Maison Hall Montreux Interview

Indie Aus rockers Maison Hall have shared their new rambler Montreux, a love letter to the connection between the left and the right sides of the brain. The duo, made up of Ben Byron and Joe Kneipp, have also announced a colourful, eccentric video to accompany the track. This is Maison Hall's first release since their 2017 debut album It Was Never About Me, and will be celebrated with an east coast tour playing Black Bear Lodge Brisbane on February 3, The Retreat Hotel Melbourne on February 11 and Gang Gang Café Canberra on February 13.

Contemplative and upbeat, Montreux is classic indie rock evocative of The Kooks and Catfish and the Bottlemen, with sparks of innovation unique to Maison Hall throughout. Guitars thrash amongst steady, driving drums; lead vocalist Joe Kneipp's voice feels right at home amongst the chaos, commanding attention with thoughtful lyrics and strong melodic hooks. Speaking on the inspiration behind the anticipated return single for the duo, Joe reflects, "Montreux is celebratory. Not just because we're still doing this, but because we're still doing this despite our 'real-life' obligations, the distance between us, the total absence of pecuniary success, etc. We are so divorced from any external validations – the simple fact is, I love making music, and I love making music with Ben. And we're gonna keep fucking doing it!"

The video clip for Montreux is as considered as it is amusing – a never-ending, ever-cycling job interview is consistently interrupted by a vigorous visual artist, determined to be acknowledged by the two men in their meeting. It's a clever commentary on the push and pull of a working artist's time and headspace, caught between creation and survival in capitalist society, as Joe sums up the video, "The concept of the clip is pretty on the nose – the juxtaposition between the left and right brain, the creative and the pragmatist, the poetic and the prosaic. If you're a musician, or any creative for that matter, who's not lucky enough to make all their money from creative endeavours, you'll understand these tensions. I workshopped it with Ben and then James Cooney, who stars in the clip as the 'right-brain' and is part of our live lineup."

After almost six years since their last live show together – during which time the two members of the group have been exploring other musical projects - Maison Hall are thrilled to return to the stage to celebrate the launch of Montreux in Brisbane and Melbourne and Canberra. Despite both moving through several different cities since the guys met and formed Maison Hall back in college in Brisbane, the band are stronger and sharper in their songwriting than ever before, as demonstrated in the tight brilliance of Montreux.

Maison Hall is Ben Byron (Drums, Backing Vocals) and Joe Kneipp (Vocals, Guitar, Bass, Keyboard)

Interview with Maison Hall

Question: How would you describe your music?

Maison Hall: Eclectic. We're cultural magpies, taking what we reckon is cool and shiny and leaving the rest. Less obtusely: if you don't mind guitar music, you'll probably find something of ours you enjoy.


Question: What inspired your new song Montreux?

Maison Hall: Montreux is a celebration of the fact that Benny and I are still making music, despite our lack of pecuniary success, our relative obscurity, etc. We're friends first and then musical partners second. But I love doing this, and I love doing this with Ben. We don't need the validation of enormous critical/commercial success for this to have meaning (though not going to lie, making more money off of this would be sweet haha).

The specific inspiration for Montreux was a conversation I had with someone about the commitment of artists. Their thesis was essentially that you can't claim to be committed to music if work/study/do other things. I was basically like "no dude, doing other things reinforces your commitment to your art!" Artists who work day-jobs often go straight from that work into writing/rehearsal – that demonstrates an incredible work ethic!

Question: Can you tell us about the music video?

Maison Hall: It's a pretty on the nose metaphor about the right brain/left brain conundrum. I haven't ever felt satisfied in my working career. It's very much the cold hard reality of capitalism that pushes me forward. Music, in my experience, is intrinsically escapist. It is also self-evidently legitimate. Like, I often have to convince myself that what I do at 'work' has substance. But with music, you write a song, you've acted as a conduit for that piece to enter the world. Literal creation. The validity of it doesn't rest on whether it is 'good' or 'bad'. Hence the frustration of James in the video clip – it's like, "why the fuck are you obsessing over paper-pushing, look at this totally new thing I've got!"


Question: Is there a particular message you hope listeners take from your music?

Maison Hall: No. The songs have a personal meaning to me, but I don't expect listeners to intuit the same. I hope they feel the same ethos, perhaps.


Question: What should we expect from your upcoming shows?

Maison Hall: There's something for everyone. We got loud ones, soft ones, solo ones, really hectic ones, guitar-y ones, keyboard-y ones. You'll get your money's worth.


Question: What is the story behind the band name?

Maison Hall: We recorded our first album in a dilapidated hall in my hometown of Goondiwindi, Queensland. It was this old masonic lodge (potentially haunted) and it basically was a third member on our first record, all creaky and reverbed. And then we couldn't call ourselves 'Mason Hall' because of an existing artist; hence, 'Maison' or 'home' in French. It seemed a little naff then – but it makes sense now. Since we recorded that record the original hall has been demolished. It's not a place we can return to. But 'home hall'… I dunno, seems fitting.


Question: What motivates you most when writing music?
Maison Hall: I try and entrain a pattern of writing, such that I don't have to draw on motivation, which I deplete quickly.

But I have always wanted to write - it's cathartic, and it's also subliminal. My lyrics aren't particularly perspicacious to me when I first write them. I try and be as stream-of-consciousness as possible. It's only when I listen back later I kinda realise "ohhhh, that's what you meant when you wrote that.".

The music always comes first, and it's always completely ridiculous. I have a million riff or melody ideas in the voicemails of my phone. I listen periodically and then flesh out full demos to send to Ben, who modifies my drum parts as he sees fit. Very few of those voice memos actually get the finished demo stage (and plenty of demos are going to remain permanently in the vault).


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

Maison Hall: Right now, I'm on a massive Deftones kick. I somehow missed them in my formative years! I love how they so effortlessly blend beauty and abrasiveness.

Also, very much still on a Charli XCX wave. I was incredibly fortunate to see her live at Laneway festival at the beginning of 2020. I don't think there's another artist in the mainstream who is so fearlessly pushing the envelope.


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

Maison Hall: I think it'd be a stretch to say we're part of any 'industry' ahahaha. We're just two dags making guitar music!

It's all positive reinforcement, right? I sang when I was little, I got praised, I liked the praise, so I kept singing. I have wonderful, supportive parents, who got me music lessons – I liked those as well, so I kept going to them. I made friends who shared a love of music, I had experiences playing it live (including meeting Ben at College in Brisbane). It was a cumulative thing.


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

Maison Hall: I'm open to collaborating with anyone really, serve the song! I think Jonsi from Sigur Ros would be special.

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

Maison Hall: Haha, I love the authority these questions are giving me! I'm just a person who makes music. I don't 'otherise' myself into a category like artist, my ego would explode lol. I'll say that the best thing about music is the people you get to meet.


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

Maison Hall: I'd hope this isn't the heady heights just yet! The challenge is alienating yourself from why you sought to make music in the first place. The second I start thinking about mansions in LA I'm in deep shit.


Question: What's a typical day like?

Maison Hall: Monday to Friday, it's 9-5 work interspersed with music in the evenings. Weekends, it's time with my partner and friends (and more music if I'm lucky).


Question: What's next, for you?

Maison Hall: We've got an East Coast tour coming up in celebration of Montreux, and then we will be looking to release another single. Heaps more stuff as well, but that'll do for now 😊


Question: Can you share your socials? (links please)

Maison Hall: Facebook 
Instagram 
Spotify 


Interview by Gwen van Montfort