Mark talks to Alex Macrae from Sons Of Rico about all the latest with the band.
Mark: Hi, Alex, first of all let me say that “You Don’t Know What You’re Missing” is a fantastic song! I love it! Where have you guys been hiding, or am I just not cool enough to know about you!!
Alex: Yeah, we are very aware that we have been sort of hiding! Unintentionally, of course, we don’t want to be hiding all the time! We have been out of action, and certainly off the gig scene this year, mostly because we’ve been recording. So, myself and Adam, moved to Brisbane to work on this record earlier this year, and so now it’s all done and we have this new single out, and we are now going to be touring that, starting from this weekend really.
Mark: So, are you all Perth locals?
Alex: Yeah, not so much locals any more, we are all over the shop at the moment. I’m currently living in Brisbane, and so is Adam, the drummer. But, we are all Perth natives.
Mark: People tell me all the time that we make the best music here in Perth, but then everyone ups and leaves!!
Alex: It does seem that way. We all love Perth, but sometimes, it’s actually for touring, I mean even if the band don’t leave to go and live somewhere else, they absolutely have to tour over east, because the fact remains that the population is more prosperous, and it’s unfortunate that we are so far away here in Perth.
Mark: It is and I think in some ways the isolation creates great music, and we’ve always had a lively music scene, but you are right to be able to take that next step you have to move.
Alex: It is interesting, the whole isolation thing, and everyone’s got there own take on why there are so many great bands from here, but it’s still something I’m not quite sure about myself! But, I think you are right, the isolation, does sort of contribute to it.
Mark: So, tell us about the dates you are playing with The Living End, which I guess is the big news for us here in Perth. You are hitting The Rosemount, with those guys for three nights.
Alex: Yes, it’s amazing, just thinking about being back in high school and listening to those guys then, and seeing them at all the festivals and things, and now we are all hanging out in the band room and sharing the same stage, it’s crazy! We are playing Thursday through to Saturday there.
Mark: I must admit when I heard from your publicist, I thought I’d put it in the “play later” file, but it’s a sign of a good publicist when the keep badgering you to listen to your song. So, when I heard “You Don’t Know What You’re Missing”, I thought that is a hell of a song! Are there any more like that on the album? It really is a “retro” song that could have been recorded any time between 1975 and today, but in a good way. I think you might have recorded a classic!
Alex: People do see the word “retro” as a bit of a dirty word. The fact is that it does remind people a lot of music from times gone by. People who have listened to it on the radio and have commented, have said that it has a real “glam rock” kind of vibe. My influences do come from the sixties and seventies; I can’t escape them because I grew up with them.
Mark: What sort of bands were you listening to then? Were you a fan of T Rex?
Alex: Yeah, T Rex, the Electric Light Orchestra and David Bowie. I sort of discovered them when I was in my early twenties, I guess. When I was growing up, I would become obsessed with one Beatles compilation CD or like one Simon and Garfunkle or something.
Mark: It’s funny you should mention ELO, as one of my next interviews is with Jeff Lynn! He’s just redone the ELO Greatest Hits, and re-recorded everything and it sounds really good. He’s also released a CD of covers as well.
Alex: Great, Jeff Lynn is definitely an idol of mine, he just seems to have been working so hard for so long, and he seems so passionate and has a great sense of melody, it is so timeless.
Mark: Tell us a little bit about the album, that’s going to be coming out; is it in a similar vein to this sort of thing? Is it all up tempo?
Alex: It is, the first record we did a couple of years ago has a couple of up tempo songs, and I kind of learnt from that how well they did, and how much audiences responded to those. I’m still proud of the rest of the record, but this time round I made a conscious decision to have a bit more energy and a bit more fun. I think “You Don’t Know What You’re missing” is a bit more unashamedly glam rock, and I like to think the others are a bit better crafted, (not that this one isn’t). But, I think the album coming out next year will be a bit more varied, I don’t think you’ll find two songs that are too similar.
Mark; I think you are also back in Perth on the 23rd of November, playing The Rosie again, but as your headlining show?
Alex: No, actually that’s Deep Sea Arcade, they’ll be headlining, and they are a great band.
Mark: Yeah, I’ll certainly try and get to that gig. Just a couple of quick questions to finish, and they are the ones we ask everyone. If you could have been involved in the creation of any piece of music, at any point in time, what would it have been and why?
Alex: Wow! I can’t really think of any one song in particular. Maybe, going back to The Beatles and the Sergeant Pepper album, that would have been incredible to watch come together, because of how innovative it was at the time, and it was also uncharted waters for them.
Mark: Finally, an easy one for you. What is the meaning of life?
Alex: Sex, Drugs and Rock ‘n’ Roll obviously!!
Mark: Thanks for taking the time to talk to us today, and hopefully we’ll catch up with you in Perth. Take care and good luck with the album.
Alex: Thanks mate, and hopefully if all goes well; we’ll be talking to you again.