Q&A with Lost Weekends
Friday, 4 May 2012
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| Photo courtesy of Lost Weekends |
1. Who makes up your band?
Rich - vocals, keys
Justin - guitars, keys
Matt - bass, keys, percussion
Brad - drums, percussion, samples
2. Where are you guys from?
We hail from as far as Scotland, but formed in Melbourne - which
is where we are primarily based. Rich is from another planet, though.
3. Who’s your music inspiration?
We have a pretty healthy love of all genres, it just seems to
manifest in this type of music. Each of us has felt inspired seeing live shows
by the likes of LCD Soundsystem, Friendly Fires and Chk Chk Chk (!!!). They are
just so dynamic and super-tight. We also collectively love that early 90’s Manchester
movement.
People have picked up on Kasabian or Chemical Brothers or Gang of
Four in us. We’ll throw in The Clash and Primal Scream for good measure as
well. While we love those bands, we try not to ape them. That would just be
lame.
4. Can you tell us how did your band formed?
Matt and Brad started jamming as a rhythm section. Justin and Matt
were in a previous band. We originally started off as an instrumental 3-piece,
knowing that we needed a singer. Rich kind of landed on Earth at the right time
as our street poet and all the moons aligned. Rich really is the only person who
could have fronted the band; he just got it from the get-go.
5. What's the story behind your band's name?
It took a long time for us to agree on a name. Some of the names
we came up with were great... and some were embarrassing. Lost Weekends summed
it up nicely for everyone. We’re a party band. We make party music, we like to party
and... well, we’ve had a lost weekend or two.
6. We love "Swallow Your Pill". Can you guys tell us the
story behind the song, just a little bit?
“Swallow Your Pill” is a song written about lost opportunity. Even
when you go the extra mile, life can exhaust the opportunity when your number’s
up. At the end of the track we build up this dance segment like a big
release. Feel free to put your hands in the air and swallow your pill.
7. What kind of bands are guys into at the moment?
Brad – Django Django, MuteMath, Beni, Deep Sea Arcade.
Matt - Miike Snow, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, The Two
Bears.
Justin – Azari & III, Mark Lanegan, Kurt Vile.
Rich – Children Collide, Graham Coxon, Battles, Crystal Castles,
The Big Pink.
8. What are you working on at the moment?
We are currently working on some new tracks which we are pretty
excited about. We just finished recording a number of tracks with producer
Malcolm Besley (Northeast Party House, Snakadaktal, Gold Fields) which we’ll probably
release as singles throughout the year. So keep your ears and eyes peeled for
some launches aimed in the latter part of the year.
9. If you could collaborate with any musician, who would it be and
why?
Brad – Damon Albarn. Everything he touches turns to gold.
Matt – Ben Folds. He is great. He somehow managed to make an album
of music with William Shatner that sounded good!
Justin – Timbaland. Just so he could take my idea, put himself in
it with a backing vocal, then take credit for it, and give me a “feat.” credit
on my own song.
Rich – Dan the Automator. He's my musician and producer of choice.
His work is pure brilliant and he's considered an industry legend.
10. If you could play anywhere in the world, where would it be?
JAPAN would be the pinnacle. Maybe Fuji Rock!
11. Tell us 5 random facts about your band
* We all have a deep and profound love/disgust for Mick Hucknall.
* Two of our band members spent a lonely night in a bathtub
together in a Bendigo motel. Guess who?
* Matt doesn’t own any of the instruments he plays.
* People have mistaken Brad for Wilmer Valderrama on more than one
occasion.
* Melbourne Bitter (in a can) is our beer of choice.
12. What or who would you
like to be reincarnated as?
Brad – Doogie Howser (MD)
Matt – Lenny Kravitz
日本こんにちは！
Justin – Jeff Bridges
Rich – I’m coming back as a very cute, zoo-kept koala. Sleeping,
eating and Chlamydia (surely the zookeeper has been treated by now).
01. Swallow Your Pill by Lost Weekends
Sweet track.
I like it. Good party vibe to these guys.