Twelve Foot Ninja - Kin Etick
Questions: Nick Dodds
Twelve Foot Ninja are a band that's been around for years, quietly plotting and scheming their plans for world domination from Melbourne. Through building up a passionate and diverse fanbase to crowd sourcing videos, they're a band who love what they do, and have fun doing it. Comics, songs, videos, gigs, legends all make up part of the Twelve Foot Ninja experience. With some big gigs under their belt and a current tour happening, everything seems gold for the Ninjas.
Smack bang in the middle of their Troll Burger national tour, Caught in the Mosh spoke to vocalist Kin Etick about touring the US, sourcing funds for their brand new video clip and being nominated for a Golden Gods Award.
You were the Australian support for Fear Factory last year. There are rumours that Dino specifically asked for you to support. Is that true, and how was it sharing the experience with such a renowned band?
Yes, that is true. I believe he heard of us through Jose Mangin at Sirius XM (largest satellite radio station in US) and obviously liked what he heard. It was a truly surreal experience to play with a band that we have been fans of for years. I even got to get up with them for Martyr for the final show in Perth. It was a humbling, once in a lifetime experience.
Last year you toured the US with Periphery, Born of Osiris and Dead Letter Circus. How was the experience?
Amazing! It was our first time playing to international audiences and an eye-opening journey. Going over with Dead Letter Circus certainly made the tour more comfortable, as they've toured the states before, so they showed us the ropes. Periphery and Born Of Osiris were really accommodating, and everyone got along really well which is always good. We weren’t sure how we would be received and went in with no expectations. We were surprised by the level of support and had a fucking ball!
Did you pick up any valuable tips or gain experience you might not have found by just touring Australia?
We did. America, although not too distant from Australia culture-wise, is like another planet. Most of our time was spent locating truck stop toilets, showers, and free Wi-Fi, which we became quite adept at. If you stop at a Walmart, pinch some toilet seat covers, as there are some public facilities that defy the laws of hygiene. We ate some truly American cuisine, burgers as big as our heads, and other 'matter', that we were surprised was classified as food. You'd probably get really sick if you lived on that stuff, so we bought a lot of our food in bulk from Walmart, and lived on tuna and rice for the majority of the trip.
How have international audiences warmed to you so far?
Surprisingly well, better than we would have thought. The feedback that I kept hearing was that we were a breath of fresh air, amidst a load of bands that sound pretty much the same, so that's really positive. We can't wait to get back over there in April.
You’ve been nominated for an award by Revolver Golden Gods Awards! You must be stoked about that! What does the nomination mean to you?
We are absolutely stoked! The nomination means that our music is connecting on some level, which is re-assuring. We are honoured to even be considered, amongst such awesomely talented bands. We're not expecting to win, but if we do, it will be an opportunity to thank all of the people who have helped us get to where we are.
What do you have planned for the next 12 months?
Another tour of the states in April/May, then on to recording our second album.
How have you seen the Melbourne music scene change in the last 5 years?
I don't really think it's changed that much, really. There are still a host of great bands/acts doing really great things, in a multitude of genres. Melbourne is still (to me) the arts capital.
I can imagine that with the new 1AM lockout laws soon to be implemented in Melbourne, more and more venues will struggle to stay open, paving the way for developers to move in and build multi-story apartments in their place, which is saddening. However, I’m sure more venues will open, so not all is lost.
Smack bang in the middle of their Troll Burger national tour, Caught in the Mosh spoke to vocalist Kin Etick about touring the US, sourcing funds for their brand new video clip and being nominated for a Golden Gods Award.
You were the Australian support for Fear Factory last year. There are rumours that Dino specifically asked for you to support. Is that true, and how was it sharing the experience with such a renowned band?
Yes, that is true. I believe he heard of us through Jose Mangin at Sirius XM (largest satellite radio station in US) and obviously liked what he heard. It was a truly surreal experience to play with a band that we have been fans of for years. I even got to get up with them for Martyr for the final show in Perth. It was a humbling, once in a lifetime experience.
Last year you toured the US with Periphery, Born of Osiris and Dead Letter Circus. How was the experience?
Amazing! It was our first time playing to international audiences and an eye-opening journey. Going over with Dead Letter Circus certainly made the tour more comfortable, as they've toured the states before, so they showed us the ropes. Periphery and Born Of Osiris were really accommodating, and everyone got along really well which is always good. We weren’t sure how we would be received and went in with no expectations. We were surprised by the level of support and had a fucking ball!
