind of genre at all would listen to ‘Sweet Come Down’ and love it, and then be drawn further into our evil world, the one that could be labelled as more traditional psychedelic/shoegaze music. I’d like to be responsible for that, to bring a few people across that weren’t initially into that genre.

DW: ‘Sweet Come Down’ is quite a literal title when looking at the overall soundscape of the album, as it provides just that effect from the previous guitar-belting of the first few tracks. How much attention was paid to the album’s emotional flow?

SVR: The flow of the album was quite important now that we think about it because there are quite a number of different feelings on that album, we wanted to have that road-trip feel, that slow come down at the end.

To me, ‘The Greatest Fall’ is a ’50s track with this dark kind of feeling, and then ‘Sweet Come Down’ is a very dark country track, and then it moves into something, not psychedelic, but kind of trippy in a way, like ‘Burn & Fade’ and ‘Rise’. So the flow is important to make sure it all fits together well.

DW: How did ‘Sweet Come Down’ come to be chosen as the song for your video debut?

SVR: Well, we decided very early on that we didn’t want to do singles, and we really felt that the album needed to be treated as a whole. For ‘Sweet Come Down’, both Aimee and I, and the director, Michael Spiccia, had a clear vision of what the visual aspect of that track should be, more than some of the others. To me, what we ended up with in terms of the visual aspect of the song, was exactly spot on to what it should have been. We’re all really happy with it, and Michael just nailed it in getting the feeling of the song.

But you’re right, certain people would wonder why we would go out and make a short film for that song, and I guess it was partly to be a little bit confronting, because it’s not what people would expect. In another way, it was the perfect visual element and introduction to the band. It kind of says straight up, “We are not what you’ve heard and not what you expect.”

DW: In saying that, do you feel that ‘Sweet Come Down’ is representative of the album as a whole?

SVR: I’d probably have to say, no, it isn’t, but I think that without it the album would not be what it is. I think it was an important element to have in the album, but it’s certainly not a great representation on its own of what the album is.

DW: Your album has a seamless quality to it, in that while each of your songs is singularly crafted, such that they clearly stand out from each other, I was still able to listen to the entire album as if it was one song.

SVR: Well, that’s a really great compliment to us, because that’s exactly what we wanted to do, and to be honest, we spent a lot of time crafting it, not only each individual track, but also understanding how those tracks work with each other and thus represent the album as a whole.

So, as I said, to hear people actually come out and say that, or when I see a review that doesn’t get put off by the fact that (the album) may go into different territory, then that’s very satisfying for us. It could’ve gone either way I guess, but we just decided that was what we wanted to do and we hoped that people would want to take that trip with us.

DW: I can’t imagine this kind of paradoxical production was unintentional, was it?

SVR: Certainly not, I think right from the start, the first three songs that Aimee and I wrote together were all incredibly different from each other, and we were confronted with this possible problem of “What does this thing sound like?” and “Which one of these songs is the sound of the band?” and “What should we decide to try and do for the future?” Or should we just ignore that, just keep going and hope that everything kind of sits in well together and thus by doing that we’re creating something new? Obviously we decided to take the latter approach and that’s the way we went.

DW: And that obviously influenced your ‘no singles’ approach?

SVR: Well… yeah, I mean, being in previous groups and understanding some of the pressures you go through when you are being asked to do radio singles and focusing everything on one track, it’s something that we learnt we didn’t want to do again. That’s why we went out there right from the start and said, “This is what we want to do.” We didn’t want to try and be a radio band, or a singles band, we just wanted to try and make a really good album.

DW: I know we already discussed genres, but it seems like there has been a revival of the kind of psychedelic/shoegaze sound, not only in Sydney, but Australia as a whole. Do you think this gives credence to the idea that psychedelic music is a revivalist genre?

SVR: I actually agree with you. When Aimee and I were playing in our previous group before this (The Morning After Girls) we spent a lot of time touring overseas, and it was something that was quite apparent to us when we returned home after a good period of time that the scene had changed quite significantly. There are a lot of bands here in Sydney that are playing music that we really love, and I guess you could be right in that there was some kind of revival of that kind of genre.

Certainly I didn’t feel that there was much going on in that way before, we were spending so much time overseas, but when we came back it felt like there was a lot going on. And I still feel that, it doesn’t feel like it has reached its peak and dissipated. It just feels like something amazing happened and a lot of great people found each other. I think that is what it’s all about really, that there are people who have probably always loved this music but something magical happens at some point where these people find each other and get together and form bands, and then those bands meet each other and then those band members form side projects, and the side projects form side projects, and all of a sudden you have a scene.

That’s kind of what I feel has happened here and is still happening. So despite the issues we have in Sydney with live music venues and all sorts of stuff, and Melbourne as well, the scene has survived and thrived and is getting bigger.

DW: It seems like a very co-operative genre.

SVR: Very, and that’s something we discovered for the first time when we were touring overseas with our previous band, that there’s this great community and family of people that share this love, and you can travel anywhere and if you’re into that music, they just accept you with open arms and they want to listen to your music and put you up in their house. It’s quite incredible, to be honest, and it’s a great feeling.

