Ground Components - Just Another Night on this Long Old Road

“There's no-one in this country quite like The Ground Components.

At a time when every mainstream Aussie rock act seems to be kissing up to their shiny, sexy guitars, the Ground Components have gone their own way, with a greater emphasis on hard-edged, ranting vocals and retro keyboards.

Possessing an angular, discomforting sound that reminds you of those nightmares you had involving Syd Barrett, a giant washing machine, and something about the end of the world, the best thing about Ground Components is that they still rock without being all about the g-word.

Odds are you know the guys from their cryptic, blues-rock instant classic, 'On Your Living Room Floor'. The single is from 2006’s An Eye for a Brow, a Tooth for a Pick, a record that maintains its level of effortless cool while being decidedly indie-geeky; defying you to dance, albeit in a jerky, caffinated manner.

Today I'm talking to keyboard player Dallas Paxton. He is answering my questions tonight in a particularly succinct, snappy manner. When I ask him why he is attracted to old-school keyboard sounds, he answers, “My keyboard comes from my old school. It still says 'Kew High School' on the bottom. I bought it for $200 off my old music teacher, her name's Judy Bartosy, she plays great fiddle”. Hats off.

I try to throw him a curve ball - If their music was an animal, what would it be? “Maybe a donkey: goofy but serious, ugly but lovable. Similar to a horse but not a horse” says Paxton. Right then.

One gets the feeling that this is a tight-knit band, full of in-jokes and wisdom born from too many hours in a stuffy tour van on the road. When I quizzed Mr. Paxton on the significance of their album's title, I get the cryptic answer: “I feel that the point where the toothpick reaches the tooth and the eyebrow meets the eye is critical to all things”. I smell sleep deprivation in this one.

Of course, there are some ways in which the band is exactly like any other rock outfit in Australia. They are musically straight-forward (despite the wide array of instruments on record), are fans of the cover song (they’ve done Dylan, Cash, even Aretha), and of course, are Young Road Veterans.

“The pros [of going on the road] are having adventures with your friends and meeting new people” says Dallas. “The cons are the long drives and packing up gear at the end of the nights”.

The band scored the coveted support slot with Muse this year. How was that experience? “I did get to meet them at some of the Big Day Out after-parties. They seem like good guys” but, he hastens to add, “Doing those huge tours makes playing music feel like a job. I prefer doing our own tours where we can hang out and do what we want”.

It was on one such tour through the U.S. with Macromantics that spawned the their collaboration, which culminated with the single 'Coming in From All Angles'.

Dallas explains “She had been a friend of ours for quite a while before the recording, but the idea of doing the song came about when we were both in Austin, Texas and a middle-aged woman with peroxided hair saw us both play - she said in her strong southern accent 'Y'all should do a song together.' So we did”.

The band has also played a selection of festivals since their inception. “I like weekend festivals where you stay the night” Dallas reveals, “Like Meredith Music Festival. Day festivals aren't nearly as fun. Everyone knows the freaks come out at night...”

The band are currently cutting a swathe through a bunch of new tour dates on their 'Hands in the Air' tour, which runs up and down the east coast with stopovers in Perth and Hobart. When asked what we, the humble listening public, can expect from a show, he answers simply, “Male egos competing with each other. Sloppy Enthusiasm”.

Yes, despite their retro/bluesy leanings, it seems Ground Components are a typical Aussie Rock Band after all.

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