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ON THE COUCH WITH: Screaming Jets

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ARTIST INTERVIEW

Access All Areas.net.au: So tell us, what have you been up to?
Dave: We’ve just moved down to Melbourne, recorded a new album. We’ve pretty well three quarters of the way through, we’ve just got to put some backing vocals and instrumentation and stuff on it and yeah that should come out next year and now we’re sort of gearing up we’ve got a DVD out to keep people, you know, vibed on us and stuff.

Access All Areas.net.au: Firstly, wow you guys have had one hell of a career – fifteen years, and you’re still shooting out the releases?
Dave: Well as I say we’re doing a new album and we had a couple of years off in between 2001 and 2004 and we’re all really very inspired to get out there and have a go for it so I guess if the first pass was for fifteen years I guess the next part will be just as long.

Access All Areas.net.au: Do you guys get sick of any of it at all – the constant touring, music, interviews, etc?
Grant: Only of each other
Paul: I just get sick [laughs]

Access All Areas.net.au: This is your first live DVD, why has it taken you this long to film and release a live DVD?
Dave: well I don’t know. We hadn’t done a live album till 2001 as well which is kind of stupid because we are a live band, that’s where we hang our hat on the fact that we’re the best live band going around and I don’t know – slack asses… we’re all slack!

Access All Areas.net.au: Screaming Jets are renowned for a killer live show, what is it that you do and can fans expect when going to a Screaming Jets show?
Grant: We’ve got a lot of good songs… we’ve been lucky enough to have probably eight or ten songs on the radio and that makes a set pretty full on for a platform to play on…
Izzy: …and the chicks find me sexy and stuff! [laughs]
Dave: Izzy’s going to hold a concert just to be sexier…
Izzy: I won’t stop I guess until I get sexy as sexy

Access All Areas.net.au: so another fifteen years atleast!
Paul: Ouch!
[laughs]

Access All Areas.net.au: I know there’s the saying what goes on the road stays on the road but c’mon give us one of your best roadie stories?
Ismet: Izzy’ll give us all up mate, he doesn’t care!
Paul: Every day is another day.
Dave: That’s right, like Rob Hurst from the Oils said, it’s like everyday you move on to another town and all of the sins from the night before are all washed away or at least left behind and that’s kind of how we look at it [laughs].

Paul: Everyday we try to be better people
Grant: And some times you’ve just go to get the f*&k out of that town.

Access All Areas.net.au: You said you’ve been recording a new album, how do you find your songwriting techniques have changed over the years in comparison to say your first album?
Paul: I use pen now and not a pencil! [laughs]
Dave: He’s moved on from the crayon.
Paul: Yeah I’ve moved on to the biro…
Dave: No I think like especially this album we really set ourselves some goals and set aside times and stuff for writing and that whereas on the other albums everyone took the songs that they’ve almost finished and stuff like that or fully finished yeah so this album we actually had writing sessions, I don’t know if we ever really had before, we just jammed and songs would come up. So we actually had writing sessions, Izzy wrote a couple of songs on this album for the first time.
Grant: Just write a song on the guitar and write the words out – I think it’s great The best way really.
Dave: I think we’ve evolved more to realize that it is really an essential part of what we’re doing and to get great songs you’ve go to put in more work than we used to when it just was all falling in place. We want to make better songs so you’ve go to spend more time doing it.

Access All Areas.net.au: So how would you say this new album differs to your previous albums? Does it still have the Screaming Jets sound?
Dave: Undeniably, the thing about being in a band for 15 years, something, you get a sound whether it’s a guitar sound or the kind of style of the song or stuff like that it’s undeniably the Screaming Jets but hopefully as I say it’s evolved and the sort of people, the songs are crafted better, like a master Hilby you know you’ll hope your next house is better than the last one that you built and the one after that is going to be even better.
Ismet: Then you see some smart ass building a totally different way
Dave: Bastards… yeah sorry about the building, I don’t know where that came from! [laughs]

The Screaming Jets: ROCK ON Live DVD is instores NOW!

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY

The Screaming Jets know how tough it can be to stick to your guns, but that is exactly what they have done throughout their 15 year career to arrive at this point. From the highs to the lows these guys have toughed it out and are one of Australia's premier touring rock bands because of it. Their commitment to their loyal audience is unparalleled in this country.

