INTERVIEW SERIES: BOLER MANI & X PROMOTIONS

Melbourne’s boler mani’s Facebook page states, “a little boy with big sounds” and I have to agree. Boler is a part of X Promotions AND WE ARE LIVE which is will live streamed on Thursday 29th October.

Boler and I recently had a chat about what he is all about.

---

You’re a solo artist, tell me a bit about yourself.
I produce all my own stuff. I rap and I do vocals, I also am practising singing currently, I am waiting until I am more confident before bringing that in.

You have a fair bit of content on your YouTube channel. How long have you been doing this for?
I kind of started dabbling in music production in year 3. I put my mind to trying to establish a career out of it around the start of 2018. Ever since I have just focused on constantly improving. I have an EP coming out around the start of next year that I am putting all my effort into. That’s going to be my big jump into the scene.

You’ve actually played some festivals already haven’t you?
Yes. I did Bigsound in Queensland and I have also done New Years Eve on The Hill.

How did you become involved in AND WE ARE LIVE?
Andrew who runs X Promotions hit me up and asked me if I would like to be involved. I was like yes let’s do it. I’ve been craving doing a performance for a while now, so I snagged that opportunity.

Do you normally play a lot of gigs in a “non-Covid world”?
Yeah, last year I would say I was getting gigs every now and again. It’s hard to reference what is often or not because I have only just started doing this. When I was trying to manage school it felt like it was often. Time would fly doing my school work and then I would get another text saying another show was coming up. I guess last year pre-covid it was pretty good. I’m excited to start performing new songs because I have been performing the same songs throughout the year. It’s going to be good once I get the new EP out.

So you’ve spent a lot of lockdown writing and creating?

Yeah. It’s kind of been a blessing in disguise. I think a lot of artists would relate. Like for sure w e miss out on the shows but we have all this time to make music. I’m blessed to have my production set up at home so pretty much everyday has just been working and trying to make the best of it.

You can work at your own pace when you produce yourself too.

Pretty much. It’s really great because I don’t have to travel anywhere (during lockdown) but the downside is when you go somewhere your environment shapes your mindset. It makes you more in the zone. Being in the bedroom, waking up and going to the desk you don’t really have the cues ready to let you know that it’s time to work. It’s just a matter of getting into it anyway. I love it anyway. It’s obviously a massive plus not having to go anywhere. 

Ryan talked you up when I was speaking to him. He thought this was ging to be your year to break into the scene.  But like you said you’re going to have a lot more content now.

For sure. There are lots of ups and downs to it. I always just try to see the best in it because there is no point in ruminating on what is not happening when there is so much that is.

Did you have much lined up for this year?
At the start of the year I was tossing up whether or not I wanted to continue doing music, so plans weren’t really in place. As the year went along I started getting my foot in, coming out of school I felt a little bit lost. But I was like no I definitely want to do this. Every time I just resort back to opening up Abelton and working on music, so I knew this was what I wanted to do. I’ve just stuck to my vision; we have big plans. This year has just been a big setup for next year. I’ve released one song this year back in February. Releasing any more this year wasn’t on the cards, we were planning on dropping something later this year, but I think taking our time and just working on new music for the rest of this year is the goal.

Who have you shared the stage with?
I supported Jai Waetford and Camouflage Rose last year which was really cool. And 3K was at the Camouflage Rose gig if you know them. They were two pretty significant shows. And then Godlands, she’s like a hard dubstep/trap DJ producer. They were the highlight gigs of last year for me.  

Anything else you want to let people know?
I have my EP coming out at the start of next year. The single off that EP is going to be performed live at the AND WE ARE LIVE gig. So whoever tunes into that will get a little bit of something! I think what X Promotions is doing for us is amazing. I feel like the acts represent the split in the Melbourne taste in music. So you have indie, rap and soul which I feel is pretty representative of what people are into. I’ve been practising and I’m ready to go. I’m pretty excited about it. It’s going to be good.

FOILLOW BOLER MANI
YOUTUBE
FACEBOOK
INSTAGRAM
SPOTIFY 

INTERVIEW SERIES: SUBCULT & X PROMOTIONS

subcult are a young energetic alt/rock band from Melbourne who I think are about to take on the world. Having released their first single Suffocating back in August the band are releasing their second single Medicated on Thursday. You will also be able to watch the band play it live Thursday night at AND WE ARE LIVE  https://bit.ly/2FV8QOz

I caught up with Declan to talk all things subcult.

