Another artist to play this week’s Fuse Festival in Adelaide, we caught up with Simon Meli of Sydney’s The Widowbirds to chat about their tour with Paul Weller, their forthcoming LP and more!
Thanks for taking the time to chat with us! You’re about to play Fuse Festival – have you been down for the event before?
Hey no problem.. Nah we haven’t been to Fuse or Fringe before… it can get a little ex$ie for us East Coast bands to get midway across the continent, let alone all the way to the west side, but this time we’re fortunate to get back to Adelaide.
What are you expecting?
Well, we’re expecting to see & hear some great music during our short stay.. both bands that appear on our bill happen to be really great, grounded artists with some nice sounds. The Promethean we hear is pretty nice too and shoulder rubbing where possible, chin-wagging and general meet n greets of course!
It’s not the first time you’ve playing Adelaide of course – recently you were there supporting Paul Weller on his national tour. Can you tell us a little about that experience?
Well, it was exactly what anyone would expect to hear from us… Absolutely great! Paul Weller is one of the coolest men on earth… Flight Cases just for suits and shoes… Serious Mod & serious Soul. We played 10 Shows in 12 days to all the major cities in AUS and for the first year of The Widowbirds was a pretty special accomplishment.. the crowds were great, Paul Weller’s band was smoking, we were making new fans and the crew were buddies by the end.
Which cities do you think were the best to play in the support band context?
We felt Fremantle, Adelaide and Brisbane were by far the best… and for us Sydneysiders that was a real surprise. Those 3 Cities love live music just that little bit more, I suppose?? dunno?
Did you have an opportunity to meet Paul?
Did we meet him? Several times, so much so that we found him creep in on stage and jam with us on the Hammond during our last sound check for a good half hour at the Beautiful Forum in Melbourne…None of us wanted to leave.
How did you end up with the national support slot by the way?
We supported Paul last time he was in Sydney with an old band and we kept in contact with his people who knew of the birth of The Widowbirds in Feb 2010… so later that year (last year) we then had a call saying he was coming again… inviting us to join the whole AUS tour.
As an up-and-coming band, what do you think you learn going on the road on such a major tour? What do you take away from the experience?
You certainly learn to keep it cool and it’s not your turf..it’s the headlines gig. Then the rest of it sort of learns itself… addressing thousands of people with songs they’d never heard before is an awesome buzz…it also tests your steam power. Curbing your routine to learn from the big boys on how you can do consecutive shows and maintain consistency, vigour and still have a ball. The one thing I really believe the tour has helped is the shape of the songs for the album. By gauging not only the responses from the crowds, but we found certain grooves and comfort zones in songs that we know have been firmed in thanks to the touring.
You kicked the year off at the Tamworth Country Music Festival – sounds like those shows went well?
Again, our first time for us an individuals and The Widowbirds.. but as much as people who may not have been before…sure you get your country, but you also get great Soul & Blues inspired music, buskers, street performers etc so our expectations we certainly blown away. We were lucky enough to perform for 4 consecutive days after we did a stop over gig at our favourite ‘The Junkyard’ in Maitland before our 4 nights in Tammy.. From the Outdoor stages to the Pub Gig’s – you see how the word gets around town, after you’ve done one great show.. the numbers fill in at the following shows.. it must be that Country ‘word of mouth’..!
“Time We Gotta Move On” seems to have gotten plenty of attention on Triple J Unearthed – are you pleased with the reception?
Yeah! We’re please with having a track out there for people to get their head around..and connect with as we move about interstate on Festival bills or touring the pubs. It’s even made its way to the Roots N All program. The EP has been selling well and people seem to enjoy what we bring in song n spirit.
It’s an earlier track of yours – how do you feel it will compare to the tracks we’ll hear on your debut album?
‘Time We Gotta Move On’ will have it’s own sound as it was the first child, then like the others for the album you’ll get the common gene, yet different personalities. The remainder of the debut album tracks are reaching completion and we’re really pleased with the way they are shaping up. We’ve invited a few special players to add their talents to the backdrop of the songs for the album too!
When will we be getting a listen of that album?
The idea is to get the album out around mid 2011 – definitely before Summer hits that’s for sure.
How would you best describe yourself in the live setting? What can people expect from your live show?
The live show, sees all 4 of us.. across the stage, bringing our unorthodox percussion/drummer to the front line with us. He’s as much a front man as we all are. Tony Kvesic and Myself carry the music on acoustics, John Cass sits on he wing with his 1950’s amplified southern guitar sounds, sliding the neck and howling about the songs, whilst Shane O’Neill has been garnering a real reputation as a show stopper. With his Junk Conga Kit.. basically…2 Congas, Kick, Foot percussion, bells and hooters he makes a right old good time out of our Country infused Rhythm n Blues songs..
The obligatory “musical inspiration” question – which musicians have most inspired you?
Well, this could go on for ever… Early inspirations would have to be;
Frankie Miller, Neil Young, Led Zeppelin, right up to maybe Grinderman of current days.
And finally, what else does 2011 hold for The Widowbirds?
It holds an exciting Debut Album release – Touring – (talk of overseas touring too) and best of all, having us a real good time.
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Learn more about the band here:
http://www.myspace.com/thewidowbirds
And don’t miss them at Fuse Festival tomorrow!
