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PAN AM |
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 On this page:
*Pan Am interview (with Paul Barret - Lead Vocals / Lead Guitar)
*Pan Am Discography (titles available through Whammo)
*Pan Am Tour dates
PAN AM - THE WHAMMO INTERVIEW - July 7, 2004
The recent glut of Australasian garage rock has made me a little complacent, so when I saw the enthusiastic announcement of Pan Am's inclusion on the Festival Mushroom Records roster, I shrugged my shoulders. I also foolishly allowed the self-titled LP, Pan Am, to gather dust on my review pile while I balked at the prospect of interviewing the Kiwi rockers. Of course, as is often the case, I was completely wrong about this exciting New Zealand act. Sonically, the staple diet of this act is distortion but their blend of tough riffs and melody separates them from the dated sounds of current new rock acts. I've heard them compared to early Dandy Warhols while personally, their blend of heavy and beautiful sounds conjure memories of Love Battery. Driven by the manically creative Paul Barrett, Pan Am are making moves, both metaphorically and literally. The Kiwis have relocated to Melbourne in Australia, the home of their Australian label and the traditional strength of our live music scene. I was lucky enough to catch Paul Barrett as he packed his bags and prepared to travel across the Tasman sea...
Whammo: You always hear a bit of hype when a label signs a new band but Festival Mushroom Records seemed extra happy to have Pan Am on their roster, especially from a song writing perspective.
Paul: When we got signed to Flying Nun, it was around the same time that The Datsuns and The D4 took off in London, so we got lumped into the garage rock thing even though we were never really garage rock. I mean, we rock, but I think we're a bit more eclectic. We've got our options open in terms of what musical ground we can cover. The album is quite rock but that was part of the A&R; process with Flying Nun and if I had my way, there would have been some weird shit that made its way onto the album. But with the climate of the time, you had to just work out what was best for everyone. Our eclecticism and scope will come through on the album we're working on at the moment, because we're working on the next album now.
Whammo: It's always the case; whenever I talk to a band about their current album, they're usually working on the next one.
Paul: I think it's a misa-noma about bands that they write albums. We certainly didn't write our album as an album. You know, when you're a musician you just write and then record companies put an arbitrary group of songs together and call it an album.
Whammo: When you mentioned 'eclectic' what type of sounds were you referring to?
Paul: Well, I'm just as happy writing to Casio-tone beats just as much as great Keith Moon-sounding drums. I like it all. I don't just listen to The Stooges or just listen to Hendrix. At the moment it's Roy Orbison, Elvis and Maria Calais. There are so many different influences that I have. When people see us live, the main comment they say about the band is "you guys are so loud and nasty but melodic and sweet at the same time". They can't really put their finger on what it is about us. I think in the long run it’s a strength. You get bands that cash in on whatever is fashionable but we've always just been about good songs.
Whammo: It's not always easy to write good tunes. For starters, you hear the songs so many times, it makes it tough to work out when they're ready.
Paul: Oh yeah, I know. I was reading about the Finn Bothers since I've been back in Auckland and Tim said in an interview that 20 years later is when you know if an album was any good or not. I mixed and recorded our album with Cole, our drummer, so it was our pet project for about a year. We did it in my apartment in Auckland, which is a cool old concrete building from the 20s. It's got some unique characteristics and although it was an A&R; person's nightmare, we thought that all the bands in Auckland record in one or two studios, so we were keen to get that different sonic aspect.
Whammo: I think we should all move away from those controlled environments because Australian records have started to sound a little stale because of the few studios and producers being used.
Paul: That's what I've noticed about Australia: it's just a bigger version of the New Zealand music industry.
Whammo: Both the Aussie and Kiwi music scenes are a little too insular. Per capita, you'd have to say that New Zealand is a little stronger; definitely more diverse. The climate also seems to effect the mood of New Zealand artists.
Paul: There's something about the national psyche too. People assume that culturally Australia and New Zealand are similar. They're actually quite different. New Zealand is so much more temperate, so it's a bit more pessimistic. Australia is a bit more hard-arsed, so people are going for it. New Zealand's always had it on a plate because the population is smaller. It creates that psyche where we don't need much of anything: it's all here. So you don't get the adventurous edge that Australians have, which is close to that American style of confidence. Some New Zealanders have it but it's quite a brooding society as a whole, which is what I love about it. As a writer, it's great. It's not great for a career. Every band ends up leaving.
Whammo: We were speaking about middle 8s before and I just remembered that chunky middle section in Interstate Boy. That is gold. That's the shit I love.
Paul: Yeah, we just like to make heinous noise (laughs). It's like putting the afterburner on; going to 6th gear.
Whammo: So, you've been playing gigs? I've heard a few publicans mentioning the band. Everyone seems pleased to have you on Australian stages.
Paul: All the venues and bands have been good to us over there. We've found it really supportive. All the gigs have been going well, we've been getting some good crowds. We've got our pub residency in Melbourne in September and then in October we'll be doing more east coast shows. We're looking forward to getting on the road.
Whammo: You must be itching to play a good string of gigs.
Paul: Yeah, as much as Melbourne is a great city, nothing beats getting up every morning and driving to a new town. There's just something about it. I fucking love it on the road. It's where I feel the least anxious. I just feel like I'm doing what I was put on the earth to do. It's a bout living for the moment. You're out there playing, so you're emersed in it.
*Check out the review for Pan Am (below) and scroll down for the latest details on the bands current tour schedule. |
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 PAN AM
Add to basket. Normally ships within 10 days $26.95 (US $16.66) (UK £9.31)
cd
Pan Am's recent signing to their new Aussie label was celebrated with more than the usual enthusiasm and people seem to keep reminding me that Pan Am's self-titled album is about to come out; that Pan Am's album is out; that Pan Am's album is being sent to me; that Pan Am's album should be at my office by now...have I listened to it? Okay, okay, I get the message, I'll listen to it! I'm glad I did. At a time when I feel that there's way too much rock in the market - a flood of it - this New Zealand 3-piece have clarified the situation for me: there's not enough good rock in the market; that's the real problem. Pan Am play in one direction: directly in your face. It's not overly heavy, it doesn't have a definite scene to belong to; it isn't being sung by a transsexual; none of the members are sleeping with anyone famous (or at least I don't think so?!)...There’s nothing obvious to Pan Am's appeal as a saleable item. But their appeal is the one thing that should be obvious to us, namely: great songs, honesty and ability. What else do you want? With Supa Sam, Interstate Boy and Superman, the album starts with a bang and should leave most rock fans short of breath. Midway through the tracklisting, the mood becomes a little more melancholy with Natural, a song that had quite a beautiful melancholy feel. But this is definitely a rock album and the respite is only temporary, Song 1 picking up the pace and tracks such as the engine-like Saskatchewan making it perfectly clear that Pan Am have a definite edge. Once again, with Pan Am's recent move to Melbourne, we've snagged another great New Zealand band (insert evil laugh here) but instead of gloating, I'll point to the obvious: we're always happy when a Kiwi act defects and heads slightly west because it means one more great band is circulating through our live venues and improving the quality of shows. Pan Am will be a fine addition to our much-improved live scene and with an album of this quality, they're sure to gatecrash radio playlists and possibly threaten those pop-drenched Australian charts.
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PAN AM TOUR DATES
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August
27....The Annandale Hotel, Sydney NSW
September
7......The Tote, Melbourne VIC
14....The Tote, Melbourne VIC
21....The Tote, Melbourne VIC
28....The Tote, Melbourne VIC |
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