Hoodoo Gurus
Words: Rob Lyon
The Hoodoo Gurus hardly need an intro as they celebrate thirty years as a band. Like any band, they’ve experienced the ups, the downs and the in betweens, but they’ve survived a tough and cut throat music industry. To commemorate the occasion the band is releasing Gold Watch: 20 Golden Greats featuring all the best bits and one new track ironically called Use-By-Date.
It doesn’t end there either, as The Hoodoo Gurus hit the road with some epic supports by way of The Sonics, The Fleshtones, Red Kross, The 5 6 7 8’s, Died Pretty and The Hard Ons. As a special bonus the band is playing Stoneage Romeos in its entirety from start to end. Caught In The Mosh speaks to legendary front man Dave Faulkner about the tour and beyond.
Congratulations on what is a very important milestone for the Hoodoo Gurus. Thirty years! What’s going through your mind?
We had thought about trying to keep this sort of thing quiet but we’re old and we know it!
Did you get all nostalgic going through the track list for Gold Watch: 20 Golden Greats and reflect on we did this, we did that and we didn’t do this?
Yeah and all the recriminations and regrets! Not so much celebrating thinking ‘what a good boy am I ?’ but you do go back at times and wonder what the heck was going on, why and how, which!
Is there a secret potion or ingredient for keeping the band together for so long?
No mate, there is no secret apart from having a shared enthusiasm for what you’re doing. We all recognise the other’s abilities in the band and we have something that is unique. I learnt that last lesson when the band broke up for a few years and being in the band I never really questioned the dynamic of the band and how it worked. I was doing some work on another album for a bit of fun with another band and after six months or so it suddenly this mysterious chemical reaction occurred where this united shared vision came by, which seemed to be greater than the sum of its parts. This band personality emerged and we slightly understood each other much better, we knew what was good and what was bad and which way to go. The Gurus always had that but I didn’t realise it until I started working with the other band where there was greater appreciation about how it works, not just four people in a room together coinciding but achieving something more than serious.
Do you shake your head when you see bands who have the goods but can only keep it together for five minutes?
Not really, everyone does what they have to do but the fact is, I do feel for bands now, as it is a much more cut throat environment we’re operating in. There are less options, even though the internet has made it easier to connect to other people and you can discover the most obscure bands in all corners of the world whereas it was difficult, but what we have lost is the ability to play lots of venues and convert an audience on the ground. People don’t go out as much as they used to, the venues have closed and there aren’t as many options as there used to be, plus there are less nights people will go out. It’s strange, as you used to be able to tour six nights a week or even seven and now it’s only Thursday, Friday and Saturday. We built up an audience that way and maybe that was us being forged in steel and kept us more durable with each other as well. It’s definitely hard now. If you release an album that doesn’t do well you run the risk of being kicked off the label and get someone else who can sell. There’s no longevity in careers in general these days, not just the band breaking up because they couldn’t cope with the personalities, but the business is harder.
Touring seven nights a week?
The whole mid week thing has died in the arse and bands seem to only really tour on weekends. A tour lasts six weeks but it’s only ten gigs.
It doesn’t end there either, as The Hoodoo Gurus hit the road with some epic supports by way of The Sonics, The Fleshtones, Red Kross, The 5 6 7 8’s, Died Pretty and The Hard Ons. As a special bonus the band is playing Stoneage Romeos in its entirety from start to end. Caught In The Mosh speaks to legendary front man Dave Faulkner about the tour and beyond.
Congratulations on what is a very important milestone for the Hoodoo Gurus. Thirty years! What’s going through your mind?
We had thought about trying to keep this sort of thing quiet but we’re old and we know it!
Did you get all nostalgic going through the track list for Gold Watch: 20 Golden Greats and reflect on we did this, we did that and we didn’t do this?
Yeah and all the recriminations and regrets! Not so much celebrating thinking ‘what a good boy am I ?’ but you do go back at times and wonder what the heck was going on, why and how, which!
Is there a secret potion or ingredient for keeping the band together for so long?