---

Who are subcult?

Well we had our first rehearsal as a band almost two years ago. We’ve all been in a band with Ben before, that’s how we all really know each other. Ben met Lex through school, Adam through a Facebook page and me through a holiday program. We tried playing covers, I think we did an MGMT Kids/Untouched by the Veronicas/Replay by Iyaz cover for our first thing, like all the songs in one! It wasn’t good but it was fun. Three or four months in we finally wrote the first song, that we still play and love. This time last year we decided we were going to record. We put together this big plan, we released Suffocating in August and we are about to release our next single Medicated on Thursday. We’ve been lucky enough to play gigs with Ruby Fields, Crywank and Bakers Eddy. It’s been fun.

When I first went and had a listen to Suffocating I got Terra/Yours Truly vibes straight away.

Fuck yeah. I love Yours Truly and Terra. Shout out to Cassie (Terra) for being the biggest legend. We tend to align ourselves more with the indie/alt rock scene than the pop punk scene, but we get that we are very pop punk, and we all love it.

Tell me about Suffocating.

We were sitting around outside. I brought a guitar out because I just thought why not as we had been trying to write something. I had Ben’s acoustic guitar thinking that it would give my something different, and it did, it gave me that riff. I was like I think I’ve got it. Ben got his other acoustic guitar out and came up with the chords. Lex came up with the vocals. We ended up singing it around the fire pit. The next week we got Adam in because he wasn’t there, and we put it all together. Instead of being the prettiest song we had it was probably the heaviest song we had at that point. Which it definitely didn’t start that way.

Suffocating is about being in a relationship or almost relationship where you are the person who is doing all of the work and it feels like the other person doesn’t really care. You’re constantly waiting on them and you just want them to show that they are actually in, you can’t tell.

I’m digging it. More people need to hear it that’s for sure.

Hopefully our new single will help with that. We’ve got set goals that we want from this song. We don’t have video clip at this stage for the single due to Covid. We have an idea for it but due to restrictions we haven’t been able to do it.

How did you guys get involved in AND WE ARE LIVE?

X Promotions asked if we wanted to be involved. Also I’m mates with the Teenage Dad guys and Boler’s manager. And Velvet Bloom are from here as well.

I spoke to Maddy a few days ago.

Maddy’s a legend.

I just want to watch her sing live!

She’s amazing, that entire band is. I work at Wrangler Studios

AH! That’s why your face looks familiar… photos from the Wrangler FB page!

Yeah Dean has put up enough photos of me. That’s how I know Maddy, from Wrangler.

You guys would be so excited to play live together

Omg don’t even get me started. We’re going to be so under practised though because obviously we haven’t been allowed to get together.  The gig starts at 7.30pm and we are allowed there from 12pm so that’s the time we are going to have to practise together. Last time we came out of lockdown we smashed out our songs without any problems. It will be fine.

Have you played many gigs as subcult?

Our first show was actually at the Frankston Art Centre on the same stage that we are going to be playing. Funny little loop back around it was a show with two other bands Richard and The Twins and Plastic Pash who is name is now Tabloid TV Darlings and they are amazing. They’re awesome, they are like a grunge band.

Who influences you musically?

Before we started writing faster songs we thought that we were Slowly, Slowlyesque. I still that we are. I know the others are really inspired by Neck Deep as well. For me Jeff Rosenstock 100%. We are also influenced by a bit of hip hop which you might not be able to tell.  Waxx, Press Club, Crywank, Ruby Fields and Bakers Eddy. There was one point when I was seeing the Bakers Eddy boys every couple of days, they are my mates, I was going to their shows and thinking ‘Fuck I want my band to be this energetic’. So now we are writing songs like that as well.  

How does your writing process normally go, obviously not around a fire pit!!

Usually Ben or I will come up with a riff, then depending on who is there at the time, if it’s all of us we will usually do all the instruments first. If we aren’t all there then it’s just whoever is, something will happen. Then we build it up from there. The one exception is a song that Lex wrote on her own and then we brought our stuff in. It’s a really pretty song, I’m excited for people to hear that one day.

