Artist, tattooist & musician
Melbourne/Naarm, VIC
Please list the music projects you have been involved with past and present
I grew up in Hobart, Tasmania and started going to the local all ages underground/punk shows (Hobart was so small that every genre of underground music shared the bill) when I was about 14. In year 10 my older sister introduced me to some people who needed a drummer and that was the beginning of it all! The list starts from when I was in Hobart.
50 millions clowns
Head Cleaner
Mindsnare
Battle Axe
Red Divide
The Vivian Girls
George W Bush
Library Punks
Lakes
Bohemian Knights
Paeces
Wasted Truth
Tax
Tol
Grane
Rath
may have forgotten a few! But they are all the memorable ones!
Please describe the genre/s in which you work within
Currently id say its Post-Punk and maybe even Hardcore in terms of what Tol are doing, but those genres are so broad i don’t really know where we would fit in!
Could you tell me a bit about your studies and your art practice? What are your preferred mediums and what are the themes that you work with?
For as long as I can remember I’d always wanted to be an artist and I was really into drawing and art up until I hit year 7 and then it all changed. My high school didn’t really value the visual arts. It was an all boys public school called New Town High, at the time they valued trades, so you had your metal work, wood work, plastics, mechanics etc but they also had a music department which I gravitated toward and that sort of became my outlet for creativity and I put my drawing aside. In Tasmania, highschool finishes in year 10 then you’re asked ‘what next?’ I chose to do year 11 and 12 at Hobart college and that’s where I really found my people and rediscovered my love for art. Hobart College had an excellent art department run by a man by the name of Wayne Brooks, who also happened to be really into music. Wayne and the environment at Hobart college inspired me to be an artist again. I wanted to do Fine art at UTAS but decided to move to Melbourne instead, that was in 1996. After a few years in Melbourne I resumed my art studies completing a diploma of visual art then I went to V.C.A for my bachelor of fine art, Painting. V.C.A was where I learned to have an art practice. I was inspired by my peers and other young local artists to try and have an art career, I didn’t really learn anything technical, at that time in the painting department you were left to work it out and experiment. By the end of my degree I was pretty over the institution and wanted to get on with getting a studio, making art and having shows and since leaving V.C.A i’ve managed to keep that momentum going, not sure how! My practice is primarily painting, but that has morphed into painterly objects and sculpture. My work is very intuitive and gestural and mainly abstract. I really love seeing what can happen in the confines of the surface perimeter, sometimes it can be worked out straight away other times it’s more of a process to find what you’re looking for, I love that process of painting.
I’ve been tattooing for the last 4 years, it’s been such a welcome change, and to be doing more figurative work has been really rewarding and has been a new challenge for me. What I learned from having a painting practice has been really helpful with tattooing and vice versa.
In what ways do you feel you have evolved as a musician and artist? How has your practice changed over time?
I wish i’d realised earlier, when i first started doing music that the album art and aesthetic has to be good too haha. I feel like I’ve evolved a lot in that way, the visual side of music, it can be a powerful thing. In the past I didn’t consider it as important, I thought it didn’t really matter as much, I definitely started too in recent years, it’s a holistic approach.
Lakes has been a constantly evolving thing, i always wanted it to evolve and because it was my solo thing i could do whatever i wanted with it, lakes is done now tho, i’m really resolved with it’s ending and to tie it all up AR53 has just released a 3 cassette box set of albums and other pieces ‘Painted Wreath 2012-2017’, it’s a nice way to end it after all these years!
As far as my art practice, it’s a slower evolution, but I feel like I discover something crucial to its evolution each time I make a series of paintings, like a new material or way of doing something, it’s a process that’s always growing i guess!
What inspires your practice and where do your interests derive from?
I can feel inspired by anything really, from what I see on my daily walk in the bush to reading or looking at other people’s art or hearing new music. I’m inspired by people who work hard, that has always rubbed off on me, i feel like that was a big early inspiration and how I learned a work ethic, people who are committed to their practice, dedicated to creating something.
My interest in music came from my Dad and from a really early age was listening to music. My first cassette was Number of the Beast, I was in grade 4 and I remember the day I got it like yesterday, it changed my world. I got obsessed with them, drawing lots of pictures of Eddie and collecting and painting games workshop figurines (very badly) haha so guess you could say my interest in music and art was from the fateful day I heard Iron Maiden, their whole aesthetic really drew me in. From there I got obsessed with music, always wanting to hear new stuff. My Dad got me into things, in grade 6 my sister’s best friend got me into punk. When I hit year 7 I wanted to pick up an instrument and I started playing drums in the music room at New Town High at the age of 13, that’s how I got my start in playing music. I feel very grateful for that early exposure.
