Formidable Vegetable Sound System Kimchi Interview

Formidable Vegetable Sound System Kimchi Interview

Quite possibly the only band to promote the joys of gardening through dance music, Formidable Vegetable Sound System have today announced their quirky new single Kimchi, a potent yet tasty morsel that celebrates the fermented Korean cabbage. In addition to this, the group will release their boogie-inducing new album Grow Do It on September 2. To celebrate, the band will be hitting the road in their veggie oil-powered van to play some all ages shows, kicking off in Daylesford on September 2, moving through Castlemaine, Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Mount Gambier, Adelaide, Kalgoorlie and finishing up in Perth on October 2.

Explosive and irresitibly fun, Kimchi boasts a funky zest of cabbagy-swing, created through the perfect balance of acoustic and electronic dance influences. Featuring Charlie Mgee, Mal Webb (Lano and Woodley) as well as the biodynamic rhythms of legendary NZ drummer, Michael Barker (John Butler Trio/The Black Sorrows), Kimchi is the first taste of the delicious new album Grow Do It. Of the track, Mgee says, 'It's basically a recipe of how to make it yourself so that everyone can experience how awesome it is! The food-ninja challenge is getting past the smell, but once you've achieved that, everlasting deliciousness is your reward!"

The video for Kimchi is appropriately eccentric, featuring the fermenty-superhero -Kimchi Mgee' making kimchi from scratch, perfectly in time with the song. Directed by Kiran Wilson (Jasper Jones, These Final Hours), the vibrant clip also features zany animation by Daniel Fowler. Commenting on the creative clip, Mgee laughs, 'While filming the clip I ended up getting covered from head to toe in cabbage, radish and chilli sauce, which is not the most comfortable thing to wear on a 45-degree midsummer's day in Perth!"

If Kimchi is the entrée, Grow Do It is the undeniable main course. Eco-concious yet supremely joyous, Grow Do It features some seriously clever tunes that both kids and adults will cherish. Ideally listened to while doing the gardening, or preparing the fruits of your labour, the album features the hot and spicy beats of renowned Australian producer Spoonbill (DubFX & Opiuo). Thrilled to release the album, Mgee enthuses, 'I decided to write a kids album after our first world tour in 2013. I spent about a day in a little cabin in the bush near Woodburn in NSW recording silly rhymes about chickens, sweet potatoes and compost and then slowly turned them into songs. I wanted to make the songs sound super awesome so that everyone – kids and adults - could have a boogie!"

As a band that has served up sonic banquets at festivals and shows in over 14 countries, the members of Formidable Vegetable Sound System are no strangers to silver-service dance-party catering. Having performed everywhere from Glastonbury Festival to the local farmer's markets, the band are more than prepared to deliver on their Grow Do It album tour. Excited to be hitting the road in their environmentally friendly tour van, running on used oil sourced from various fish n chip shops on their journey, Mgee says, 'The shows will be full of the worlds' maddest chicken impersonations, hyperactive trombones, trumpets and violins, songs about dirt, eating weeds, recycling and lots of crazy dancing (on and off stage!)"

Stream single: KIMCHI                                      
Watch the video: KIMCHI                                              
Stream album: GROW DO IT

Formidable Vegetable Sound System -Grow Do It' Tour Dates

Fri 2 Sept | Daylesford Town Hall, Vic | All Ages | Tix At The Door http://bit.ly/FVSSDaylesford  
Sat 3 Sept | Theatre Royal, Castlemaine, Vic | All Ages | Tix At The Door
Fri 9 Sept | Camelot, Marrickville, Nsw | All Ages | Tix Camelotlounge.Com
Sat 10 Sept | Canberra Musicians Club, Act | All Ages | Tix At The Door
Sun 11 Sept | The Spotted Mallard, Brunswick, Vic | All Ages | Tix At The Door
Sat 17 Sept | Mt Gambier City Hall, Sa | All Ages | Tix At The Door
Sun 18 Sept | The Governor Hindmarsh, Adelaide, Sa | All Ages |Tix Thegov.Oztix.Com.Au | All Oztix Outlets

Wed Sep 21  |  Hannans Club, Kalgoorlie, Wa  |  All Ages | Tix  Hannansclub.Com.Au
Sun 2 Oct | Permafest - Swan Valley Adventure Centre, Perth, Wa | All Ages | Free Entry

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Interview with Charlie Mgee

Question: How would you describe your music?