What are your post Covid plans?

Well personally I really want to tour. I’ve already put together a little tour plan because that’s what I do, I’m an events guy I’m a booking guy! We are going to record as soon as we are out of lockdown, go back to Wrangler and put some tunes down. Release those, mostly as singles but also an EP. Then we will try and get into the studio again as soon as we can. We’ve already got some songs that we reckon are better than Suffocating and Medicated. We love them, but oohhhh wait until you see what we’ve got coming up!!!

Keep your eyes and ears on this young band because they are going places.

FOLLOW SUBCULT 
FACEBOOK
'POISON' LIVE AT WRANGLER
INSTAGRAM
SPOTIFY

INTERVIEW VELVET BLOOM & X PROMOTIONS

Mornington Peninsula songbird Maddy Herbert has one of the most amazing voices I have come across. Think along the lines of Norah Jones/ Amy Winehouse!! Playing original soul filled songs with her band Velvet Bloom and The Vito Collective Maddy is one of the artist’s involved in the live stream gig AND WE ARE LIVE (X Promotions) on 29th October

With a new single out ‘7hundred25’ and a video clip for the single coming out on 13th November I had a chat to Maddy about her music and her involvement in the live stream that X Promotions are putting on.

First off I absolutely love your voice!

Oh thank you so much. It’s been so hard not performing for such a long time, but we are so excited for this event it’s going to be really great.

The venue sounds amazing. The X Promotions guys were telling me about it the other day.

The venue is so huge. I’ve played there for school concerts and I did a theatre production when I was maybe 12. It’s a crazy venue, it’s so beautiful. A lot of people on the Mornington Peninsula wouldn’t know it exists. This show will be really good to show people, especially the young people, that there is a space down here.

How did you get involved in AND WE ARE LIVE?

I’ve been chatting with the guys from X Promotions for quite awhile now. Andrew DM’d me a while back and said he would love to organise something in the future, I don’t even think that this concept was thought of back then. When he put this line up together he really wanted us to be involved and obviously we jumped at the opportunity because we haven’t played shows in such a long time. We have had a few live streams which have been incredible. We did one at The Nightcap in May and one at a place called The Love Machine with Moor Music in June. That was the last time we performed. Andrew and the guys from X Promotion and The Frankston Arts Centre were just so eager to have some Peninsula talent onboard to do this event.

It’s been hard during lockdown for you guys.

Yeah but the silver lining is that I have been able to spend time writing so that has been really good.

So is Velvet Bloom a band or is it a solo project and you have musicians join you?

It’s a project, its just kind of like the concept. I perform solo, so I write the music. I then perform with different variations of Velvet Bloom in a live setting. So there is a full band which will be playing at the Frankston Art Centre, then there is a 4-piece, a 3-piece and a 2-piece version. I like doing it like this because we can be more diverse when we are playing at different places. Having so many different versions of the one act you can always see the songs in a different light which I really enjoy.

What is The Vito Collective?
So that is what I use to describe when I am playing with the full live band. The Vito Collective have been performing with me for a while. Two of them have been with me for about 4 years. The reason that I wanted to call them that is because it means ‘life giver’ and so I guess they give a lot of life to my music.

You’ve just released a new single ‘7hundred25’ recently which I love!

It was put out for 2 weeks as a part of a compilation album done by record label Cousin Will that came out on the 18th September. We then released it onto Spotify in early October.

Tell me about 7hundred25, the title intrigues me!

I guess I wanted to incorporate numbers into writing because I hadn’t really thought about it much. When I started writing this song it was when I was in the midst of a break up and I thought about how through our relationship, we had been together for this amount of time. I was trying to pinpoint different parts of our relationship and where I guess things stared to fall apart. It wasn’t meant to be a negative song or anything, it was a realisation song. Figuring out what I needed to do to move forward as well.

Do you have an EP in the works?

Yes we have an EP in the works. It’s just been really hard because we haven’t even been able to jam for like 3 months at least. As soon as we are allowed to be in the same room we will be recording.  We have all of the stuff ready for our EP, but it won’t be released until some point next year.

Do you guys self-record?

