The Tearaways are: Brad Matthews - Vocals & Bass Matt Tong - Guitar & Vocals Bartek Slaby - Drums Find out more/become a fan/listen at http://www.myspace.com/tearawaysmusic Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Tearaways/352505137382?ref=ts ph: 0437456118 Designed and assembled by Nicola Hardy. Photos by Damian Cazaly and Bambie McCarthy. First published April 2010
THE TEARAWAYS
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE FABULOUS TEARAWAYS Interview with Brad Matthews
You’re pretty busy making music all over town what are some of the other projects you are/have been involved in? I was in a militant ska/punk band called Final Warning for a few years, then after that fell apart I started Calico Jacks, which plays punk influenced reggae. There was talk of a Cock Sparrer cover band in the last couple of weeks but I’ve been pretty busy so I think that ship has sailed without me. Tell me how The Tearaways came to be? Bartek was jamming with our mate Paul (Charter 77, La Haine, Cabin Fever) then Dale (Final Warning) joined and he asked me to come play bass. We wrote some punk/hardcore stuff and tried out a bunch of singers but nothing seemed
to fit. We’ve been mates with Matt (Dropped at Birth, Spent Shells) for years and he said he’d give it a go but it still didn’t really work so we gave up. Dale went to Chile, Paul started Cabin Fever (which are awesome!) and so I started writing my own stuff and got together the lineup we have today. How long have you been together? I guess about 6 months Describe a typical Tearaways show? Well there’s only been a handful so far, but we’ve had a good reaction so we’re looking forward to some more and with all sorts of bands. You recently played in the country - tell us a bit about that experience. The Hunt for the Boogaloog was set up by our mates Crumpet and Coe(not to mention a gang of other generous hands and heads) from hardcore band D.R.S.S. It was down in Mirboo North which is about two and half hour’s drive south east of Melbourne. There were twelve bands, a tattoo comp, a massive bonfire and about 200 people who either rocked out or camped out all night. The only
downer was the weather. We lost a bit of equipment to the rain breaking through the stage roof during our set but after we fell flat on our arses for the first time we soon got used to the mud and the rain. Do you have any plans for overseas tours or anything like that? We talked about going to the U.K. for Rebellion Festival in August, then over to Amsterdam but for personal reasons it looks like that’s fallen through. I might go check it out though. At the very least we’ll be doing some shows up the east coast with our mates Thirdgear Burnouts and the like and maybe jump the pond over to NZ for a bit. You guys just recorded - is this a demo or is it for sale? It’s just a demo for ourselves really, but if we can get it sounding alright we might give it away at shows or something.
What bands do you regularly play with? So far I guess it’d be Calico Jacks since people find it easy to ask if both my bands can play, it ain’t so easy on me though. The other would be Rooftop Alley; we started at about the same time so I guess it’s good to see how each other progress. Where can we hear more? At our shows or find us on myspace or facebook, if anything new happens, that’s where it’ll be. Got anything on Youtube or anywhere else that people can see online? No vids yet - anyone got a camera? When/where are your next gigs? 8 May @ The Footscray Bowls Club - With Calico Jacks and Swear No Allegiance 21 May The Arthouse - with Thomy & The Tanks, Don Fernando and Kretch
LET’S PLAY 20 19 QUESTIONS WITH BARTEK Bartek Slaby
1. Who do you think is the best live band in Melbourne at the moment? King Cannons 2. What was the first album (cd whatev) you bought with your own money? ZZ Top - Eleminator ... I fell in love with the beat from “Give me all your loving” and the album cover was cool too with a big red hot rod. 3. First band you went to see? N.S.B - punk band from back home... I was maybe 13?? and was very, drunk and some nasty punx stole my punk shoes... and we were thrown out from train, (travelling with no ticket) and I walked home 7km in somebody`s shoes - 4 size too big... great! 4. Last band you went to see? Gogol Bordello
5. Next band you really really really want to see? The Gaslight Anthem or Social Distortion.. 6. If you you were stuck on a deserted island with the other 2 members of The Tearaways, which one would you eat first and why? Matt got more meat I think and likes to whinge... 7. What’s the worst job you ever had? Selecting tulips bulbs in Holland 8. Boxers or briefs? Boxers
9. Dog or cat? dog ..maybe one day? 10. What’s your star sign? Pisces 12. 5 things you wanted to have as a kid, but never had. monkey, bunk bed, tattoos, younger brother, go-cart 13. 5 t-shirts you wanted to own but didn’t. blaaa blaa blaaaa 14. First and last songs on your iPod? first is some punk band from Greece Brad gave it to me and know idea how to read this thing becuse is in greek...last one is 1125 hard core band from home land.. ugggrrrhhhhh!!!!! 15. I love The Gilmore Girls - what’s your secret shame? Miami ink?? ;-) 16. Got any interesting hitch-hiking stories? yeah..once in Poland we were travelling in dark big freezer truck... freezer was not switched on .. thnx fuck... brrrrr...
