Groove Vultures, a self-produced garage rock band from Melbourne, blends metal, punk, ska, and grunge influences in their debut EP. Here's their story.
1. Can
you tell us about the formation of Groove Vultures? How did you all come
together as a band?
We were gradually pieced together over the course of around a year- it all
started with our drummer Harry who advertised for a guitarist- he tried out a
few and landed on our epic guitarist Tyler. They advertised for a bass player
online and met Matt who fit right in. A few months later they advertised for a
singer- I showed up with some material written to play some songs off the cuff,
and the Groove Vultures were born!
2. Your music blends garage rock with metal, punk, ska, and grunge
influences. How do you achieve this unique sound, and what inspired you to mix
these genres?
Each of us in the band have completely varied music tastes and background! We
didn’t want to be defined by a specific label or fill another bands template.
Our Guitarist and bass player love metal they bring that style heavily to our
writing process. Our drummer and audio engineer Harry has a wide range of
skills and influences but loves heavy rock and punk he brings elements of that
to his song writing. I myself (Shawn) I loved Sublime growing up and carry that
funky rhythm into my guitar playing and story driven lyrics. Somehow in between
all of that we mixed it all into a really energetic, groovy, heavy sound that
blends a whole heap of genres and becomes pretty hard to define! We are now
really starting grow into that sound as a group, we are excited to see where it
takes us.
3. Your debut EP features the track 'What Happened to Lucy,' which has
strong story-driven lyrics. Can you share the story behind this song and its
significance to the band?
Lucy is inspired by my experience as an Emergency doctor- though the character
is fictional, its my reflection on the experiences of so many people who have
fallen on hard times after years of alcohol and drug abuse, I found myself
wondering what their lives were like before and what they could have become,
and Lucy was born. Then the song really took on a life of its own!
4. 'Hang On' is described as a song about taking a leap and holding on for
dear life. What personal experiences or emotions influenced the creation of
this track?
I wrote Hang on riding my mountain bike! I love extreme sports, I spend all my
spare time on my bike, or ski’s, or wakeboarding, or surfing, anything to feel
that adrenaline rush. It’s truly a place of peace for me when there is nothing
else to think about except holding on for dear life and making sure you don’t
die. In that space is where hang on was born and the feeling of ecstasy of
feeling the fear, doing it anyway, and the release of endorphins when it all
pays off!
5. 'Thirsty' delves into themes of growing up and leaving youth behind. How
do you relate to these themes, and what message do you hope listeners take away
from this song?
All of us dread one day waking up and realising we are passed our prime. Some
days we wish we could drink from the fountain of youth. Thirsty is perhaps an
admission that despite drinking from the fountain we can never really stay
young forever and we all eventually come home thirsty. It talks about enjoying
time while your young and not being in too much of a hurry to grow up- it
inevitably happens no matter what you do. So I suppose I want listeners to make
the most of theirs lives every day while they can!
6. Your single 'Self Destruct' tackles self-doubt and negative self-talk.
How do you as a band address and overcome these challenges in your own lives?
I think making music is an incredibly vulnerable position to be in- you expose
your thoughts, you put your emotions out there for the world to see and decide
if they hold value- especially with social media these days that can be
daunting, and as a group each of us has definitely had doubts about ourselves,
our direction, our skills, our sound. Sometimes you can get yourself in a cycle
of anxiety and fear that makes you want to tear down the things you’ve worked
so hard for and sabotage yourself or “Self destruct”- purely because you
convince yourself with the negative thoughts. This song is supposed to be a
rallying call against the self destruction! A song to fight off the inner
demons and back yourself- as we all deserve a chance to be happy. When we feel
like throwing in the towel and blowing up everything we have worked for we just
remember this song and say- Hey F*#k you voices, we are doing just fine!
7. Being a self-produced band, what have been the biggest challenges and
rewards of handling your own production?
We are really lucky as a band. To have an audio engineer like Harry Marsh in
the band has allowed us to surmount so many of the challenged bands normally
face in self production. The main challenge from our perspective has been
trying to find what sound works for each individual, as we all have such a wide
range of influences. It's been a learning experience to see where everyone's
strengths are, and how to capitalise on those strengths for our future work.
The reward has really been in the learning process- we learnt a lot during EP
recording and despite that have had an unbelievable reception so far. But you
can be certain our next couple of songs are going to take everything we have
learnt and turn it up to 11.
8. How do you feel about the reception of your debut EP so far, and what has
been the most memorable feedback you've received from fans or critics?
The reception has been unbelievable- the more we get our music in front of
people the more we are spreading. We are still learning all the aspects of
promotion and distribution, currently our songs are really taking off online,
we are being flooded with playlists and articles, it’s quite hard to pick a
single best piece of feedback- but I think that in itself is the best thing;
that there has been lots of great feedback!
9. You mentioned that you have two more singles currently in recording. Can you give us a sneak peek into what we can expect from these upcoming releases?
They are my 2 favourite songs we currently play! We are all really excited to record these 2 tracks. Our you tube channel has live performances of both these songs- Fly trap love, and message through time. Fly trap is another dark love story, while message through time is exactly that- a message though time we wish we could tell our younger selves. I think audiences will really love these tracks.
10. Melbourne has a vibrant music scene. How has the local scene influenced your music and your journey as a band?
Melbourne’s music is scene is awesome. I think in a small town bands with a unique sound can struggle to find audiences without playing covers at the local pub. The music scene here is so diverse bands with unique sounds can play in all sorts of venues, build their sound, their stage craft, and build an audience. Its really unique and has been pivotal in allowing us to develop to where we are now. There is a strong community that supports each other- from bands all supporting each other to pages like “Melbourne musicians” which bring together so many people from the city who love music. They’re doing awesome work. We love Melbourne, and we love the Melbourne music scene.
11. What are your plans for the near future in terms of live performances, tours, or further music releases?
Right now we are currently taking a few months off actively gigging- we had a super busy first 6 months of the year with shows every other week and now are taking time to focus on recording our next 2 tracks, and writing our album! So no big news on upcoming gigs just yet, but expect plenty more live shows and brand new tunes over summer!
12. Finally, what advice would you give to other aspiring musicians who are trying to carve out their own path in the music industry?
We are so new to the industry I don’t really feel qualified to be giving any advice!
If we had to give some advice to those who want to make music it’s this: Never stop playing, don’t let others discourage you from making YOUR music, never let anyone box you in and make you fit a mould, let yourself be weird, embrace YOUR vibe, do what makes you happy, stay true to yourself, be kind to those you meet, and eventually you'll find like minded folks, and there you'll thrive!
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