No. We usually outsource everything. We have recently started working with Quin Grunden from The Grogans and he’s really great. He will be our recording engineer, so we are really excited to work with him..

Andrew was saying that you have broken into the Melbourne scene

Yeah. I love performing. That’s just what I love to do. I guess our weekends, mine and the band, revolve around playing gigs. They aren’t always advertised, sometimes I just play solo stuff that’s not necessarily my own material. Prior to lockdown I was playing 3 gigs a week. It’s been an adjustment that’s for sure.  There are so many incredible venues and musicians in Melbourne. People just need to discover them. It was really hard for me at first breaking into the Melbourne scene and I don’t think I even started playing as many shows as I wanted to until maybe a year ago. We’ve been this version of our band for probably three years now. Even prior to me saying that we have only been where I wanted to be for a year we were playing shows with other bands in Melbourne quite frequently. But I’ve only really just started to find people that are more similar to our music. I think that on the Mornington Peninsula we have a very heavy surf rock kind of community. We fit into it to some extent but not really. I need to be playing with soul artists I think. As much as I appreciate all the opportunities we have gotten from people down here when we are playing at a surf rock gig its not going to be the same vibe.

We also have a music video coming out in about three weeks’ time for the single. A lot of the live footage in it was filmed about a year ago while on tour and it would have been when I had first written the song. So it is very nostalgic, and it also has a lot of scenery from the Mornington Peninsula. I’m really excited to put it out. 

---

If you’re looking for something to do this Thursday night jump on and grab a ticket to AND WE ARE LIVE where you can see Velvet Bloom along with subcult, Boler Mani and Teenage Dads. 

FOLLOW VELVET BLOOM
YOUTUBE FACEBOOK INSTAGRAM

INTERVIEW SERIES: AND WE ARE LIVE!

We all know that Covid has well and truly messed with the music scene this year. X Promotions have taken matters into their own hands to promote some of the best local indie pop/rock, soul and hip-hop acts from the Frankston/Peninsula area. This 60 minute event will be live streamed into your lounge room from the Frankston Arts Centre via their Facebook and YouTube pages:
FACEBOOK

YOUTUBE

Tickets are priced at whatever you can afford and 100% of ticket sales will go to the artists and guest hosts on the night. Support the artists via the ‘Donate Now’ button HERE

 Check out the Facebook event page HERE

Ryan McGeary and Andrew Gorman from X Promotions sat down and had a chat with me about what they are doing and why.

---

Well to start with I guess you better tell me about X Productions and what you guys are about.

Ryan: It’s a pretty new venture into the live-streaming stuff. Andrew and I stumbled upon one another with an interest in putting on live shows. Back in the day it was me with my band. We were looking to get some shows. Andrew had an interest in fostering some live shows. We met while doing separate shows and then came together to do some. This is just our next step in the Covid friendly world.

There isn’t anything friendly about Covid!!

Andrew: Ultimately, as much as we love to see the crowds and bands having a great time, we can only do half of that at the moment. With this event, we saw the Frankston Art Centre putting on live-stream events for the traditional theatre type crowds. We though hey there is no reason why some of the younger music acts couldn’t get in on that as well. Thankfully the theatre have jumped on board and the council has backed it as well. There are a few more big announcements to make in the coming weeks, there are a lot of things going our way. Thankfully everyone is loving it.

That’s a really good thing to hear. Good for the bands and for the fans. So there are just the four bands on this bill

Ryan: Yes we are seeing some really talented bands. We are trying to keep it local, there are some really awesome acts down this way that we thought needed the spotlight shone on them a little bit more. Especially during this lockdown. So we have subcult. Velvet Bloom who are.. how would you describe them Andrew?

Andrew: They are a very grass roots soul act. It’s a really cool sound. It’s not a sound that you expect. Maddy the singer has the smoothest voice.

Ryan: Maddy has that voice that as soon as she starts to sing you just lean in a little more than what you were.

And then we have Teenage Dads who have an indie pop sound.  They are just an awesome bundle of joy on a stage. And then we have Boler Mani who is in the hip hop/rap game. Again he is high energy, really good stuff that is well produced. As soon as I saw him I was like cool. It’s tough when there is one person on stage, tough to get that energy across and he’s got it

Teenage Dads

Boler Mani

Andrew: He was also lined up 3 or 4 festivals this year, so this was going to be his break through year.  Teenage Dads have some festival experience. Velvet Bloom has been around on the peninsula for a while. She has broken into Melbourne in a big way, she has a big fan base. subcult have a new single out and are releasing their second single on the night of this show. They have all had stuff put on hold.

