Marks talks to Brennan from Sisters Doll about the new CD plus we hear about their recent trip to the US and about being a band with a big sound from small town Western Australia.
Mark: For those who haven’t heard of you before tell us a little about the history of the band. How did you get together? What got you to where you are today? And how did you get so good, so young?!
Brennan: We are all brothers, so that made it easy, and I was in another band which folded unfortunately, I was the drummer and was learning to play the guitar, so when that happened me and my brothers used to jam and muck around and do Kiss covers! We were just doing it for fun, and then a gig came up that my band was supposed to play, but we didn’t end up doing it, and so we had to fill in and play about six songs, and that was the start of it! It’s fun playing with your brothers, and then we won a few band competitions. The first couple of years were a slow progression, we were still learning a few covers and then we got a few gigs, and then went on to a Western Australian tour, which was only three gigs, but at the time was a big deal. We’ve done the hard work and travelled 4 hours to play for like 4 people! So, we’ve worked hard and seem to be doing alright so far! We are having a good fun time!
Brennan: We started by listening to Kiss and stuff, that was our major influence. We can all play the drums because dad was a drummer; it was like the family instrument!! Of course we needed other instruments, so I went off to learn guitar as I was influenced by Ace Frehley. We never had lessons; we just went with what sounded alright.
Mark: We know our thoughts but how would you describe your sound to someone who had never heard you?
Brennan: We have been told by other people who we sound like, but to me we sound like Alice Cooper, other tracks on the album sound like Kiss, and a bit of Poison. There is some with a more modern feel, like the Foo Fighters.
Mark: You have a new album out. What can you tell us about the songs on there and what sort of listener is it targeted at? Do you have any particular favourite tracks?
Brennan: It’s hard because you get in the mood for different things! But, I think my overall favourite would have to be “Dollhouse”. I love the production and the way it came about, and of course the film clip really helped. A lot of people have loved “Lonely Room”, the slower one, but at the moment, “Loaded Gun” and the redone version of “Isabel”
Mark: The video to Dollhouse is great, and really showcases the band, and tells you what to expect, who made it – it looks great?
Brennan: Yeah, the film clip is a real good opener and everyone loved it. It was great because they really listened to what we wanted to do, and our vision was the same as the producers. We want to do at least another two videos to promote this album, and we’ve got some great ideas for the second album.
Mark: We’re glad to see you had a great time on your recent US trip. Is that the first time over and what did you set out to achieve?
Brennan: It was our first time over there and we just wanted overall exposure, really. We went over for the IS summit, for independent bands, it was like a big seminar with some big names speaking, like Bruce Kulick. We handed out CD’s and then we got to show case, we went dressed up as Glam every day, and everyone was looking at us funny, but we got a real good buzz! People were wondering when we were playing and they wanted to come and watch. We played to a big crowd and everyone got in to it. We wanted to get more exposure and make some great contacts. It turned out great, as we got a publicist, which we weren’t expecting so we just took every opportunity we could.
Mark: I bet you had a lot of great moments over there: can you tell us about some of the best ones and did you get to see or play with any great bands?
Brennan: Yeah, we supported Crashdiet at the Whiskey. We also supported Calabrese who are an all brother band and they have a big following, the Whiskey was packed that night. They have a Ramones sort of vibe, the Johnny Bravo sort of hair do’s!! We also went to see Kiss and Motley Crue which was a great experience. There was also a band called Snew and he’s actually a good friend now, he used to be in a band called Black Sheep, we played with them at the summit, so we played with some great bands.
Mark: What’s it like for a band from such an isolated city as Perth to be playing on the other side of the planet? When are you going back?
Brennan: We found it very hard, but a great experience. Because of our age, sometimes in Perth it’s hard to get in to a venue, but we live in a small country town and so it’s then a bit easier. To be playing in America was a dream come true, we never believed a band from Collie, could play at the Whiskey!! All the gigs we played were packed; it’s such a big population over there. Here we sometimes get a big crowd and others you don’t. Even, Perth, some Americans don’t know about, they only know Melbourne and Sydney!! But, it’s where you come from and you can’t help that, I guess!!
Mark: How would you describe the band’s live show?
Brennan: We are definitely a show!! All three of us dance, and our drummer throws sticks, constantly!! It’s definitely energetic, we like to put on a big spectacle. We want to be like Kiss or Motley Crue, Poison etc. It’s more of a show, we don’t just sit around playing a guitar! We are only a three piece, but we make up for it with our make up and costumes, and generally our look. We also have choreographed parts in our show as well, but every show is different, we just try and put on an old 80’s rock show!!
Mark: What are you listening to at the moment?
Brennan: I listen to all sorts of stuff, I like the newer stuff of today, but I always go back to the older stuff!! I’ve been listening to a lot of Budgie at the moment, my dad’s a big fan, and of course Kiss and Ace’s solo stuff.
Mark: What is the next step for the band? Getting that CD in front of as many people as possible and getting more exposure locally?
Brennan: Yeah, we are really promoting the album, and sistersdoll.com at the minute, that’s where we want everyone to go to get the album, so we haven’t put it on I tunes as yet. We are just trying to get our music out there, we’re doing a high school tour to promote young bands. It’s great as the whole school is there, we had about 300 kids at Collie at the gig, dancing and loving it. We are trying to build up a fan base really.
Mark: Where can people check out your music and keep in touch with the band?
Brennan: At the web site www.sistersdoll.com
Mark: If you could have been involved in the making of any single piece of music at any point in time what would it have been and why?
Brennan: I wish I could have been Kiss’s tour manager, back in the Love Gun era, where they had the big stage, with the massive steps, that would have been my dream.
Mark: What is the meaning of life?
Brennan: I think if you can imagine it, dream it, then one day you will become it! That’s what I live by!
