interview with The Go Set
Have any of you played in other bands? Yeah, we have all played with other bands. None of them were very well known though. Our drummer actually plays in some jazz/funk bands, but the rest of us have mainly played in punk bands.
How is it that you started playing music? Hmm....well, I didn't start playing until really late...like 20 years old, after going and seeing a couple of awesome concerts that inspired me. At first, I bought a guitar and played it completely upside down because I didn't know that I was left handed and the guitar was a right handed one!!
What are your names? / Who plays what? / How old are you? Justin (vocals and guitar), Mark (bass and vocals), Ben (guitar and vocals), Ago (drums), Lachy (bagpipes/tin whistle), Tommy (mandolin/guitars)
Have you had other previous members? Yeah, the lineup has changed around a little. But this lineup has been the same for a long time now, like maybe 8 years...
Did you make music even when you were young? No, I couldn't play any instruments. AAlthough, I always loved to listen to music and we always had a lot of music in the home, so I always felt like I wanted to write and perform. It wasn't until later on that I actually learned to play an instrument and sing.
Where are you from? Ocean Grove, Australia
What year did the band form? 2003
What's your style of genre? Folk/punk
What inspires you? Making songs about social change, political change. Looking after people, and being aware of social conscience. Making great music with great people, and having fun doing it.
How often and where do you reherse? We don't rehearse often because we already play so much. Sometimes we rehearse before we tour, or before we record new songs.
How have you developed since you started with the music? Well, I hope that we have improved as we have gone along. I think that everyone gets better at playing, and we get better at performing and creating songs.
Do you have other interests of work outside the band? Surfing
Are you looking for a booking agency, and what are your thoughts around that? Hmm...well, it depends. Ideally we would love a booking agent, but only if the agent loves and cares for our music as much as we do. Having a booking agent can make things a lot better for touring, but can also make things a lot worse, so it has to be the right person.
Are you looking for a label, and what are your thoughts around that? Same as above I guess. We need a label that cares about our music as much as we do. Otherwise it's much better to remain independent I think.
What made you decide to make this music? Fun with my friends, and also to try and make really powerful songs that can affect people like a lot of music has affected me.
What are your songs about? All kinds of things - social change, politics, stories about folklore or Australian history.
Who does the composing and writes the lyrics? I write the songs. The band helps with the arrangements.
Do you start with the music or the lyrics? Usually the lyrics, although I am trying to learn to switch it around.
Do you compose in a certain inviroment? Usually at home or on the beach. It's nice and peaceful and usually good for allowing your mind to wander.
Have you done any covers live? ACDC Long Way to the Top is the only cover in our set. We like that song to finish the show sometimes, and the bagpipes sound great.
What language do you sing in? English
What are the least and most people to attend one of your gigs? Really varies. In the early days we played to nobody sometimes, and these days we are lucky enough to play some great festivals with 10,000-20,000 people.
What ages are most of your concert attendants? Usually 15-35
Do you always play the same songs live, or do you vary? We vary our set a little each night to keep it interesting.
Do you have a regular place you play live often? We tour in Germany a lot. We love it there.
What was your first gig like? Ican't remember completely, but I know it sucked.
What was your latest gig? Last gig was in Australia and was awesome.
Have you had to cancel a gig? Only once when our van broke down many years ago. Apart from that, no.
Where have you played live this year? Yes, we've toured Australia and also done some shows in the US.
Where do you plan to gig the comming year? Australia, USA, UK. in 2017 we will be also doing USA, Japan and Europe.
When did you start to sell merchandise, and what do you have for sale? Basically, we sell all of the usual items - T shirts, hoodies, jackets etc, as well as CDs, DVDs and Vinyl.
Where can people buy your merchandise? http://www.thegoset.com/
What do you think about people downloading music instead of buying records now a days? Well, I think it's possibly ok to download a song or two to learn about a new artist if you then go to their show and buy a ticket and some merchandise. Music costs money to make, like a car, or a TV, so people should pay for it - otherwise they will be listening to 'The Voice' forever and there will be no new music anymore. Artists are often very poor. I think that the circle of creativity needs to be supported by consumers.
How do you think the music industry have changed because of this? A lot. People think music is free. The truth is, stealing music is the same as stealing something from an independent neighbourhood store. Pay for it assholes, or the store goes broke right??
What do you think of my work? What I've read on the blog is great. You've interviewed soooo many bands!!!
How do you think and know that this interview will help you in the music business? Not sure. Hopefully people will read it and take a listen. Hopefully it generates some awareness of the band and potentially new fans.
Do you have any role models or idols? Billy Bragg.
Why do you think that they exist? He's an artist that has stuck to his values and makes great music.
Is it easier to find inspiration from older bands, or bands that are more active today? Usually the older bands because they were able to make careers and people listened to entire albums back then, not just one song.
What have been your biggest obstacles? It's a very unfair business. Big companies control radio station playlists, and festivals. So, for independent bands, they are always struggling to make people aware of them.
What advice would you give other bands or artists? Write great songs and practice your live show so that it's awesome. People will make their mind up if they like a new band within ten minutes usually, so you need to be a great band if you want to generate fans independently of a major label or major media campaign.
How do you get psyched for a gig? Stretches and a little nip of whiskey (or two...)
Do you have any new material? Yep. New saongs are going to be recorded soon. We have a new album that has just been released too - 'Rolling Sound', as well as a new doco DVD called 'These are the Days'.
What are your web sites?
