Killing Heidi - Oct 2000
Riding on the success of their first two singles 'Weir' and 'Mascara' both from their debut album, 'Reflector', Ella and Jessie are as surprised as any of us when they look back on the last four years. Born in Violet Town, a small, otherwise uneventful kind of place, the sister-brother team first performed at a local arts festival and loved it so much they decided to form a band. The next thing they knew they were making film clips, releasing singles, appearing on TV, at the Aria's (Australian Record Industry Awards), winning their heat at the Triple J 'Unearthed' competition and performing at the Big Day Out. And now it seems that together with Adam Pedretti (drums) and Warren Jenkin (bass), the Hoopers are on their way to making Killing Heidi an international success.
Q: Hi guys, can you tell me about where you're from?
Jesse: Well, it's a little place called Violet Town half way between Melbourne and Albury. All the streets there were named after flowers, about 1000 people live there if you count all the surrounding areas.
Ella: It has enough people for a kindergarten and a primary school, but not a high school! That's in the next town up, Benalla.
Q: What was it like growing up there, were you happy, were you bored?
Ella: It was double edged, exactly like that.
Jesse: In some ways it was really good because we got a lot of time to write.
Q: When did you first write songs together?
Jesse: Well, Ella wrote the first song we ever had.
Ella: When we started writing, well when I did, at about twelve, Jesse had been playing the guitar since grade five, so I was just diddling around and I had come up with a few chords and wrote a song. After that, friends who were organising a local gig said "you guys should play, we've heard you sing and Jesse you can play the guitar, you guys should play together" and we were like, o.k. (scrunched up face) and that was the first time we played together as a band and that's when we came up with the name.
Jesse: We played 2 songs, ha!
Q: Have you always gotten along together well?
Ella: Well, I guess we had to hang out together a lot because of where we lived. It's been pretty good. It's hard being stuck there together a lot though!
Jesse: I think we fight as much as normal brothers and sisters do. Most of the time we get along really well but when we fight its major! It's stressful, not many brothers and sisters have to be on tour together and it gets intense.
Ella: Our band mates are getting used to it now too! They always break it up.
Q: Why did you decide to write songs?
Ella: I always loved writing and reading and I always thought if I don't do music, I'd love to be a writer.
Q: Did you write poetry?
Ella: No, not really. Lots of people say their songs turn from poetry to lyrics but I just write lyrics with the inspiration of something in my mind for a song.
Q: When you write do you have a specific message that you want to express or does it just come out?
Ella: Sometimes, like 'Mascara' is the perfect example. That was like 'oh my god the kettle in my head is boiling', it was hard to get it out lyrically. I wrote a little verse and sang along with my lyrics because that was getting it out. Then Jess came in and built the changes and added more sophisticated guitar.
Q: Is 'Mascara' an anti-fashion anthem?
Ella: It's about being at school and being labelled. It seems at 15 or 16 you have to wear who you are on the outside. My friends aren't like that. We're like - anything goes, I'll hang out with you for who you are not what you've got on.
Q: When did you realise that your sister was a genius?
Jesse: (laughs) Well yeah, I was shocked with what she came up with first off but I thought, well if she can do it so can I.
Ella: Yep and now Jesse has definitely got the musical department down. He's like the riff writer of the band. He writes the tunes and the grooves and I come along with the melodies.
Q: What do your parents think about your new lifestyle?
Ella: They're gorgeous. They love music and they love our music! They don't like it when we go on tour 'cause that means both their kids have gone!
Q: Did you both study music at school?
Jesse: Little bits and pieces in earlier years but I concentrated more on it for V.C.E.
Ella: I didn't study music at school. I made a conscious decision in year nine to keep it separate and I'm really not good at the technical side of music. I wanted to keep my approach totally unfiltered, quite raw.
Q: When did you realise you could sing?
Ella: Never!! Well I guess friends convinced me to get up there and sing because they liked it and no matter how my voice sounded they liked the songs and the way I sang them. I guess I'm pretty confident now!
Q: What kind of people are turning up at your gigs?
Jesse: At the under age gigs they're like 12 to 17. We are getting little girls and guys who are getting into music for the first time to almost adults - I guess I consider them adults at seventeen.
Ella: I can't even get into some of my own gigs!!
Jesse: At in-store signing's we are getting 40 year olds saying 'hey my kids love your music and so do I!'
Q: How would you describe your music?
Jesse: Pop /rock...Rock/pop. Rock in front of the pop is probably a better way to put it but we get to the alternative kids as well.
Q: Your musical style seems like 'electrically juiced acoustic'.
Ella: Yeah it's a balance. The soul of the music is very jangly, rolling along songs that are given an edge by our producer Paul.
Jesse: We write everything on the acoustic guitar. The foundation of the album is in basic guitar and then some of it goes electric some stays acoustic and some of it gets heavy in bits.
Q: Have you just left school?
Ella: Four or five months ago now. I was half way through year eleven and I could have made it through but it was a time thing and a priority thing. It wasn't my main priority, which wasn't fair to the teachers or the other kids. I was so excited with what was going on that I couldn't focus and I had no time for homework.
Q: Was it the same for you Jesse?
Jesse: The band wasn't at touring stage when I was in year 12 which gave me more time than but it was pretty hard to focus.
Q: What subjects did you like?
Ella: Writing I always loved writing and found it the best way to express myself. Anything to do with the arts like painting or acting.