No mate, there is no secret apart from having a shared enthusiasm for what you’re doing. We all recognise the other’s abilities in the band and we have something that is unique. I learnt that last lesson when the band broke up for a few years and being in the band I never really questioned the dynamic of the band and how it worked. I was doing some work on another album for a bit of fun with another band and after six months or so it suddenly this mysterious chemical reaction occurred where this united shared vision came by, which seemed to be greater than the sum of its parts. This band personality emerged and we slightly understood each other much better, we knew what was good and what was bad and which way to go. The Gurus always had that but I didn’t realise it until I started working with the other band where there was greater appreciation about how it works, not just four people in a room together coinciding but achieving something more than serious.
Do you shake your head when you see bands who have the goods but can only keep it together for five minutes?
Not really, everyone does what they have to do but the fact is, I do feel for bands now, as it is a much more cut throat environment we’re operating in. There are less options, even though the internet has made it easier to connect to other people and you can discover the most obscure bands in all corners of the world whereas it was difficult, but what we have lost is the ability to play lots of venues and convert an audience on the ground. People don’t go out as much as they used to, the venues have closed and there aren’t as many options as there used to be, plus there are less nights people will go out. It’s strange, as you used to be able to tour six nights a week or even seven and now it’s only Thursday, Friday and Saturday. We built up an audience that way and maybe that was us being forged in steel and kept us more durable with each other as well. It’s definitely hard now. If you release an album that doesn’t do well you run the risk of being kicked off the label and get someone else who can sell. There’s no longevity in careers in general these days, not just the band breaking up because they couldn’t cope with the personalities, but the business is harder.
Touring seven nights a week?
The whole mid week thing has died in the arse and bands seem to only really tour on weekends. A tour lasts six weeks but it’s only ten gigs.
Do you still believe in the concept of an album with the whole MP3/iPod revolution that’s destroying the idea of compact discs?
I've never bought a track digitally. I just don’t do it. I don’t download illegally either. I really hate MP3s and I have to buy a CD for the minimum quality I want to listen to. I buy CDs and I hear them as albums and I put them on my iPod at a higher bit rate. I can understand people buying single tracks as that seems to work for pop music, as you don’t need all the filler. I’ve always loved albums, b-sides, even the old days of vinyl records. I love those compilations where they chuck extra tracks on and I’m a bit of a slave to that sort of stuff. It’s old fashioned but it’s how I like music. I still hear that way and I’m happy to be that way musically too.
The name of your new compilation is Gold Watch. Is that the closest you’ll get to receiving a gold watch from the record company?
I think so! We’re giving ourselves one! It’s a bit of a gag and what you get for distinguished service! The new track Use-By-Date is poetic for what it is on this compilation and being thirty years and all that. I’m pleased to say that it’s looking like another hit and we’re getting some airplay on some major stations, which has surprised the hell out of me I can tell you.
This tour is un-fucking believable with the stellar supports in each city including The Sonics in Adelaide. Was there a plan to tour the full line-up everywhere?
I saw The Sonics in New York two or three years ago, so I have seen them since they have reformed. Jerry sounds exactly like he does on those records and hasn’t lost an ounce of aggression in voice and delivery. Those songs are still timeless! The Sonics isn’t a bad compromise and Adelaide is getting it a lot cheaper than everywhere else.
Was it a conscious decision to tour with The Fleshtones, Red Kross, The 5 6 7 8’s and The Sonics?
Yeah it was. Tim Pitman, from Feel Presents, came up with the idea of bringing something together to mark this grand occasion. It was then just a matter of deciding how to do it. He asked us to make a wish list of bands and these were all the ones on it. It’s incredible that he has been able to pull it all together in terms of Sydney and Melbourne and now we get to go other cities with some of those bands. I never thought in a million years that I’d ever get to see The Sonics let alone be playing with them on stage.
I've never bought a track digitally. I just don’t do it. I don’t download illegally either. I really hate MP3s and I have to buy a CD for the minimum quality I want to listen to. I buy CDs and I hear them as albums and I put them on my iPod at a higher bit rate. I can understand people buying single tracks as that seems to work for pop music, as you don’t need all the filler. I’ve always loved albums, b-sides, even the old days of vinyl records. I love those compilations where they chuck extra tracks on and I’m a bit of a slave to that sort of stuff. It’s old fashioned but it’s how I like music. I still hear that way and I’m happy to be that way musically too.
The name of your new compilation is Gold Watch. Is that the closest you’ll get to receiving a gold watch from the record company?
