The Melbourne Pop Punk scene in Australia is thriving, being of the most prominent areas in the country and the home to bands such as The Playbook, Apart From This, and Up And Atom. I recently caught up with Pop Punk/Easycore locals, My Favourite Accident, right before their debut EP, Hometown Beatdown, was unleashed. If you're after a physical copy of the CD, make sure to stop by Big Cartel. Check out my interview below with Marky and Stoney where we talk about the band's story so far.
First and foremost… introductions.
Stoney: Today we are interviewing as a team, we are Marky and Stoney from My Favourite Accident.
So fill us in on the details; how did the band come together? Did you guys know each other before starting the band?
Marky: Basically James and myself have known each other since forever, we started jamming in high school to kill boredom then we both got into other bands that weren't working but where we met the other dudes. Then one day we just got together and started flopping out tunes.
Back in 2010 the band released a 3-song demo and the debut EP had been in the works for some time now. Having faced multiple hurdles, how do you feel about the band's overall progress to date?
Stoney: It was definitely frustrating prolonging the release of the EP but some things are just out of your control so you just roll with it the best you can. I think it's safe to say we're all super stoked to finally have it out for people to stick in their ear holes. It's definitely a weight off our shoulders which means we can now concentrate on writing some new tunes.
In July of 2011 the band travelled to Sydney and recorded the EP at Electric Sun Studios, which was then mixed in the US. Tell us about the experience and what it was like.
Marky: It was a great experience and a blast with the 4 best friends that anyone could have! We we're busting our asses recording with Shane with help from Dave and Chris Fa (The Mission In Motion) from Electric Sun Studios by day, and partying in by night with the old folks sharing our hotel! Being our first time recording an EP we found that we we're really cutting things close with time and nerf wars but all in all everything came together and it could not have turned out any better! Being in a different state we got to hang out with our boys from Soapbox Summer who got us a last minute spot on a show which pretty much topped it off.
The songs definitely show an array of influences, mixing the catchiness of '90s Pop Punk with the aggressiveness of bands like Four Year Strong. Is this the sound you guys always set out for, or did it evolve over time? What are some of your musical influences?
Stoney: We all love the styles and sounds of Four Year Strong, New Found Glory, A Day To Remember, Chunk! No, Captain Chunk!, and Hit The Lights and I guess we're trying to blend bits and pieces of all those bands to make something we can call our own.
A few new songs have also been released recently online - what have the responses to these been like so far?
Marky: The responses have been really good. I think taking our time, saving up and recording in a decent studio has really done us wonders.
Despite not having an official release out yet, the band appears to be really involved in the Melbourne Pop Punk scene. Have there been any shows that have stood out or were particularly special? What are your favourite songs to play?
Stoney: The Melbourne Pop Punk scene is really close, we're not just a bunch of bands but a bunch of mates that hang out and get drunk when not playing shows.
I think our favourite show would have been at Loophole, this small community centre that hosts all ages shows. There were like 8 or so bands and we were mates with basically all of them so it was one giant party. Things definitely got crazy, people were moshing on mattresses, throwing beach balls and doing human pyramids.
Two of our favourite songs to play are probably Have You Seen My Baseball? and You're Gonna Get A Bloggin'.
What would you say is your favourite part of being in My Favourite Accident?
Marky: Being in a band with friends is the best part and being able to hang out and kill guys or zombies on call of duty is awesome.
Aside from releasing the EP, what else do you guys have planned for the rest of the year? Have you been working on any new material?
Stoney: We have our official EP launch on the 21st of July then we're super keen to tee up some interstate tours. New material is also on the cards, hopefully we can smash out another EP in the near future.
Thanks for doing this, do you have any last words?
Marky: Thanks for taking the time to have a chat and listen to our tunes, hopefully you dig them and party on!
Interview by Mario Parra
Exclusive: Life On The Sideline EP announcement, music video premiere
Since releasing Honesty Is A Dying Breed two years ago, Life On The Sideline has remained active on the road and is now ready to unveil its upcoming EP, Never Settle. To kick things off, we're premiering the music video for the band's new single, "Echo", which tells the sad story of a young girl reminiscing times spent with her deceased partner. While not a pop punk song per se, it's as catchy as one with an infectious chorus that you'll inevitably get stuck in your head. The band's sound could be compared to that of Transit's and The Early November's. Fans can pre-order the EP on iTunes and CD here, before it's released on June 7th. […]
