STACK #167 Sept 2018

MUSIC

NEWS

think our background had conditioned us to be aware of the audience. Our music is super upbeat and dancey, which unfortunately sometimes lends itself to people going a little too hard with the whole pushing thing – not exactly our cup of tea. You know when you line up a heap of dominoes in a row, push one and the rest fall down? Well, that’s the main issue we kept experiencing: members of the crowd just not respecting the personal space of the people around them. That concern is present in your latest single SUDS – tell us about the song’s meaning. SUDS was definitely inspired by the things we’d witness at shows. The track encourages the listener to call out sh-tty behaviour, especially when the perpetrator is a friend. Playing SUDS live gives us an opportunity to talk about its message, empowering the audience to speak up when they don’t agree with what’s happening around them. Essentially we want to bring a little piece of that respectful Newcastle house party culture to these bigger stages. What advice do you have to the punters heading along to BIGSOUND this year (or any other show)? Don’t touch people unless they want to be touched. Be aware of the people around you. A marathon isn’t won in the first 100 metres friends, pace yourself. Drink more water, speak more truth. Eating is not cheating. What’s next for the band? I'm actually typing this while sitting in a studio listening to Lew [Lewis Horne] track drums! We’re headlining the Newcastle leg of the VB Hardyards comp in October, but apart from that it’s full steam ahead getting our EP together. So many exciting new things to show y’all, can’t bloody wait. What does your role as a Music Supervisor involve? The easiest way to sum up my job is to say that I choose the music for films and television shows – but of course, no job is really that simple! The nitty-gritty involves securing rights for songs, presenting pitches to the producers and showrunners of the projects I work on, and overseeing the music not only creatively but in terms of the project's budget. The job also demands that I constantly expand my music knowledge across decades and genres. I know it’s impossible to hear all the music ever made, but hey, a girl can try! How do you find new music for projects you’re working on, and are you conscious of promoting new artists in your work? I don’t discriminate – I’ll find new music any way I can. I love getting recommendations from friends, listening to college radio, reading blogs. One of the greatest joys of the job is bringing visibility to new and obscure artists. As the music industry tries to keep up with technology, it can be near impossible for new bands to break through to the masses, and harder still to survive as a musician. I relish the opportunity to thank a band for their work by sending some money their way. I include indie bands in nearly every pitch I send. Are there any backcatalogues a seasoned Music Supervisor knows to avoid, because gaining approval is a pipedream? Definitely. They’re the obvious ones you might think of: The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and Pink Floyd are all generally too expensive for even our biggest projects. There are other songs that are unexpectedly hard to license. For example, being granted the use of Tracy Chapman’s Fast Car in Girls was something I never in a million years thought would happen, because as far as I knew, she never licenses that song. You’d be surprised which legendary bands are open to licensing for normal fees, and which lesser-known artists are more sensitive to licensing.

RAAVE TAPES

You’re always on the front foot to promote safe spaces at your shows, is this something that you (Lindsay and Lewis too) have always been conscious to do? Have you had a personal experience with anti-social behaviour at shows? We cut our teeth in Newcastle playing a whole bunch of house parties, so crowd and venue safety was something we always had to be conscious of. The shows were super DIY and ran on an “if you know you know” basis, which meant the crowd was almost always comprised of our friends. With so many friends around, our “no d-ckhead policy” pretty much policed itself. Respect for the venue was super important as well because we were literally playing in people’s living rooms. As we moved into legitimate venues and the crowds got bigger, I Cooking up the kind of dirty dance-rock you can't not thrash around to, RAAVETAPES – Lewis Horne, Lindsay O'Connell and Joab Eastley – are set to knock BIGSOUND's melon clean open. Eastley answered our questions about the trio's musical mission.

ALISON ROSENFELD

What are you expecting from BIGSOUND, and which bands are you hoping to catch? I was introduced to BIGSOUND by Rice Is Nice’s Julia Wilson, who is one of my most trusted resources when I am looking for cool, new talent. I’m looking forward to discovering new bands, but I absolutely can’t miss Gabriella Cohen (her new record is fantastic), Kwame, San Mei, and Oh Pep!. Regarding the conference, I’m hoping to expand my professional and creative network beyond the limits of my American contacts. I’m interested in unearthing the local music scene wherever I go, and I can’t wait to hear what’s bubbling in Australia. Appearing as part of the Supervisionary Supervision panel discussion, Alison Rosenfeld has the job us music/telly addicts all dream of. She gave us an early peek into the crannies of Music Supervision.

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