Interview with Crunchy Steve, 19.07.11
-
What music has inspired you?
Pretty much all of it. I have my faves like The Who and The Saints (and many more) but any music you hear inspires something, especially if you hear it enough.
-
Use three words to sum yourself up?
It's not the song that matters, rather it's how it's played and who they're playing it to at any given time.
-
What music are you listening to at the moment?
My own a lot, because I'm having one last crack at my own project before retiring to somebody else's. (Yeh, too old to rock'n'roll, having too much fun to stop.) But I listen to The Police a lot, and I seek out unsigned artists like me, such as "Henry" or "DavaJona" from MacIDOL.com
-
If you had a choice to play one song, what would it be, and why?
Hard choice between two but probably Ziggy Stardust by David Bowie.
-
Where will you be in five years from now?
Rockin' an audience, it doesn't matter where or how big. It could be in a pub, online or in a stadium. Hard work will take me so far, luck a little further but only the fates know what's in store for me.
-
What venue would you most like to play at?
I should answer something like Hollywood Bowl or Budokan but truly, The Espy. It's an Australian legend of a venue. The Corner, too.
-
If you had a choice, who would be your support band?
The Breed, my old band (and the best damned mod/garage band ever) from Hobart. If you get success enough to warrant choosing a support, you should always "bootsrap" your mates onto the main stage. Those guys are like brothers to me and they kept me sane and entertained and honest for years.
-
Have you ever played in a band before, and if so who?
Ghod! So many! None of them famous, some of them disasterous. I've just finished an 18 month stint with Calling All Cover Band finalists, TSix, before that I lived in Hobart and played with The Breed for
years, before that I had several blues/rock bands with an old school chum, a couple of cover bands that were awful but fun and my beloved 1983 punk band, The Never Dead (who died as all bands do ;-) I've also been in a few onlign collaborations, the best of which was "The Harmon/Jay Sessions" last year with my fellow MacIDOL, Jeremy "Henry" Harmon (of Salt Lake City) -
Three people you would invite to your gig and why?
Other than my beloved Linda? I don't believe in the privilege of celebrity. The three most important people (after Linda) I could bring to a gig are the soundo, the lighting tech and the person selling the merch and geeing up the fans for a good time (probably Linda) - and the audience is more important than them, the most important of all.
-
Any tips you would like to share with your fellow musos?
Just have fun. Not carzy, stupid hijinx fun, but enjoy the music, your bandmates (respect 'em, too!) and the times you're having. It's not about the fame or sounding like the record or getting that solo note perfect every time, it's about giving the gift of music and being a conduit for everybody's pleasure. Sure, you've got to practice, sure you have to do your best, but humans make mistakes and beating on yourself (or others) for those mistakes just prolongs the pain and gets in the way of fixing mistakes. Bobby McFerrin had the best advice, don't worry, be happy. Embrace technology, too. Drum machines made me a better guitarist and bassist, portastudios made me a better recordist and computer DAWs made me a producer. I'm starting to investigate online streaming and video conferencing as a way to reach a global audience. It's fun, it's a challenge - technology grows your brain and a bigger brain makes better music.
-
Do you live the Rock n Roll lifestyle?
Ghod no! Too busy enjoying life with Linda, friends and music. Seriously, f*** smashing hotel rooms, f*** drinking a dozen green fairies, that's not music, that's just dumb. That said, sleeping in tour vans before driving home the next day or sowing wild oats before you're married is the stuff of legend. It must be from legends, cause I never got any groupies in all my years ;-)