Subcult

Velvet Bloom

It’s a good time to be interacting with fans on social media and getting your music out there. Building that fan base so that when gigs return you already have a following.

Ryan: It’s a really good time to ‘gather your supplies’ is what I have been telling people. Strengthen your foundations and get all your processes in place so that when you do get released into the world it goes gangbusters. The really good thing about the acts that we have got at the moment is they were all on the verge of something really great this year. They still are, don’t get me wrong, but using subcult as an example they did shows with Ruby Fields and names like that and it was looking to be a huge year for them. This has delayed them a little bit, but it gives them an opportunity to get more songs under their belt.

Andrew: Support local doesn’t have to be just for your shops. Support your local bands. We aren’t going to see any international acts in Melbourne for at least the next 6-12 months. So we all need to get behind not only Aussie music but the local bands that are in your back yard. All the big bands started out small so let’s help these smaller bands get there quicker.

That’s why I started writing for myself. I want to help promote the smaller grassroot bands that we have in Australia. There is so much talent here. And I’ve been lucky and had so much support from the scene.

Andrew: It’s huge. When Ryan and I were sitting working out how to spread this as far as we can, you don’t discount anyone who has even 50 followers. Speak to whoever you can because it’s not only about getting to 5 big 10,000 follower groups, but also about getting to as many small pages and groups as well. The love comes back and forth amongst these people.

Tell me about And We Are LIVE

Ryan: We have four acts that we have mentioned, so Boler Mani, subcult, Velvet Bloom and Teenage Dads. It will be hosted by the awesome Ali Barter and Oscar Dawson (Holy, Holy) we were stoked when we got the call from them saying they wanted to be involved. It’s hosted at the Frankston Art Centre, for us it’s one of those venues in Frankston that everyone has an experience with. Whether its as a kid in your school play, or as an adult in a lot of theatre based things. They haven’t really dabbled in this scene as much so in our conversations with them they were really excited to be expanding their horizons to a new audience.

Once Covid blows over you have yourselves another venue.

Ryan: I’m going to be there as often as possible. There are some awesome spaces within that venue. There’s something like 3-4 performance spaces, each with their own little quirks. Fortunately we get to cover off a few of them in this live stream, so we are doing it in different ‘studio’ spaces which helps with the changeovers and all that. It also showcases what they have to offer as well.

Andrew: The main theatre is 800 seats, so it’s a huge theatre. The Cube theatrette is 200 seats.

Ryan: The Cube 37 is an amazing space. Its an art gallery mixed with a performance space. When it is set up for a live show it is such an awesome spot.

Andrew: It’s not your traditional pub venue. It’s a world class venue that these acts don’t have access too. This event is not for profit, we are doing this for love as well.

It would be a perfect place for AA shows!

Ryan: I was going to mention that. The world is hanging out for AA shows. If you ask people what their favourite show was there is a 90% chance that the answer is we had this all ages show at this hall. It was an awesome atmosphere. It’s almost like you take the alcohol away and everyone is more invested in the music. It’s something that I hope we can foster. 

We then moved on to genres!!

Andrew: Don’t read a book by its cover!! Ryan gets as dark as any.

Ryan: (laughs) This is my formal attire.

I listen to anything from Country to Black Metal!

Ryan: Good. That’s the way to be though. It’s a thing I have always found with people who are so genre bound with their tastes. When you’re not feeling angry and angsty or if you’re not feeling lovey dovey what are you listening too?? You have to embrace it all and each genre has their own advantage. And bringing it back to the event I think we capitalize on the moment by having four acts that arguably you wouldn’t see on a bill together unless it was a festival setting.

There’s been a lot of talk about bringing back the mixed bill line-ups.

 Ryan: I think the only prerequisite should be that they are good.

