Where did the name Dear Stalker come from?
Alan: Dear Stalker came from Lisa, it was literally just a name she threw out there. It's such a great name, and you can take it in so many ways, which I really like about it too. It really sums up the sound of the band as well. The sincerity of "dear", the nice and lovely part of the band. And then you have "stalker" which can be creepy, scary, intense, dark. Dear Stalker is perfect.
Lisa: I originally got the idea from bloggers writing online letters to their stalkers; I guess there's a lot that can be implied in terms of confrontation, confession, and so on. I like Al's take on it, though!
What style of music did you grow up listening to?
Alan: I guess "grunge" was the first music that really hit me and that I loved. Silverchair, being only a couple of years older than me, when they made it big. It was like, "if those kids can do it, so can I". That massive wave of Aussie music in the late 90s early 00s was a big influence: Silverchair, Something For Kate, Bodyjar, Magic Dirt, Augie March, Blueline Medic, etc. Then picking what I thought were the best parts of my parents' vinyl collection, Led Zeppelin, Alice Cooper, AC/DC, Richard Pryor, Johnny Cash, etc.
Lisa: As much as I hate to admit it sometimes, I was right into 90s pop music. I knew every Spice Girls song inside-out, and used to analyse the various vocal harmonies, instrumental parts, arrangements, and so on. It gave me a pretty good understanding of how a pop song works. It wasn't until I was 15 that I really discovered rock music. I taught myself to play the guitar because one day I just decided that I wanted to be able to play Powderfinger songs. From there I became obsessed with Dave Grohl - Foo Fighters, but especially Nirvana. I think I'll always have a soft spot for grunge music.
Tell us about the experience of making your first music video.
Alan: Making a music video like this was something I always dreamed of doing. It was pretty surreal to have all of these people with cameras and a make up artist, it was nuts. The people at Snowgum Films (www.snowgumfilms.com) were amazing! It was done in a day and we must have played the song about 40 times. When you see us live, I like to show off by twirling sticks, throwing them in the air, etc. It's hard being at the back sitting down, you don't get the freedom to run around, so you gotta do something, right? So off we go, as we hit the first verse, I throw the sticks in the air and smash the massive long tube light right above my head, the glass shatters everywhere and delays everything for about 30 minutes while we clean up. We all had to laugh as it was early in the day and everyone was just getting into the groove of things, we were on our 3rd run through or something. It didn't make it into the clip, but I'm sure it's out there somewhere. Good for a laugh.
Lisa: Something else that didn't make the cut were the shots of us in crazy animal masks! We shot the video in the Jezabel Room at Bakehouse Studios, which has a feel slightly reminiscent of the "red room" from Twin Peaks, and so the idea was to throw a few unnerving elements into the clip. There was a version of the video with the masks in it, along with shots of us playing each other's instruments, but it wound up being more comical - or unnerving, in a bad way! In the end we all felt that the original edit best captured the vibe of us as a band. The team from Snowgum Films did an amazing job.
What bands are you listening to right now?
Alan: Everything from Tori Amos to Tool, Mark Lanegan (anything that man does), The Tea Party, Fiona Apple, Ben Harper, The Doors, Marilyn Manson, Bill Hicks & a whole bunch of amazing Aussie bands such as Floating Me, Cola Wars, The Statics, Adalita, My Disco, Seri Vida, Jonesez, Over-Reactor, Jimmy Tait, The Kill Devil Hills, the list goes on and on...
Lisa: Right now it's After The Fall, Gyroscope, Rouge Foncé… and the new Foo Fighters album, of course!
Name the one thing you hate most about the music industry right now, and the one thing that you love about it.
Alan: The thing I hate most about the industry or business if you will, is just that it's really all about money and not music, which is sad...
Lisa: When I first started gigging in Melbourne about 7 years ago, one thing I really struggled with was the fashionable, indie music scene. Maybe I was just unlucky, but I dealt with some real wankers, who seemed to be more about drugs and social elitism than the music. I still find those attitudes really frustrating. One thing I love is the sense of community that you do find among some bands, which we've been fortunate enough to experience. It's nice to be able to support each other, share gear at shows and promote each other; rather than being stupid and competitive.
What would be your idea of success for Dear Stalker?.
Alan: My idea of success would be for us to travel around the world and make a living playing music. Waking up everyday knowing that your job was to write, record and play music. To have someone book gigs, set up gear, run merch, sound desk, door, promo online and on street… having people do all those little thankless jobs that we do for ourselves now. And to program Rage, headline the Big Day Out, play Madison Square Garden would be nice too.
Lisa: Obviously there are things that would be a dream come true, like programming Rage and headlining huge festivals. But as Al said, to get the band to a point where it is operating as a sustainable business, so that we can spend our time playing live, writing and recording the best music we possibly can. And, of course, to have an audience that really digs it!
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