Q: Finally, what advice would you give to young people with dreams like yours?
Ella: Persist and just do your own thing.
Well, it seems Jesse and Ella didn't have to persist as long as many others have before them and when you get a listen to 'Reflector' you'll hear why. It's an incredible first effort and I'm sure I'm not alone in hanging out for what comes next. BON VOYAGE GUYS!
- Leanne Hanley
Q: Hi guys, can you tell me about where you're from?
Jesse: Well, it's a little place called Violet Town half way between Melbourne and Albury. All the streets there were named after flowers, about 1000 people live there if you count all the surrounding areas.
Ella: It has enough people for a kindergarten and a primary school, but not a high school! That's in the next town up, Benalla.
Q: What was it like growing up there, were you happy, were you bored?
Ella: It was double edged, exactly like that.
Jesse: In some ways it was really good because we got a lot of time to write.
Q: When did you first write songs together?
Jesse: Well, Ella wrote the first song we ever had.
Ella: When we started writing, well when I did, at about twelve, Jesse had been playing the guitar since grade five, so I was just diddling around and I had come up with a few chords and wrote a song. After that, friends who were organising a local gig said "you guys should play, we've heard you sing and Jesse you can play the guitar, you guys should play together" and we were like, o.k. (scrunched up face) and that was the first time we played together as a band and that's when we came up with the name.
Jesse: We played 2 songs, ha!
Q: Have you always gotten along together well?
Ella: Well, I guess we had to hang out together a lot because of where we lived. It's been pretty good. It's hard being stuck there together a lot though!
Jesse: I think we fight as much as normal brothers and sisters do. Most of the time we get along really well but when we fight its major! It's stressful, not many brothers and sisters have to be on tour together and it gets intense.
Ella: Our band mates are getting used to it now too! They always break it up.
Q: Why did you decide to write songs?
Ella: I always loved writing and reading and I always thought if I don't do music, I'd love to be a writer.
Q: Did you write poetry?
Ella: No, not really. Lots of people say their songs turn from poetry to lyrics but I just write lyrics with the inspiration of something in my mind for a song.
Q: When you write do you have a specific message that you want to express or does it just come out?
Ella: Sometimes, like 'Mascara' is the perfect example. That was like 'oh my god the kettle in my head is boiling', it was hard to get it out lyrically. I wrote a little verse and sang along with my lyrics because that was getting it out. Then Jess came in and built the changes and added more sophisticated guitar.
Q: Is 'Mascara' an anti-fashion anthem?
Ella: It's about being at school and being labelled. It seems at 15 or 16 you have to wear who you are on the outside. My friends aren't like that. We're like - anything goes, I'll hang out with you for who you are not what you've got on.
Q: When did you realise that your sister was a genius?
Jesse: (laughs) Well yeah, I was shocked with what she came up with first off but I thought, well if she can do it so can I.
Ella: Yep and now Jesse has definitely got the musical department down. He's like the riff writer of the band. He writes the tunes and the grooves and I come along with the melodies.
Q: What do your parents think about your new lifestyle?
Ella: They're gorgeous. They love music and they love our music! They don't like it when we go on tour 'cause that means both their kids have gone!
Q: Did you both study music at school?
Jesse: Little bits and pieces in earlier years but I concentrated more on it for V.C.E.
Ella: I didn't study music at school. I made a conscious decision in year nine to keep it separate and I'm really not good at the technical side of music. I wanted to keep my approach totally unfiltered, quite raw.
Q: When did you realise you could sing?
Ella: Never!! Well I guess friends convinced me to get up there and sing because they liked it and no matter how my voice sounded they liked the songs and the way I sang them. I guess I'm pretty confident now!
Q: What kind of people are turning up at your gigs?
Jesse: At the under age gigs they're like 12 to 17. We are getting little girls and guys who are getting into music for the first time to almost adults - I guess I consider them adults at seventeen.
Ella: I can't even get into some of my own gigs!!
Jesse: At in-store signing's we are getting 40 year olds saying 'hey my kids love your music and so do I!'
Q: How would you describe your music?
Jesse: Pop /rock...Rock/pop. Rock in front of the pop is probably a better way to put it but we get to the alternative kids as well.
Q: Your musical style seems like 'electrically juiced acoustic'.
Ella: Yeah it's a balance. The soul of the music is very jangly, rolling along songs that are given an edge by our producer Paul.
Jesse: We write everything on the acoustic guitar. The foundation of the album is in basic guitar and then some of it goes electric some stays acoustic and some of it gets heavy in bits.
Q: Have you just left school?
Ella: Four or five months ago now. I was half way through year eleven and I could have made it through but it was a time thing and a priority thing. It wasn't my main priority, which wasn't fair to the teachers or the other kids. I was so excited with what was going on that I couldn't focus and I had no time for homework.
Q: Was it the same for you Jesse?
Jesse: The band wasn't at touring stage when I was in year 12 which gave me more time than but it was pretty hard to focus.
Q: What subjects did you like?
Ella: Writing I always loved writing and found it the best way to express myself. Anything to do with the arts like painting or acting.
Q: Finally, what advice would you give to young people with dreams like yours?
Ella: Persist and just do your own thing.
Well, it seems Jesse and Ella didn't have to persist as long as many others have before them and when you get a listen to 'Reflector' you'll hear why. It's an incredible first effort and I'm sure I'm not alone in hanging out for what comes next. BON VOYAGE GUYS!
- Leanne Hanley
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