Interviews
Frank Turner
It's not hard to see the appeal of Frank Turner. As a singer-songwriter, Frank is as prolific as he is humble, piecing together aspects of folk and punk to create music that is diverse, honest and relatable. His latest album, 'England Keep My Bones', was a critical and commercial success, rewarding his talents with legions of affectionate fans and a recent 12,000-capacity show at London's Wembley Stadium. Frank spoke with Kill Your Stereo about his latest album, backstage tattoos and his upcoming tour of Australia.
Skip The Foreplay
After only being together for a year and a half, Canada's newest electronic metal export, Skip The Foreplay, have scored a record deal with Epitaph, a debut album release and a spot on this year's Warped tour. KYS caught up with the band's lead guitarist and creator, Chuck Pilon, to find out how things happened so quickly for the group.
Pennywise
When you think of true punk rock, the name Pennywise would spring to mind for a lot of people. The band, who have been around for over twenty years making solid punk rock records and offering energetic live performances, are set to release a new record titled 'All Or Nothing.' The significance of the record is that it will be the first release with new vocalist Zoli Teglas, the replacement for the band's much loved front man Jim Lindberg. KYS had a chat to original member and guitarist Fletcher Dragge to see what the world of Pennywise is like these days.
Warbrain
Melbourne hardcore band Warbrain are just about to kick off their national tour supporting Californa's Xibalba, and during the drive to Coffs Harbour for the first show of the tour, the band's bassist Kain McWaters and guitarist Josh Manitta answered a few questions for us about the tour, as well as Hardcore 2012 and the band's upcoming release.
August Burns Red
Pennsylvania's August Burns Red have a solid claim on being one of the most important bands who brought the genre of metalcore to the masses in the first few years of last decade. Almost ten years on and the band is still at it, having released their fourth studio album "Leveler" via Solid State Records in June last year. With their debut Australian tour alongside Blessthefall and Sydney's Northlane kicking off this week, we caught up with the band's bassist Dustin Davidson to talk heavy music, bible references and making a dick of yourself in front of NOFX.
Calling All Cars
Calling All Cars are currently one of the hardest working Australian rock bands around, and their hard work is paying off. The group followed up significant air play with a huge amount of touring resulting in support slots for Foo Fighters, AC/DC and a run on this years Big Day Out festival. KYS had a chat to front man Haydn Ing to see what the future holds for the group.
The Getaway Plan
"It's pretty rare for a band to vanish for a couple of years and then come back and take off where they were," claims The Getaway Plan's drummer Aaron Barnett, but luckily for him, that is exactly what the band have done. If anything they have come back stronger with their most mature sounding record to date 'Requiem,' and some new found energy to back the release up with a butt load of touring. KYS caught up with the stick man to chat about the group's hectic tour schedule post-album release.
Ben Cook
From child actor to hardcore icon, indie blog pin-up boy to stadium rocker, Ben Cook has done it all. With Fucked Up going on hiatus, 2012 looks to be an interesting year for the ex-No Warning front-man with numerous side projects and more. With FU having toured with the Foo Fighters and Tenacious D in December last year, we caught up with Mr Cook to discuss his love of Manchester City football, hanging out with the Jonas Brothers and the Australian No Warning reunion tour...
Sunsets
Sunsets are rapidly gaining ground in the Australian pop punk scene. Blending the pop punk aesthetic of bands like Hit The Lights and With The Punches with heavier influences from hardcore and metalcore, their sound is mosh-friendly and full of energy. Their debut EP ‘We’re In This Together’ opened up many doors for the band, sending them on tour to assault stages across the East Coast. Drummer Andrew Cooke recently spoke with Kill Your Stereo about the band’s plans for 2012.
Kettlespider
While not yet a name prominent in current metal circles, Melbourne based instrumental prog outfit Kettlespider are an upstart group slowly establishing themselves in the local music scene. Having received national airplay on Triple J, leading former The Racket host Andrew Haug to describe the band as, "Nice solid prog ala Dream Theater," the group is making healthy strides in an often competitive market. KYS recently caught up with the band over a few beers, following the group's well-received performance at the Espy's Gershwin Room to discuss all things music, specifically Kettlespider's upcoming debut studio album 'Avadante'.