FIVE MINUTES WITH: Car Park Social

BY KYRON SMITHSON

I love the Summer holidays, I love having an influx of visitors to our town, and I love seeing new faces at live music events. For a piece of the year, I feel like we exist in a microcosm cut of from the rest of the world, then Summer hits, and we are reconnected. It’s great to get feedback from these travellers, Esperance ex-pats, or family friends, they can give us a fresh perspective on our little slice of paradise, pros and cons. The Esperance music scene is many things though one of its greatest strengths currently is its propensity to cultivate original acts. Regularly I hear from local ex-pats that in Esperance, you get to see artists develop over time. This is due to several factors, though an essential ingredient is the overwhelming support of one artist to another no matter the musical style. We all want each other to keep pushing the limits, and we all want to instil confidence in each other’s craft, which is a beautiful thing. Car Park Social kicked off their existence as a two-piece, with Dan Seinor on vocals, rhythm guitar, snare and kick drum and occasional harmonica accompanied by Paul Ricciardo on lead guitar. To begin Dan regularly played an acoustic guitar while Paul just generally shredded along on his Fender electric. I have some fantastic shots from the lads early open mic performances at the Cannery. Instantly everyone recognised the quality of the act, bringing forth a robust sound that fitted into a classic rock and roll/ blues feel that everyone could wrap their ears around. Not long after these era performances, the lads found themselves playing the odd paid gigs, just enough to push them to practise and write a few new tunes. Some absolute bangers were taking shape. Without a doubt, the lads hit a high point, in duo form, when they performed at Blues At Bridgetown 2018. This was quickly followed by a support slot for a sold-out Swamp Thing show at the late Esperance Motor Hotel.

Jon Carlson had been swanning around town for some time, a long-time drummer coming from a more heavier music background. Through many nights volunteering with Paul at the Cannery Arts Centre bar, the lads formed the plan to add drums to the Car Park Social sound. And if you’re adding drums, you may as well add bass. Fortuitously rock-solid bass player Scotty White was up to the task. Car Park Social had entered the full band phase, Dan was freed up from percussion duties and able to focus on everything else. You would think that a steady progression would see open mics through to some casual early performances. The four-piece were not afforded such luxuries, thrust hastily onto a line-up supporting the one and only Eugene Hideaway Bridges.

Off the back of this performance Car Park Social set their sights on Bridgetown 2019. Though not before a substantial amount of work. When the schedule was announced, the lads were surprised to find they had been slung a 110-minute time slot, that is a solid amount of material and a bloody long time to play straight through.

SOMETIMES IT’S GOOD TO BE THROWN IN THE DEEP END, AND IN THE DEEP END, THE LADS WENT.

Jamming ramped up, Jonny Carlson saw to it that the social media and online presence began to reflect the quality of the band’s musicianship. October saw Car Park Social perform at The Pier Hotel over two nights, back to back, supporting Denmark artist Myles Mitchell. The Pier front bar can be a testing gig, particularly for original acts. The boys handled it well and over the two nights managed to perform the majority of the required material for Bridgetown.

Then onto Bridgetown, where the boys performed two great gigs, doing Esperance incredibly proud. From open mics to festival appearances and a little of everything in between, Car Park Social have established themselves as an original top act, serving up tasty rock and roll riffery. Consider their sound as a reflection of the quality of the characters in this band-solid all honest all round. The lads have recently released their first single Beyond Your Means which can be downloaded for free from their website (www.carparksocial.com), pitter-patter.

UPCOMING GIGS

See Car Park Social perform at the Cannery Arts Centre on February 29, supporting Michael Dunstan in his debut Album Launch. The Cannery bar will be open, serving up all your favourite beverages. Tickets are $32.50+BF for members and 37.50+BF for non-members and are available for purchase at the Cannery website (www.canneryartscentre.com.au).