Attonbitus This Is The Tale Of Muddy Balls Interview

Adelaide Freakers otherwise known as Attionbitus

The Adelaide freakers otherwise known as Attionbitus are back with the new single 'This Is The Tale Of Muddy Balls' from their forthcoming second album (Some of us might Die).

Attionbitus met whilst studying at the Conservatorium of Adelaide University and since then have been meshing and wrangling their own spin on Art Rock.

Led by singer-songwriter-guitarist Michael Brigante, Attonbitus fuses music and poetry to create a compelling live experience. Band members Shivon Diana (bassist) and Alex Walendy (drummer) drive the group through groovy alternative bass melodies complemented with clean-cut drum beats hinting undertones in prog, grunge, and reggae.

'This Is The Tale Of Muddy Balls' is the first slab of music since the release of debut album 'David Street' in 2018.

This is the tale of muddy balls is the first track on the lead up to a concept album. It is about a post-apocalyptic mutant who before WW3 was a pharmacist working in his lab. After the bombs dropped he was radiated, overdoses on the substances he was working on and dies. 50 years later he comes back to life and now has the ability to sweat out LSD, sneeze scopolamine and drools heroin. He believes that when he overdosed he was set free, so now he wants to set everyone free.

"This Brittle smirk is just a reactive twitch for feeling tickety boo, and if you were to be so kind to offer me the satisfaction in satisfying you, why don't you get a little high, you'll never know; some of us might die" - Michael Brigante

Attionbitus continue to do things their own way with a sonic mesh that sits somewhere in between Primus, Mr Bungle whilst crashing Peter Tosh's party!

Interview with Shivon Diana

Question: How would you describe your music?

Shivon Diana: I'd describe our music in Attonbitus as a mix between alternative rock and grunge with reggae undertones - especially in our older music. There is sometimes a psychedelic flare to our music when we perform breakdowns in our live shows.


Question: Can you tell us about This Is The Tale Of Muddy Balls?

Shivon Diana: Our guitarist, Michael, is immensely creative and is beginning to write his music with a cinematic vision. This is the Tale of Muddy Balls is part of a concept album that follows a few different characters in their efforts to deal with a fictional apocalypse after World War III. The nuclear fall-out occurs at a time where a scientist is working in his lab, and the explosion causes the lab's chemicals to fuse with the scientist's body. He dies but then reawakens into the story's antagonist - Muddy Balls. He has dark powers and he seeps Heroin from his skin. Upon touching others, he affects them in ways unknown! That's the song's concept, and when Michael brought the guitar riff to band practice, I knew none of that and just played along with a deep driving baseline, and our drummer laid down some hard half-time shuffles to make it sound like the cool dark song it's become! We think the music matches the song's narrative well!


Question: Do you prefer performing live or recording?

Shivon Diana: There are certainly perks to both but if I had to choose I'd say performing live. Nothing beats the feeling of playing your music live on stage beside your bandmates and to a crowd who are connecting with you through your music and your expression. It's always an unpredictable experience and the adrenaline is such an adventurous feeling.


Question: Which is your favourite song to perform live and why?

Shivon Diana: I actually love performing all the songs live but again, if I had to choose one it would probably be Some of Us. It was the song I hated most when Michael initially brought it to band practice, but I made a bass line for it that is extremely fun to play and we worked on the song so much together that it feels like the perfect consequence of both our minds put together. Now the song is nostalgic to me so every time I play it live, I really feel it.


Question: If you could have anyone, in the world, attend a show, who would it be?

Shivon Diana: Back in 2011, I went to a gig in New York and met a girl who has Scleroderma. I have followed her on instagram ever since and she is a really inspiring woman and has used social media to raise awareness about Scleroderma. She loves dark rock music and music nostalgic of the 80s and 90s and I always wonder whether she'd be into my band. I would really love it if she could attend one of our shows in the future.


Question: What motivates you most when writing music?

Shivon Diana: Often I get really motivated to write music when I hear a song that moves me. Although whilst I'm writing music, I'm usually motivated by the fact that I'm making it in a jam-room with someone I connect to artistically, and I'm motivated when the music we're playing and the ideas we have all fall into place.


Question: Which music/artists are you currently listening to?

Shivon Diana: Apart from listening to Greek music (that's a constant for me), I am listening Tool, Radiohead, Porcupine Tree, Jill Scott and 90s angsty music!

Question: What or who was your inspiration to go into the music industry?

Shivon Diana: I've always wanted to be in entertainment because I love entertaining people... so I would say it was just always an innate desire of mine to be a musician. I'd always pretend I was in a famous band and record my own personal "rockumentaries".


Question: If you could collaborate with another artist, who would it be?

Shivon Diana: Ooo that's a hard one. I'd say Steve Wilson from Porcupine Tree because he has written some of my most favourite music but I also love the quality of his recording productions... so I feel like collaborating with him would be quite inspiring and educational.


Question: What is the biggest challenge you have faced along the way to your musical success?

Shivon Diana: Doing everything DIY in music. Juggling a career, having responsibilities within a Greek family and playing in multiple bands is all quite tricky especially when you consider the magnitude of work involved with directing your own original music projects. I have dedicated a lot of my life to it so I have spent countless hours and days practicing and working on my craft. It's been a lot of work but it's totally worth it.


Question: What's a typical day like?

Shivon Diana: I have very a-typical days... but a typical day looks like this. I wake up, go to school and teach Greek with a musical flare, make some kids laugh, forget my lunch at home and consequently run to the shops in my lunch break, do some extra work and planning for consecutive lessons after school, go past mums and dads house with the whole family for food, come back home and do chores and prep lunch and have some sort of band practice in between, then have a someone pop in for a visit, then a short session of watching a brain-dead nostalgic series like Dawson's Creek with my fiance and go to bed! It's the domestic life and it's pretty great.


Question: What has been your favourite part of becoming a music artist?
Shivon Diana: Making music that I love and having the opportunity to mature and learn about the world through touring my original music in dirty/dingy pubs around Australia. I have met people from all walks of the earth and I have had some of the most fun/funniest memories because of these experiences.


Question: Can you share your socials?

Shivon Diana: @attonbitus
www.facebook.com/attonbitus/
Spotify


Interview by Brooke Hunter