100% correct

Ryan: I used to be in bands that sort of did the heavier thing and now I’m dabbling in weird electronic stuff. I would love to be able to still play with those bands, I’d love for their to be a scene that ‘Is it good? Yes. Cool let’s do something together’

Andrew: You have to look at the broad brush. If you have a fine artistic brush and you are just appealing to that one corner you might get your 50-100 people along. Where if you have that bill where you can get the boyfriend bringing the girlfriend and her mate because they all love something different that is on the bill it makes for a great night. And you fill the room. And as Ryan said if it’s good you will.

The diversity was key in this line-up. Funnily enough all four acts were the first four acts that we approached. We thought that we could do it with three acts not expecting them all to jump on board. Being a live stream we didn’t want to have them playing 30-40 minute sets so they each have 15 minute sets so if you’re not loving this genre wait 10 minutes and the next act will be on.

After having a listen to these bands make sure you jump on and purchase a ticket because you are in for an hour of great music by some up and coming talented young Australian bands.

Leading up to event day (THURSDAY OCTOBER 29) we have a series of interview with the artists involved so watch out for those over the coming days!

Hit the links below and give them a follow on their Facebook pages and check out their YouTube channels:

XPROMOTIONS
FACEBOOK

VELVET BLOOM
FACEBOOK
'DM ME' ISO LIVE JAM

TEENAGE DADS
FACEBOOK
'JEANE-CLAUDE VAN JAMME' MUSIC VIDEO

SUBCULT
FACEBOOK
’POISON’ LIVE AT WRANGLER

BOLER MANI
FACEBOOK
'DOOZY’ MUSIC VIDEO

INTERVIEW: GAUDION

“A summery, folky affair that serves as a reflection upon love and loss, Gaudion’s latest track is undoubtedly one for those who love their music featuring guitars, soulful lyrics, and the skill to leave it bouncing around in your head for hours after the fact.

Reminiscent of artists like Dean Lewis and Ziggy Alberts, ‘TV Shows’ is a perfect accompaniment to those summer nights that you never want to end.”
- Tone Deaf

---

We caught up with indie singer-songwriter Gaudion to chat about the release of his latest single ‘TV Shows’, starring in a music video, guitars named after grannies, and his fav Aussie acts.

---

TV Shows was released at the beginning of this month, how do you think it has been received?

I’m over the moon with how my song TV Shows has been accepted into the world thus far. My goal with this track is to let people know I'm about to start releasing some more music again and make a few people smile while I do that. I’ve had some really awesome feedback on the song which means the world because this song is pretty special to me.

In your press release for TV Shows it mentioned that the song could be featured in a coming of age movie. What movie could you hear TV Shows sound tracking?

Haha, awesome question. I could see TV Shows being the song at the end of a Rom-Com where the two love finders drive off into the sunset together. Or pretty much any movie with a happy ending like that!

In the chorus you mention radio hosts Kyle and Jackie-O, where did this line come from? 

It’s a pretty funny story of how the whole ‘Kyle and Jackie-O’ thing came into my mind. I’ve sworn I would say what it means if I ever get onto their show, however the lyrics give a vague idea of the story behind their mention. 

What was it like starring in your first music video? Tell us about the processes involved.  

Starring in a music vid is a bundle of emotions. I’ve never really been the kinda guy that likes to show off, or big-note myself, so i wanted to make my video the way it kinda came out. Plain and simple.  

The process was pretty straightforward. I put an ad on Facebook Marketplace looking for anyone keen to star in it, found some kind-hearted young adults that were happy to and we went to the park with a camera and made a vid! From memory the weather was an absolute nightmare and we didn't get the video done by its due date because of it, but what goes to plan in the modern world anyway?

How did your first live stream go? Any difficulties or learning curves that you’ll be taking into the next one? 

I was somewhat optimistic as to how much I knew about live streaming, so the 3 hours I allocated myself to set it up will be extended to 2 days for my next one. However, when I started performing everything felt really awesome, and I was so happy with the response. I’ve done a lot of busking in the streets and this whole live streaming thing is pretty much just a busk online so I think after a bit of practice it could be something I see myself doing even after Covid-19.

I’m sure you’re dying to get out there and play some proper gigs. What have you been doing to keep yourself busy during lock down? 

