Monday 11 March 2013

Interview with Scalar Fields


Davis Tolley, 20: Lead vocals, synth, rhythm guitar
Alex Palmer, 20: Lead guitar, backing vocals
Nick Torrens, 20: Percussion, backing vocals
Will Garvin, 20: Bass


Where did you get the name for your band from, for those who don't know?
We are led to believe it’s some kind of mathematical equation but have never researched the topic. We were about to play our first gig and were asked what our band name was and someone in the band suggested it; it has stuck ever since.
We are all at university in Melbourne.

What genre of music do you consider yourselves and who inspires you?
We would classify our sound as alternate rock with a lot of influence coming from bands like; The Getaway Plan, Kisschasy, The Killers and Two Door Cinema Club.


How long have you known each other and how did you meet?
Palmer, Davis and Will all went to high school together where Palmer and Davis would regularly play acoustic shows together. By the time they were ready to form a band Will was called up to play bass and I met Davis at a club one night and our friendship and musical journey began.


When did the band form and what inspired you guys to make music together?
We formed as a predominantly cover band in mid-2011 with our first gig being later that year. We had enough originals to play an entirely original set by the beginning of 2012.
We all had relatively similar taste in music and when we started hearing what each of us had written we were excited to keep making music together.


Where have you played, what are your favorite and least favorite venues? 
We have played at quite few venues including The HIFI, The Espy, Pony, The Ferntree Gully Hotel and many many more. Personally a venue in our home town of Bendigo, Star Bar, always makes for a fun night. I have great memories of supporting indie super giants The Rubens there late last year to a completely packed house. Without mentioning any names we have had a few venues who haven’t really researched our music before booking us and we have all had to cram onto a two man stage that is made for acoustic sets or venues who have owed us money that we never see handed over.

Do you have any upcoming shows?
We have a number of shows coming up including an acoustic Valentines Day set at NEXT!, as well as some other full band performances throughout March and April which will be announced soon via our Facebook page


Which songs do you find yourselves playing the most and do you ever play any covers? 
We often play the song we first wrote called “Seymour’s Close” as well as “Blue and Brown”. They always find their way into our set list. After a lot of writing this summer we are at the stage where we will have to pick and choose a lot more of our songs for set lists.
Since finishing up as a cover band we have occasionally thrown a cover into some of our sets to spice things up but because we often only have half hour slots at shows, we try to play as much original music as possible.
We have the basic structure of our set list which usually stays the same to make change overs and tuning changes a bit more fast flowing but we do tend to swap songs around here and there to keep things a bit different.


Who writes your songs and what are the main themes or topics for most of your songs? 
Most of the writing is done by Davis (Tolley) and (Alex) Palmer however lately I have been contributing to the song pool. Most of the themes are related to things going on in our lives such as moving away from home for University and relationships. I guess as these themes change through our lives the things we feel are important or interesting will change and therefore there will be some lyrical differences in our music.


Could you briefly describe the music-making process?
Usually it starts with Davis, Palmer or myself writing pretty much a whole song and bringing it to the group. From there there is tweaking to the song at practice and I will often re-write the drums to parts of the song. From there we usually just play it over and over until we feel it is sounding how we all want it.


What are your rehearsals generally like?
We tend to have very long rehearsals. Often we have to book a rehearsal room in Melbourne which are rented out in 6 hour blocks so we will practice for that time 2 or 3 times before a show depending on whether we are playing new material or not.


What has been your biggest challenge as a band? 
It has been very difficult to decide which people in the industry to trust and who is just trying to take your money. We have been fleeced of money due to naivety and excitement of what sounded like an amazing opportunity before. It’s really hard to keep your motivation up when things like that happen, as well as when you hit patches where you're struggling to find shows and it feels like you aren’t progressing as a band.

What's your ultimate direction for your band?
Personally I would be stoked to do a national tour of well attended shows and break even at the end of that. To have an experience like that would be one of a kind. If we go above and beyond that it would be an absolute dream come true.

What advice do you have for people who want to form their own bands?
Jam with as many people as you can! It’s the perfect way to meet people and make contacts who might also have similar music taste to you. You have absolutely nothing to lose by having a jam with someone you have just got to know.

How can fans-to-be find your music?
There are a number of sites that have our music:
http://www.facebook.com/Scalarfields A like would be greatly appreciated!
http://www.triplejunearthed.com/ScalarFields
http://www.youtube.com/scalarfields
https://twitter.com/scalarfields


Is there anyone you'd like to acknowledge?
All of our family and friends who constantly support us at shows, online and in our everyday lives. Anyone who has ever been to one of our shows, all the bands that we have had the pleasure of playing with as well as the venues who have hosted us. A huge thanks to our great friend Cal who is constantly helping us out with everything from social media to booking shows, his help is truly priceless.


Any last words?
We would love to see you at a show sometime in the future! If you make it along to our shows come and have a chat! We love meeting new people especially people who have made an effort to support us! Keep up to date with our shows and happenings on Facebook and Twitter! And thanks to you Richard for your time!

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