For your chance to win a copy of Buy The Ticket, Take The Ride just email prize@theblackmail.com.au and tell us then name of Scott and Aimee’s previous band.

The Black Rider’s debut album, Buy The Ticket, Take The Ride, is out now through EMI Records.

Next story: And So The Story Goes… – Self Titled

And So The Story Goes…

tristan — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 14:02:24 +0000

Text: Adriana Giuffrida Images: Self Titled

Tulia Wilson cemented her feet firmly into the fashion industry through stints at Zambesi and Ksubi. Now she has branched out to create her own label, Self Titled. March marks the debut of Self Titled, and the collection brings a refreshing element of effortless chic. Using luxurious fabrics and textures, clean lines and a fantastic eye for structural detail, Tulia brings us pieces that will remain in the wardrobe for years. Adriana Giuffrida speaks with Tulia about her creative past, the present and the future of Self Titled.

Adriana Guiffrida: I recently read that you have come from quite a creative family. Your father is a furniture designer and interior designer, and your grandmothers are milliners, seamstresses and jewellers. Did it ever make you think that you wanted to branch out and be a lawyer for example, or did you always know you would be creative as well?

Tulia Wilson: I have never been asked that question before! I did actually go through a phase of wanting to become a surgeon! I loved my education, but I always wanted to find something that would combine my artistic side with the more mathematical, pragmatic side of my nature. On days when I have a creative block I feel like giving it all away and going to help the starving people in Darfur, or the neglected children in Nigeria, or something else very noble and worthy. I sometimes struggle with the meaning of creating fashion when there are so many more important issues for the world, but the flip side is that I know in a small way fashion makes people happy.

AG: You initially studied architecture before heading into the fashion industry. Obviously the forms are very different, but in a lot of ways you are translating two dimensional ideas into three dimensional ones. Do you find there are many parallels between architecture and clothing?

TW: Of course. I abandoned my architectural studies because I was seduced by the pace of the fashion industry – and I’d always loved dressing up. The relentless momentum of fashion is challenging and intoxicating. I do struggle with the transient nature of it though, and that many ideas often have a shorter life in fashion, whereas design principles can be honed and worked over time in architecture. I still hold a desire to one day create something that will be more of a lasting testament, something that will outlast me. One of the important driving forces for me creating fashion too, is to resolve pieces that are beyond seasonal expressions; pieces that become firm favourites for years to come.

AG: So you are originally from New Zealand and have a history of working with Zambesi for 15 years. What brought you to Australia after all that time?

TW: A strong desire for change. I felt that I had grown all I could within the NZ industry. I also enjoyed the anonymity I had over here. That meant I was more able to explore my creativity without the legacy of my past work.

AG: Tell me more about Self Titled, how did you come about starting your own label?

TW: It really was not a long held dream to have my own label as I had been so fortunate to work with such interesting companies in the past. Rather it was a desire for me to continue to ‘practice’ this craft and develop my skills. As well as a sense of frustration that I wasn’t finding the clothes that I wanted to wear. I felt that my friends and I resorted to buying vintage clothes in order to find something more unique, and in a way exclusive. The industry has changed a lot during the time I have been involved in it, and the rise and proliferation of things like ‘High St’ fast fashion has meant that many people often want to dress to the latest trend rather than with such a sense of individuality. That is what is also so exciting now about the counter rise of street fashion and blogs who champion that wonderful sense of unique self expression.

I believed there was room within the industry for a more exclusive, boutique label that focused on high quality, yet was only produced in small quantities so it still felt special.

AG: The collection has quite simple silhouettes, and is very sexy and sensual with its details. Who are you designing for when you begin a collection?

TW: My eclectic, stylish and wonderful group of friends.

AG: The fabrics in this collection are quite varied, fine jersey, leather and sequins are all present. How important are the textures within the fabrics you use to your design process?

TW: Fabric and texture are incredibly important to me and they form the basis of any collection. I generally choose fabrics or yarns before I develop the styles. I have certain textures that I love to work with like leather, knitted yarns, silks and cottons – mostly natural fibres. I particularly enjoy combining different fabrics within single garments. These subtle contrasts and juxtapositions help define the details.

AG: With your debut collection now complete what do you see as the future of Self Titled? Do you have strong ideas in mind for future collections?

TW: The first collection was very much about creating a starting point to build from. I wanted to do this slowly and deliberately, just dipping my toe into the water rather than trying to make a big splash. Each collection will be an evolution, again focusing on experimental yet wearable pieces. The future will see the development of some accessories to sit alongside the clothing too.

