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*MUZZY PEP: EXCLUSIVE |
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 text by G
The name Muzzy Pep is a noticeable tag known to Triple J listeners or dedicated punters who still believe in live music. It's a name you might nod at while passing a venue poster or you might turn up your car stereo when you hear their distictive sound. Through strong songwriting - evident on their list of EPs, singles and their first album - the Newcastle four-piece have always attracted attentive audiences but with the release of their second LP The Faintest Clue the last traces of anonymity are about to fade. After an investment of three years Muzzy Pep have emerged with new personel, a revitalized attitude and one of slickest indie releases I've heard in the last 12 months. Don't drop them in the swag with the zillion other fuzzy popsters; these guys still rock with enough edge to turn any decent venue into a human washing machine. Combine that ability with deft touches of dynamic arrangements plus a natural gift for poignant lyrics and you've got yourself a combo that seem destined to finally bully their way onto commercial radio play-lists. I expected Scott Blackley (vocals/guitar) to be thriving in some urban jungle when I called him this afternoon but he was in a completely different world...
Whammo: Where are you at the moment?
Scott: I’m at home in Maitland on the farm.
Whammo: Nice.
Scott: Yeah, I’ve got a room set up in the farm house as a rehearsal space, so it’s pretty cruisey.
Whammo: That’s normally one thing in the way of bands: not being able to rock out whenever you want.
Scott: It’s always been beneficial for us. That’s why we’ve always been able to write tonnes of songs.
Whammo: Well, the album’s pretty consistent.
Scott: You had a listen to it?
Whammo: I listened to it three times yesterday.
Scott: So you’re into it?
Whammo: Yeah, I’ve been around for a long time so I always know when something’s good; it just reaches out and grabs me.
Scott: That’s encouraging.
Whammo: It’s beyond the point of encouragement. It stands on its own.
Scott: Without getting too over-confident or excited, we always thought we had a bunch of songs that might be able to reach a few more people.
Whammo: It’s a huge step up. It’s like you’ve changed a gear.
Scott: We reckon – production-wise – we’ve gone up ten-fold from the last one (Moments in Weightlessness).
Whammo: You’ve gotta get beyond that Triple J thang really, don’t you?
Scott: Yep. How to do it, I don’t know. With us being an independent band, at least we’re on a label (Non-Zero) that’s going to push us a little bit. Maybe they can open a couple of doors.
Whammo: Do you have a background as a writer? There are some great lyrics on the album.
Scott: I haven’t got any background in writing really, except for writing songs. I’ve done a lot of traveling and reading. I think, as you would know, if you want to be a good writer, you’ve also got to do a lot of reading as well. You’ve just got to pick up your game a bit, word-wise. It’s just something that I’ve felt an affinity with.
Whammo: You guys have the perfect combination with two songwriters and a strong rhythm section to tie it together.
Scott: Music-wise, there’s a cohesiveness I think in the band and the songs. That’s started to become more prominent when Nick, our bassplayer, joined the band. He’s a good musician and he’s put his personality into it. The thing is, on the album, Errol who plays guitar and sings as well, played drums on most of the tracks.
Whammo: So what’s happening with drums now?
Scott: We’ve got a new drummer, Luke. Simon, who used to drum for us, drummed on Haven’t Got Time To Spell It Out, Made From Concentrate and Future’s Underway. We were going back to Perth to finish the album off and Simon pulled the pin because he didn’t want to lose his job. He’d had enough of touring. We didn’t have enough time to work in a drummer so Errol learnt all the drum parts of all the other songs.
Whammo: Does he normally drum a lot?
Scott: He has filled in for other bands around town. It was just a matter of getting in a room together and working the songs over and over until he started to get his drumming back up to speed again.
Whammo: That must have been pretty difficult at that time.
Scott: We really wanted Simon to go over because we’d just finished touring and the band was really…crankin’ at that stage. He basically came here for band practice one day to work on the songs and he said ‘before we start I think we’d better go out on the veranda and have a chat’. We overcame it and Errol did a good job on the album. Most of those songs were developed, so you would be right in saying that about the rhythm section, because Errol certainly put a bit of personality into the drums, for sure.
