Audioscam BTD Artist Interview

 

I am so excited to interview Australia’s rockin band, Audioscam. Before we start this interview, can you guys go around the room and introduce each band member and who plays what?

My long term partner in music, Brad Wallace , plays bass , keyboards , guitar , and does some of the backing vocals. Jason Byrne plays guitar. I (Brian Pitcher) play drums , a little guitar , lead vocals and backing vocals.

I have been listening to your music, and you guys do rock, but who on the team rocks the most?

No pressure…lol! Be nice! LOL That’s easy ! Seeing as I’m answering the question and neither of the others are here to argue with me, I ROCK THE MOST ! Yea for me ! I’ll have to admit , Jason does rock big time . He’s got more Marshall amps than should be legally allowed , and he knows how to use them . I’ll have to give him credit though , he is one of the few guitar players I know who can get a great sound without being so loud that he damages your nervous system.

So let’s talk music. It sounds like someone really likes ABBA. Your band even went as far as to recording many of your own mixes of their music. Can you tell us more about this? What’s your favorite ABBA song? Which one is the most enjoyable to play live?

We used to get people calling out “play some Abba” at gigs. So, one night I said to the guys, OK , we’re going to learn an Abba song , but, I want to twist it a bit . We got in the rehearsal room and did Dancing Queen as though a heavy rock band like Deep Purple had written it. When we played it at the next gig , the crowd went nuts. I couldn’t believe the response. Anyway , one thing led to another , and we recorded ten demos in the same vein which then led to the ABBATTACK cd being released.
While I’ve never been an Abba fan as such , I am a fan of good song writing, and those guys definitely know how to write a song . What drove that home to me was the way the songs worked in a heavy rock format , as well as in their original form. Well written songs indeed. Being so close to them during the recording process makes it hard to pick a favourite, but Rock Me, Knowing Me Knowing You and Money Money Money (a subject dear to all of us) work really well live.

On the flip side, let’s talk about your music, your new single, Fast Eddy Jo Jo. That’s such a great song and video. I have to say the lyrics rock too. So this sparks many questions I want to ask… so here goes. Who wrote the song?

Jason wrote the music for that, and when he played it to us , I said to him “It sounds like a car race “ So, I wrote the lyrics with that in mind. I did deliberately write the lines “both boys loved Fat Bertha , she was the meanest girl in town. She stole their hearts in the wrecking yard when they tore Fat Bertha down” before letting the listener know that Fat Bertha was a car. I guess I’m a “Real Feminist” I believe that women can do anything they like. You don’t really need some organization telling you , yes, you can do that. Just go and do it !! I mean , there are men in the fashion industry , and that’s traditionally regarded as a female business. They just did it. I was hoping to get under a few peoples skin and get them upset about talking about a woman like that ,and then make them feel stupid by telling them it’s just two guys working on a car. Don’t jump to conclusions. It worked . When Brad first heard the lyrics he shot me a glance of “What” until the next line clarified who Fat Bertha was.

What’s the song about?

Jason and his brother Alex have rebuilt a beautiful XA Falcon . When I first saw it, my jaw just dropped. It’s mean , it’s fast , it’s gorgeous, it’s Fat Bertha. No deep and meaningful here. Just a story about two guys and one of the loves of their lives.

 

How did you come up with the title?
To be honest, it just popped into my head. I wish I could say it was a little more complicated than that , but , hey , sometimes that’s how it happens.

I love the album graphics, who came up with those?

A good friend of ours , Scott Lynch, does all of our artwork. He’s an absolute legend. We play the songs for him and he bounces ideas off us. It’s like he’s writing a part of the song. I believe that the artwork is that important. You see it, and it draws you into the song. Or not. How many times have you been flipping through vinyl albums or cd’s and been drawn to one because of the cover art ? It’s
very important. To us, Scotts a part of the band.

What’s your music life look like right now, with COVID-19? Is your band still getting together
and making more music? Are you using virtual tools to connect?

Where we live in North Queensland (the tropics) we’ve been very lucky. We’re a long way from everywhere, and while it’s stopped us from travelling overseas and to most of our major cities ,we haven’t been impacted as badly as a lot of the world. The biggest problem for us was that we wanted to come to the U.S.A. to promote this cd , and meet and thank so many people who’ve helped us .
We are able to get together, but gigs just stopped like hitting a brick wall. They’re starting to reopen now and should pick up over the next few months. Because Brad and I both have our own studios , we’ve never stopped recording .

Who are your music influences?

How much space have you got ? The Beatles , Rolling Stones, Deep Purple , Rush, Greenday, U2, Joe Walsh, The James Gang, Queen, Led Zepplin ,The Arc Angels, Gin Blossoms, Big Sugar, Free , ZZ Top,The Eels, Cream etc. etc. etc. Of course, Jimi Hendrix. There would not be a guitar player on the planet who hasn’t been influenced by Hendrix, directly or indirectly. And for me personally , most types of music as long as it’s In Tune and In Time.

Are there any new projects coming up that we should know about?

Fast Eddy & Jo-Jo is the first release from our new CD “Red Dirt Sky” (we live in the tropics, but out west of Cairns there are miles and miles of red dirt with a big blue sky that comes down to meet it. You’ll understand when you see the CD cover ) The next single will be “Put Those Guns Away” which is not going to endear me to your N.R.A. But , shit happens. Then the CD complete.
By then , hopefully some sort of touring will be ready to resume.

I have already stamped that you guys are a rockin band, but how would you describe your music
in ten words or less?

We’re a rock band with strong grooves, rhythm , and melody

Well we have come to the end of our interview. If there is anything else that I have missed, please feel free to share it now. Also, please let our listeners know where they can buy your
music.

I despise Pitch Fix , and Timing Correction Editing ! If I can’t reach a note, I’ll change it to one I can hit. If I wander too far from the groove, I’ll redo the whole track until I get one where I can listen to the drums on their own without grimacing. If anyone wants to check out our You Tube channel, everything we’ve done is there to see and listen to. All of our recordings are available on Amazon Downloads, I-Tunes , and most of the major download sites as well as on Spotify.
Keep it rockin!

T Dawn and BTD Radio Staff