Self Titled is available exclusively from Lands End in Sydney

Next story: A Pause In Conversation – Jim Houser

Bewitched

tristan — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 14:02:22 +0000

Text: Gabriel Knowles Images: Lang Leav

At face value Lang Leav has done it the hard way. Born into a Thai refugee camp, she and her parents made their way to Cabramatta in Sydney’s west, where the push towards financially consistent vocations more often than not outweighs any creative endeavours. But Lang prevailed and headed off to the College of Fine Arts before embarking on what appeared to be a career in design. After a few weeks in package design she was promptly fired, so Lang drew on her childhood experience of writing and illustrating her own fantastical worlds and created the character Akina. The resulting fashion line, five books and SOYA prize suggest the self-confessed eBay addict is probably better off without the mundane design job. Lang tells Gabriel Knowles about her latest publishing project.

Gabriel Knowles: Where does Akina hail from initially?

Lang Leav: Akina was a little character I scribbled in my notebook, a few weeks after I was fired from a junior position at a packaging design firm. I sketched this little villainous girl and wrote, ‘Akina is a villain with a button fetish, she attacks teddy bears to steal their button eyes.’ I think everyone can identify with the teddy bear you had when you were growing up, who was missing a button eye. The entire world of Akina is built around that simple story.

GK: Is she a character you have worked with for a long time?

LL: It seems hard to believe but Akina is in her fifth year! Although she is the link between all the other characters I create, I keep her presence subtle. She tends to lurk quietly in the background.

My first book, The Teddy Bear’s Picnic began with a vivid image in my head of Akina whispering into Snow White’s ear. The idea I have always held is of Akina having a bewitching effect on anyone she encounters. In my first book she brings a surreal and sinister edge to the fairytale world. In my new book she enters the world of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, with the same disastrous consequences!

GK: She is an often dark, melancholy and macabre character. What turned Akina to the dark side?

LL: I think as artists, we create worlds to belong to, because we find it hard to identify with the one around us. I created Akina during a time when I had absolutely no idea what I was going to do with my life. My design career was seemingly cut short and everything felt so dark and scary. In hindsight, I think I created Akina because she embodied all the things I wished I could be at the time – someone who was strong and focused, had conviction and knew exactly where she was going. I think it’s wonderful that over the years, these were the things that Akina in turn, taught me.

GK: Does she grow as you do or has she taken on a path of her own now?

LL: I think Akina and I have grown together and our paths will always be intertwined. I know it sounds strange but she almost feels like a real person to me. She has generated such a following that she has her own life force and it is one that draws the most amazing experiences into my life. She has become a character I deeply admire and because she is my creation, I feel this strong sense of pride and ownership that is difficult to put in words.

GK: Akina also seems to be a bit of a troublemaker. Where does her desire to wreak havoc come from?

LL: I guess a lot of what goes into Akina stems from my own personality. I’ve always had a naughty streak. I grew up with two older brothers and always felt the need to impress them – to show them I could do anything a boy could. I think this upbringing instilled in me, a natural tendency to push boundaries. Although, even when I’m not trying, I am still always getting into trouble!

GK: Akina is also a fashion line. Do you try to keep the aesthetic of each output reasonably similar?

LL: To be honest I never really plan what I am going to do, it sort of evolves from an idea. I don’t follow trends or stick to the rules of mainstream fashion. Initially, I felt the pressure to succumb but I was very lucky to have an amazing mentor Peter Morrissey who advised me to follow my heart. He told me as long as I created from within, there will always be an audience to connect with my work. Years later, I see how right he is. Now I have a wonderful network of people who continually support what I do. I am thankful for them, every single day.

GK: Charlie’s Widow is a beautifully bound book. Bookbinding and publishing in general can be an expensive process. Was it a challenge to produce without compromising your vision?

LL: There were times in Akina’s history where amazing opportunities were offered to me on a silver platter. But it always seemed to come at the cost of my artistic integrity. Looking back, I am very glad I never gave in to temptation. The path I have chosen has been very difficult but the most important thing is, it is completely mine. When you build something from scratch, with your bare hands, no one can ever take it away from you.

In terms of self-publishing, releasing these small editions of my books is technically not viable. But I don’t think of it as a money making exercise. For me it is almost a cleansing, meditative process. It gives me a chance to thank all the people who have supported my work. It is a very special experience for me to share with them, my stories in these intricate little books I painstakingly make by hand.

GK: Akina has quite a following in Asia and particularly Japan. How have you made that transition?

LL: I draw a strong influence from the underground subcultures in Japan so it is no surprise the Japanese market feels a strong connection to my work. I was lucky enough to meet with influential Japanese figure Junko Wong when I was on my Churchill Fellowship. She was really excited by the Akina brand, stating my artworks and designs were of the most unique and beautiful she had come across in years. To have this kind of endorsement from someone in her position is very encouraging for me!

GK: Charlie’s Widow acts a sequel to the Teddy Bear’s Picnic, have you got plans to extend the series into a trilogy and beyond?

LL: Charlie’s Widow is my fifth book and a definite milestone. It has an almost magical vibe and energy that is just attracting the most amazing things into my life.

When I think back to my first book and all the events that led me to its sequel, it is like a giant rollercoaster ride. Now, an important cycle has been completed and my next big adventure is already beginning. I have no idea where this one will lead and I like that.

There is this special synergy when things run their natural course. Which is why I never force things – this sequel just kind of happened. Like everything else so far, it sort of just fell into place.