Yea it’s pretty hard when a musician hears that they can’t even busk anymore, let alone tour and continue to build their audiences, but everyone in the world is on a similar schedule. I think it is a really nice time to sit back and smell the roses. In lock down I've just been helping out back at home where I can. I haven't lived with my mum and dad for years so it's nice to feel like a kid again haha. I’ve also started decking out my van to tour in, which keeps me busy and I love this kind of work. I’m also trying to spend a lot of time on writing new music and working on old music as well.

Once everything COVID-19 has settled down, what do you see yourself doing? 

Depending on when this pandemic ends will really help me to answer this question! However, I was planning to tour a little bit more in the tail half of this year! So we will see how we go. To answer the question though, I'm very keen to keep moving forward with shows. They are what I love doing and I want it to be the biggest part of my life right now.

Tell us about your guitar, Grace; there has to be something extra special about a musician creating their own instrument. Should we be expecting a line of Gaudion guitars in the future?

She is a beauty! I love that I'm fortunate enough to be able to play an instrument I made with my own hands. Grace is retired from gigging, but I always love to play her at home and write with her. I name my guitars after family members, Grace is one of my grannys.  

I’d love to do more work with guitars in the future, however it is extremely time consuming. Hopefully haha, one day when I have my own house I will have a small workshop in there that I will build a whole range of things in, and hopefully a few more guitars as well. 

Aside from your upcoming live stream on April 30, what can we expect next from Gaudion?

I’ve got a whole heap of music, videos and content to come this year. I have always planned on this being a big year for my development, so it’s definitely a good time to be watching if you like what I have to offer. I plan on doing live streams very regularly as well.

Gaudion’s current Top 3 Aussie acts:

The Dreggs: One of the last gigs I went to this year was The Dreggs, and man their music is something! Awesome, funny and down to earth guys as well. Absolutely love ‘em.

Meg Mac: I love this chicka’s tunes and I believe she is going to go a really long way when it comes to pop-music throughout the world. 

Eves Karydas: I’ve followed Eves for a couple of years and I’ve always listened to her music on repeat for hours, even though she only has about an hour worth of tunes out haha. Such a cool voice and I’d love to collab one day. 

A huge thank you to Gaudion for his time, and a massive congrats on his beautiful single ‘TV Shows’! Don’t forget to set a reminder and tune in to his next live stream happening on Thursday April 30, 7:30pm AEST on either YouTube or Instagram.

STREAM ‘TV SHOWS’ HERE.

FOLLOW GAUDION
INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE | FACEBOOK | SOUNDCLOUD

INTERVIEW: KATIE WIGHTON // KIT

We jumped on for an e-interview with Kit // Katie Wighton from All Our Exes Live In Texas, about her recent jump to a solo debut and her latest release, her influences, the change to livestream shows to replace live gigs during isolation, and what she’s looking forward to once everything calms down.

Where did the name 'Kit' come from - is it just a nickname you went with or was it specifically chosen as a solo stage name?
It was specifically chosen for my solo stage name :) I was just writing down all the letters in my name and it kept popping up. I made a font by writing out all the letters and I really liked the way KIT looked together. I wish it was a better story tbh..!

 What triggered the jump to a solo act?
I had been writing some pretty rocky music and when Exes took a break from touring and playing loads, it just felt really right to start working on my solo stuff. Music is my outlet and I didn’t want that to stop just because my band were taking a break. :)

 Following your new single and music video for 'Good Guy', how would you actually describe what you believe are traits of a real good guy? Have you met many 'good guys' (the 'actually I'm a bad guy' ones)?
Haha this is a great question! I think the traits of an ACTUAL good guy would be a willingness to own their mistakes; self-awareness; a desire to learn from the women around them and strong female role models; someone who calls out bad behaviour in a positive, non-violent way - especially with their friends and someone who listens to women. 

I have unfortunately met a few ‘good guys’ which is a real shame. I mean the ones who have high-profiles are the worst because they teach other men that they can behave badly and get away with it. But I also have a lot of genuine good guys in my life, so that gives me hope! 

We heard that you performed with the first-ever streamed virtual version of Live Lounge through Instagram recently with a bunch of Collarts students and other artists. We missed it, unfortunately, but how did it go?
It was really lovely!! I teach at Collarts and so it was really nice to perform to some of my students. I really love performing and I actually miss it so so much. I only got to do ONE band show with KIT BC (before Corona) and so I am really looking forward to doing another when this whole thing gets lost.  

