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» Fighterpilot: Radelaide Rockers Fly High - February 7, 2008
Josh 'Chopper' Biggs, bassist for RADelaide rock band Fighterpilot took some time to spill beans with The Dwarf.
So, what was the process of making the new record, Silver Bullet, Plastic Gun like?
Long! We didn't record it all at once, it has been pieced together through several sessions over the last couple of years. Our guitarist
Matt Williams is the engineer at Fat Trax Studios here in Adelaide, so he engineered and mixed all the tracks. It's great for us, because he
cuts us a good deal, puts a lot of his own time into it and we communicate with him pretty well. On the downside we can't rag on him as much as we could if we hired someone - it's hard to be too critical when he's putting loads of time and effort in for free. But aside from some minor niggles we're extremely proud of the finished product and he's done a fantastic job.
You guys have allowed the album to be donwloaded free in its entirety from your website. Is this you embracing the iRevolution?
That's one way to put it I guess! The main reason behind this move is that we have seen too many bands (ourselves included) release CDs
independantly and go on to sell maybe 100 or 200 copies at gigs and local record stores, after which the thing fades into obscurity. Sure you might make a few hundred bucks but it's not really the payoff all that hard work deserves. As previously mentioned, we took our time recording the album and didn't have to invest that much money into the recording side, so we weren't under any pressure to recoup finances with album sales. This has allowed us to reach a wider audience by offering it for free and of course being online it's accessible worldwide. We put what money we had built up into publicity and internet advertising, and so far this plan seems to be paying off - we had 1000+ downloads in the first week and hits from 52 different countries. We've had enquiries from European radio stations and a bunch of press coverage and reviews so it's all going well so far. www.fighterpilot.net.au check it out!
Fighterpilot are launching SBPG on Jan 10. What can punters expect from a FP gig?
Well so far memorable moments have ranged from headbutting plantpots to threatening underage kids to collapsing in the middle of a show. And that's just our singer Boxy! But the one thing we guarantee is you will hear some hi-octane rock tunes delivered with passion and skill by some handsome and mostly hetero men.
Where to from here?
We are currently organising some shows in Victoria and will be gigging regularly in Adelaide as usual. We're also following up on some opportunities in Europe (Boxy is heading over there mid-jan) so we'll keep ya posted if anything exciting eventuates...
What do you love and hate about the Aussie music industry?
Love - erm... Australian Idol! No, to be brutally honest I don't think we have a lot to be thankful for over here. Most of the major radio stations suck (triple J is okay as long as you fit into their niche), major labels aren't interested in developing rock bands anymore and getting big crowds to up and coming original bands is a struggle on the whole. And in Adelaide it's even worse as most of the better labels, managers, etc are on the east coast. They even stopped giving out local music industry awards here a few years ago. Hmmm, that's a bit depressing, isn't it? On the bright side there's nothing like rocking a beer garden packed with your mates on a hot summer night.
What's for dinner?
I'll have to check with the serving wenches...I'll get back to you!
Fighterpilot launch Silver Bullet, Plastic Gun tomorrow night (Saturday Jan 10) at Jetty Bar in Adelaide with Incarnadine. And it's FREE!