To secure a copy of Akina’s new book Charlie’s Widow visit Akina’s website.

Next story: Lines And Fades – Rudin Rashid

Big Fish

tristan — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 14:02:18 +0000

Text: Gabriel Knowles Images: Carine Thevenau & Pond

By the sounds of things the psychedelic revival is well and truly happening in Perth right now. Tame Impala, The Silents, These Ship Wrecks and Pond are all at the forefront of a style firmly on its way back. The fact that those bands all share common members might just have something to do with all the noise they’re making.

“We live in a pretty close community with a bunch of different bands and friends who are all really involved in each others music making. we’re all constantly in each others faces telling people what’s good and what’s not. There’s no real separation between any bands, the names shouldn’t even really be there.” Pond’s Nick Allbrook says on a typically sunny Perth day.

“Between us, Tame Impala, The Silents and These Ship Wrecks there’s this thing where everyone plays in everyone else’s band at some point. When we play something fun like Laneway we just get everyone up. There’s no sort of scene like you’d normally say there’s a scene, everyone’s got so much time to hang out and inspiration to make music.”

“We started in this band called Mink Mussel Creek and then we all moved into the same house and lived together. So we all started in the same band but them moved into different bands, we still have this great big communal thing going on.” Allbrook explains of the bigger crew that he and fellow band mates Joe Orion and Wes Goldtouch are a part of.

“The three of us write and record everything. But live there’s any number of fun folk that can pop up. Our friend Jamie plays keyboard all the time and then some other people come up and play bongos. At Laneway we had a designated dancer and confetti popper offerer.”

“It just became this big incestuous band list. It was always pretty loose.” Orion adds.

While they don’t steer away from the fact the acts are all sonically coming from roughly the same place, they do seem keen not to get pigeon holed as strictly psych.

“I bring a bit more folk, Jay brings the pop and Nick just brings the James Brown/Prince vibe. Whilst we all have that similar mind set we bring different aspects to the band. Which is why we can play pretty much any genre. We’re finding out that we can play anything, we bring influences from wherever we want and then Pondify it up.” Orion drawls with just enough effect to know he’s at least half joking.

For what it’s worth Orion’s confidence isn’t misplaced. Ponds latest release Frond may well be steeped in psychedelic and pop overtones but there’s more than just two layers at play. Distorted guitars are complimented by bouncing keys, chanted vocals, gospel choruses and epic arrangements.

“This one took us ages because our friend Sam Ford works at a studio, he also plays in The Silents and he’s a shit hot producer so he let us do it for minimal cost if we did it when the guy who owned the studio wasn’t busy. So he’d call us on the spur of the moment which was usually really late. We’d go in for a couple of hours or all night depending on how late we could stay up, so it took us a fuck load of time because we didn’t get to have good stints in there.” Allbrook explains.

“We’ve done more fucked up late night sounding things, this one we got our heads done and got all into pop and making a pop record. So we concentrated hard on that and making it the best we could so we could combat the late night demons.”

They may have conquered them but the late night lifestyle obviously isn’t the most conducive for holding down gainful employment, as illustrated by their shopping habits according to Allbrook.

“We’re all quite frugal. I just found out you can get a garbage bag full of bread from this place down the road at 12.30 every night. And you can go into Coles with a North Perth Growers Mart bag and buy a carton of milk and put all their fruit in your North Perth Growers Mart bag and say you bought it all across the road. So you get free fruit and piles of bread, all you’ve got pay for is beer, grass and milk.”

“And you can say that, I don’t think they’ll read it but I reckon the glory of the Coles police coming to my house would be worth it anyway!”

Pond’s latest album Frond is out soon, the first single Cloud City is available for purchase now.

Pond

Next story: Bewitched – Charlie’s Widow

Narrow Intersection

tristan — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 14:02:16 +0000

Text: Caroline Clements Images: Tobias Titz & Madeline Kidd

The Narrows straddle the enviable aesthetic territories of art and design. The result is gallery admired by fellow curators and a back catalogue of exhibition flyers that are eminently collectable. Caroline Clements talks to Warren Taylor at The Narrows gallery about wall flowers, intelligent insects and how this gallery in Melbourne is walking the line where art meets design.

When I get to The Narrows gallery on the second floor of the old city building, I am greeted by wall flowers. To my left Melbourne artist Renee Cosgrave has hand painted hundreds of little red flowers in a wall-distorting pattern over the left side of the gallery space. “It took about four days”, gallery director Warren Taylor recalls. “She worked from a projector and painted over the projection on to the wall. There is a pattern, but it sort of distorts the wall, particularly in the corners.”

After recently moving from 2D canvases to larger scale, installation type pieces, Cosgrave was interested in putting a non-geometric piece in the slick space of the white gallery walls. With The Narrows more often home to clean, sharp design posters or paintings derived from angular shapes with fluid design aesthetic, Taylor was enticed by the idea of something less design-centric. “She (Cosgrave) has an agenda with site specific work changing the architecture of the space it is in,” He says of his former student, already at the forefront of Melbourne’s emerging artists.

