The band is super quirky, even their myspace is full of clever quirks. A clever quirk, can one really be clever? Taking a quote from their MySpace profile, We Are Volcanoes ‘erupted’ back in 2008. Describing themselves as a ‘natural three-piece jigsaw puzzle,’ their eccentricity extends beyond their personality and creeps in and out of their music.
Melody Forghani recently interviewed the guys, check out what they had to say!
Who are the guys behind We Are Volcanoes and how did ya’ll meet?
Mr. Dean: A guitar wielding “axe” murderer, a self conscious extremely technical introvert drummer and a 17 year old virgin. We met on an online dating site that compared our compatibility resulting in a 100% match for a perfect three-pronged love triangle.
Tim (serious answer): Dean is my brother, a technical genius, half machine half man; even his footsteps would challenge a metronome in consistency and efficiency. Our (German) blood grants us the ability to read each others minds and get to say completely inappropriate things about each others personal faults and get away with it. (I told the audience at our first show he was suffering from a bad case of diarrhea. It was really funny because I wasn’t lying) Dean wears a mask when performing to conceal his identity – a safety precaution for future fame, even though he is usually to busy owning noobs on Call Of Duty Modern Warfare 2 to leave the house. Recently graduating from Sydney, he has been currently working in Perth as mechanical engineer returning to Sydney at the start of next year.
Yakov displays obsessive behavior, his life evolving around the lower frequencies, Russian, his six-pack and what is for dinner. He out skills both of the rest of the band and could probably bench press you and your entire family. Warning though, Yakov does not use a pick to play the bass, we are sorry if this might offend some people from Sydney’s independent scene. Yakov was two grades below myself in school; I asked the young talent to lend me a hand in my HSC music pieces forming a fiery bond over the wanky riffs of Zack Wylde and Joe Satriani.
I have a curly fringe and play the guitar on the toilet. Our track Aeroplanes, the first song I ever wrote, was 80% written sitting on the toilet multitasking. I want to make you dance. This is strange writing about myself so I am going to stop now.
How did you come up with the band name? Is it based on fiction? Or are you all actually volcanoes?
We Are Volcanoes… it was simply better than our original choice i.e. The Three Erupting Mountain Tops. Some people describe us as a violent eruption of fiery embers and earth, so yes we are. The name is basically describing the emotional nature of mankind; we are unpredictable and dangerous things.
Describe your sound in 3 words
Dean: Electric, isometric and concentric.
Yakov: Alternative sexy Robots.
Tim: Chk chk boom.
Dragonball Z is noted as one of the bands influences, what else inspires your music?
We are inspired by many a band/artist/original movie soundtrack and of course television animated series, but most notably we are inspired by those trying to push the barriers and bring something new, technically brilliant and complex yet enjoyably accessible.
If you could choose to play with any band, anywhere, who and where would it be?
Dean: Supporting, PVT. Location, my bedroom.
Tim: Lawrence Pikes drumming makes us all a little bit aroused not to mention Richards awesome hair and Dave Miller’s nerdy dance moves. I am obsessed.
Yakov: I have no clue, but I know for a fact it would take place in Dean’s Bedroom.
Do you remember the bands first ever gig? What has been your most memorable performance so far?
Of course, we have only ever as a purified threesome played a handful of shows, three exactly. Our first full set was at a World Vision 40 Hour Famine launch party; Stormtrooper children wearing tuxedos were losing control on the dance floor. The most memorable so far was playing with Philadelphia Grand Jury and getting paid money.
Has your music/the band evolved at all since you first started out in 2008?
It has indeed, our music started with a mish-mash of ideas similar to a Christian boys wedding night, but after a year and a bit of being married we have found out how everything works, finding a solid direction with new material being produced always outclassing our last effort.
What has been your biggest challenge as a band?
Mr. Dean living in Perth for 2010 has been really difficult for us, we have been all very musically frustrated, but when he is home for a week or two we can relieve our selves. The neighbors and our parents are enjoying the quiet in the meantime.
You’re lined up to play one of FBi’s Sydney Sounds Like events, ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’. How do you feel about playing alongside some of Sydney’s best bands?
We feel privileged and slightly aroused, we were not expecting to land a show of this size at all, how it all works is beyond us. What a great opportunity to rub shoulders with the pros while also supporting Sydney’s most cherrished FM icon FBi. We are counting the sleeps.
Have you played any all ages gigs before? If so, do they feel any different to an 18+ gig?
Due to Yakov’s young age we haven’t been able to play ‘many’ 18+ shows, however the main difference to note is the crowd participation and their love of money. On a few occasions bribery has been used to get people moving. You’ll be surprised what a ten-dollar note can do.
Has FBi radio played a significant role in the exposure of your music? How important is community radio for emerging artists? Would you agree that FBi has a very unique and significant role in Sydney music, arts and culture?
Before we knew FBi existed we would have said having our songs played on the radio was next to impossible. MySpace is good, but getting played on air is exposure that would not be achievable without FBi. Community radio is a stepping-stone for emerging creating a place for artists to be discovered by labels and other musical powers. FBi is the epicenter of musical discovery, without them most of us would be ignorant of Sydney’s rich creative culture.
