1. Growing Up
I grew up in Brunswick where my parents were incredibly supportive. I first learnt drums and then went on to learning to read music and guitar. We always had a piano in the house too, so I was trying to write songs from an early age. I used to put music to Shakespearean sonnets! My dad bought me a Fender amp and 1968 Telecaster and encouraged me to leave school and go professional.
2. Inspirations
My first records were The Beatles, and I haven’t stopped listening to them still. They are still the benchmark for all musicians, but the songwriter that inspired me was Pete Townshend. When I heard Quadrophenia, I flipped out! I felt he was writing what I was thinking.
3. Your Band
Taste got together when we were all around 16. Michael [Tortoni] and I were friends and found Virgil Donati. Even then he had quite a reputation as a drummer. He pushed us musically. We were a three-piece for quite a while until I met Joey [Amenta] in a music shop. He convinced Michael over the phone to let him join the band by playing and singing to him. We then gave him two Marshall stacks and went off to play Festival Hall for two nights before taking off on a three-month Arts Council tour of Australia.
4. The Music You Make
We grew up alongside Skyhooks, AC/DC and Dragon; Chisel and Midnight Oil weren’t too far behind. You had to be tough and good to win over those pub audiences. We were working six nights a week! This has stood us in good stead for our upcoming gigs. That chemistry still exists today, even with our new drummer Damian Corniola.
5. Music, Right Here, Right Now
The music scene at the moment seems to underbubbling with great new talent. I think bands are making a comeback. There’s always a circle that comes around. The last time was Nirvana. I think everyone is desperate for the next one. Everyone is sick of Auto-Tuned puppets! Our favourite at the moment is Robot Child (who are supporting us on our Melbourne shows).
The Best Of Taste Remasters is out now through GoSet; and Taste appear at theBridge Hotel, Roselle onSaturday November 28.
