ME Big Day Out Interview

ME Big Day Out Interview

Melbourne four-piece ME will be releasing their debut album -Even The Odd Ones Out' on Lizard King Records on 25th of January 2013. The glam pop metal pioneers have been causing a big fuss in the UK live circuit having played over a hundred shows already in 2012 and touring with the likes of Kasabian, Twin Atlantic and Panic! at the Disco, the latter tour seeing them play to 30,000 people in ten days. Since April, ME have appeared on the bill of London's legendary Camden Crawl and Brighton's Great Escape Festival and have completed three more successful UK tours with King Charles, The Xcerts and Motion City Soundtrack, as well as a packed London headline show at The Sebright Arms.

ME are Luke Ferris (voice, guitar, piano), Damian Tapley (lead guitar), Michael Godde (bass) and Spike Rogers (drums). The band wanted a playful album title and one that offered several meanings. It also hints at the band's diverse style making them hard to pin down musically. 'We are a little in the odd ones out category" says frontman Luke. 'I love big rock bands with killer riffs and grooves, but I also love great vocals, harmonies, orchestral works and bad ass choirs. So we have just thrown loads of different ingredients into the pot because they are the flavours we enjoy." The 12 tracks that make the album are the culmination of 'five great years in Melbourne, surrounded by a thriving music scene and embracing musical community" says Luke.

The record opens with the twisted nursery crime theatrics of Hoo Ha ("Mirror, mirror, on the wall, a vain bunch aren't we all"), the band's feted live opener and a track that really does set the tone of this epic, fully loaded, rock opera of an album. Vampire!! Vampire!! is a straight up, three-minute head rush about the band's hatred of reality television culture and specifically its creators. 'Do yourself a favour, turn the television off, read a book or go support local live music", offers Luke. Previous single Rock and Roll Dandy is a ridiculously catchy homage to past musical glories (or -like Suede gone to Download' according to Q Magazine), steam punk magnum opus Westward Backwards is the perfect calling card and Trails in the Sky a slice of magnificent orchestral hugeness that hints at the band's stadium filling ambitions. Album closer Their Song is the band at their most delicate and gives the album an appropriate happy ending.

The album has been produced by -Barny' Barnicott (Kasabian, Arctic Monkeys, Temper Trap) and Grammy winning engineer Ian Dowling and the full track listing runs as follows: Hoo Ha; Trails In The Sky; Rock and Roll Dandy; Like A Fox; Westward Backwards; Carousel; Working Life; Under The Sun; Vampire!! Vampire!!; Choral; Your Favourite Colour; Their Song.

For more information visit: www.metheband.com

Interview with Luke Ferris

Question: How would you describe Even The Odd Ones Out?

Luke Ferris: A Rock Opera born out of the Melbourne music scene. This album has everything from histrionic vocals, big guitar riffs, choral chants, orchestral moments, truckloads of vocal harmonies, over the top production all captured in 13 songs no less.


Question: What are you looking forward to most about Big Day Out?

Luke Ferris: The opportunity to take our live show to one of the biggest stages in Australia. We've been away in the UK for a year and a half and this will be our homecoming show. We super pumped to be playing our hometowns as we're a Melbourne band yet some of us are from Perth and Brisbane. There will be loads of special moments had.


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

Luke Ferris: Yes, we write all of our songs. We are inspired by many different styles of music and events in our simple lives that we need to share. I think it really shows on our album and through our sound and lyrical content that we can't really focus on one theme or sound for too long. Some of the inspiration for the album has included literary works of Oscar Wilde, conspiracy theories surrounding Chem Trails, big nights on the town, writer's block and horrible reality TV shows. There is not really a theme that runs through the album. The big theatrical sound is what ties it all together.

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

Luke Ferris: I listen to way too much classical and choral music for someone in a rock band. I've just reignited my love for romantic piano works of Rachmaninov and Chopin. Been listening to a bunch of random older stuff like Edith Piaf and The Andrew Sisters; those girls could sing!


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

Luke Ferris: All of the above! We're heading back to the UK and Europe for a tour to promote our newly released debut album. We released it here in Australia to coincide with the Big Day Out. We'll be releasing the album late February over in the northern hemisphere and will be on the road for the month of March smashing England, Scotland, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. We'll be releasing our single Vampire!! Vampire!! to coincide with all this craziness. We're going to stay for the better part of this year over there for the UK/European festival season then back to Australia in the warmer and much sunnier Christmas/festival season.


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

Luke Ferris: No, not at all. I did leave my home town of Brisbane because I couldn't find likeminded musicians who were chasing the same sound in a band. That's as close as I've come to giving up on something in the music biz. I realised that Melbourne had a thriving band/music scene and a bigger population, giving me a much better chance in finding likeminded musicians. It only took me a matter of a few short months to find the original members that would make up this band ME.


Question: Do you prefer performing live or recording?

Luke Ferris: I love recording but it's always been a little struggle to capture our big live sound. I probably enjoy the live performance aspect to our band as I think it's our strongest asset and gives me the biggest rush. We've recorded only a hand full of singles, EPs and one album to date. Then on the other hand we have been playing live as a band for five years now and it's definitely what we do best. We will keep writing and recording albums as long as humanly possible, but for me, it doesn't beat the thrill of taking your music to the stage and sharing it in an intimate experience with fans or randoms.


Question: What/who was your inspiration to go into the music industry?
Luke Ferris: Probably The Beatles. I was learning/playing piano at a young age and when I found The Beatles, I wanted to play guitar, sing and be in a band. I ditched the piano as quickly as you could say "Dear Prudence" or "Helter Skelter" and fell in love with a fine six stringed instrument.


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

Luke Ferris: In the early days of the band there were more challenges but easily overcome with determination and hard work. The biggest challenge was finding the right people to form the band with. It's so important for longevity to find likeminded musicians. You need to be able to get along and respect each other on so many different levels. You need to have the same goals and vision for your music. If you're going to be in a band for a long time, it really does become a four way marriage (or however many are in the band).


Question: What's a typical day like?

Luke Ferris: Well, I'm quite the night owl so most days don't start until mid-day. I guess it really depends on what's coming up and where about in the world we are. At the moment we have a little down time before heading back to the UK and Europe. So I've been trying to write and demo as much as I possibly can. It's a little harder to do these things while in transit or on the road touring. We're also busy organising our lives for another shift overseas, there is loads to do!


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

Luke Ferris: For me it's writing music and seeing these ideas coming alive in the band format. We all get very excited when there is a new song being thrown around the rehearsal room. Performing live is definitely a favourite as well. We all get a rush out of playing live shows and I love being a part of the energy that is shared between a band giving their all and the connection with an audience experiencing that passion.


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

Luke Ferris: Someone that can bring something different to our sound. This is probably why we like recording and performing with so many guest musicians. We have dabbled in orchestral and choral backings with many friends before. This is something that will definitely continue and we'd like to explore new territory when it comes to collaborations.

Question: What message would you like your music to say to your fans?

name: We don't exactly have a mission statement or a message. We're a band that plays for the love of music and the kind of style that we play. We enjoy writing, recording and performing and want to share this love affair of music with others. We're not concerned with trends in the current contemporary musical climate and just play what we want to hear.


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

Luke Ferris: We wanted a band name that was quite short and a little quirky. We did end up with something very short and very quirky. We didn't think much about internet search repercussions at the time of choosing. It has proved a little difficult but we're slowly getting to the stage where we are a little easier to find.


Interview by Brooke Hunter