| | | |  | The History of The Grates Part 1 Like all truly great bands, The Grates began as a bit of a joke. John, Alana and Patience had known each other for, well, forever. John had heard Patience do karaoke before, so when she suggested they form a band, he...
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| Interview | Access All Areas.net.au: Firstly, congrats on the success of your debut EP? you must be pretty excited with it’s outcome given that it’s been released throughout Australia and the UK and its picking up heaps of accolades and support?
Patience [The Grates]: We’re really happy! What makes me the happiest is that it was released in Australia & UK in a cardboard sleeve. I find that hilarious, especially when I think of it in terms of an international release. What a crack up. And then in USA and Canada we did a digipack what John and I did the artwork for on the floor of my empty house as I was moving out. Ha ha. You probably won't find that funny but to me it's just a giggle fest. Oh, and the fact that we recorded it in Johns Dad's shed and that's what people are listening to all around the place. But that's what makes me like it. It's pretty amazing and awesome that people are liking it. It’s the best. Best day ever.
Access All Areas.net.au: You’re also on the verge of releasing in the US and a full album locally, not bad for a band that had started out as a bit of a joke?
Patience [The Grates]: It’s way good for a crappy band that just started out knowing the full extent of their shitness and wearing it on their sleeve. our album's kinda high or wild but then again it's so not, all at the same time. What’s wild about recordings is the extent to which you know your songs. They’re like other band members. they have a personality and a voice just like a real person and you either like them or you don't and when making an album the best way to go about it is to try and choose all of the songs you're friends with coos you're gonna have to spend heaps of time with them.
Access All Areas.net.au: For those who’ve lived under a rock and haven’t heard your music, how do you describe your style of music?
Patience [The Grates]: High or wild but not, more girly and less genre defying. like three little children’s who lived by the sea and all had very different but equally ridiculous parents thus resulting in the children’s growing up and being scared of loneliness but also needing a lot of time alone and then being... this is going no where. i had a story, but alas it was shit. OK, we are drums, guitar and vocals with a real poppy trashiness. YES!
Access All Areas.net.au: You’re currently recording your first full album, are you finding there to be any pressure with this album given the amount of success you’ve had with your EP?
Patience [The Grates]: No pressure from the EP, it was recorded at home so it's like the ideal non-pressure EP. I'm still very good friends with it. but there's always pressure cos once you start doing international releases, all of a sudden there's hungry mouths to feed squawking at you.
it's just finding the right balance between being an independent band with the same friendship dynamics and opinions that make you happy with everyone else’s expectations. But at the end of the day we have never sold ourselves to anyone in any record label or promised anyone anything besides loving being in a band and any expectations that someone has is what they've made for themselves.
Patience [The Grates]: So when you put it like that you feel less pressure cos you know that all you've ever said to anyone is that "i sing in the mic, he plays and she whacks" and you're just doing what you want. also believing that everything will be OK in the long run makes things cool too. also, i believe it's better to hate the game and not the player. like "this situation is fkd' is better than "your person's a dick and stupid" people get less offended and you can work together to overcome the situation. I learnt that in this book what we're all addicted to.
Access All Areas.net.au: Is there anything you can tell us about the new album, can you give us a sneak peak of what fans can expect?
Patience [The Grates]: Yeah! OK! Well, we have a few horns, a few shakers, some 'guitorchestra' and a couple harmonies from the worst harmoniser EVER.
Access All Areas.net.au: With your name, there’s a bit of a weird story to its origination: a miniature cheese grater on a key ring? How did you decide that to be the
name of the band?
Patience [The Grates]: The decision was kinda made for us. We were gonna change our name every gig so that we could trick people into thinking they were going to see a cool new band in town and then we'd be all "ha ha suckers, it's our stupid band again but you've already been stamped".
Patience [The Grates]: We just happened to have been The Grates when triple j (national youth radio station what rocks) started playing Trampoline and then thought it would be kinda stupid to change it after getting radio play. That would be NUTS. But also a good friend of mine told me that majority of greats in history, for e.g. Lucille Ball or Lincoln, were either only children or had siblings 5 or more years separated by age. And well, that's me; all the kids in my family are 8 years apart.
Access All Areas.net.au: You went to the South By South West (SXSW) music conference in Austin, Texas this year, how did that help you in securing opportunities in overseas markets?
Patience [The Grates]: Heaps. That’s where interscope saw us and we also got to meet cool aussie that are far to famous for us to meet back home like Ben Lee or Missy Higgins. plus, it was the coolest thing what we ever did.
