Busybee
Norgdom
Perth MusicNix Interview
Q. Tell us a little bit of history about yourselves as a band. How did you start out and what have you achieved?
Jason and Ryan used to play together in a high school band back in Malaysia. I used to live there as well where I knew of Ryan through mutual friends. By chance we all ended up over here at the same high school. From there, once the association was made, it was pretty much an unspoken agreement that we had to get something together. A few jams later and Nix was born.
Q. What bands have had the greatest influence on you and who are your favourite bands at the moment?
I grew up with the usual leanings a kid with a guitar has I suppose. As I started to realise that music had something else in it for me, bands like Silverchair, Muse, etc were probably the initial eye openers in terms of a somewhat ‘alternative’ approach to all the other stuff I was listening to. I guess it just went from there - exponentially. Bands like Incubus, Deftones, Muse, Radiohead have surely had an affect on Nix as a whole. Favourite now bands? I’m going through a Something For Kate phase at the moment, great band, great new release. I’m sure Butterfly Effect’s IMAGO is still playing hard in our stereos too.
Q. What helps in writing new songs? Do you need solitude to get inspiration?
Not at all. Sometimes absolute chaos can get the juices flowing. We’ve never had a method so to speak. Sometimes one of us will come into rehearsals with a song 60% cooked and ready to go, other times they are simply born out of a good free-for-all jam. I think we are still young enough as a band not to feel a sense of routine or repetition when it comes to songwriting - it comes from all directions.
Q. What is your favourite live music venue to play? Do you prefer small pub shows with a small audience or bigger shows with lots of people cheering you on?
Venue wise, I don’t think we could go past The Amplifier or The Rosemount. Both lovely stages to play. Being a three-piece is great too; the smaller stages never feel that small. In terms of crowds, I think it all depends on the mood of the show that night. Big crowds are great, no questions, but a small crowd who are right up the front going bananas can be equally amazing.
Q. Favourite AFL Team?
Can’t say any of us really follow ye ol’ footy. The Eagles won yeah?
Q. What is your song writing process? Do you write the lyrics and music together or one first and then the other?
There’s no particular pattern or rule, each song is born a different way so to speak. Music will almost always come before lyrics.
Q. Is Myspace good or evil? Why?
Brilliant. As corny and pop-culture as Myspace is, its a great tool for bands and listeners alike to either get music heard or to come across new music. We dig it.
Q. What is your take on the Perth Music Scene at the moment? Do you think it is thriving or is it a bit of over-hype?
I think it has a lot of growing to do, given the opportunity, but for what it is at present I think it’s a great scene to be in. It’s a relatively small industry that is saturated with great bands and talent. Makes it a little claustrophobic at times, and you do have to plan your movements with a little more forethought but all in all, it’s a great place to get a band up on its feet and kicking.
Q. What plans do you have for the next few months?
Our movements will pretty much be in support of our recent debut release, ‘Runaway‘. It’s in all good local music retailers now and we’ll be playing a string of shows up until December. We plan to take a one month break over Christmas after gigging hard for a year and a half. Plans are already a foot for some exciting shows early next year so watch this space.
Mark McEwen – (Vocals/Guitar)
www.nixband.com
www.myspace.com/nixband
