INTERVIEWED FOR THE DWARF

Getting Back To Basics With Grinspoon…

“We’re not fucking Powderfinger, we’re not Coldplay. We’re Grinspoon and we should embrace the fact that that’s what we do and this is the kind of music we want to create.”

Grinspoon’s guitarist Pat Davern is pretty clear that the band’s new album Six To Midnight is the result of getting back to what they do best. “We’re more at peace with the fact that we’re a rock n roll band,” he says, making it clear that their dalliance with a more commercial sound didn’t sit comfortably with the 4 men from Lismore.

“We had that success with Chemical Heart, commercial radio success, and we weren’t going out and looking for that success with that song and album its just what came at the time. Then I think we probably got a little bit scared, we got into being successful and everything that goes along with that,” Davern admits, “We did definitely veer away from what we did best and what felt the most honest and right to us. With this album we are heading back in the right direction, we’ve kind of turned things around and realised who we are.”

This refocusing of the lens on their music first began to take shape in the wake of their last album Alibis And Other Lies and the lukewarm response it got from fans and critics. “Our last album was the least successful album we’ve done which was a shame for us because we’ve got pretty high standards, we really want to do good stuff and we really like people to like our music and that one wasn’t that well received. It was our last album for Universal so we wanted to think long and hard about what were going to do and where we were going and if we were going to keep doing,” explains Davern.

Writing for the new album was particularly fruitful but when it came to rehearsals for its recording tensions flared, culminating in a blowup between the musicians which, according to Davern, isn’t anything new. “We do that a lot, that was just a big one. We’re 4 different guys, there is no supreme leader in this band and we always try to come to some kind of agreement between all of us before we move forward on anything. Its 4 guys with 4 totally different personalities.”

Six To Midnight harks back to the rawness and big brash rock noise that Grinspoon did so well and much of the credit for this can go to producer Rick Will who pushed the band to record live in the studio with minimal overdubs. “He very much just wanted to capture what we’ve got and he made it sound really good. His skills were more making us believe in what we wanted to do was right and facilitating and giving us the confidence to do it,” says Davern. “Rick was like ‘guys you’ve built your whole career on being a live band, lets do a live record, just rock n roll tunes – honest, no bullshit – don’t take yourselves too seriously. Try and capture the kind of music you were doing when you first started.”

Out of those sessions came a revitalised sounding Grinspoon and a more varied vocal performance from Phil Jamieson. Davern attributes much of the improved singing to Jamieson’s healthier lifestyle. “This is the first record Phil’s done sober so I think that had a lot to do with it as well. He’s saying it seems easier but its probably because you’re not off your fucking face,” he laughs.

As the new record hits the shelves the band is anxious to see how the public reacts as that will determine their touring plans. “We are going to do as much as we possibly can, see how the album goes really. After Alibis didn’t go as well as we expected we really feel like we have to start again, not just for our fans but for our own good. We can’t just walk into the Hordern and think we’re going to sell it out. We want to try and build this record from the ground up, I think its much more of a fans record. Fingers crossed we can get onto the Big Day Out and then maybe our own tour around early March going everywhere we possibly can including overseas,” says Davern.

With a seemingly new lease on life and their flirtation with the trappings of the business behind them, the last word is left with Davern, summing up their state of mind and where they are heading as band. “If people don’t like the record I don’t really mind – and I know that’s a cliche to say that – but I don’t. I had a really good time making the record and I know I’m going to have an absolute ball playing it live.”