Access All Areas.net.au: You’ve toured yourselves for quite sometime, and also support act to other great acts such as Regurgitator and Rocket Science, when a fan goes to one of your shows what can they expect???
Patience [The Grates]: ummmmm... definitely 2 girls and 1 guy plus some dance moves that everyone else does heaps better than me and some kind of moment where i look like I just smacked myself in the tooth with the mic and depending on the night alana will either be the happiest girl you are ever gonna see or she'll look like she just ran over a dog with her car on the way to the gig but cos she was running late so it's still sqirming under her tire and before the last chord of the last song has finished ringing out she's gonna need to run off stage to get it to the vets. john might look up but he will definitely not rub his tweeter on the back of the guitar while playing. That’s just slimey.
Access All Areas.net.au: I know there’s the saying what goes on the road stays on the road but c’mon, can you tell us any stories from the road?
Patience [The Grates]: Sure. We eat heaps of gum and if you're too close to john he smells like a thousand foul cocks and Alana and john leave their socks everywhere. Alana loses stuff all the time but it always shows up and I’m really good at finding things, the best in the band. i do some annoying things too but I can't think of any. I just get mental sometimes I suppose. Oh, here's a thing, we're all addicted to a book called the 'passion trap' what i bought in L.A. after having it recommended to me by a tarot reader on Venice beach. It’s on the floor right next to me know and we bring it up all the time.
Access All Areas.net.au: How has the band progressed in the time you've spent together??? ?
Patience [The Grates]: We’re getting better and better at 'no fault' communication, that's the 'passion trap' in me coming out!, and letting people have their space. Our songwriting's got more 'highbo' by the minute.
Access All Areas.net.au: What is the plan from here on in???
Patience [The Grates]: To try to go to Japan cos i feel a connection with Asian cooking, predominately sushi. it's what Jhon hates the baddest of all the foods. Together we despise cucumber.
Access All Areas.net.au: Do you feel you have more control over your career as an independent singer/songwriter?
Patience [The Grates]: Control comes from deciding you want control and making everyone give it to you and fighting for your right to party. I don't feel like I have more control over my career because I’m an independent singer/songwriter, I just feel like i have control over my career because I have a brain and I think and have myself under control. You kinda can't control your career in this industry because there's no guarantee what your writing is actually good and people will want to listen to it. you can only control it through being active and involved with decisions and having a clear picture of how you want to be seen and what your artistic integrity is and how far you'll go to fight for it and who’s opinions you choose to take on board. This one time I killed a man. KIDDING! Shit, you think I’d go that far? Well, maybe, but only if God told me to. |
| Biography | The History of The Grates Part 1
Like all truly great bands, The Grates began as a bit of a joke. John, Alana and Patience had known each other for, well, forever. John had heard Patience do karaoke before, so when she suggested they form a band, he was apprehensive to say the least. Dueting Alladin’s ‘A Whole New World’ just didn’t show her true abilities. But when they started jamming in John’s garden shed, helped amply by his dad cooking a BBQ and bringing fresh beer, the exhilarating, charismatic style that has become The Grates’ signature started to reveal itself.
The Grates were born under the moniker sparked by Patience’s assumption that all ‘The Greats’ came from families with children born eight years apart (like Patience). Then someone gave her a miniature cheese grater on a key ring and the rest is the History of The Grates Part 2.
With John on guitar, Alana hitting out the drums, Patience singing and jumping around a lot and John’s dad on BBQ duties, the band set about laying down demos in John’s shed. The Grates then sent in their rough demo, ‘Trampoline’ to national youth network Triple J’s Robbie Buck. Accompanied by a hand-written bio and press release, the DIY ethic and infectious song caught his attention and ‘Trampoline’ was added to the Triple J playlist. A follow-up thank you note with some more demos with it saw ‘Rock Boys’ added to medium rotation.
The Grates then signed to independent label Dew Process and began work on their forthcoming EP, ‘The Ouch. The Touch’. Meanwhile, The Grates hit the road with some of Australia’s top acts. Touring with The Tremors, Regurgitator, Rocket Science and TISM saw them generate fans across the nation. [Thanks to the handy penmanship of the Tremors, John’s been receiving phone calls from men with dubious intentions everywhere enticed by the back of toilet doors.] ‘Sukkafish’ then became the latest addition to the Triple J songlist, clocking up frequent flier points on medium rotation.
All three singles, ‘Trampoline’, ‘Rock Boys’ and ‘Sukkafish’ have been nominated in the Triple J Hottest 100. A great showing for a band who are yet to officially release an album.
