Fire Underground - The temperature is rising above AND below
Daniel from Melbourne trio Fire Underground took time out to let us in on the secret to enjoying music. In a world gone crazy where kids are force fed on robotic idols and mainstream gruel, it's so refreshing to know that FU (yes it's a great abbreviation) are simply doing what they love and making it sound so much goddamn fun in doing it! I'm not going to pigeon hole Fire Underground into any genre as they are very much their own band but the interesting part about their style is simply this - nobody else is out there doing it quite like this and quite this good. Here is what the multi instrumentalist had to say to The Dwarf (by the way, some of those multi talents include lead guitar, lead clarinet and piano - must be something special in the water down in old Melbourne - town - if you live there, drink up and feel the difference)
Over to the main man Daniel of Fire Underground.
The Dwarf: Fire Underground seems to be quite an apt name as there is a swelling interest burning up the ground for you guys. What is the secret to keeping the momentum going in the music biz?
Daniel:Play music you love, try not to worry too much about what’s ahead, just enjoy and appreciate every opportunity you get.
The Dwarf: The tour last year through Europe and North America must have been a positive experience as you’ve recently added Ben Hall as your bass player. Recording another EP is on the agenda but what other things have FU got bubbling away on the stove?
D:I’ve been writing some acoustic stuff, and we’ve been working on a couple of brand new Fire Underground songs where I’m playing piano, which is sounding awesome. Apart from that we’re playing shows almost every week, that’s the most fun part.
The Dwarf: Many bands find the grind of being on the road an inhibitor to the song writing process. How did your epic tour affect your creativeness as I have a sneaking suspicion that you guys are bursting to record some new stuff?
D:Yeah I understand now how a lot of bands say they don’t write on tour, we didn’t have a chance at all while we were overseas, we were either traveling or playing or sleeping mostly, but I think having time away from home and playing the same songs for a while gets you itching to start writing and recording again for sure.
The Dwarf: The Beatles famously used clarinet on ‘When I’m 64’, Frank Zappa on numerous albums including Hot Rats, Ben Harper on ‘Suzie Blue’ and Prog Rockers such as Roy Wood from the original ELO and Keith Gemmell from Audience play clarinets on most of their recordings. Not many implement the clarinet full time and FU use it more like Benny Goodman swing style which is punchy, frenetic and very different to those above (and very cool too). Have you considered varying this by writing any slower songs?
D:Yeah I find it so interesting to think that the clarinet used to be this cool instrument in the 30s, rather than everyone wanting to play guitar to be like their heroes they wanted to play clarinet like Benny Goodman or Artie Shaw. I’d love to try clarinet over some more laid back percussive beats like bongos or over some laid back piano, or even faster tempo piano stuff a like Ray Charles or The Coasters. It’s gonna be really fun to experiment with that stuff when we write our album.
The Dwarf: With clarinets being commonly B flat instruments, has this presented any transposing arrangement type difficulties with Ben your new bass player?
D:I’m actually not sure! But as far as I know it’s all good, it’s in a key that’s easy to play on both clarinet and guitar.
The Dwarf: Lyrically there is a very Australian sound coming across in your recordings. The topics are universal which would seem to be a smart move in marketing your music to all audiences. How much thought do you give to marketing your product in this consumer indulgent world gone mad?
D:We don’t really think about it, the songs mostly fit one criteria which is being fun to play, if we feel something from a song or it makes us wanna move when we’re jamming on it at rehearsal we know it’ll transcend to work well in a live setting.
You’ve been compared to contemporaries such as White Stripes, Black Keys and I can even see similarities from early Marc Bolan through to The Living End and the Vasco Era. Is this flattering or distracting as FU are quite unique?
D:It doesn’t really bother us. I think there are enough different influences coming through in our music to say we sound like any one band.
The Dwarf: What are you guys listening to at the moment and is there a must have CD that you take with you on the road or a special song that pumps you up pre-show?
D: There’s always heaps of different stuff, lately I’ve been loving the new Something with Numbers, Dukes of Windsor, Outkast, My Chemical Romance, John Legend and old Smashing Pumpkins. But one that is always comes on trips with me since I was about 12 is Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Blood Sugar Sex Magik, which is my favourite record ever, never gets old. Whenever we’re driving to Sydney or Brisbane our favourites are mix CDs with stuff like Prince, NERD, Slayer, Tool, Van Halen, The Darkness, Ben Folds Five and Underworld.
The Dwarf: Having your song 'Chase Scene' used for the theme music for ‘On the Couch’ must have been a big thrill. How did this come about?
D:Yeah it was great, we get a lot of people telling us they heard it on the show and recognized it but couldn’t quite place it. We were in touch with Deb who presents On The Couch in the pre-production stage to play a live set on the show, and when they heard our EP they thought 'Chase Scene' would be perfect for the intro.
The Dwarf: Your live shows have received some awesome reviews. Your energy is getting quite a reputation so are there any plans to record a live EP or album at any stage or even better, a live DVD?
D:Funny you should ask! Our friend is actually putting together a live DVD she shot for us in December last year, one of our first shows with Ben on bass, so it’s half a set as our old two piece style. Initially we’re only going to press up a small number of copies to sell at shows. It’s going to have extra footage of our overseas tour as well, and will be ready in time for Pushover.
The Dwarf: It seems that tribute albums are growing in popularity. Last year we had Hoodoo Gurus Stone Age Cameos and this year we have Kev Carmody and Cold Chisel tributes coming. What would be the dream/fantasy tribute album you’d sell your mother for just to be a part of. What song would you like to do and why?
D:Something by Chuck Berry! Like, 'You Never Can Tell' or 'Maybelline', because they’re great songs and Chuck Berry is the man.
So there you have it. Could music, life and happiness be as easy as a 1-2-3-4? Well if you've really had it up to your proverbials with the mass produced rubbish out there in the commercial world we live in, then you better open up your eyes, your ears and finally open up your mouth, say "aaahhhh" and get a dose of Fire Underground and you'll feel instant relief from your dreary existence. They've got great tunes, a positive attitude to everything and their music gives more variety than a schizophrenic on red cordial. Visit their website, their myspace and make friends with Daniel, Doyle and Ben today. Finally, if you get a chance to see them live, you better or else you're crazy mad loco in the coco-nutz. One day you might just be able to tell your grandkids that you saw FU before they cracked the big time. Go on - do it for the grandkids.
Catch Fire Underground at Pushover, Saturday, March 10th, Docklands Melbourne!
