Between headlining overseas tours, playing some of Australia's biggest festivals and making friends with the likes of Mumford & Sons and Laura Marling, it's fair to say Sydney natives Boy & Bear enjoyed a pretty big 2010. Drummer Tim Hart took time out to talk to Duckduzz about lessons learned and what lies ahead in 2011.
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| photograph via Boy & Bear's facebook [link] |
Most members of Boy & Bear were originally the principal songwriters in other bands. Did it take some time to gel as a group?
It did take some time to find the right process, but there were no big ego clashes or anything. Generally Dave (Hosking, vocals/guitar) will bring an idea to the group, and then everyone will work on an arrangement for it. Having everyone contribute really just meant there was more freedom to be creative, there's not one person completely controlling the direction of a song.
Having not released an album yet, does it feel strange to have had the success and touring opportunities that you've had?
It does, to be honest. We're stoked with the way things have turned out, and very grateful to everyone who's helped out, there have been a lot of people who helped us along. We were actually planning to record a full length album when we got started on 'With Emperor Antarctica', but it sort of felt right sticking with an EP. We were very confident in the songs that were on there, so we started touring them and it's turned out great.
You had two entries in triple j’s Hottest 100 this year, including your Crowded House cover. Did you look at many different Finn brothers’ songs before settling on Fall At Your Feet?
Fall At Your Feet was always the plan for us. We felt really honoured to be a part of the Finn brothers tribute album, and we actually got the whole thing arranged and recorded in four days, it had a very 'live' sort of feel to it, there wasn't a lot of dubbing or anything. Our producer Wayne Connolly was really happy with what we were sounding like in rehearsals, so it was mostly a matter of translating that to the studio. We have been a little surprised at the reaction the track has gotten, mostly because it's so long, about five minutes. We are proud of it though, and it was great to feature in the Hottest 100.
Your cover of Bon Iver’s Flume has also been very well received live, does it take a lot of work to get these covers going, or is it something that come easily to you as a group?
To be honest, Dave and I used to do covers for money, so we've got a bit of a history doing it. We don't love doing covers really, but we feel it's something we can give an audience who might not be so familiar with our work, as a bit of a point of familiarity. We definitely try to work the covers into our own style, I'm not such a fan of covers unless there's something interesting and original going on, there's not much point if it just sounds the same.
Was the layered, Fleet Foxes sort of vocal style of Boy & Bear a stylistic goal from the outset? Were there particular bands that influenced the sound of the 'With Emperor Antarctica' EP, and are you looking at some changes in sound for your debut LP?
Fleet Foxes were definitely an influence, and also the bands that were probably influences on them too. Bands like Crosby, Stills & Nash, Simon & Garfunkle, they're pretty big influences on us. We have been sounding a little…edgier lately, I suppose. Our sound has changed through touring for the last year or so. We like how it's sounding in rehearsals; we just hope everyone else does too.
Do you feel that you've learned a lot from the last year as a band, wild as it's been?
Definitely. Besides what we've learned just from playing as a band, we learned a lot about how to tour from bands like Mumford and Sons. They're so inclusive, them and a lot of the other bands we've played with like Laura Marling. It creates a really great vibe both on stage and behind the scenes, makes the whole process of touring a lot easier and a lot more fun. We’re still great friends with Laura and other bands we’ve toured with, and if we’ve learned anything it’s that you want to be inclusive and grounded when you’re touring. We don’t think of ourselves as rock stars, we always want to be willing to talk to anyone who wants to talk and get on well with the people around us.
You’re set to record your debut album with Joe Chiccarelli (Augie March, The Strokes) this year; did you actively seek him out as a producer? What’s the story there?
We did seek him out, we're big fans of what he did with bands like The Shins and My Morning Jacket, so we got in contact with him and it all worked out well. The way the exchange rate is at the moment, and the places Joe was most comfortable recording, it made sense to hop over to Nashville, as we're in the U.S for SXSW a bit later in the year anyway. We're recording in Nashville with him, and we've also got tours booked in the U.S, England again for a headlining tour and then back to Australia, hopefully to promote the first single off the album.
Boy & Bear play Golden Plains at Meredith Supernatural Ampitheatre on March 12 (tickets available here) before heading off to play SXSW in the U.S on March 16.
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