Following on from Mel T’s interview with Geoffrey O’ Connor. I spoke to Husky Gawenda of Husky, another Australian band set to play the Laneway Festival circuit this summer. Husky have had a lot of love on the site for their singles and live shows. In October they released their debut record ‘Forever So’ and have been touring the country playing to sold out crowds and very happy fans.

I started by asking about the release of ‘Forever So’.

We finished the record last year so we were sitting on it for a little while. We’d spent a lot of time and energy and love on the record so waiting to release it was a bit hard in a way cause we really wanted to get it out there and have people hear it. So to finally put it out and start to get feedback in all sorts of different ways – on Facebook and twitter and all the ways you get feedback these days – it’s been quite amazing. The fact that there are people out there connecting with it and enjoying it is an amazing feeling.

and having that direct connection with fans?

Yeah, its a beautiful thing because in the past the only feedback you get other then meeting people at shows, which is a great way to get feedback but other then that the only feedback you get is from critics. That’s all good but it’s a different sort of feedback I think. So to be able to just read people responses to the album on our Facebook wall is great. It’s a great way to gauge how people are feeling about it.

How has playing shows and the time since writing the record changed the way you feel about the record ‘Forever So’?

It’s interesting, I don’t listen to the record. I don’t think that much about the actual record. Obviously we’ve been playing and touring a lot so the record has become a live creature. It’s a thing we do live, we’ve had to work on translating the recordings to a live setting and we’ve had a great opportunity to do that this year because we’ve had so many support tours and now we’ve had our own tour. I’m still feeling really good about the songs, I still feel that most of the time I can connect with them while I’m playing them. Sometimes they mean something different to me while I play them to perhaps what they meant when I wrote them but there is nothing wrong with that, that’s the nature of songs and any sort of art. I’m really enjoying playing the songs and seeing how people respond and connect with them – it’s great fun.

The arrangements on the record are quite unique, have you had trouble translating that to a live set – you have a lot of scope to play around with?

You can’t do live exactly what you do with a recording but because the arrangements are so intricate and layered it does mean that we choose parts of the song to reproduce live and it also means we can change things as we go and do different things at shows. I suppose what you miss live is having the ability to reproduce all the different layers that you hear on the recording but there are things you can live that just don’t apply on the recording. So what you loose in some ways you gain in other ways. Since we’ve been playing so much and had such an opportunity to work on it, I think the songs are coming across really well live now.

Yeah the tracks def lend themselves to new arrangements and your voice is quite strong to carry it, I’ve heard of you guys doing a cappella performances at shows?

Yeah, that’s been fun… we’ve been doing that at most shows on our national tour. We spent so much time on the production, arrangement and the layering of the record it’s nice to unplug our instruments on the stage and sometimes we’ll hop of the stage and get out into the audience and just sing a song. No electricity, no microphones, no reverb, no anything… y’know, just voices. Sing a song the old fashioned way, It’s a lot of fun.

You’ve been supporting some great acts on tour including Devandra Banhart who really came from performing in that way – of course now his shows are different. What have you learnt from that process?

Yeah, you’re right that is where he came from, his live show is surprisingly electric these days. He’s got three electric guitarists including himself and a drummer and bass player. In terms of what I learnt, I’m not sure it’s so much that you learn things. It was certainly an awesome experience to be sharing the stage with a guy who has done such great things and made such great records. He’s a great performer and it’s always good to see other performers and see how they do it. That’s definitely the learning experience but the main thing is the honour of sharing the stage with those guys and the opportunity to play in front of bigger crowds has been really good for us.

Taking a back step, how important was Triple J unearthed for you guys and how important is it for other Australian musicians?

It was very important for us, it certainly gave our music a vehicle. Before Triple J unearthed we hadn’t had much radio play and not many people knew who we were or had heard our music. We had this record that we recorded ourselves in my house in the bungalow. We just had this record with a bunch of songs and didn’t really know what to do with them. I suppose Triple J unearthed brought our music out of hiding (he says with a laugh). It meant that a whole lot more people heard it and knew who we were. It’s difficult in this country and probably anywhere for a young emerging band to get their music out there. I think unearthed really does do that, it unearths bands that otherwise you probably wouldn’t hear of and that would be a shame because there are a lot of talented, really great young bands in this country so I think unearthed is really important.

So once you had won unearthed you were picked up by Liberation?

Yeah, we finished the album right at the end of last year and early this year we released ‘History’s Door’. We won unearthed around then in early March and not long after that Liberation got in touch as did a bunch of other people in the industry. So yeah, unearthed brought our music to the attention not only the public but also the industry.

