Perth band Gasoline Inc relocated to Melbourne earlier this year to try their luck in what is affectionately known as the “rock n roll capital of Australia.” I managed to pin Gab down on the eve of the band relaunching their website – and they’re throwing fans a free MP3 download while they’re at it. Read on…
Shane – G’day Gab – thanks for talking to The Rockpit!
Gab – Always a pleasure. Thanks for having us on The Rockpit!
S – How are the band settling in to Melbourne?
G – It took us a little while to get settled, to find houses, a source of income and just generally get comfortable in a new town. But we’re up and running now and are really excited about being here. We’ve been getting out and seeing some great local bands, there’s plenty of rock in this town and we’re loving it!
S – What’s the biggest difference in the music scene in Melbourne compared to Perth?
G – There are way more venues that support original music and it is part of the culture to go out and see original bands. Not saying this doesn’t happen in Perth, but Melbourne is ready to rock 7 days a week with many different options available on any given night. This is a great thing for bands that want to get noticed, and also for music lovers who simply want to go out and enjoy live original music.
S – You moved over without co-founder and lead guitarist Andro – how was it playing your first gig without him on stage with you?
G – The first couple of shows felt really strange not having the leather pants on stage! It wasn’t until our third show that we started feeling comfortable without him there. Andro had such an awesome presence on stage and was such a great player and performer that it’s not something you can just replace. Our sound has evolved as a result.
S – What’s Andro doing now? Is he still helping with songwriting, setting up a new band…?
G – Andro will always be a rocker at heart but he made the admirable decision to be a dedicated single father of four – which we all respect. We miss him but we are all still mates and stay in touch regularly.
S – I hear keyboard player Mili has left the band too – what was the story there?
G – There are lines within bands and friendships that you don’t cross and Mili decided to take up athletics and triple jump over it. We’ll leave it at that.
S – Do you have a replacement or relacements lined up for them both?
G – We’re going through auditions but aren’t exactly sure what it is we need. We feel like we need another instrument to give more depth to our live sound so we are trying out a number of musicians: guitarists, keyboardists, rusty trombonists…
S – You’ve recently been recording – is this for an album or EP?
G – We have been recording demos for pre-production which will serve as the basis for our debut album…..which we are aiming to release next year.
S – Can you give long time fans an idea of the songs you’ve recorded – old tracks they may know from live shows, or is it a brand new batch?
G – They are all new songs apart from a couple of old favourites – one of which is “Shedding My Skin” that we are giving away to coincide with the launch of our new website which goes live on Saturday 23 July. People simply need to go to www.gasolineinc.com.au and follow the link to the free download. We chose ‘Shedding My Skin’ as the track to give away because it is an old favourite and the title really sums up the transition the band has recently made.
S – And what delights does the new website have in store?
G – The website will be updated with new photos, new logo – all round new look! From here on the website will constantly evolve with us. We are planning to make it more interactive beginning with our “backstage area” which will provide our fans with behind the scenes look at the band in action as well as some extra goodies!
S – What’s next for Gasoline Inc?
G – We have a run of shows coming up throughout Melbourne over the next few months starting with a show at The Royal Melbourne Hotel on Saturday July 23. There is also a chance we may be back in Perth for a show or two later in the year.
S – What do you think you’d be doing if you weren’t a muso, Gab?
G – Sex and drugs!
S – If you could have been involved in the writing and recording of one song or album from throughout history, what would it have been?
Jason – Dark Side of the Moon (Pink Floyd)
Soof – Graceland (Paul Simon)
Les – Hysteria (Def Leppard)
Gab – A Night at the Opera (Queen)
S – And finally mate – what, for you, is the meaning of life?
G – Every rose has its thorn, just like very night has its dawn, just like every cowboy sings a sad, sad song… or is it 42?
S – Thanks again for your time dude and all the best with the new website – I’ll be looking forward to getting the new track!!
G – Thank you Shane and thank you to The Rockpit for being a true crusader for the gift that is Rock!!
