Interviews
Bob Evans

With his debut album "Suburban Kid" set to be
released soon, Bob Evans decided to give his first
interview ever to us.

Q.  You have been playing your acoustic shows for a
couple years now without any release or even much
publicity.  Was recording your songs and releasing
them always a plan or did it just kind of happen as the
songs evolved?

Kinda both.  I guess I've always dreamed of doing a solo record since I was 13 but I always dreamed of owning a big house and being wildly popular but I'm not really actively pursuing those goals.  I guess it got to the stage a couple of years ago where I started to think I could do it and not completely fuck it up.  I felt I had the songs to make a nice album.

Q.  Where do you find your inspiration for writing your songs?  Is writing acoustic songs a different process then rock songs or do they all start acoustic and some form into rock songs? 

I think I approach songwriting for Bob from a different head space.  I rarely plug in my electric guitar at home any more so invariably when I pick up the acoustic something Boblike will come out, more often than not.  Jebediah has become very much a jam band, where all the songs come out of jams, so I kinda rock out with those guys 3 days a week and pick up my acoustic when I first wake up or late at night.  I'm most inspired when I first wake up - often I wake up with a tune in my head that closely relates to my mood that morning.  Writing late at night is good too cos it's peaceful and quiet - usually, and you are kinda more reflective and dreamy late at night, which is good for writing sentimental songs.

Q.  Is it hard to perform acoustic songs to a crowd?  Is crowd involvement and reactions a big factor while performing or are you in a different state of mind while sitting on stage by yourself just with your guitar?

Yeah it is very difficult.  It's lonely and scary and you feel very vulnerable and exposed but it's like they say, you have to face your fears, or your weakness's to overcome them.  When all you have to rely on is yourself it makes you work harder - you strain a bit harder for that right note cos no loud guitars are going to drown it out.  You stretch a bit harder on the guitar cos you are so exposed every little detail is heard.  Crowd reactions are always important when you are performing but sometimes you have to shut yourself out of all that cos it can be very distracting otherwise.  But nobody wants people to think they suck and I have the tendency to just collapse in a heap if I get the slightest notion that people are thinking that I suck.

Q.  Have you done any/many shows over East?  Are there different reactions over there and different expectations?  Do you plan on doing more shows East?

Yeah, I've done a handful.  It's not that different except perhaps people are a little more surprised over East at seeing me do something different to Jebediah as they don't imagine me outside of that kind of sound and style, whereas I think people in Perth are less shocked and less surprised.

Q.  The rumours are that an album in set to be released soon maybe through Redline Records.  Can you give us some more info on release dates, whether a single will be released first, album title, number of tracks, tours?

Well the album is coming out in September on Redline Records, yes.  There will be a single and a clip to go with it too, but the single won't be released commercially, I couldn't see the point and I'm glad to be away from that whole Major label chart obsession thing for the moment.  We'll give some away and all that I think.  The album is going to be called Suburban Kid.  It will contain 12 tracks.  I will tour it, probably just capital cities at this stage as I have no idea what sought of demand there will be for it.

Q.  Has the album been recorded simply acoustically or do you have a backing band/special guests?

Half the record is just acoustic, voice and ambient instruments, while the other half has a full band accompaniment.  There are heaps of people on the record - all friends.  All the Jebs are on it on different songs, Katy from Little Birdyand Justin from End of Fashion do some singing, Matt from Adam Said Galore plays some drums, as does Al Balmont from Ammonia, all friends who were keen to help me out.  Originally I had intended to use The Sleepy Jackson a lot but they ended up spending the vast majority of this year overseas and then two of the guys left and I hadn't spoken to them in ages and it all looked too difficult to make happen, which was a shame for me, but maybe on the next one.

Q.  I have heard comparisons with you and Tim Rogers of You Am I.  I know you admire Tim and You Am I and has the country feel to some of your songs come from inspiration from Tim's solol work?

Of course Tim and You Am I influence me greatly and I am a little embarrassed by how much I make it known to everyone but I simply have too much love for them and their work so I can't help myself.  There are certainly moments that are pretty clearly influenced by Tim but I think it is only a small part, and the record is as much influenced by Elliot Smith, Badly Drawn Boy, The Flaming Lips and Beck as it is by Tim.

Q.  I believe you also write songs for two other bands.  Is anything else planned for the Ha Ha's and is it hard to have so many different styles to write for and play?  Are the Ha Ha's planning to release anything?

The Ha Ha's did a 5 track demo but Fergus our bass player is overseas so it kind of ground to a halt.  We will probably make a come back and could release an EP in the future but I am too immersed in Bob and the new Jebediah record to really think about The Ha Ha's, and I was stretching myself waaaay too thin thinking I could write for all three.  It's too much and they were all suffering from it as a result.

Q.  What is your favourite live music venue in Perth for acoustic gigs?  Will we ever see some big Bob Evans shows or do you prefer the smaller intimate shows?  Can you see Bob Evans at the Big Day Out?

Smaller the better I say at this stage.  I liked Mojos and I like the Norfolk and I like The Rosemount front bar.  I'd prefer to do three shows in a room that held 60 people than one show that held 200.  I like the feeling that you are playing to people in your lounge room and it would be cool to one day put together a series of shows where you built a loungeroom, like a set and the stage was a couch and coffee table and stuff and people sat on rugs on the floor and it was like being at my house.

Q.  There is alot of interest in Perth bands and Perth music at the moment, do you think there is a particular Perth sound and is it very different from bands from the Eastern States?

I don't think there is a Perth sound as such, and perhaps this is what differentiates us from other scenes, because we are a little more original, or less influenced by what is going on in the "industry".  But quite simply at the moment there are just a lot of really good bands here and I am really proud of 'em all.

Interview by Justin

For more information visit
Jebediah's official site or Redline Records.