Did you pick up any valuable tips or gain experience you might not have found by just touring Australia?
We did. America, although not too distant from Australia culture-wise, is like another planet. Most of our time was spent locating truck stop toilets, showers, and free Wi-Fi, which we became quite adept at. If you stop at a Walmart, pinch some toilet seat covers, as there are some public facilities that defy the laws of hygiene. We ate some truly American cuisine, burgers as big as our heads, and other 'matter', that we were surprised was classified as food. You'd probably get really sick if you lived on that stuff, so we bought a lot of our food in bulk from Walmart, and lived on tuna and rice for the majority of the trip.
How have international audiences warmed to you so far?
Surprisingly well, better than we would have thought. The feedback that I kept hearing was that we were a breath of fresh air, amidst a load of bands that sound pretty much the same, so that's really positive. We can't wait to get back over there in April.
You’ve been nominated for an award by Revolver Golden Gods Awards! You must be stoked about that! What does the nomination mean to you?
We are absolutely stoked! The nomination means that our music is connecting on some level, which is re-assuring. We are honoured to even be considered, amongst such awesomely talented bands. We're not expecting to win, but if we do, it will be an opportunity to thank all of the people who have helped us get to where we are.
What do you have planned for the next 12 months?
Another tour of the states in April/May, then on to recording our second album.
How have you seen the Melbourne music scene change in the last 5 years?
I don't really think it's changed that much, really. There are still a host of great bands/acts doing really great things, in a multitude of genres. Melbourne is still (to me) the arts capital.
I can imagine that with the new 1AM lockout laws soon to be implemented in Melbourne, more and more venues will struggle to stay open, paving the way for developers to move in and build multi-story apartments in their place, which is saddening. However, I’m sure more venues will open, so not all is lost.
The Ain’t That A Bitch video... record breaking crowd funding, penthouse pets etc... Can tell us about it? What lead to crowd sourcing for the funds? Were you surprised by the results (of the funding)? What’s the idea behind the video?
Well, we had the concept, but had no idea where the funds would come from, so we decided to try the crowd-funding option. We weren't sure if it would work, as there is still a bit of a stigma attached to it, as some associate it with begging, and tin-rattling, which is utter nonsense. We see it as more of an investment for those who support and believe in a band, to be involved in the project. We offered rewards for pledging, and the result actually yielded more money than we asked for, which was amazing! That said, we still had to tip in $10k of our own money to make it happen.
The idea was conceptualised by one of our guitarists, Stevic MacKay. Stevic had become fascinated by the culture of cyber-bullying, and trolling. I think he just wanted to gain a better understanding as to why that it happens, and more importantly, what motivates someone to be so vitriolic, that they have to attack people online. The clip is not a political statement on the phenomenon of cyber-abuse, it's just a tongue-in-cheek take on it. Be kind to one another.
You seem to be a band that has embraced technology when playing live - how have you incorporated new tech into making you live sound better?
As most have noticed, our guitarists don't use amplifiers, utilising instead, digital signal sending directly to the mixing desk, which means more control over their live sound. It also means that we have less gear to lug around. Stevic is always looking for more ideas to streamline our live set-up, and I foresee that we will continue to upgrade, as the technology comes to hand. We also use a Sony PSP for our backing tracks.
You’re in the middle of an Australian tour - will we hear any new tracks?
Not this time around. We'd much rather play songs when we're happy with them, than play them half-baked.
The internet has changed the music industry dramatically. There are the pros (new listeners) and cons (loss of income). How do you see the internet in relation to Twelve Foot Ninja?
Well, without it, we wouldn't be where we are right now, and we wouldn't have been able to go overseas so soon. It's taken a lot of leg-work out of the equation, as you have access to your audience and potential audience, from all corners of the globe. The interactivity with our audience has really helped us a lot. Yes, people have the ability to download for free in 3 minutes, that which took us years and a heap of cash to put together, but that's just the nature of the new industry, I suppose.
In the lead up to the release of Silent Machine back in 2012, you ran Project 12, releasing a digital single and comic each week for 12 weeks. What was the idea behind that?
We just thought it would be good to do something different as to how we'd deliver the album. Project 12 was the best idea we had, so we went with it, and it worked out really well.
What’s your favourite track to play live, and why?
Currently, Deluge. That song means a great deal to me, for various reasons. It always feels good to play.
If you were a Metallica track, which one would you be and why?
The Thing That Should Not Be. Because on paper, what we do probably shouldn't work, but somehow we manage get away with it.