What instrument/machine/hardware do you like working with?
I love working on 4 tracks, I just need the tactile nature of it and they sound great for what I want to achieve. I use a tascam 414 in combination with software to write and record demos but I keep the software side of things very simple, i don’t like to over complicate the process. My Drum machine is a Roland T-R 626, not the most sought after machine but I’ve had it for years and with the right effects it can sound real good, it’s the first Roland drum machine to use acoustic drum samples, I love that about it. For Synths I have a Roland 09, I keep my setup really simple, nothing too fancy! For guitars I use an electric 12 string and i have an acoustic 12 as well, for the jangle
Could you describe the challenges you face as an artist?
Aside from the financial challenges of buying materials, paying for a studio, getting into shows etc it’s maintaining good momentum to produce work and finding time to do it! Feeling low on motivation and inspiration makes it challenging but I’ve found it’s best not to force it, just go and look at new art, read a book, seek out new music, do something else, you’ll find it, something will come through.
In your career what has been the most significant moment to date?
For my painting practice it was getting a 2 year residency at Gertrude contemporary in 2014, it gave me the time and space to develop my work.
Moving to Melbourne from Hobart was quite significant, I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing now if i didn’t take that leap of faith at 18 years old.
What do you listen to at home, in the car or on public transport?
Right now I’m listening to The Names ‘Swimming’ LP. I listen to lots of different stuff..lately i’ve been enjoying the Body Maintenance 12″. When I’m on the train I like to read but have to listen to something to drown out the other commuters, so I’ve been listening to some dark ambient stuff to read to…Coil ‘Time machines’ is good for that. Spotify said my moon sign was Warzone haha but i have been listening to lots of Hardcore lately. I love the podcast ‘Rune Soup’ i’ve been an avid listener of that show for years and always keen for the new episode…at work i usually just throw on a daily spotify mix so i can let it play, I hate how spotify has changed the way i select music but having said that i also think it’s quite good for work and sometimes surprises me. Nature and Organization has just come on on my itunes, an old favourite.
Do you care to share any particular anecdotes?
There’s a couple that stand out from me when I lived in Hobart..
Hobart was small and the punk scene was mainly made up of teenagers, we all knew each other and it was a tight knight community. Mostly we could all get into the pubs to see bands but not always, because of this we had house shows, they were really common and made more sense for us to play in a house. They were always so fun, and we never really had any trouble until one night at a house on Patrick St.
My band Head Cleaner played, mid set the police came barging in, we ignored them and kept playing, until the police forced us to stop, they were going nuts, trying to arrest everyone, assaulting people, calling people freaks, sluts, homophobic slurs, it escalated VERY VERY quickly, 3 divi vans and multiple cop cars outside, kids gathered around the vans going what the fuck is going on?! trying to help their friends from being arrested and thrown into the divi van, arresting people for wearing dresses, it was getting really intense really quickly, we weren’t having any of this and they knew it, these cops were smoking in uniform, no hats on, numbers not visible or purposefully obscured, next thing we know a shot was fired into the air, one of them shot a gun into the air to clear us all from the vans, Hectic! Lot’s of our friends were arrested that night, and after that people pushed for an investigation, but of course nothing happened.
Also back in Hobart at the age of 16 me and my Head Cleaner band mate and best friend, Tom (Head Cleaner, Drunkard, Soberphobe.. R.I.P) were walking down a private laneway near my Mum’s house that backed onto some flats, a head appeared over the fence and began to threaten us, we fired back some insults and we went on our merry way. A short while later a car pulled up in front of us, a man got out and pulled a shotgun on us, we froze, it was the guy from that block of flats, he threatened to shoot us if we ever walked through that lane again and drove off…we couldn’t believe it. Hobart was a great place to grow up at that time (’90-’96), a really weird and thriving scene.
Would you be interested in collaboration in the future and if so who would be on your radar?
I’m always open to collaboration but don’t have anyone in mind at the moment! I’d really like to play drums again, if anyone needs a drummer?
You’ve probably watched the evolution of DIY music with a first row viewing. What do you think has left a lasting imprint on you. What would you consider to be really rare and critical moments that define DIY music today?