On the facing wall and hanging from the ceiling are several smaller pieces by Merryn Lloyd. A fellow student and collaborator during art school, Lloyd has exhibited with Cosgrave before. Concsious of Cosgrave’s dominant wall of red flowers, Lloyd has opted for a non-traditional medium, dripping coloured wax onto cut-up artist invitations. “I often feel confused by Merryn’s work but this confusion leads to my curiosity,” says Cosgrave of Lloyd’s art on their own exhibition invitation.

This collaboration is perhaps an exploration of the territory where design and art meet. “The gallery is seen to focus on art and design” Taylor states, drawing attention to things such a international design journals, wall posters, record covers, and typography. It is also interested in comparing the movement of design over time, what that says about designers, and its cross over into the art world. After teaching at Monash for 12 years, Taylor feels it is an interesting climate for design, “people are becoming much more specialised and not multi-tasking as much.”

He references type designer Tobius Frere-Jones who made it big when he designed the font Gotham, which was used throughout the Obama election campaign and also on the September 11 monument at the World Trade Centre site in New York. Frere-Jones came to Melbourne last year for the Australian Graphic Ideas Conference and brought with him some of the 3000 photos he had taken as research of guilded signage in Manhattan. He showed a series of these photos in the gallery as a way of displaying the process of type design. “We are trying to curate shows on design that sit outside commercial design practice. We could have showed a series of his type design, but everyone has seen that now anyway. The interesting part is in the process,” Taylor explains.

With type in mind, The Narrows has also recently held a screening of cult classic Phase IV (1973). Screened at the Rooftop Cinema on an artist appreciation night it is an 86-minute long sci-fi feature directed by the man made famed for designing the opening credits for several Hitchcock films, Saul Bass. A commercial designer in his own right, Bass also designed logos and identity for companies such as Disney and United Airlines in the ’60s, which are still in use today. Phase IV, however, was relatively unsuccessful at the time, using minimal documentary style footage about ants communicating with each other and with humans. While a narrative is apparent, there is little dialogue, and the end is rather ambiguous, slipping into a bizarre transcendental montage. Taylor recalls watching it in art school just for the title sequence.

Madeline Kidd, Chocloates and Confetti, Oil on canvas, 2008, 152cm x 122cm

That said, The Narrows is treading the line between art and design, perhaps moving towards art with design aesthetic. “There is more confidence in the visual art world… probably because designers’ creativity is beaten with a club by clients in a commercial world, they are forever being told to ‘make it bigger/make it longer/move this over there…’,” Taylor comments. The next show opening in March is by Australian painter Madeline Kidd titled Cruise Collection referencing “the sensory things that make life more beautiful,” colour, luxury, beauty and indulgence.

Madeline Kidd, Swimming Pool with White Wine and Grapes, Oil on canvas, 2009, 112cm x 152cm

Earlier in March (the 11th) the gallery is holding an annual fundraiser where 12 visual artists submit a work to be printed on an A3 poster using on an offset printer in one colour. The resulting monochromatic artwork, which will be sold on the night, will include 50 prints “reproduced in a way where the artists have no say how they will look in the end.” It’s sort of a collaboration between artist and gallery in a way, using art and overlaying it with a design feature.

Madeline Kidd, Flowers, Oil on canvas, 2009, 76cm x 61cm

While The Narrows has a diverse range of projects integrating Australian art and design disciplines in a contemporary context, Taylor is happy to justify a heavy international contingent. “The international shows are simply more popular across the board,” he says, “and I think local designers in particular are already displaying their work really well in their own forums, sometimes the gallery isn’t right for that.” The first international exhibition they exhibited was by Experimental Jetset (the guys who made t-shirts with the Beatles’ names on them). Then they had the Swiss poster show, where the gallery exhibited the posters designed for the promotion of exhibitions at the Museum of Design in Zurich. Another of their early shows was the research material for a PhD thesis on a jazz producer from the ’50s, and more recently they showed work by Brazilian graphic designer Rogerio Duarte. So there has been quite an impressive history since opening the gallery in 2006. Nonetheless, Taylor says he is often asked why he doesn’t support more young local designers, but in a round about way, that is exactly what he is doing. Without a gallery like this, how would a 19-year-old designer ever get to see the best work from Brazil for example? What The Narrows is providing for Melbourne’s art community is a certain aesthetic to a certain audience, that isn’t confined to just design-savvy.

The Narrows

Next story: Big Fish – Pond

Summer Days, Walking

tristan — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 14:02:13 +0000

Text: Gabriel Knowles Images: Garry Trinh

If we keep our eyes open there’s a lot to be seen. It sounds so simple but how many of us are actually really watching? Not just watching things drift by? Not enough it would seem. Otherwise the growing genre of spontaneity based photography wouldn’t be nearly as fascinating. Garry Trinh is one that revels in the extraordinarily ordinary moments that most wander on past, he welcomes the unexpected and the valuable ideas they provide.