If you could create your own ‘ultimate gig’, who would be on the bill?
It would be a mini-festival. I'd get Tom Waits to open, then Ernest Ranglin, Charlie Hunter Trio, Steely Dan, Peter Gabriel, Frank Sinatra (hologram), Secret Chiefs 3, Amon Tobin, Cult Of Luna, Mats/Morgan, and Meshuggah.
Well, we had the concept, but had no idea where the funds would come from, so we decided to try the crowd-funding option. We weren't sure if it would work, as there is still a bit of a stigma attached to it, as some associate it with begging, and tin-rattling, which is utter nonsense. We see it as more of an investment for those who support and believe in a band, to be involved in the project. We offered rewards for pledging, and the result actually yielded more money than we asked for, which was amazing! That said, we still had to tip in $10k of our own money to make it happen.
The idea was conceptualised by one of our guitarists, Stevic MacKay. Stevic had become fascinated by the culture of cyber-bullying, and trolling. I think he just wanted to gain a better understanding as to why that it happens, and more importantly, what motivates someone to be so vitriolic, that they have to attack people online. The clip is not a political statement on the phenomenon of cyber-abuse, it's just a tongue-in-cheek take on it. Be kind to one another.
You seem to be a band that has embraced technology when playing live - how have you incorporated new tech into making you live sound better?
As most have noticed, our guitarists don't use amplifiers, utilising instead, digital signal sending directly to the mixing desk, which means more control over their live sound. It also means that we have less gear to lug around. Stevic is always looking for more ideas to streamline our live set-up, and I foresee that we will continue to upgrade, as the technology comes to hand. We also use a Sony PSP for our backing tracks.
You’re in the middle of an Australian tour - will we hear any new tracks?
Not this time around. We'd much rather play songs when we're happy with them, than play them half-baked.
The internet has changed the music industry dramatically. There are the pros (new listeners) and cons (loss of income). How do you see the internet in relation to Twelve Foot Ninja?
Well, without it, we wouldn't be where we are right now, and we wouldn't have been able to go overseas so soon. It's taken a lot of leg-work out of the equation, as you have access to your audience and potential audience, from all corners of the globe. The interactivity with our audience has really helped us a lot. Yes, people have the ability to download for free in 3 minutes, that which took us years and a heap of cash to put together, but that's just the nature of the new industry, I suppose.
In the lead up to the release of Silent Machine back in 2012, you ran Project 12, releasing a digital single and comic each week for 12 weeks. What was the idea behind that?
We just thought it would be good to do something different as to how we'd deliver the album. Project 12 was the best idea we had, so we went with it, and it worked out really well.
What’s your favourite track to play live, and why?
Currently, Deluge. That song means a great deal to me, for various reasons. It always feels good to play.
If you were a Metallica track, which one would you be and why?
The Thing That Should Not Be. Because on paper, what we do probably shouldn't work, but somehow we manage get away with it.
If you could create your own ‘ultimate gig’, who would be on the bill?
It would be a mini-festival. I'd get Tom Waits to open, then Ernest Ranglin, Charlie Hunter Trio, Steely Dan, Peter Gabriel, Frank Sinatra (hologram), Secret Chiefs 3, Amon Tobin, Cult Of Luna, Mats/Morgan, and Meshuggah.
Catch Twelve Foot Ninja on their remaining dates:
Fri 28th March - Newcastle, Cambridge Hotel - tickets from Twelve Foot Ninja and Big Tix
Sat 29th March - Sydney, Manning Bar - tickets from Twelve Foot Ninja and Oztix
Fri 4th April - Melbourne, 170 Russell - tickets from Twelve Foot Ninja and 170 Russell
Fri 11th April - Adelaide, The Gov, (AA) - tickets from Twelve Foot Ninja and Oztix
Sat 19th April - Perth, Rosemount Hotel - tickets from from Twelve Foot Ninja, Oztix and www.heatseeker.com.au
Fri 28th March - Newcastle, Cambridge Hotel - tickets from Twelve Foot Ninja and Big Tix
Sat 29th March - Sydney, Manning Bar - tickets from Twelve Foot Ninja and Oztix
Fri 4th April - Melbourne, 170 Russell - tickets from Twelve Foot Ninja and 170 Russell
Fri 11th April - Adelaide, The Gov, (AA) - tickets from Twelve Foot Ninja and Oztix
Sat 19th April - Perth, Rosemount Hotel - tickets from from Twelve Foot Ninja, Oztix and www.heatseeker.com.au