The Grates released their debut EP, ‘The Ouch. The Touch’ in February 2005, with single ‘Message’ jumping straight on to high rotation on Triple J. The EP peaked on the AIR charts at #2. Their EP release tour sold out in most cities, with more than 600 people packing out Brisbane’s The Rev to see the show.
The History of The Grates part 3
The Grates were then invited to play at the world’s largest music conference and festivals at South By South West (SXSW) in Austin, Texas and embarked on a whirlwind world tour to London, New York, Toronto, LA and Texas. They played at some legendary clubs and venues including The Viper Room in LA, The Barfly in London, The Knitting Factory in New York and The Horseshoe in Toronto, picking up legions of fans in media, industry and the public alike.
SXSW saw a raft of industry and media interest in the band. The NME.com hosted a download. Zane Lowe picked up the band as one of the Fresh Meat picks of SXSW and has been playing ‘Message’ on his Radio 1 program dedicated to new music. Steve Lamacq has also picked up on the single for his Radio 1 program.
The Grates released ‘The Ouch. The Touch.’ through independent label Captains of Industry in the UK on April 11, 2005.
Then The Grates hit the road again, selling out a national tour throughout Australia and supporting Death From Above 1979.
The History of The Grates Part 4
The Grates recently released their debut EP, ‘The Ouch. The Touch.’ through Dew Process/Cherrytree in the US and through Dew Process/Universal Music in Canada. It follows on from the 7” release of ‘Sukkafish’ in the UK through Moshi Moshi which was met with 4 star reviews in the Daily Mirror, NME and features in The Sunday Times, Plan B, Disorder, Artrocker, Stool Pigeon, as well as airplay on Radio 1 and an XFM session.
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The Grates are married to the road and Patience even has the ring to prove it. It’s engraved with “infinty love the road”. They honeymooned in June through LA, New York, Toronto for NXNE and London and playing shows at the Silverlake Lounge, Pianos and Queens of Noize at the Barfly along the way.
When they got back to Australia, they stole the show at Splendour in the Grass and supporting The Go! Team throughout the East Coast.
The History of The Grates Part 5
Dew Process recently inked a deal with Cherrytree/Interscope to release The Grates debut album globally in 2006. The Grates are currently recording their debut album in Chicago with producer Brian Deck. The Grates and Brian Deck formed a unique bond when John discovered that Brian has a tattoo of a drawing he did when he was a kid on his arm. If John was tough enough for needles that would be the exact tattoo he would have. Apart from that, Brian Deck has produced a number of indie favs including Modest Mouse, Iron and Wine and the Secret Machines.
THE GRATES TOUR DATES
29th September 2006 - Metropolis
Fremantle, WA. Australia.
Tickets available through Mills (08) 9335 1945, Beat (08) 9446 5839 78's (08) 9322 1498 Planet (08) 9328 7464, heatseeker.com.au
30th September 2006 - Players Bar
Mandurah, WA. Australia.
Tickets available through Mandurah Surf Co: (08) 9535 4500 heatseeker.com.au
2nd October 2006 - HQ
Adelaide, SA. Australia.
Tickets available through Venuetix: (08) 8225 8888 venuetix.com.au CIB Ticketing: (08) 8231 0824
4th October - Sands Tavern
Sunshine Coast, QLD. Australia
Tickets available through the venue - (07) 5443 7944
6th October 2006 - Tivoli Theatre
Brisbane, QLD. Australia.
Tickets available through Ticketek - 13 28 49 Rocking Horse - (07) 3229 5360 Skinnys - (07) 3229 2389 ticketek.com.au
7th October 2006 - Coolangatta Hotel
Gold Coast, QLD. Australia.
Coolangatta Hotel, - (07) 5536 9311 Sunflower Music, Pacific Fair – (07) 55381850 Head Hi Music, Burleigh Heads - (07) 5568 7568 Music Mania, Southport - (07) 5591 1665... thecoolyhotel.com.au , oztix.com.au
11th October 2006 - ANU Bar
Canberra, ACT. Australia.
Tickets available through Ticketek 13 28 49 ticketek.com.au
12th October 2006 - Bar On The Hill (Newcastle Uni)
Newcastle, NSW. Australia.
Tickets available through Venue - (02) 4968 3845 The Rock Shop - (02) 4929 1856 Beaumont Street Beat - (02) 4962 5939 bigtix.com.au
13th October 2006 - The Forum
Melbourne, VIC. Australia.
Tickets available through Ticketek 13 28 49 ticketek.com.au
14th October 2006 - Enmore Theatre *ALL AGES*
Sydney, NSW. Australia.
Tickets available through Ticketek 13 28 49 ticketek.com.au. Venue - (02) 9550 3666 |
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