Liberation has some interesting bands on there, Temper Trap, Cloud Control and Violent Soho – does that play a part in making that decision?

You look at everything and you definitely look at the other bands they’re working with and what they’ve done with them. The most important thing was meeting the people at the label and getting to know them and working out what their vision was and how they operated and what they were like, what sort of human beings they were. Y’know, you’ve got to work with these people closely, so that was a big thing. We found them to be great people and our vision for our band and music was the same as their vision and they were wanting to support our vision so yeah… so far it’s turned out to be a great decision.

The title of your record ‘Forever So’ suggests some sort of wisdom or perspective on life – are you a reflective person by nature?

Yeah, probably a little bit too reflective (again laughing). I think it’s hard to know, it’s hard to generalise about people but I think that people are perhaps preoccupied with the past. We do that as human beings, we think about the past and we think about the things perhaps we wished we’d done or the dreams we had that perhaps have turned out a little different in reality. So yeah, I would say I’m a little bit reflective and you can hear in the album a reflection of times gone by and people and places and perhaps loves that you remember fondly or otherwise.

You guys are on the Laneway festival circuit – are you excited about that?

Yeah, super excited! We were surprised to be chosen for that line up. It’s a great line up and the beauty of the line up, which is always the case with Laneway is that it’s so consistent throughout. Their attitude is not to get huge headline bands and it doesn’t really matter what the rest of the line up looks like. They get big headliners but it seems like they very carefully choose the rest of the line up. So yeah, we are very chuffed to be amongst it.

It’s my fav summer line up and they seem to put musicians first and ticket sales second.

That’s right and the other great thing about is that it means that people will go along and discover other bands which may not be their favourite bands but they might end up being their favourite act of the festival.

Would you like to plug some Australian bands while we are talking about new discoveries?

One of the bands on the line up are ‘The Panics’ who are a great band, their new record is really good… I’m excited to see them live. I also really like ‘Ballpark Music’ who have a great energy live, which is quite unique. A lot of great bands in Melbourne who I really like are ‘Ainslie Wills’ they are putting out a record sometime next year. ‘Clairy Browne & the Bangin’ Rackettes’ who have just put a record out, they’re awesome so definitely check them out. I really think there is a lot of great music going on in this country at the moment.

Catch Husky playing the Laneway Festival around the country, dates here – http://whothehell.net/7ct

It’s winter and it’s bloody cold, a bastard with a biting chill thats left me and everyone I know curled up inside, fighting off the cold. Dead Letter Chorus are back with Yellow House, bringing warmth and youthful romanticism back to this bitter winter.

The video is super honest in it’s delivery – singers Gabby Huber and Cameron Potts are almost painfully cute as they ride across pastel golden fields with the sun on their backs. This is a song of sweet love & warm living rooms, and a clip to match.

It says good things of their new album, Yearlings, due out mid June.

Video after the break.

Dead Letter chorus on FB

Tell Her by Charlie Mayfair

Queensland seems to be suffering from a relentless flood of fantastic music. Riding high on the wave are Charlie Mayfair, a folk-rock six piece based in Brisbane. They’re notorious for incredible live shows, filled with rolling drums, soaring multi-part harmonies and undeniable indie charm.

I heard Tell Her for the first time in a dingy alley in Brisbane after a gig. Someone threw me a rough mix and I’ve had it on loop ever since. It’s a track for dark days and harsh nights, filled with those pounding drums and heart breaking vocals. It’s a drug you can’t deny, filled with raw emotion and soul. It’s currently unreleased, but you’ll be able to get it right here in about a fortnight – and it’s so very worth the wait.

Charlie Mayfair are hopping around the country over the next few months, supporting Skipping Girl Vinegar & Emma Louise. They’re also joining Tin Sparrow for their EP launch tour – and all of that in the next month. Make the time to catch them live.

Charlie Mayfair on FB

Layering lazily half yelled group vocals above rolling, satisfyingly punchy live drums and surrounding the lot with loose guitars and electronics, Tiger Choir’s Unicycles is another consistently solid step into dreamy, cotton wool pop.

Backing up last years’ debut EP, the Hobart trio’s first full length is a larger, fleshed out realisation of their summery (actually, more Autumn-y) carefree tunes.

Often spearing off on unhinged experimental electronic tangents, a quirky drumstick lead in the literally titled Wordless or unhinged watery guitars, giving the organised noise, well, a little bit of swagger.

More so, the warm tones and experimental tangents streaming out of the thick, healthy beats are varied enough to allow each track something fresh, yet remain consistent across each of the 10 tracks.

In other words the package on a whole feels like an album, not just a collection of varied indulgences.

They’re currently filling the national support slot for The Drums, touring now.