“Summer Days, Walking was made during long meditative walks along the many rivers, lakes and creeks that snake through our cities and suburbs. I was interested in capturing the unexpected encounters that could be found amongst these neglected spaces.

In the past I have made photographic projects based on strong ideas and concepts. The downside of these types of photographs is they can become very repetitive and predictable. I wanted to keep the ideas behind these new photographs quite abstract and hopefully inspire a spirit of wanderlust and curiosity in viewers.”

Garry Trinh

Next story: What’s The Rush – Eddy Current Suppression Ring

Lines And Fades

gabe — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 14:02:12 +0000

Text: Oliver Georgiou Images: Rudin & Joey Rashid

Melbourne based Rudin Rashid is a long-time drawing fanatic, his Copic 1.00 mm pen has taken him on many a journey, from zine making to tee-shirt design, exhibiting his artwork in gallery spaces and now into the realm of ink in skin. After tattooing his family and friends over the past couple of years Rudin has joined Waycool Tattoo in the outer Melbourne suburb of Dandenong and is honing his skills and making beautiful tattoos happen. Oliver Georgiou managed to catch with him to talk about making the transition to illustrating skin and how the love buzz is treating him.

Oliver Georgiou: You’ve been tattooing for a while now, but I understand that things have started to pick up for you in recent times.

Rudin Rashid: Yeah, I was tattooing at a previous studio since October last year and before that was just a lot of work from home and it was kind of progressing but I have joined a new studio, so I’m out in Dandenong at the moment at Waycool which just started last week and that was the next step in me tattooing. I was doing as much as could without having a strong amount of peers and good tattooists around pushing me so now I’m getting involved in a good busy street shop. I’m doing a little bit of custom work but tons of people are coming in to get tattooed, you know Dandenong is a big hub for it, I didn’t realise how big it was out there. Now I’m more focusing on tattooing as a career, as a long-term thing I’ve been able to push and get solid hours there so I will be able to progress a lot faster. I feel as though it’s the birth of my next lot of tattooing in a way, I’ve been doing a lot of stuff until now from home, a lot of stuff that I enjoy doing and now I’m getting into working more consistently rather that doing something here and something there or being in a quiet studio, now it’s an every day thing, a constant learning experience, being pushed by people around you.

OG: Looking at drawings and zines that you have done in the past a lot of your creations are line based, your style has for a long time lent itself to tattooing.

RR: Yeah, all of my stuff has always been kind of line based and it does help me out with tattooing. A lot of the tattoos that I draw, if given the chance to custom draw something, are very illustrative based, built in clean, solid line work. And that’s why I love the old school traditional tattooing as well, a lot of it is based on heavy big thick lines. Newer art that I have been doing in Illustrator also consists of lots of solid lines and gradient work, which again reflects back on my tattooing as well. My earliest recollection of doing tons of drawing was all comic based, that’s why loved doing the early zines, it was all based on big thick lines and lots of black ink.

OG: Are there any particular motifs that get you going more than others?

RR: I’m into quirky things, I like to give things a bit of a spin, I mean at the moment insects have been a big thing, the last exhibition I had I did a couple of paintings of insects, kind of deconstructing them and reconstructing them in my own light. Lately I have been working on taking insect anatomies and really stripping them back and making them only an insect idea and then adding things like all seeing eyes and blood drops, just little random bits and pieces to kind of recreate them as my own. I have also been drawing a lot of horse drawn carts lately, taking the horse drawn cart, which in reality has heaps of line work in it, bringing it right back, almost streamlining it, giving the lines heaps more definition and depth. I love working with animals, owls, birds, roses, hearts, I love drawing books and keys, I’m into symbology.

OG: Your brother Joey has heaps of your tattoos, has having people around you willing to slip you some skin been helpful for getting your confidence up to tattoo people you don’t know?

RR: It has and it hasn’t, it’s ace because I always love tattooing Joey, he is into really good subject matter, he likes me to draw it up and I kind of get free reign with him and that’s been great and I love doing it. It does give me confidence with line work and with shading and putting colour in, as like the fundamentals of tattooing, but I guess when you get into the studio and people come in and don’t want what you’ve got, sometimes they come in with their own ideas and come in with stuff that’s really finicky like tiny little lettering on wrists and this stuff that your so not used to. It’s the same with anything, if you do a tattoo that you’ve designed and you love you are going to do it in the way you want to do it, where as if someone comes in and wants something completely out of your element it’s tricky, you get curve balls thrown at you everyday. You have to change your approach and you have to change the way you kind of look at it as well, because you are like, well I’ve done this before maybe and a lot of it is new to me as well. It has been great being able to tattoo my brother and friends a like, including my girlfriend Brook, I’ve done a fair few tattoos on her and that’s helped me out heaps, but I’m still learning something new everyday whether it’s a new needle configuration or something your machine is doing, I don’t think you ever stop learning in that field.

OG: I think that it would be intriguing to know and learn about the tools of the trade, is it something you are into?