I guess I have! Growing up in the Hobart punk scene we didn’t know any other way other than DIY. At the time in the early to mid 90’s Tasmania felt totally isolated from the mainland and it was a really big thing to even GET to the mainland as we don’t see the cheap flights we have nowadays, so we just didn’t have the access to other parts of Australia or the rest of the world, which, in turn created a very unique DIY community. The Internet wasn’t a thing so if we wanted your music heard or to obtain new music it was all about letter writing, sending cassettes and mail order. I used to mailorder from Spiral Objective (a punk/hardcore mailorder from Adelaide) and a bit from Augogo, you send your money order off with your order and wait about a month or more, then your records came lol, it was a process but oddly satisfying because it was really the only way to hear new stuff, you really had to seek it out for yourself and for your friends (many tapes were made and traded). We did absolutely everything ourselves, posters, art work, releasing demos, t shirts, booking shows, I’m talking literal teenagers of 16 years old calling up les at the doghouse to book a show (you could be under 18 at a show if you were performing, the dog house was loose anyway) we were all really driven and learned alot from the older generation who were already doing this. Some of the older bands went to Melbourne and it was inspiring to me, some didn’t come back and I thought it would be a cool thing to move to Melbourne someday too, I followed my friend Tom over in 1996. Growing up in Hobart taught me about DIY and it’s still a major influence on how I approach everything I do creatively, it made so much sense back then and still does . The lasting imprint on me is that you can record a record and release it yourself, you don’t need to wait for a label, start your own label and just DIY, it’s simple! That framework can be used with almost anything creatively and I’ve used that framework since I first started playing.
Today the DIY framework remains the same, it’s just adapted to technology, and perhaps it’s easier to DIY these days and makes even more sense.There’s lots of DIY labels, but even then i usually feel like self releasing than going through cold emailing labels asking to be released haha.
Getting into tattooing, how did that opportunity arise for you? You’ve got an uncommon style I’d say.. who are some visionary tattoo artists that changed the concept of tattoo art for you?
My interest in tattooing began around 2007-2009 when hand poke/home made tattoos started to make an appearance in Melbourne, i knew a couple of people who were doing that and their style was really crude and unique and i really liked that, I hand poked myself a few times but again my interest in tattoos waned as I was really focused on painting and fine art at the time and lost interest in tattoos and tattooing all together. Then in 2014/15 I started to see some really unique styles in tattooing emerge, it felt that the door had been opened a little more to weirder and more delicate styles and people were taking a different approach. I started getting tattooed again by new artists like Chris Simpson, Kane Trubenbacher and realized how much getting tattooed can be a healing experience and also tattoo culture was changing. I started to meet tattooers, get tattooed and then became friends with them and it inspired me to wanna start tattooing and it all happened from there! I was fortunate to get some good guidance from tattooers I knew and lots of support from my partner Cait, she taught me a lot about drawing and I trust her eye more than anyone. People that changed the concept of tattooing for me would have to be Thomas Jeppe, Chris Simpson, Tessa Claire, Sera Helen, Kane Trubenbacher, Ichikawalee, Tranquil Top, Will Sheldon, Dead Bird Flying, JuJu..so many…I’m also really influenced by old production flash by Spaulding and Rogers,Tattoo Brand, Picture Machine etc.
How were you approached for the residency? Are residencies something you’re interested in doing in the future again? What does it entail? What would be your tips for any artists looking to exhibit publicly or to get a residency?
The residency I did was by application, i applied for it every year since 2005 and finally got it in 2013, i was very persistent, haha. Basically you get a large studio space to work in for a couple of years, it’s a motivating thing having all that space you might not ever get again, so i used my time there very wisely and it was an excellent experience. My advice would be to approach your application with the idea that you want to develop your work and you’ll need lots of nice documentation of your work. I’d love to do more in the future, there were a few I wanted to apply for in Europe but they may have to wait for now.
You’re an excellent drummer, what style of drumming would you look forward to if you were to form another band? Is there a type of music or genre you haven’t yet given a go that you’ve always wanted to try?
aw thanks, it was my first instrument so i’m really still drawn to it and would love to play drums in a band again. Tbh i think i’d love some kind of raw punk or hardcore group, it’s the most fun and would love to do a band where I don’t have to write any riffs or lyrics, just sit back on the drum stool. I’ve never played in a straight up Metal band that could be fun to try.
What are you hoping to achieve in the next 5 years?
To keep evolving as an artist and tattooer, to travel with Tattooing (if travel can be a thing again) I would really love to tour with TOL, to move further into the bush, stay sober ..it’s hard for me to think that far ahead!
Painted Wreath song here
TOL Last Grief song here
Lakes bandcamp here
Rath bandcamp here
Sean Bailey’s Daine Singer profile here
Verna Bloom Electronics 