Whammo: There are a lot of nice production elements on the album. I guess that could be attributed to your producer in Perth, Shaun O’Callaghan (Eskimo Joe, John Butler Trio).
Scott: He was great.
Whammo: Did he give you a lot of good ideas?
Scott: Technically and engineering-wise, yeah. His ideas were great. We gave him complete reign on his views and tried not to stifle his opinions. We’ve produced all our own stuff and it was time to let go of the reigns because you can start f**king yourself up.
Whammo: I think bands start off doing it themselves, which is great. It gives you a chance to develop your own sound but if you stick to that for too long, you end up…
Scott: With your head up your own ass.
Whammo: Yep. Plus part of the job of the producer is to be that ideas person.
Scott: Not just that. You need someone who’s perceptive enough and has an intuition with the band they’re working with. They’re not specifically telling you what to do. They’re just telling you what you can do. You can also get f**ked up with a producer as well, if you pick the wrong one. You might go into the studio thinking you’ve got it nailed and you just need someone to tweak them into shape. Next thing, the record company’s in the producer’s ear and you end up sounding like someone else. Next thing you sound like a bubble-gum pop band or Killing Heidi. I don’t mind lush production, I just don’t like stupid production.
Whammo: Totally. So what sort of music would you say is an influence on your sound?
Scott: We’re not influenced specifically by music at all. We’re influenced by everything. Sometimes lyrical ideas precede musical ideas: concepts and how you want to present yourself. The music doesn’t always come first. If you just restrict yourself to being influenced by music…well, there’s bigger things out there.
Whammo: I guess, when you’re in a band, it never seems to sound like the music you listen to.
Scott: No but I’ve heard bands where it can because they’ve completely taken it, chop for chop. The stuff that we like listening to - Fugazi, Pavement, all the Wilco stuff, cruisy country stuff, Aimee Mann - it doesn’t translate into one big melting pot
Whammo: What about your tour? You’ve got a huge one coming up.
Scott: We did a run with The Superjesus and the local Newcastle album launch, which was great. It was packed and we had an awesome night. Next week we start off with the central coast and Sydney launch, then Woolongong and then…we’re all over the shop.
Whammo: It goes all the way through until late May.
Scott: Yeah, and we’ve now just started to get some dates locked in for W.A. There are some great bands over there at the moment. The impression I get when I’m over there is that it’s a bit more friendly. They look out for each other a little bit more. It’s not a Sydney or Melbourne attitude.
Whammo: That attitude can be counter-productive. I think if there are any enemies in music it’s probably corporations, media and ignorance. Not other musicians.
Scott: But everyone gets bitchy. It’s easy to get bitchy when you’ve worked your ass off and other people are getting somewhere because someone’s put some money behind them. You start thinking ‘how come we didn’t get any of that?’. (laughs) I want some of that carrot on a stick! But that’s how the game goes. You don’t know how it’ll turn or what’s going to be the next fad.
Whammo: But how do you break out of that Triple J level?
Scott: To be honest with you, I don’t f**king know (laughs). The only thing I know of is if you can get some type of commercial airplay.
Whammo: It’s bloody hard though.
Scott: It is hard as an independent band. It’s timing, it’s fashion…or one song. Who knows? You’ve still got to write that song. My theory is that it’s better to go a bit slower but how many years can you do that? The hardest thing is holding the band together, keeping everyone happy and writing good music. I think, if you can do that you’re going to end up playing better and you’re going to get better at your craft. If you do that and good songs come out of it, you’ll get some recognition. Whether it’s just recognition on an indie level where you get five thousand dedicated fans buying your record every time you put out an album or you have one massive album and make a shit-load of money in one hit, I don’t know.
Whammo: I guess that’s why you’ve got to stick at it. You never know how close you are to success. You could quit and get a ‘real’ job without knowing you were on the verge of reaching the next level.
Scott: But that’s why you do it: because you’ve got to do it. People say to me ‘why are you still floggin’ away at it?’. I say ‘because I’ve got to do it’. If I didn’t do it, in twenty years time I’d f**king hate myself because I threw the towel in too early; because I knew there was a spark there. At the moment we’ve got enough publicity to get known. Even if it’s just one or two songs that cross over and get some light commercial airplay, you’ve reached the next level.