17. When/why was the last time someone said to you “Holy shit, what happened?”? not long ago... a 4 wheel drive jeep wiped me off the street, I was on a on bicycle and I broke my leg... 18. If The Tearaways changed direction and went Emo what would you change your band name to and what would the title of your first song be? Why me?? 19. What’s the best cure for too much thinking? still looking for the answer.. drink, drugs and amazing nap, so far.. 20. What’s the best cure for too much drinking? to have a very shit job so you can`t afford to go to pub.
Let’s meet the Tearaway’s friends : KING CANNONS
Originally a 4-piece, King Cannons formed at the end of 2007 in Auckland City, New Zealand. Percussion and keys came soon after and at the beginning of 2009 after myriad obstacles along the way, King Cannons relocated to Melbourne, Australia. Following the whirlwind success of their first single “Teenage Dreams”, King Cannons have risen to become one of Melbourne’s finest Rock & Roll acts of the year. Already champions of the local and national circuit, they’re back to round out 2009 with a brand new single, a slick video and an unforgettable live performance. Raw, energetic and genuinely honest, their influences span many genres and many walks of life. Country, rock ‘n’ roll, reggae and punk are but a few of the styles that make this sound unique, challenging the conventions of genre and form while rising above the discrimination and giving everybody, everywhere something to enjoy. The King Cannons sound encompasses everything from the power of
The Clash to the style of Chuck Berry; the soul of Desmond Dekker and the raw emotion of Johnny Cash. Put simply: it’s real music for a rockin’ world. Gritty, dark and urban but with a slickness and cool all its own, “Smoked Out City” pays homage to the group’s Rock & Roll roots. Thriving in Melbourne for just over 4 months now, King Cannons have already amassed a formidable following thanks to their outrageous live performances, their sonic breadth and that trademark “Rock ‘n Reggae” sound. “Smoked Out City” breaks the mould again and seeks to build on their rising status all over Australia. It’s a little bit more Rock and a little bit more Roll but there is no denying that unmistakeable King Cannons vibe. Just when you got accustomed to 2009 it’s almost over. Get prepared for 2010 – Year of the Cannon! The rumbling is getting louder... Text and image respectfully stolen from http://www.myspace.com/kingcannons
Let’s meet the Tearaway’s friends : THE MURDERCHORD
what is all this murderchord buisness about anyway? why would you take a distorted piano, and try and play guitar songs on it? can you tune that thing to drop-d? what sort of messed up approach did you take for something like THIS to come out of you?
shit’n died, so he was keen as to smash some songs around again... turns out that hes fuckin ideal, and can handle my insainly relaxed and often zany approach to song writing. finding a good drummer is hardwork. i am very lucky. cheerz buddy, yer mean!
First of all. -the name: “:theMurderChord” is a reference to a real chord, played in any key, using your forearm. -this is a patented noise, it’s basically the closest thing to the disgruntled ‘wall of noise’ kinda thing that metal/HardCore guitarests have been doing for years.... but it’s a piano. sort of! “theMurderChord: has it’s roots planted in punkrock. -allthough, much like a lemon tree; the shit which its planted in bears little resemblence to the fruit that it produces.”
David, Dave,Daveo, Dagz, Dagz skaggzneddi, Skaggz, Staggz, Goon-rod etc etc: on keys/vox The only thing that i can honestly say that i like doing, is playing songs. every single other thing is very dull, dry, grey and dusty to me. if im away from my studio for more than a few days at a streatch, it had better be because im on tour. the whole way that i think is shaped by the patterns and variences in the noises which i am a slave to. i have a scientific tendancy, and am very anti organised religion. i am utterly sinnicle, oh, and:
Ryan Sykes, Ryzor, Rizzlor, Rizzo, Ryhenay, rhynoplasty, etc etc.... on drums. seemed to be the only person who comprehended the mail i sent around, he’d bin playing drums for a punkrock band called Real Real SIck, who had reciently ate
‘fuck i hate’ from the time that i could walk.... I was messing about with the family piano, and i was taught largly by my dad to play everything from the Odd classical song, to a hell of a lot of blues
(NO JAZZ!) and zydeco. (of which, my father has the largest collection of vinyal, that iv ever seen.) around about the time i hit my teenage years, and metallica released ‘master of puppets’ i discovered that my dad ALLSO owned an old electric guitar(which i think he MADE?), which i quickly started to try and play. -the first song i learned was “my Michell” by guns’n’roses... -when i finally walked into the lounge, and announced to the family that i had learned how to play the guitar, they informed me that i had it upside down, and you arnt supposed to play it flat across your lap either. (THAT explains why the knobs and switches still get in my way after all this time!!!) i smashed around on that old guitar for many more years before my parents took pity on me, and brought me my first ‘real’ electric SAMICK guitar! -i took it strait home, and built an amplifyer for it, out of 3 old sterio amplifyers, and a stack of SIX old sterio speakers (i think the whole rigg cost about 50 bucks at the time) it was, by far the biggest, and noisyest bugger on the block, and i sat down, and calmly learned every single metallica song which i could get my hands on... at this stage, i was making my own guitar picks out of milk bottle lids.
Let’s meet the Tearaway’s friends : THE SKA VENDORS The Ska Vendors 2010. Six years have seen the Vendors play their fair share of shows in and around Melbourne as well as around Australia. After a break in 2009, the band are happy to be back on stage where they have had the pleasure of playing with The SpecialBeat, The Beat, Neville Staples, Carlos Malcolm and One Night Band amongst others. A love and respect of the Jamaican sound, with of course a Melbourne twist, keep The Vendors happy to continue to deliver their own brand of Ska, Rocksteady and Jamaican Rhythm & Blues. This is Melbourne Ska!
Text and image respectfully stolen from http://www.myspace.com/themurderchord Text and image respectfully stolen from http://www.myspace.com/theskavendors
LET’S PLAY 20 QUESTIONS WITH BRAD Brad Matthews
1. Who do you think is the best live band in Melbourne at the moment? There’s so many good bands, it’s ridiculous, our mates King Cannons are hard to top though. Another couple of personal faves would be Graveyard Train and Vulgargrad, honourable mention goes to Aprocessof. 2. What was the first album (cd whatev) you bought with your own money? Haha, probably Smash by the Offspring when that came out. 3. First band you went to see? See above 4. Last band you went to see? I guess that would’ve been No Fun At All with The Flatliners, I’m looking forward to Tim Barry next weekend though.
5. Next band you really really really want to see? The Aggrolites or The Slackers would be great, I’m working on this… 6. If you you were stuck on a deserted island with the other 2 members of The Tearaways, which one would you eat first and why? Bartek, I hear the Polish make good sausage. 7. What’s the worst job you ever had? KFC, was there for one day. Big mistake, everything about that place made me sick. 8. Boxers or briefs? Boxers 9. Dog or cat? Dog
10. What’s your star sign? Sagittarius 11.Give me a short description of the storyline of your favourite film, without telling me the name of your film. A dude in his late teens finds himself in debt to a local gangster when some gang loot he was meant to deliver disappears and sets him on the run from thugs. Meanwhile two street kids start a shopping spree when they find the missing money. 12. 5 things you wanted to have as a kid, but never had. hmm. Voltron, a bmx track, go-go gadget arms, a book case with a secret passage behind it and to dig a hole to china. 13. 5 t-shirts you wanted to own but didn’t. T-shirts were one thing I had, my favorite I was this glow in the dark Halley’s comet deal. 14. First and last songs on your iPod? A-Bomb In Wardour Street – The Jam Zyclone B Bathouse - NOFX
15. I love The Gilmore Girls - what’s your secret shame? Matt got me onto Queer as Folk, it’s fabulous! 16. Got any interesting hitch-hiking stories? Ran outta fuel in Phuket, this random guy was nice enough to give us a lift to his place where he gave us some for free. What a champion, mind you everyone drives like madmen over there. 17. When/why was the last time someone said to you “Holy shit, what happened?”? Probably after I got bashed by cops for no reason, ahh the memories… 18. If The Tearaways changed direction and went Emo what would you change your band name to and what would the title of your first song be? I thought we were emo, dammit 19. What’s the best cure for too much thinking? Drinking 20. What’s the best cure for too much drinking? More drinking
We can’t play 20 questions with Matt because he is too hungover, but here’s some pictures instead.