Interviews
Mick W
The Volcanics

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

The band has done some demo recordings but we are heading back into Bergerk! studios to work on material for a compilation CD and  our debut single which will hopefully be out in the summer. The sessions will be produced by us and Dave "Shakey" Brody with Dr Alien Smith engineering. So we are really excited and keen to get some material out real soon. Several originals on the compilation CD and a single on CD and 7" Vinyl.

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

The Volcanics formed out of the ashes of previous local bands around 18 months ago and we have been gigging around town for a year or so. We have had one or two lineup changes since. The current lineup is John -Vocals, Mick - Guitar, JT - Drums and Jason - Bass.

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

The Volcanics are very much a band that jams and many of our songs come out of that jamming. Everyone writes their own parts, we don't have a chief songwriter, we all contribute to the writing process with lyrics often being written alongside the music and then later refined.

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?

We want every show to be enjoyable for us to play. Things happen naturally though, we don't really have a "show", we just do what the music and the audience make us feel like doing. Nothing is put-on to create a spectacle. The music makes us react on stage. If the crowd is good we definitely feed of that energy, I think all bands do, that when it really starts smokin'!

Q. Is there a story behind the name The Volcanics? Is it the fact that you just play really hot music?

The name The Volcanics come from wanting something that reflected the type of music we wanted this band to play. High energy, explosive, white hot rock'n'roll.

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?

Nah, I don't think there is a particular Perth sound, there is all kinds of music being played in this town. Maybe there is a certain sound in Perth bands that get signed to major labels but that doesn't really reflect the diverse amount of music being played around. I don't thinks it's any different from bands in the east or bands from anywhere for that matter, great bands can come from anywhere.

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?

Our current favourite Perth bands are M-16s, The Fuzz, Jed Whitey,Rockin' Hendy and the Roaring Mongrels and The Coffins. Some of our current favourite bands from anywhere are The Hellacopters, The Hydromatics, Asteroid B-612 and The Datsuns. Our all time favourites and bands that have been influential on what we do include The Stooges, MC5, The Ramones, The Rolling Stones,  The Faces, Urge Overkill, The Rockets ( seminal 80s Perth band), Led Zeppelin, The Sonics, Neil Young, The New York Dolls, Flamin' Groovies etc. Too many to list. We are all big music fans, there is always some old record being played by one of us whenever we are together.

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?

Our favourite live venues in town are The Hydey and Amplifier. Big shows can be great, supports for example but for us often our best gigs seem to be in front of smaller crowds that are all really digging the music.

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

We have a few gigs coming up October 3rd at The Carlton Hotel and October 8th supporting The Hellcopters at The Globe.

Interview by Justin

For more information email The Volcanics's at the_volcanics@yahoo.com.au.