It takes a lot of commitment to last longer than 5 minutes in the music industry, so to be around, relevant and successful as The Jets after all this time is no mean feat.

Before silverchair came along The Screaming Jets were the most popular band to emerge from industrial Newcastle on Australia's east coast. The Jets’ music is a product of that town, still part of that generation where you either worked at the BHP steelworks or you didn’t work at all.

Either way, you wanted your music in-yourface and without frills. Founding members Dave Gleeson (vocals) and Grant Walmsley (guitar) met in 1981 and in 1985 they formed their first band together, Sudden Impact, later to become Aspect. The group’s slogan was "Today Newcastle, Tomorrow the World".

In 1988 Dave and Grant found a third kindred spirit in bass player Paul Woseen, and by January had assembled around them the band that would become the Screaming Jets.

Eight months later they won the inaugural Triple J Battle Of The Bands, and in early 1990 relocated to Sydney.

Following an introductory EP, the band released its debut album ’All For One’, produced by Englishman Steve James and scored a national top 10 hit with the single ’Better’.
And despite the frequent internal and external uncertainty that has followed,the Gleeson/Walmsley/Woseen partnership has remained in tact, with new members always encouraged to make their impact. The philosophy behind the first album title ’All For One’ remains. Dave Gleeson leaning to focus his larrikinism. His abilities as a showman speak just as loudly. Throughout their journey, the Jets have maintained a strong performance regime which invariably spills into all of their recordings.

www.screamingjets.com.au

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MY FESTIVAL EXPERIENCE

Mental As Anything
It's a pretty horrible one actually. On the Australian Made Tour in, it was about 87' - 88'. There was us, there was Barnsey (Jimmy Barnes), The Models, The Divinyls. You know it was a really fun tour actually, and we were sharing a brass section with The Models and the guy... One of the brass players he was fairly frail, he was quite young and he had a pacemaker and he actually collapsed and died during our set which was rather disturbing. It would be the most memorable but, only because it was so unpleasant. I would have to say that one sticks out for me.

What's your ideal festival line-up?
Gee, that's a hard one. It's pretty good these day's they have guys like Neil Young coming out, and it's good. It shouldn't be a real generational thing. There are still a lot of good musicians that have inspired a lot of the younger bands and I think that it's nice that they put these guys on the bill. It's an economic thing, obviously a lot of people want to see them but, I think it's also good for the younger people to see where a lot of this kinda stuff came from in the first place. I think the bills are pretty good actually.

Also, with the older bands and artists playing at shows it's a big thing for the younger ones because they have been inspired by that performer and seeing them play and being able to play along aside them is a big kick.
Yeah, I think it's great and as long as they can still cut the mustard, I've heard that on some occasions they have been a bit disappointing but, they really have got there acts together these guys if they are still doing it. It's pretty obvious when they aren't. I sort of jokingly say "I'm getting the hang of it now", because I sort of am really, It's taken awhile but, you kinda have to be a bit more professional as you get older about doing it because, you need to be. It's amusing to see the 20yr old guys staggering around drunk on stage, that's kinda entertaining. But, when you get older it's not such a good look. You need to start thinking about being a bit more professional and getting your act together a bit.

The fall of the aging rock star.
Haha Yeah, that's your job. If you want to keep doing it you need to stay reasonably healthy. I swim, I try and swim some laps everyday. That's how I occupy myself on tour. I've got to find out where the pool is otherwise I get a bit twitchy if I don't get to do my laps every day. You start to realize if you don't have your health you don't have anything. It's true of anybody but, particularly for entertainers if you let yourself go, your in trouble.

What's your most favourite artist you have seen at a festival?
I would have to say Roy Orbison. I saw him only a couple of year's before he died. I couldn't believe it. He had already had the open heart surgery and, he had a shocking life the poor guy. He's always been a hero of mine. I actually got to see him, which was a big thrill.

What are your tips for attending a festival?
I don't know. My kids are going to them kind of regularly and they seem to have a good time. I think the main thing is you need to get in early if you want to get ticket's to these things, because they seem to sell out really fast. They are really popular and just enjoy them.