Charlie Mgee: Eco-logical electro-uke funktronica!


Question: Can you tell us about what inspired the song, Kimchi?

Charlie Mgee: The fact that, deep down, all I really want to do is share the joys of Korean fermented cabbage with the world!


Question: How was it filming the video for Kimchi?

Charlie Mgee: Ridiculous! Also, ridiculously HOT! Not only was I covering myself from head to toe in radish and chilli sauce, but it also happened to be 47 degrees in Perth that day!


Question: What is the story behind the band's name?

Charlie Mgee: I came up with it on the spot as we were getting on stage for the first time. The MC asked what we were called and it hadn't occurred to me until that point to come up with a name!I Blurted out the first four words that came to my head. Unfortunately, it stuck!


Question: What should we expect from the upcoming tour?

Charlie Mgee: A gang of misfit musicians who's tour van exhaust smells like fish & chips rolling into your city chock full of ridiculous songs about vegetables, interpretive dance and chicken impersonations for kids and adults alike!


Question: Do you write your own songs? What's your inspiration?

Charlie Mgee: The main inspiration for our songs originally came from a permaculture course I did a few years ago. Permaculture is a kind of sustainable design philosophy that has some awesome solutions to things like climate-change, peak oil and the kind of economic shenanigans we're seeing all over the world today. I thought the ideas were too awesome to not get out there, so, as you do, I wrote songs about them!


Question: What music/artists do you listen to when you are not playing your own?

Charlie Mgee: Mostly the music of my friends! I'm lucky to know some amazingly talented peeps who play beautiful music such as Loren Kate, Harry Jakkamarra and Tinpan Orange.

Question: What's next? Tour/Album/Single?

Charlie Mgee: All of the above!! After launching the new Grow Do It album on Sept 2, we're hopefully going to start working on some ideas for a kids' TV show, so keep your eyes peeled!


Question: Was there a moment you contemplated throwing in the towel?

Charlie Mgee: There have been a few. Being on the road for three years was pretty full on. I'd only managed to keep still for a total of ten days (and that was for a vipassana meditation course!) But as with anything, you just have to stick at it, find a balance and the rewards eventually come!


Question: Do you prefer performing live or recording?

Charlie Mgee: Definitely performing, but recording can be fun too! We do most of our recordings in home-studios or in Mal's (our trumpet player's) kitchen, so it's pretty relaxed!


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

Charlie Mgee: Probably my parents. They are both musicians and I kind of just grew up around it.


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

Charlie Mgee: Not being able to stay in one place for an extended time. I think I'm a bit of a gypsy by nature, but being in a band that sings about gardening and putting your roots down, it's kind of frustrating not having a plot of soil of my own to get my hands dirty in! I just try and make the consolation that we're 'planting seeds into people's minds' instead and remembering that it'll change down the track!


Question: What's a typical day like?

Charlie Mgee: Wake up... check email... drink tea... email... noodle on the ukulele and play around with lyrics... email/Facebook... fill van with veggie oil and pack for gig... check email... play gig and check phone in breaks for any email/social media updates... go to bed... email...! There's a recurring theme in music!


Question: What has been your favourite part of becoming a music artist?

Charlie Mgee: Being able to connect with so many awesome people doing amazing things! Not only do we have a bunch of amazingly talented muso friends, but being in the permaculture scene means that we get to check out all kind of amazing projects that people have going on all over the world.... and eat some amazing homegrown food in the process!


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

Charlie Mgee: Alive or dead? If dead, it'd have to be Frank Zappa... that guy was a weirdo genius. But in reality, probably someone like Randy Newman. His lyrics are so quirky and full of innuendo... yet he gets gigs with Pixar! Winning!


Interview by Brooke Hunter