Now approaching its fifth year, the annual Australian Music Week will return to the sunny shores of Cronulla this November (6th-10th), with 150+ acts and a horde of industry heavyweights poised to celebrate and dissect the Aussie music industry.
Boasting a five-day programme of live showcases, panels and masterclass workshops, Australian Music Week comes armed as a non-genre specific music event for music lovers and tastemakers alike, with this year's event also featuring a keynote from American music industry legend, podcast and author Bob Lefsetz, as well as the recent epic announcement of Paul Kelly, Big Day Out co-founder Ken West and ARIA CEO Dan Rosen also joining the AMW festivities.
With over 150 acts from every corner of the musical realm lined up to take over Cronulla's local venues, there's something for everyone at this year's event. And in the lead-up to AMW kicking off, The Soundcheck's throwing down a little "getting to know you" feature with some of the incredible bands ready to rock and/or roll for the 2019 edition - and today we're chatting with Nick and Tass, bassist and guitarist respectively from Sydney indie rockers Dande and the Lion all things Aussie music, the industry and a secret or two. Interview below.
WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO APPLY TO SHOWCASE AT AUSTRALIAN MUSIC WEEK? AND HOW KEEN ARE YOU TO JUMP ONSTAGE FOR THE SHOWCASES?
NICK & TASS: We played at AMW last year and had a really fun time; meeting new people, attending the conferences and watching all the great bands. So when the opportunity came around this year, we were all in.
TELL US A BIT MORE ABOUT YOU/YOUR BAND – WHAT’S THE “TOO LONG, DIDN’T READ” VERSION OF HOW YOU STARTED PLAYING TOGETHER?
NICK & TASS: Nick and Tass met Bianca. Then we brought in Abbey and we auditioned Chris.We all write (except Chris), so sometimes we'd bring material to work on and flesh that out and other times we'd just play and some hooks would stick and we'd write a song out of that.
FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE, WHY ARE EVENTS LIKE AUSTRALIAN MUSIC WEEK SO IMPORTANT TO THE AUSSIE MUSIC INDUSTRY?
NICK & TASS: Australian Music Week provides an excellent platform for music industry professionals to be exposed to up and coming musicians showcasing their music, as well as for the musicians themselves to get exposure they normally wouldn't get. There aren't many other opportunities like AMW, except for maybe BigSound. The conferences alone offer insight to the music industry; covering various topics from people in the know and allow opportunities for networking in a chilled environment. Australian Music Week shows a lot of variety in the performances, so there’s a high chance you’ll have a few new favourite bands in that mix.
AND WHAT’S YOUR ULTIMATE GOAL FOR YOURSELVES IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY? DO YOU FEEL LIKE THERE ARE ENOUGH OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE TO ACHIEVE THAT DREAM?
NICK & TASS: Ideally, writing music, touring, and earning enough from our music to live comfortably. It’s such a privilege to be on stage performing our music to people and it’s even more rewarding when they reciprocate and return the good vibes through supporting us.
WILL YOU BE HITTING UP SOME OF THE CONFERENCES THIS YEAR AT AMW? WHICH ONE/ONES ARE YOU MOST KEEN FOR?
NICK & TASS: Yes! Planning to be there Thursday and Friday. So many.. Branding, Taking Care of Business, Bootcamp or Media, and some of the key speakers, mainly to see what areas we can improve on.
WHO IS YOUR CURRENT FAVOURITE AUSTRALIAN BAND/ARTIST?
NICK: Bad Dreems. For me it’s reminiscent of a familiar sound, revamped and blasting with tales of modern times. Definitely a band that has laid the foundation to being around for the next thirty years.
TASS: The Jezabels. When I first arrived in Australia I was introduced to The Jezabels at a uni gig they played and was totally captivated by their sound, stage presence and energy.
AND FINALLY – WHAT’S ONE LITTLE KNOWN FACT ABOUT YOU OR YOUR BAND THAT YOU’RE WILLING TO SHARE WITH US TODAY?
NICK & TASS: We’re currently on our East Coast tour playing throughout November and finishing in mid December. There’s four songwriters in the band and four singers with different styles. Essentially we’re five strangers that got together to make music and just happened to click and vibe off each other!
DANDE AND THE LION WILL BE SHOWCASING AT THIS YEAR'S AUSTRALIAN MUSIC WEEK, MORE INFO BELOW:
DANDE AND THE LION - AUSTRALIAN MUSIC WEEK SHOWCASE
FRIDAY NOV 8 at El Sol w/ Yeevs, Wanderers, The Butlers, Lost Tropics, The Carbons and Hibiscus Biscuit
STARDUST (DANDE AND THE LION)
FOR MORE DANDE AND THE LION INFO HEAD HERE,
AND FOR ALL THINGS AUSTRALIAN MUSIC WEEK, HEAD HERE.
BY TIANA SPETER