Band Interview: Poison Oak
Games, Brrraaains & A Head-Banging Life are pleased to bring you an interview with indie rockers, Poison Oak.
1. How did you get started as a band?
We started just as a casual jam between Ray, Russell and myself on a Saturday. Where I would share some of the songs I had written, and we would work on them. Soon after that, we decided to get a drummer and then soon after that we decided to record some songs. Then we started getting interested from different music companies. All these things that have slowly developed have been quite motivating for us to continue.
2. How would you describe your sound?
I would say indie rock, punk. However, sometimes we splash out with a blues sound in some tracks, and others we have a melodic ballad vibe.
3. What bands/artists would you say have influenced your style of music?
For myself I listen to a lot of Australian rock and artists including, Paul Kelly, Powderfinger, The Cure and Bright Eyes. Ray is quite into 90’s rock, grunge and punk including Violent Soho and Silversun Pickups. Russell listens to an array of different music including Frank Zappa and Orchestral Symphonies then to Tom Waits. Lachie is wide variation of music including Country as well as Maroon Five. While Chris at the moment has been listening to a lot of Green Day.
4. Has the rise of YouTube & music streaming helped or hindered you as a band?
Hmmm, hard one to say. I guess I can’t really answer this question because streaming does help getting your music out there into the public. However, back when record stores where the main source of obtaining music, people were much more eager to purchase music.
5. What do you enjoy doing when you’re not making music?
I play beach volley, I ride my bike and work building things for my garden. I also work as a High School Teacher.
6. What are your future plans musically? Tours?
At the moment, we are mainly focused on getting our next 6 track EP out. We are just putting on the final touches currently. Recently we have released the first single from the EP, “Waiting”. Our next single is Sarah which will be released in February, while the EP will out in March.