The Very Good Agency

Fisherking Interview

Fisherking, are who we caught up with this week from Sydney, to find out a little bit about where this sweet new sound is coming from, and where it’s going…

I came across your music on Triple J’s ‘Unearthed’ sight and it took me as a standout group amongst all of the newcomers to Australia’s music scene. Are you guys newcomers?

We’ve been together as FisherKing since about March 2008 so I’m not sure if that qualifies us as new comers or not! We all feel really comfy on a stage now, but we definitely feel pretty new when it comes to being in front of a video camera. We started work on our first music vid a few weeks ago and ended up with a truckload of footage of us looking especially awkward. But these last six months since winning the Triple J ‘Unearthed’ ‘FUSE Festival’ comp have been such an amazing experience for us and things have moved along so quickly, we’re always trying to keep up with it.

So who makes up FisherKing, and how did you come to be together in Sydney?

FisherKing is Sam Stephenson (vocals and guitar), Paul Hanna (guitar and BVs) Josh Leong (Bass and BVs) and Luke Robertson (drums). We’ve all grown up in Sydney’s south and known each other for most of those years. Josh and I used to get together and play music and we would work on songs and FisherKing just grew from there. It was a pretty organic experience; Paul and Luke were quickly added to the mix to make FisherKing.

Fisherking EP Release Video

How would you describe your music to people who haven’t heard it… and where does the name FisherKing come into that description?

The name FisherKing has some meaning, it comes from the old Arthurian legend of the Fisher King or the wounded king who was the keeper of the Holy Grail. But really the name just sounds fresh and coastal in itself which kind of captures the feel of what we do. I usually tell people that our music has the rootsy-ness of Ben Harper with the rock of Coldplay, and that generally makes the most sense.

Where do you find inspiration in the Australian and New Zealand music scene at the moment? anyone or anything stand out?

I’ve always looked up to Lior as a song writer so he’s a definite stand out to me and I’ve loved Empire of the Sun and Van She too. But our good mates from Bonjah (from Melbourne) have been a huge inspiration and help to us over the last year. They’ve lent us a hand negotiating our way along our journey- and they’re also an amazing band.

Your music is very suited to summer days… What’s the plan for you guys this summer?

We’re playing at a few festivals over summer and the New Year and we’re really excited about that. But after we come home from our East Oz tour over July & August, we’ll be jumping back into the studio with Genevieve Maynard (who recorded and produced our EP) to record our first album. So come summer, we’ll have a whole bunch of fresh songs to share with everyone.

What’s it been like trying to bust onto the scene in Australia so far?

It’s been hard work so far but we’ve loved every second of it! We feel we’ve been really lucky to make it as far as we have and we think things could’ve been a lot harder for us. We’re so stoked on the support we’ve been given from all over the place, including Triple J Unearthed but especially from our fans. We’re looking forward to people hearing our new tracks because we’re all so excited about them!

It’d be great to see you guys live with the spread of styles you cover… I imagine you would take the crowd from a slow waltz to bouncing. What can we expect from your live show, and when can we expect to see it go around Australia next?

Yeah, we do have the variety in our show, we love it that way! We really try to balance out the softer ones with the higher energy stuff. Plus, we’ll taking it around Oz this month! Our East coast tour starts in Newcastle on the 17th of July. We go as far north as Brisbane and then back down to coast through Sydney & head down to Melbourne and Adelaide by the middle of August. You can see all the dates and towns we’ll be playing in on our website (fisherking.com.au). We can’t get to the west this time, but we’re definitely gonna get there really soon.

You can check out more of Fisherking at:

www.fisherking.com.au

…bs

Tags: Australian Artists, Blues, gigs, Roots, Soul

Emerge Festival

With a whole lot of Apathy, the winter chill has indeed set in …

“The reason we’re trembling, embracing our heaters, the season where Timberlands replace our sneakers. The trees look so wicked with no leaves in it. The breeze is so frigid that it freezes liquid and I start up the whip can’t just jump in it, gotta let the shit run for like fifteen minutes…” Fortunately for us kids in Melbourne City the cold blitz sets the backdrop for a whole lot of festivities including the Emerge Festival which began in celebration of Refugee Week.

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Diafrix – Hold On

Not only the obvious highlight of the closing Visible Concert on the 26th of July but also the monthly Sessions Live at the Black Box (Hamer Hall), which are due to run right through to November.  Featuring talent from all over the world, these jam sessions are jam packed with a fresh mix of local MCs, vocalists, bands and beat makers as they fuse styles and create new sounds. Secondly, this Sunday the 12th July is not to be missed with the Fresh Project 2009. As a part of the Mix it Up Jam Session, the Arts Centre Black Box presents an afternoon of jammin’, free stylin’ and fresh sounds from MC Elf Tranzporter, and his multi-talented LO2’s Fleet featuring DJ TakaCo, Bboy Lamaroc,Twoone, the beautiful Vida-Sunshyne, & Altona’s Little G. Last but not least, the people of Maribyrnong celebrate 150 years with the annual ‘Footscray Festival’ on July the 18th . With international cuisine, arts, crafts and entertainment, Nicholson Street will surely heat up, especially after the smooth grooves of Melbourne artists, Diafrix. It’s not all doom ‘n’ gloom this winter Melbournites, and its nice to see that hip hop is bringing light to those cold fronts. It’s all free so no excuses here. Enjoy.

To find out more about the festivities, head to:
www.maribyrnong.vic.gov.au
www.multiculturalarts.com.au/events2009/emerge.shtml
www.multiculturalarts.com.au/events2009/fresh.shtml

miss P x

Tags: Australian Artists, Funk, hip hop

Pacific Heights – In a Quiet Storm

Alright, alright… for those that didn’t know: Pacific Heights is a solo project of Devin Abrams, one of the jazzy dudes from drum n bass pioneers shapeshifter. They are a kiwi group based in Australia, who seem to get all around the place. They formed in the late 1990’s, after meeting at Jazz school in Christchurch. 

For his solo stuff, I guess you’d be expecting more of the same drum n bass type scenario, melodic and jazzy but primed for the dancefloor. Well you’d be slightly wrong on that prediction, as there is hardly a break beat in earshot as Abrams mixes up “laid-back hip-hop, gently pulsing, and at times convulsing electronica, and lashings of smooth Kiwi soul.”

Peace – Feat. Joe Dukie

On the album Devin is helped out by his musical friends/well-known singers Ladi6 and Fat Freddy’s frontman Joe Dukie, and up-and-comers from his hometown of Christchurch, including the seductive mutterings of Mara TK on TK Funk. 

So check out the video above and look out for more smooth grooves from the man with the plan!

Tags: Collaborations, Funk, hip hop, New Zealand Artists