Junior Danger
Congratulations, you’ve just released your debut full-length album. How does that make you feel?
Darren – The best way I can describe it is like that first time you took a bite into a Streets Golden Gaytime. Do it once and you’re hooked. I can wait to do another lap around the track.
Tom – After many years of drinking and falling in love, I no longer feel anything at all.
Damien - Pretty damn proud! My greatest achievement as a icolomusician so far. Looking forward to doing the next one.
What was your song writing process?
Darren – The albums been finished for a bit over a year now so I have to go a way back to remember but basically it was as simple as sitting down to give the plank a good spank to see what riffs came out. That’s how a lot of the songs on the album started and then all the other parts jumped on for the ride.
Tom – The process involved Darren putting in countless hours behind the scenes honing lyrics, melodies and guitar parts. When these were developed, we would convene and try and come up with our various parts together. We would generally record a rough demo of this and continually refine each aspect. Around the time that we thought the song could not be improved anymore Darren decided the song was dogshit and condemned it to the scrapheap. Often certain lyrical parts or riffs were salvaged and utilised in future songs and the process would restart and continue until the song passed the final sniff test.
Damien - To try and provide the backbone to the tunes without looking like a goose, and sometimes succeeding...also to lock in with The Colonel (Tom) on drums and try and stay lurking in the background.
Did you go into the studio with a clear plan of attack?
Darren – We don’t plan real well in this band. Tom and I tend to leave all that stuff up to Damien who tries to maintain some level of sanity. We definitely knew one thing for sure… replicate the live show as best as possible.
Tom – We did but that plan changed on a regular basis. Constantly under attack from fresh ideas and increasing cynicism, we had to adapt to our harsh new surroundings.
Damien - I had 2 clear plans- stand as close to Darren whilst tracking to keep him on edge and know where the emergency exits are for when Tom emits his foul gases. He can clear a Recording Studio including Engineer in seconds when one gets past the keeper.
What proved to be the biggest challenge throughout the recording process?
Darren – Belligerent Grandads (Damien) arse crack. That thing literally follows us everywhere and hangs around like a bad smell. I mean seriously, there wasn’t a safe place to hide. Everywhere you’d look there it was grinning at you with its toothless vertical smile and moustache.
Tom – One of the biggest challenges was the night we decided to stay at the studios accommodation, instead of going home to our own beds. There was an uneasy feeling in the room, which in hindsight, can now be attributed to Belligerent Grandads bedtime rituals.
Damien - Definitely finding a car park at the Studio, there seemed to be more cars than people at times. Probably due to the fact we went straight to the pub after every recording session. Running out of beer was always concerning.
What was the most rewarding part?
Darren – For me, definitely the process. The process is what really keeps me motivated. It’s great to hear the end product and have something you can physically touch but the process is the creative part and when those little ideas just seem to pop out of nowhere it’s just magic. You can’t beat it.
Tom – We rewarded ourselves on the way home from the studio every night with alcohol and the Newmarket Hotel 250g rump steak.
Damien - Hearing all of our hard work being played back for the first time was pretty awesome. Surviving Tom’s Studio clearing antics with all nose hairs and eyebrows still intact was also an achievement to be proud of.
What equipment did you use and can you explain the sound you were trying to achieve?
Darren – The sound… A chooglin’ freight train. The equipment… British Amps, American Guitars, Russian Fuzz Pedals and far too much beer. I’ve got a great old Fender Telecaster and a Gibson ES345, which I use to smash the front end of Plexi amps because British Watts are louder. Put a Green Russian in the mix and it gets smoky.
Tom – A Sleishman Pro-series drum kit was used on the record, with predominately K Zildjian cymbals. Went hand in hand with the thick sound and dark areas the record was heading towards.
Damien - I used my trusty 62 re-issue Custom Shop Fender P- Bass for the whole album, Amp wise some tracks through an Ampeg head and Cab- the rest through an Orange all tube head. I try and achieve a classic and pure sound with plenty of bottom end mongrel.
Who or what was your biggest influence when writing the album?
Darren –I couldn’t get enough of Grinderman 2 at the time I was writing the album. That is a serious bell ringer of an album. I’m a huge fan of Nick Cave and add when you add Warren Ellis mix shit gets out of control fast. I’m also a ‘Keef’ man. I really do admire the way he has approached life. He’s one of a kind, too weird to live, too rare to die. To look back at his younger years and see how he pioneered a movement and then to look at who he has become today is just extraordinary. If Aliens were to arrive, Keef should represent the human race; he embodies the lifestyle and attitude we should all strive for.
Tom – During the writing/recording process, Ragged Glory, the Neil Young Crazy Horse album was on constant rotation for me. That influenced a fair bit of the drumming, now that I look back.
Damien - I take influence more from bands than individuals. Josh Homme and the style he practically invented had a big influence on my playing for this Album.
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked. If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, Where’s the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?
Darren – You know I’m surprised they haven’t solved the crime yet! Piper must have had the best lawyer the world had ever seen. I mean here’s a guy that has clearly stolen some poor blokes pickled peppers, eaten them and then walked free because all the evidence was eaten. Crime of the century and still being investigated to this day.
Tom – I got lost at peck.
Damien - Peter sounds like he could do with a dose of Chasing The Red Sun or Dig from our album to chill the f**k out. What the hell is a peck of pickles anyway? I’m confused...
Where can fans see you play and how do you approach your shows?
Darren – Well I suppose if the money is right wherever they like! As I said earlier I’m not great at planning these things and we largely leave it up to Damien so I’ll let him fill in the blanks on that one. When we are playing shows we are there to have fun but we also love to get the tubes rattling. If the crowds having a good time we’re having a good time.
Tom – I approach shows much the same way as I approach life, with a healthy mix of optimism and pessimism. While always giving 100% and with full confidence in the rest of the band, expectations are usually low. This helps to create a jubilant feeling at the end of every gig.
Damien - We have a 3 Date tour coming up in Feb starting at The New Globe in Brissie on the 3rd, The Last Chance Rock n Roll Bar in Melbourne on the 16th, then Sydney at our favourite venue in the country on the 18th, Frankie’s Pizza By The Slice. I firstly approach a show by trying to wear the same colour shirt as Darren, which really fires him up. Secondly I try not to get too pissed before playing so I can see where to plug my bass in on stage.
What should we expect to see next from Junior Danger?
Darren – Well like I said earlier the album has been finished for over a year now so we are already elbow deep in the song writing process for the next one. I did the majority of the writing on the debut album but we’re taking a slightly different approach this time round and The Colonel has really stepped up his input. This time round we are starting by writing solid songs with a ‘don’t bore us get to the chorus’ attitude. Once we’ve got the tracks down we intend to sprinkle some love over the top and see what comes out. Stay tuned…
Tom – The Unexpected.
Damien - More debauchery, face wiping, dirty looks from El Disgusto (Darren) Gigs, new music hopefully before the next 3 years, empty beer bottles and plenty of loud Rock N’ Roll…