Whammo: Are you looking to travel with the band?
Scott: I’ve been corresponding with people in the UK and Canada, ‘sussing’ out some contacts in The States. We want to see what sort of momentum we can get with this thing over here. We’ll tour our asses off until August, then we’ll see what sort of money each of us can get together. We don’t expect to make any money but we don’t want to go over there and spend a shit-load either. I’ve been saying to the guys that we’ve got to get overseas this year. There’s no doubt about it. If you’re an Australian band at the moment, there’s definitely an opportunity. There’s a bit of a focus on Aussie bands overseas. I’ve spoken to people overseas who say that per-capita, the quality that you get out of the bands here is a lot stronger.
Whammo: Firstly, we’re isolated, so we can create our own sound and secondly, most Aussie bands aren’t dreaming of overseas success. They just do it because they love it.
Scott: Nobody’s ever been in this band for any financial gain. If they were they’re ‘mental’. They'd need to be on some medication. Nobody’s ever had any delusions about getting financially stable. Everyone who’s in the band now is in there – and it sounds cheesy – because they love it.
*Check below to read a review of The Faintest Clue and the complete Muzzy Pep Australian tour schedule... |
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 MUZZY PEP
Add to basket. On backorder but usually ships within 10 days $21.95 (US $11.77) (UK £7.38)
cd
Firstly, while liking Muzzy Pep I must admit I was by no means a ‘fan’…until I heard The Faintest Clue. It arrived on my desk without pomp; another CD on the ‘yet to be heard’ stack but their new LP, with its glossy digi-pack and flamboyant artwork (like Dali in a very good mood) beckoned me, appearing to crawl to the top of the pile every time I threw another disc on top. Once I attached myself to the battered Whammo headphones I was instantly glad to swap the sounds of ringing phones for the melody-laced riffs of Muzzy Pep. The line-up is perfect: two singer/songwriters of differing styles tied together by a tight rhythm section that truly defines their style and ensures that every song has that certain ‘Pep’. Every time I feared the music might devolve into trite ‘indie pop’, it transformed into rumbling rock, carrying intricate lyrical sentiment and emotive melody with it. That is a rare skill. The Faintest Clue has been meticulously crafted over three years with the help of Perth-based producer Shaun O’Callaghan, who should receive well-deserved credit for helping Muzzy Pep discover their full capacity, complete with subtle dynamics and the largest sound they’ve achieved thus far.
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MUZZY PEP: NATIONAL TOUR
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March
15....Album Launch, Northern Star Hotel, Newcastle
27....Beachcomber Hotel, Central Coast
28....Album Launch, Vic On The Park, Sydney
29....Album Launch, Oxford Tavern, Wollongong
April
2.....Club Nova Newcastle
3.....Charles Sturt University, Bathurst
4.....The Oxford Tavern, Bathurst
17....Wollongong University (tbc)
18....The Greenroom, Canberra
19....Kelts Bar, Blaxland
24....The Hopetoun Hotel, Bendigo
25....The Esplanade Hotel, St Kilda (afternoon)
25....Album Launch, The Tote, Collingwood
26....Duke of Windsor, Prahran
29....RMIT Melbourne Campus (lunchtime)
30....Monash University, Clayton Campus (lunchtime)
May
1.....RMIT Bundoora (lunchtime)
1.....Barwon Club, Geelong (evening)
2.....The Enigma Bar, Adelaide
3.....Criterion Hotel, Warrnambool
4.....The Termo, Albury
8.....Key Largo, Central Coast
9.....Northern Star, Newcastle
10....The Sands Hotel, Narrabeen
14....University of New England
15....Sawtell Hotel, Sawtell
16....Great Northern Hotel, Byron Bay
17....The Alley, Brisbane
18....Fortitude Valley Mall (lunchtime/accoustic)
18....Trocadero Sports Bar, Surfers Paradise
23....The Beach Hotel, Newcastle
24....The Lansdowne, Sydney |
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