I think so! We’re giving ourselves one! It’s a bit of a gag and what you get for distinguished service! The new track Use-By-Date is poetic for what it is on this compilation and being thirty years and all that. I’m pleased to say that it’s looking like another hit and we’re getting some airplay on some major stations, which has surprised the hell out of me I can tell you.
This tour is un-fucking believable with the stellar supports in each city including The Sonics in Adelaide. Was there a plan to tour the full line-up everywhere?
I saw The Sonics in New York two or three years ago, so I have seen them since they have reformed. Jerry sounds exactly like he does on those records and hasn’t lost an ounce of aggression in voice and delivery. Those songs are still timeless! The Sonics isn’t a bad compromise and Adelaide is getting it a lot cheaper than everywhere else.
Was it a conscious decision to tour with The Fleshtones, Red Kross, The 5 6 7 8’s and The Sonics?
Yeah it was. Tim Pitman, from Feel Presents, came up with the idea of bringing something together to mark this grand occasion. It was then just a matter of deciding how to do it. He asked us to make a wish list of bands and these were all the ones on it. It’s incredible that he has been able to pull it all together in terms of Sydney and Melbourne and now we get to go other cities with some of those bands. I never thought in a million years that I’d ever get to see The Sonics let alone be playing with them on stage.
Without playing for six hours how will you whittle down the set list?
Well, we’re doing the Stoneage Romeos album, in order, from start to finish in the first part of the set. That’s the special thing we wanted to do to add our dimension to what will be a very special event and keep up with everyone else, as they’re going to be excited seeing all these other bands that they’ll probably never see again.
Will there be a special live DVD to commemorate the occasion or some other release?
It’s funny because people keep asking that and we haven’t really thought about that at all. I’m not a big fan of cameras wandering around on stage interfering with the show. It may be worth thinking about but I’m sure there will be some bootleg tapes floating around at the very least.
Where to from here once this tour is done?
There are no plans to do an album right now. Basically I’ll be slowing down to be honest. We’re not interested in packing our bags for six months and saying goodbye to all your friends and family. I think we’re over that. So cherry picking is the way we describe it. In other words, we’ll do things that interest us and are a bit easier and no so taxing. We’re not the sort of band to be mounting tours like this in future because we’re doing it now.
Should we treat every Hoodoo Gurus gig as if it it’s going to be the last?
For sure, at some point we’re going to reach our used by date and we don’t think musically or cyclically we are, but there will be a physical point of no return for us. When Mark our drummer isn’t about to smash that kit like he does, he’s a very self-destructive man as to how he attacks those drums, as it is very hard on his body and he is a necessary engine of our music. When he starts to give out and can’t hack the pace, we’ll have to cease to function. My voice is holding up and I’m not worried about that and my guitar playing isn’t improving, a shame about that, but isn’t getting worse.
Well, we’re doing the Stoneage Romeos album, in order, from start to finish in the first part of the set. That’s the special thing we wanted to do to add our dimension to what will be a very special event and keep up with everyone else, as they’re going to be excited seeing all these other bands that they’ll probably never see again.
Will there be a special live DVD to commemorate the occasion or some other release?
It’s funny because people keep asking that and we haven’t really thought about that at all. I’m not a big fan of cameras wandering around on stage interfering with the show. It may be worth thinking about but I’m sure there will be some bootleg tapes floating around at the very least.
Where to from here once this tour is done?
There are no plans to do an album right now. Basically I’ll be slowing down to be honest. We’re not interested in packing our bags for six months and saying goodbye to all your friends and family. I think we’re over that. So cherry picking is the way we describe it. In other words, we’ll do things that interest us and are a bit easier and no so taxing. We’re not the sort of band to be mounting tours like this in future because we’re doing it now.
Should we treat every Hoodoo Gurus gig as if it it’s going to be the last?
For sure, at some point we’re going to reach our used by date and we don’t think musically or cyclically we are, but there will be a physical point of no return for us. When Mark our drummer isn’t about to smash that kit like he does, he’s a very self-destructive man as to how he attacks those drums, as it is very hard on his body and he is a necessary engine of our music. When he starts to give out and can’t hack the pace, we’ll have to cease to function. My voice is holding up and I’m not worried about that and my guitar playing isn’t improving, a shame about that, but isn’t getting worse.