RR: It’s it totally intriguing. It’s intriguing how people have different approaches to it, with the way different people tattoo. I’m into traditional tattooing so I tend to use a lot of solid line work and tones of black shading with highlights of bright contrasting colours and stuff. Where as one of the guys at the studio does big Asian and Japanese works so he uses these completely different needles that I’ve never used before and his approach is totally different to mine. There are so many aspects of the machinery that are amazing that you can pick up from other people just even down to how they run their machines and their attitude toward doing certain things. It’s crazy everyone does something slightly different and you know there is a basis of how you do things and everyone just does what works for them. Sometimes your machines are fine and then you will do a tattoo and it won’t run right, because you’ve got your power supply as well, which is a whole other issue, you get machines running too hard or running too soft, they heat up, you have to always check that the machine is running okay and that the springs are in order, I don’t even pretend to know a great deal about my machines yet.

OG: When you are looking for reference do you have certain tattoo artists, movements or groups through out the history of tattooing that you are inspired by, or do you get your motivation from a lot of different sources?

RR: There is, I tend to read a lot of magazines as well, there are some really good tattoo magazines that you can get that come with really great comprehensive interviews and discs as well which show artist working. That is one thing I am totally addicted to, watching people tattoo, I love watching people outline for some reason and it’s just one of those things because every time you watch something like that you can absorb information from it, just watching how they work and seeing things you can try. So, yeah there are always artist that I am constantly looking at, there is a great machine maker Seth Ciferri who is just amazing, he is constantly making new machines.

I own and tattoo with a couple of his machines so I am constantly looking at what he is doing with his machines and how he breaks new ground with them. It’s the same with a couple of artists that I love, I’m constantly looking at their websites or MySpace, just to see what they are doing and how they are reinventing themselves. Stuff can sometimes get stale in that classic style of tattooing when people keep repeating same imagery, it’s really refreshing to see artists who are pushing it. A lot of tattooing is reference work and it can come from anywhere, I have heaps of books just on flowers and decorative iron work, banners and scrolls, the dynamic drawing of wrinkles and creases and stuff like that. I looked in my cupboard the other day and there was a lemon olive oil in there, the picture on it is of a Spanish girl holding a bowl of fruit and I have blown the picture up because it’s amazing!

OG: Have you got any exciting upcoming tattoos and/or projects on the cards?

RR: Yeah, I’ve got some good exciting ones and I’ve got some good scary ones as well. One of my friends wants a big octopus/ship rib scene, I haven’t tattooed many ribs and they are pretty hard so that’s going to be exciting and a bit scary at the same time. I’m finishing a big piece on my girlfriend’s back at the moment that is a really cool snake and rose combination, my little brother Joey is constantly coming up with new ideas of stuff that he wants but it’s getting to a point where I just don’t have enough time to do tattoos at home.

I think that the new and exciting stuff will be the people that just walk into the shop and just want whatever it is that they want, that’s the way you learn and get your speed up, just pumping out tones of walk in stuff. I want to work on some more zines when I get the chance, I did a bunch of water colour paintings last October and was involved in a couple of exhibitions that were well received which was great because I hadn’t painted in ages. I’m also currently working on my website and I’m also about to do another run of t-shirts before I go to Japan so the Order De Chico thing is still rolling. Other than that, just pumping out the tattoos, I just want to knuckle down, pump them out, build my skill level and just kind of smash it really.

Rudin Rashid

Next story: Summer Days, Walking – Garry Trinh

A Pause In Conversation

tristan — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 14:02:09 +0000

Text: Tristan Ceddia Images: Jim Houser

Self-taught painter Jim Houser tells complex stories though his paintings and installations, mixing typography with his own unique brand of folk art. Known for his work with Space 1026 in Philadelphia, Jim’s art has graced the bottom of skateboards, tattooed arms and the walls of prestigious galleries world wide. Tristan Ceddia talks to Jim in the wake of his first Australian solo show, The Pregnant Pause.

Tristan Ceddia: Describe a day in the life of Jim Houser…

Jim Houser: Most days I wake up around 10. I take the dogs out, make coffee and paint. I usually work until two or three, then I run whatever errands I need to do. I take a nap everyday at five. I walk the dogs. My wife Jess comes home from work at seven, we eat dinner and watch TV, then I start working again and paint until one or two in the morning.

TC: At what age did you decide you wanted to be an artist?

JH: I don’t think I decided ever, really. It’s just the only thing that made me happy. I didn’t have much of a choice really.

TC: You have been involved with Space 1026 in Philadelphia since it began a decade ago. How did this space come about and how has it evolved since its conception?

JH: The space was just a group of guys that got out of art school and realised there wasn’t a place where they could do their thing, so they got together and started one. It was never really a ‘gallery’ meant to make money. It was (and still is) like a club house where people can make their art, hang out and feed off each other.

As far as how it has evolved, well, people get older and move on, and also every year there is a new group of people that get out of art school and are looking for something to do, so more people kind of join the fun. It’s been there 10 years now, which is mind boggling to me.

TC: I assume the gallery has had a considerable influence on the art scene in Philadelphia. How has it influenced your work personally?