You're also planning your own live stream for your single launch show with Bonnie Songs, Nancie Schipper & Hannah Blackburn via Instagram in a week's time. We've obviously seen a lot of live streams being pulled together for similar shows and 'tours', with even a few international artists jumping on board for Isol-Aid, etc. Is this something you're enjoying, and what are your thoughts on the whole situation? How is it singing to/interacting with a digital audience in that way?
I really am! My friend Merpire started Isol-Aid with some other incredible women and I remember her calling me and saying “I have this idea…” and I was like, “Dude. This is huge.” And it is! I absolutely love the idea of inclusive gigs. I think festivals like Isol-Aid have inadvertently stumbled upon a whole bunch of people who have actually been left out of live music for a long time. People who are unable to leave their homes for whatever reason. And I really hope that after this we remember those people and keep including them. 

Digital audiences are very different I think because you’re hearing their thoughts! You never get 200 people watching you and saying lovely things. Partly because people are too shy and partly because it would be rude to talk so much during a gig! So I think it’s a really positive thing to come out of a real crap situation. 

 Are there any other artist's live streams that you're looking out for/forward to?
My friend Merpire (bloody banging on about her but I adore her so I am not gonna stop) is doing a live stream in the next week - I’m not quite sure when - and her music is just incredible. James Seymour plays and lives with her so I’m sure he’ll be jumping in and that’s so fun to watch at the moment when most of us can’t play music with our bandmates! 

Biggest influences - personal and/or professional/musical?
Ooh another good question! I think personally I would say my mum. She has an incredibly strong character. She’s kind, honest, generous and stands up for what she believes in. Honesty has always been rewarded in my family and I’m really grateful for that! 

I would say I’m really inspired by my colleagues at Collarts too. They’re all really great teachers and musicians - no egos which is rare and incredible to be a part of!  

What songs would you include in a Top 5 Isolation Bangers playlist to perk up your day?
OMG Okay. Juice by Lizzo FOR SURE. How can that not get you dancing?

The Middle by Jimmy Eat World. Those lyrics “It just takes some time, little girl you’re in the middle of the ride everything, everything will be alright” are so damned appropriate atm!  

In 5 years time after coronavirus calms down, what are your plans once we’re allowed out of isolation? What have you been missing most during this time?
5 years?! IT HAD BETTER NOT BE FIVE BLOODY YEARS. Ummmm my friends. For sure. I’m an extrovert which means I really need groups of people to hang with - not just one or two which is pretty much impossible at the moment. I also miss gigs and leaving Brunswick and camping and kissing and hugging and touching!! 

 Do you find you write better in times of isolation and on your own, or when you're able to collaborate/be with/around others?
I think I write better when I have the mental space to write. At the moment, I’m still working HEAPS which is so amazingly lucky but it doesn’t leave me much brain space for writing. I love co-writing with people too so I can’t wait to get back into that in a few months time! 

 How many times does it take for you to listen to a song that you love before you actually hate it instead (or the other way around)? Are there any/many songs this happens with?
Hahahaha, well I did an insta-choir version of Two Strong Hearts (where people sent me videos of themselves playing along to a cover of it that I did) and by the end of that week I needed a break from that song. But I’m back in now - didn’t take very long, haha.

Finally, and this one is important, so please pay attention. On average, how many times a week do you hurt yourself trying to dance in the shower?
Well I don’t even try to dance in the shower because I just KNOW I’d fall over and knock out my teeth on the bath. Or worse - scrape my back on the tap when I stood up!! 

Seriously though, final question; what now / what’s next? Anything in the works for after the single launch? Or outside of that, what's the next thing you've got going on in general that you're looking forward to?
I plan to release a couple more singles this year and then an album next year which is bloody exciting. Apart from that I’m looking forward to hanging out with my friends and seeing my mum and getting out of the city :)

---

Thanks so much to Katie for her time answering our strange questions (we’re losing our minds a little in isolation), and be sure to check out Good Guy and her next livestream this Friday (April 17)!

FOLLOW KIT
FACEBOOK INSTAGRAM  SOUNDCLOUD YOUTUBE