We all know that there are a million different ways to discover new music, and I just happened to be scrolling my Facebook feed the other night when I spotted a post about the newly released EP by Loud So Clear. It was a post shared by a mutual friend and the band is from my hometown so how could I not get involved and offer some promotion.
Loud So Clear are Neal – guitars, Nak – drums, Tom – bass, and Ryan – vox. We were able to find out a little more about them in this interview with Ryan.
Hi Ryan, welcome to Beauty and Lace and thanks for talking to us.
Can you tell us how you met and formed the band?
Nak, Neal and Tom have known each other since school. Neal and Nak have been playing music together in one form or another since they were 15. I met Neal at uni and joined the band in 2008 to form the current line-up.
Where did the name come from?
The name came from a lyric by a band called At The Drive In. They were a super energetic band with a great sound that most of us saw at the Big Day Out, but they cut their set short due to some idiots in the crowd.
How would you describe your sound?
This is the hardest question a band can ever be asked. I would describe our sound as 90s rock for the new millennium – progressive but still trying to get an ear worm into your head.
The new EP is Kill Your Darlings and has just been released. Can you tell us about it?
Kill Your Darlings is a literary term that describes the perils of consistently using favourite terms or phrases. For us as a band, it was a great metaphor for looking forward to new music. We were stuck on these great songs that we loved and would keep playing, and until we could get them out for other people to listen to, we would never move on and evolve our sound. This has proven to be true to us, as we have already written some new material that we will be showing to people at the launch as well.
It was recorded at Merloc Studios in Watson with Sam King and the process was relaxed and creative. These songs, which we had known and loved for a while, actually changed and grew as we recorded with different ideas coming from everyone in the studio. We are very proud of it.
Who are your biggest musical influences?
We love so many bands from The Beatles and Led Zeppelin through to Queens of the Stone Age and The Black Keys. But I would say that the 90s Seattle sound and late 90s – early 2000s Australian music have been the most influential on us.
What was the funniest recording moment from the Kill Your Darlings sessions?
There are lots of little stories that I thought were pretty funny during recording. But the one moment that sticks out in my mind was when Tommy our bass player continually kept breaking strings, whether it would be while playing his bass or changing strings on the guitar.
Are there any plans to take the new EP on tour?
Hopefully. We have been so focused on getting the EP done and set, but we definitely have plans to tour the EP.
The launch gig is April 2nd at Transit Bar in Civic, what can audiences expect in a live set?
We pride ourselves on the energy we bring and create onstage. Having known each other for such a long time we are all comfortable in our own skins and love playing live. We like to take the audience on a journey with up tempo action and then pulling it back when we need to. Our songs touch on a lot of different topics and our sound isn’t typical, straight down the middle vanilla rock. You can expect a sound that is true to us and hopefully strikes a chord with the crowd.
What has been your favourite venue to play?
We have played most places in Canberra (including skate parks) and they are all great. Our favourite place to play depends on the feel we get from the crowd, but in saying that The Transit Bar and The Basement hold a special place in our hearts.
How do you juggle young families with your music career?
Family is important in this band and support from family is what allows us to all do what we love. Sometimes it can be hard to make time to get together and play, but we are lucky to have the people around us that understand and care.
Good luck with the launch gig guys, I would have loved to come see it.
If you are in Canberra Saturday April 2nd and are after some live music to check out, head down to Transit Bar.
7 Akuna Street, Civic.
Tickets are $10 at the door and live music kicks off at 9pm.
Loud So Clear love to hear from their fans and you can find them at MySpace, Twitter, Facebook and LoudSoClear.com.
I devour books, vampires and supernatural creatures are my genre of choice but over the past couple of years, I have broadened my horizons considerably. In a nutshell – I love to write! I love interacting with a diverse range of artists to bring you interviews. Perhaps we were perfect before – I LOVE WORDS!