JH: The space was the first place I ever had a show. I’d say the support I have gotten from the people there has been the biggest influence. You know, whatever influence your close friends would have.

TC: Have you always lived in Philadelphia? Did you grow up there?

JH: Yes , I grew up in the suburbs outside of Philadelphia. I lived in Providence, Rhode Island for three years in my twenties. I’ve been living back in Philly for 10 years.

TC: Your work mixes characters and text with a vintage pastel palette. What has influenced you to paint like this?

JH: No idea really. It’s not a conscious thing. It’s just years and years of following what I am able to make, guided by what I enjoy making. I play around and things grow on their own, you know?

TC: What does your studio look like at the moment?

JH: It’s pretty clean. It has a big flat table I paint at. A few shelves of tools, some book shelves and a television.

TC: How long have you been involved with Toy Machine?

JH: I think my first boards for Toy were in 1997 or ‘98 maybe.

TC: Working with them must be one of those dream jobs right?

JH: Sure. It was always a dream when I was younger to design my own skateboard. It always feels really cool to see some kid skate by and pick up his board, and it’s my graphic he’s riding. A few people have gotten tattoos of different graphics… It’s a big compliment. I haven’t done any boards in a while, but I email with Ed (Templeton) occasionally and if i think of something good I make it and he’ll use it. It’s not a regular thing anymore like it used to be though.

TC: You have a show currently at Monster Children Gallery. Where does the Pregnant Pause title come from?

JH: A pregnant pause is a pause in conversation that is rich in meaning . A silence that much can be inferred from, whether correctly or incorrectly.

TC: What’s next in your world?

JH: My wife and I have a baby on the way. She is due in May. I am currently painting rabbits on the walls of the nursery.

I’d also like to add that I really am bummed out about not being able to come to the show. My last trip to Sydney was so much fun. I really hope to return at some point . It’s an awesome place. I hope you like the show.

The Pregnant Pause is on show at Monster Children Gallery in Sydney until March 18.

Next story: Narrow Intersection – The Narrows

What’s The Rush

gabe — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 14:02:07 +0000

Text: Gabriel Knowles Images: Tristan Ceddia

Much is made of the apparent lack of time taken by Eddy Current Suppression Ring to record their critically acclaimed and award winning albums. Urban legend dictates that their debut was wrapped up in an afternoon over a few beers and word that their latest release Rush to Relax was done after only six hours in studio. Bassist Brad Barry tells Gabriel Knowles why those stories aren’t strictly true.

“We weren’t 100% sure we were making the album but in the end everything turned out to be good enough to be used for the album. It was only because we had enough new songs to record that we that we figured let’s just start recording and see what happens and if we have to have another couple of goes at it another day we would have done it. In the end it just turned out that what we had was very usable.” Barry aka Rob Solid explains from his home in Melbourne.

“You can spend years and years in the studio and not be happy with the results. I figure if you capture the songs in their infancy there’s still some nerves about whether or not you’re going to pull the song off. If you catch a bit of that rather than running the song down and catching it after it has lost its new pizazz I think that’s great.”

“Just going into a rehearsal studio where we would jam anyway you feel like you’re playing it not for the first time but when it’s new so you don’t want to stuff up and you’re concentrating on trying to play it right rather than just knowing it.”

Brevity always seems to have been a core component of the band. Their first song infamously recorded ad-lib into a dictaphone during a Christmas party at the vinyl factory where the other band members Brendan Huntley and the Young brothers – Mikey and Danny, all worked. They followed that track up with two albums, the first self titled and a second entitled Primary Colours, both of which relied heavily upon terse garage punk to make their mark. Their songs of minimal length left lasting impressions on both fans and critics alike and culminated the band picking up the prestigious AMP award in 2009, a testament to their philosophy of just doing what they think is best.

“We never do anything we don’t really want to do and we’re always happy with the stuff we do and what we have done.” Barry confirms.

“It’s always good, even just jamming is good. I guess you feed off your live shows with the interaction with the crowd and the feedback where as with your album you don’t get that. That’s why we try to capture that live sound as much as we can when we record the albums because that’s what we enjoy the most.”

Rush to Relax is however, a departure of sorts from the blueprint of strictly short and sharp songs. A few tracks stretch far beyond the usual three and half minutes and one even enters the previously unimaginable dimension of a ballad. As if by way of evening things up there are still a couple of numbers that come in at an intense minute flat. Despite moving into new territory the unmistakeable twang of Eddy Current is ever present. Even the twenty minutes of beach sounds at the end of the album doesn’t seem out of place, in fact it almost seems symptomatic of the album title until Barry dismisses that theory.

“That ties in with the song and not necessarily the theme of the album, it’s just about relaxing at the end. It’s almost subliminal, you don’t know it’s on but then when you sink into you realise relaxing is good.”

For your chance to win a copy of Rush To Relax just email prize@theblackmail.com.au and tell us what Rob Solid’s real name is.

Eddy Current Suppression Ring’s third album Rush To Relax is out now.

Next story: Wild Thing – Mike O’Meally