Check it here http://whothehell.net/sKVG

Adrian Whitehead -’ Caitlin’s 60s Pop Song’

Melbourne’s Adrian Whitehead has a voice and song-writing ability reminiscent of Elliott Smith circa XO.

His debut album, One Small Stepping Man, shows off a pop sensibility that makes a vintage sunshine aesthetic sound fresh and exciting. Fittingly, the opening track is called ‘Caitlin’s 60’s Pop Song’ – both an apt name and a solid example of Whitehead’s sound and ability.

The right stuff to get you in the mood for Summer.

www.myspace.com/adrianwhitehead

Click here to view the embedded video.

The talented Andy Bull has recorded a very special laptop version of his pop gem Small Town Girl especially for whothehell.net! This is the first post of many Laptop Version series coming in the near future. For now enjoy this awesome song and catch Andy on tour this month.

www.myspace.com/andybull

Empire Of The Sun – ‘We are the people’

A ‘teaser’ single released on iTunes recently ahead of the October 4th album release, just over a week away. I have high expectations from this album and I know a lot of people do. This song starts off slow but the chorus triumphs thanks to Luke Steele’s unique voice and gift of melody. Have to say that I wasn’t expecting a sci fi themed artwork when I first heard of this project, but I guess it doesn’t really matter.

www.myspace.com/empireofthesunsound

The Hungry Kids of Hungary – ‘Set It Right’ (mp3)

Little more than a year old, Brisbane’s Hungry Kids of Hungary are winning hearts with their unique blend of soul, blues and sweet vocal harmony.

If The Shins had formed in London circa 1968, this is what they would have sounded like.

The Kids’ self-titled debut EP bounces from the sparkling pop of ‘Arrest This Heart’ to the loping swagger of ‘One By One’.  The highlight though is ‘Set It Right’ which leaps from from its bed of handclaps and electric strums transforming into a foot-stomping sing-a-long replete with falsetto chorus and shimmering keys.

www.myspace.com/hungrykidsofhungary

Andy Bull – ‘Small Town Girl’

I’m glad that Andy Bull have finally got a good single out on a label big enough to push his music out to the mainstream market. I first learnt about Andy through his manager the lovely Julia Kosky whom I met in an industry forum. On her recommendation I checked Andy out on a small gig at Sydney’s Ruby Rabbit, not really a venue but a long terrace bar/club style. Andy was behind a set of keys and on the bass was producer Tony Buchen aka Buchman aka one of the Baggsmen. Young Andy Bull had a great voice, a soulful voice for a boy from Sydney whom I thought would be too ‘American’ to work the indie gigging circuit in Australia. That was a few years ago and I thought he has disappeared or given up or moved away but fortunately he has come back with a fantastic pop soul number. Small Town Girl is a classic soundtrack tune; I get flashbacks of the Cameron Crowe movie Almost Famous, the scene when Zooey Deschanel’s character leaves the family home to become an airline stewardes. If that movie wasn’t set in the 70s, this song would be perfect. Actually, it doesn’t matter when it’s set cos this song has an ageless quality.

www.myspace.com/andybull

British India – ‘I Said I’m Sorry’

I’ve never got British India. Are they a hard rock band, or an indie band? Their popularity seems to have exploded, despite the fact they’ve never released anything that’s actually worthy of such grand acclaim. I guess there’s something to say for a catchy chorus. ‘I Said I’m Sorry’ is OK, but there’s nothing all that exciting about this song. Sure, they’re aping the Clash in the chorus, but aside from that the song is just one big plateau.

http://whothehell.net/9g

Click here to view the embedded video.

http://whothehell.net/Fw

The Seabellies - ‘Prairie’

Has anyone else noticed the resurrgence in piano accordian use? First Holly Throsby, then Baseball and now the Seabellies on their new single ‘Prairie’, continuing their trend for ‘08 of releasing only digital singles. This follows on from ‘Heart Heart Heart Out’ and finds them returning to their Canadian music influences, building a bombastic tune not alike that of Arcade Fire but compressing their multilayered sound into more standard song structure fare. It’s build nicely, there’s plenty of textured harmonies, but at the time of writing this, the song hasn’t grabbed me just yet – and I’m a fan of these guys. Maybe I just have to give it time.

http://whothehell.net/36J

Click here to view the embedded video.

Brisbane’s pop pixie Kate Miller-Heidke has teamed up with Jefferton James, one of Sydney’s most favoured artists when it comes to indie acts, to create an animated video for her latest single – and highly likely, last from her album Little Eve – ‘Mama’. Expect some new KMH material by the year’s end.

http://whothehell.net/Dd