1.Growing Up
Mark Hillter: When I was six, my older cousin introduced me to alternative rock music via The Presidents Of The United States Of America. I’ve been terrified of cats ever since.
John Poseidon: I grew up in leafy Pymble playing guitar and drums in the garage loft, practising anything written by Dave Grohl. My older cousin was the one who finally got me drumming in his band when I was about 16 and I’ve played ever since.
2. Inspirations
MH: Ryan Jordan from Sydney band Vacant Field, and Charles Slessar, who’s no stranger to the Borneo stage, were my biggest inspirations to start writing music. Artists like Paul Kelly, Zack de la Rocha and Devo keep me doing it.
JP: I went through big phases of grunge and psych bands in my teens but my favourites were songwriters who wrote intricate and melodic songs: John Lennon, Elliott Smith, Daniel Johns and Kevin Parker have been the most consistent for me.
3.Your Band
MH: We formed back in 2012 to play a show at the Peats Ridge Festival. We’re all very much a part of the writing process and driven by the possibility of change and a belief that it’s the responsibility of artists to elevate the human spirit.
4.The Music You Make
MH: Our sound sits somewhere between fruity rock and sophisticated punk. We’re releasing our second single this week titled ‘Eating Animals’, which was produced by Phantastic Ferniture drummer Ryan Brennan. Beyond that, our debut EP is being prepped in the kitchen as we speak.
5.Music, Right Here, Right Now
JP: The best thing about the local Sydney scene is getting to know the other bands on the circuit. Our mates Swords are inspiring to watch; they are mad jazz-rock geniuses and have a really strong live show.
MH: The Sydney music scene is strong but can feel disconnected at times due to the city’s absurd geography. The lockout laws have galvanised people to protect culture and shone a light on Australia’s violence problems, but for Sydney to become a truly great place and build a great scene, we need to go back to the start of our story. People, music and culture have been oppressed in this city since 1788. It’s the role of our local artists to ignite these conversations of history so people have a chance to understand why people are still punching each other in 2016.
Borneo playMoonshine Bar, Hotel Steyne on Saturday February 27.
