Interview with Waterview

Interview with Waterview – by Beckylou in Sydney

Waterview are four hot young men from Port Stephens, Australia: Russell (bass, vocals), Justin (guitar, vocals), Mitch (guitar), and Nathan (drums).

Streamline of success stories: supporting act for some of Australia's top heavy rock bands like Behind Crimson Eyes and I Killed the Prom Queen; being thrown a spot in this year's massive festival line-up for ‘Come Together' in Sydney; topping national radio station Triple J's Unearthed Competition for the Punk genre and having an array of gigging history behind them. And this is just to name a few!

The right attitude and the right tunes – listen to DAYBREAK, it will blow you away. These blokes have it made: US-magazine Skratch thinks so highly of them, they appeared on one of the magazine's compilations. So, get your hot head on and tune into Waterview for some wicked memories! I grabbed Russell to hear what he had to say about their music and their dreams.

Beckylou: Describe your sound in five words.

Russell: Good. Great. Better. The Best. Maybe.

Beckylou: What influenced you to make music?

Russell: Other amazing musicians, our friends in great bands, just having music as such a big part of our lives. The fact that without music we'd all go insane, or be forced to actually grow up and act mature.

Beckylou: What influences your song content?

Russell: Lyric wise, it's what is going on in our individual lives at the time and the music is a natural extension of that.

Beckylou: What is your ultimate goal for your music?

Russell: To perform and have it heard all over the world. Playing our songs to people we've never met from places we've never been, and having them sing along and cheer, it's got to be the reason every band does what they do. It's amazing.

Beckylou: What is it like to be an unsigned band in Australia?

Russell: It's something. It's an important part of growing as a band, just like high-school or being a teenager, it's got to be done in order for you to progress anywhere. Although we are talking to Skull and Bones Records, we have been doing it ourselves for three years so we've definitely experienced the unsigned art of Australian rock.

Beckylou: What are the perks and the downs?

Russell: Being unsigned opens you to a lot of competitions and chances to expose your band. A lot of Internet sites and competitions are for unsigned bands only, so we've been able to use it to build up our profile quite well. The downs are not having the industry support we need to take our music to a wider audience quicker.

Beckylou: What does indieSolo mean to you?

Russell: Well, it's a step towards our goal of having our songs exposed on a global scale. It's a great way for bands that otherwise wouldn't see an opportunity like this in their lifetime, to have their band checked out by people on the other side of the world. It's a great idea. We're lucky enough to have a fair amount of fans online that have already showed a great interest in supporting us on our indieSolo day.

Beckylou: Name a memorable gig experience.

Russell: Come Together [Festival in Sydney 2007]. We won Triple J's Unearthed Competition to play there and it was amazing. We nearly didn't even make it out of Newcastle, our home city, because they had torrential rain and flooding. We got to Sydney eventually and the day was insane. First time in a venue that size and we all were really blown away. I don't think any of us will forget that weekend.

Beckylou: Ever caught something thrown at a gig?

Russell: When we supported Behind Crimson Eyes someone threw a huge pair of Ladies underpants at us, like those massive parachute ones you see in the old movies. Pretty sure they were soiled.

Beckylou: Which musician/s would you like to have a beer with?

Russell: Bands like Strung Out and Every Time I Die, bands we've looked up to all our lives and that are well known for being able to party. That being said the guys from Los Capitanes can party well, real well. And we'd love to drink with them again, and again… and again.

Beckylou: Monday Morning Madness - How do you cure your weekend hangovers?

Russell: Go to work and soldier on.

Beckylou: Which song would you love to cover?

Russell: Ain't Talkin' Bout Love – Van Halen

Beckylou: What was your worst day job?

Russell: I once worked about three days in this tiny café on a highway, the old lady that owned it was seriously crazy. I worked the three days and never came back. She was constantly talking to her animals and plants, more than she spoke to me.

Beckylou: Which city would be your ultimate gig destination?

Russell: Vegas.

Beckylou: First record/CD/tape ever bought?

Russell: CD: No Fun At All – Out of Bounds. Tape: Goldfinger – Goldfinger.

Beckylou: Any Last Words?

Russell: Just wanted to say thanks to all the people who have supported us online, we reply to all messages, and those who have bought our EP and attended our shows. The comments we get are inspiring. Keep it up and remember ‘Don't stop the rock until the walls collapse.'

-end

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