Interviews
Horse "Leon" Simpson
Metholated

Q. Does Metholated have any recordings out or coming out? Can you tell us about the name, release, tour, expierience while recording it, etc?

So far we have released two Full Length cd's so far. The first was released at the start of 99 titled "4U" and the second was released around August 2001 which is titled "Subject To Change". "Subject to Change" was a much more satisfying recording than "4U" as we were only like 15 and 13 years old when "4U" was recorded and the production values were pretty raw. We sold the first cd mostly throughout the southwest but now that we are pretty much based in Perth we really pushed the second cd throughout the Southwest aswell as Perth selling it in local shops both in the southwest and metro areas aswell as at gigs.

Q. Can you tell us a little bit about the band and its history? Has the band changed since forming?

Well Metholated started out when we were like 12 years old. I met Cliffe our bass player on the first day of high school and just went from there. We started jamming with a friend of ours who played drums but laster recruited Adric our current drummer into the band around 97. So we have been together around 7 years now. Musically we are always trying to play the best we possibly can and think that desire is what keeps us going. We don't try to write any certain style of music but just try to make sure what ever we do write is the best we feel capable of producing.

Q. What is the songwriting process for the band? Do you write the lyrics and music together or one first and then the other?

Well I usually write most of the songs but Cliffe writes a few aswell which is good cause it keeps things interesting.  Personally I usually start off with just a guitar riff or something and just develop it into the point where i have the basic structure of the song including rough lyrics. Then I just add a few things to round off the song. Things like lyrics  are usually finalised later on.

A little bit of colour is usually added aswell just to give it a bit of polish.

Q. When playing live shows, is it important to make every show a spectacle or does it just happen naturally. Do you feed off the crowd's reaction or do you try to create a reaction?

I think regardless of the crowds reaction you have to do your absolute best to put on an entertaining show. I mean it's great when you can feed off the crowd but you can't rely on that. There are times when you really have to try and make people stop and take notice. The crowd is an important part of the show and I think you also realy have to keep it honest as the crowd regardless of the size  is so essential to any band and I think if you can show that you realy do appreciate the people that have come to see you then I think everyone has a lot more fun.

Q. Is there a story behind the name Metholated?

Hmm yes and no. Ever since I was like 10 I would write songs and record them myself and I always used the name Metholated so I guess it just came from there.

Q. There is a lot 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 think its justa case of Perth and WA for that matter not normally being considered part of the mainstream and now people are starting to relise that Perth has some great bands so there sort of like hey hang on whats going on there. I think there might be a different sound but it could also be the attitudes that come across in Perth bands music i think. I think alot of bands and musicians style of playing has alot to do with attitude than anything else.

Q. What bands have had the greatest influence on you and who are your favourite bands at the moment both from Perth and from elsewhere?

Personally its always been alot of old stuff like AC/DC that has really influenced me. I listen to alot of stuff like zeppelin Black Sabbath and Deep Purple aswell. I've always loved all that stuff. Maybe it's cause I'm a guitarist but yea. As far as more current bands go there is too many to name really that have influenced me. I like pretty much everything. Perth bands I really enjoy are Imprint, Local pricks, Heavy Weight Champ, Josivac, and El horizonte, and Love you dead. Gosh theres too many to name really but thats just a few i like.

Q. What is your favourite live music venue in Perth? Do you prefer small pub shows with a small audience or bigger shows with lots of people cheering you on?

It totally depends i think. I think you can make a show with 25 people as enjoyable as a show with 525 people at times. There are alot of factors involved and for me personally the size of the audience doesn't usually make me prefer one type of show to another. An audience is and audience and it is important to try your best to entertain them regardless of the size.  If you can see people having a good time along with you the that can give you a pretty good buzz also.

Q. Do you have any gigs coming up that you would like more people to come along to?

Yep at this stage where playing on the 24th at the Whitesands Tavern the 7th of nov at the Carlton hotel and the 12th at the Rosemount so that would be greatly appreciated if you came along for a look. Thanks

Interview by Justin