Interview: Tamala Park Book Club (Written)

Tamala Park Book Club, the rockers from West Australia, are gearing up to release their debut full-length album. We get to know them a little better in this interview.

1. Hello! Thank you for taking the time to chat to us. First things first, tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got started.

We are a visual rock band from Perth, Western Australia. On the guitars and bass we have Patrick and Craig. They’re also the lead singers in the band. Marcel is on the drums and also does a bit of singing too. Finally we have Dan who is the lead guitarist.

Patrick started it up by contacting Craig about his music interests and if he’d want to be in a band. We hit Dan up because he had previous history with Patrick, then found Marcel on one of the Perth music Facebook groups. This is what started a very strong friendship which is seen in our stage presence and performance.

2. Someone comes to you and asks you to sum up what kind of music you play – what do you tell them?

We’re “a bit of everything” rock, meaning we have songs spanning a lot of genres, from smooth Indie rock, to rock ballads. Our main style is punk with a focus on strong, distinct melodies.

3. What’s currently going on in your camp? New releases? Tours? Etc.

We are in the process of releasing an album. “Ginger” is our third single from the album and we will be releasing three more singles before the big debut! We’ll definitely get some shows to celebrate the release.

4. What has been the most positive experience of making music to date for you?

Playing out first gig was something special, the same goes for the second and third! It’s awesome being in front of a crowd. Getting our first EP out there was spectacular as well. Reaching a lot of people and knowing that they’re taking the time to listen to our songs is a surreal feeling.

5. Likewise, what has been some of the more challenging aspects and how have you overcome them?

Definitely getting shows has been the hardest part, but keeping up the messages to the local events managers has been something that keeps us in the public eye. Coming out of the covid era will hopefully bring new and exciting opportunities for us.

6. How do you handle the modern expectations of being in a band? Always online, having to put out content constantly, your success measured in likes and follows?

We try to focus on keeping it real and about our music. We incorporate a lot of skits and humour into our posts, especially on TikTok. But it is tough. Especially on our mental health. We just have to focus on the positives and ensure that the likes and follows doesn’t mean we don’t make bad music.

7. What’s something that really ‘grinds your gears’ about the industry/business these days and what would you propose is done to combat it?

I think the movement to streaming platforms has hurt a lot of artists in gaining traction. While it means more small artists can be “seen”, you need to pump money into promotion, playlisting and media that goes beyond the music and the album cover. Tiktok has changed the industry grately as well, with most of the trending songs on Spotify coming from tiktok trends. It’s hard for small bands to push through the noise of more established artists.

8. Speaking directly to listeners – what would you ask they do to help support your music?

We would love them to stream our new song “Ginger” on Spotify, call their local radio station (Australia can go straight to the big wigs in Triple J themselves) to play our song “Ginger”, and mostly come to any shows we put on!

9. Outside of the music, what’s do you do to relax?

Craig loves to read books, go for a run and drink copious amounts of bubble tea. Patrick is very much a homebody and will play with his cat! Marcel will be cooking up a storm and Dan will be doing some photography on the side.

10. Where can people find you?

Spotify | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok