Project Description
Interview with
TOMMY BOYCE
from
THE CASANOVAS
Interviewer – Dave Bruce
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“Like Jet on Viagra… only better” – NME
“The Casanovas give us their all – potent, filthy, rock n’ roll – hard, fast and smokin” – BEAT Magazine
“The Casanovas sit snugly amongst a new breed of Australian rock groups demanding attention on the world stage with their distinctive blend of guitar fuelled rock n’ roll” – The Music Network
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For any new fans, how did you meet and decide to become THE CASANOVAS?
The original line up of the band was my brother, Patrick, Jim Lewis and me. Patrick and I met Jim working out the back of a cake shop in 1992. Jimmy was already in a band called Red Shift and we recruited him to join us in 1999. Since then the line up has changed a few times; about 18 years ago Damo joined on bass and just in the last few months Brett has joined on drums. Damo and I knew Brett from around the traps – he was playing with The Pictures back in the days when we were just starting out too.
How would you describe your sound and why do you think people resonate with your music?
We’re a rock’n’roll band. People enjoy it because we’re authentic; we’ve never tried to follow fashion. We just do what we love and do it well.
Which music did you grow up listening to? How has it inspired you?
I grew up on rock’n’roll as did Damo and Brett. Early on for me it was all the classic rock stuff like KISS and AC/DC and then later on punk rock like Dictators, Stooges, Dead Boys etc. I still love it all and it still inspires me. I guess it’s pretty self evident in the way we sound.
Your new single ‘Hollywood Riot’ has just been released! Describe its origin and evolution.
Damo started writing this one and had the most of it down and I finished it off. His idea was to have a song in E that really explodes into the C chord in the chorus for dramatic effect. Lyrically it’s like a warning to young ladies hell bent of achieving fame in the city of angels and the kind of Faustian situations that arise from such scenarios.
Why has it been 4 years since your last release? Do you have any more new music in the works?
Things just move pretty slowly for us because we’re middle aged now and have to actually make a living too! We have a full album due for release early next year.
You have a couple of events coming up in Melbourne and Sydney in November. Have you played The Espy since the remodel? What can fans expect from these shows?
No it’s our first Espy gig and quite a few years. We’ll just be our high-energy, maximum rock’n’roll selves as always playing all the ‘hits’ plus a bunch of new songs from the new album. Very exciting for us to be debuting Wolfie on drums though.
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If you could perform with any music artist, Alive or Dead, who would you choose? And why?
I guess if I was alive I’d jam with the Rolling Stones… if I was dead I’d jam with Jimmy Hendrix.
What’s next for you in 2019? Do you have any longer-term aspirations?
The album is due for release early 2020 then we plan to tour Europe again in September that year too. That’s about all we know thus far.
After 20 years, it is obvious you like playing live. What is the best thing about performing to a live audience?
When you play to a live audience there’s a kind of feedback loop between you and the audience. You give to them, they give to you and you give to them some more and so on…. That kind of lifts you to a higher level musically sometimes. It’s a real thrill and so satisfying.
An Aria nomination in 2003 for “Best New Artist’ is an obvious highlight in your career. What are some others?
Stuff like that looks nice on the resume but it doesn’t mean much to me personally. Despite having played along side some of our heroes like Motorhead, Rose Tattoo etc, for me the greatest joy and highlights come from doing our own shows on our own tours. Europe in 2017 was so much fun, for example.
Finally, a few questions for some quick answers –
FAVOURITE:
Album – I can’t say…. One of them would be High Time by MC5.
Artist – Again, I don’t have one favourite. Black Sabbath are one of them.
Movie – King Of Comedy
Place to visit – Spain
Venue to play – The Tote
Food – Butter Chicken
Drink – Guiness
Person in History – Lao Tzu
Tattoo – (If you don’t have one, what would you get?) I have a few. I don’t really want more but if I had to get one it’d probably be some sort of Sacred Geometry design.
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Check out THE CASANOVAS below
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THE CASANOVAS release
‘HOLLYWOOD RIOT’
their first single in 4 years
+ SINGLE TOUR DATES
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Fully charged with the amplifiers set to max, The Casanovas make their highly anticipated return with high octane single ‘Hollywood Riot’ and two new live dates.
Premiered on the TheMusic.com.au yesterday, their first single in four years, ‘Hollywood Riot’ introduces The Casanovas’ trademark sound to new audiences and feeds the appetites of career-long fans. Heavy beats and intense rock harmonies fuse with high-charged riffs and power chords to create a sonic monument that is both nostalgic and futuristic at the same time.
Exploring the pitfalls of a young girl’s obsession with fame, and her induction into a dark and contrived world, bassist Damian Campbell explains the song can be interpreted in more than one way.
“Hollywood Riot has a double meaning; one is the riotous and glamorous party lifestyle that is promised, only to find it is not all what it seems. The other meaning is the notion to riot against the institution and those that have preyed on women to further their careers in Hollywood by sleazy Mr Big types.”
With over 20 years as Australian rock industry staples, The Casanovas’ career spans four albums and countless shows with some of the greats including Motorhead, The Darkness, The Black Crows, Airbourne and Redd Kross. The band also nearly walked away with an ARIA award in 2003 for ‘Best New Artist’ for their hit song ‘Shake It’. Always a festival favourite, the band have traversed stages at Big Day Out and Meredith as well as performing through New York, France, Italy, Spain, Germany and Japan.
Now in 2019 The Casanovas are back with their first new music in four years and are ready to show their fans what they’ve been up to. With even more music in 2020 and two shows announced across Sydney and Melbourne, stay tuned, the return of this great Australian rock trio will have you rioting for more.
‘Hollywood Riot’ is out everywhere now
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THE CASANOVAS
‘HOLLYWOOD RIOT’
SINGLE TOUR DATES
FRI 29 NOV | Espy Basement, MELBOURNE VIC
SAT 30 NOV | Frankies, SYDNEY NSW
FREE ENTRY
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