music
injection interview
with
max bemis from
say anything
SAY ANYTHING are headed back to our shores this October, their first
headline tour in over 2 years with the news that Chris Conley from SAVES THE DAY will be playing guitar and singing for SAY ANYTHING. Melbourne lads CERES joining the bill as direct support. CERES have crafted an ideological throwback to the days when music was charged with hope and contained a much- needed brand of sincerity. CERES play anthemic, beautifully con-
structed pop with a dark edge. This is a new band, new sound, whilst simultaneously feeling like an old friend. A host of locals have been added in each city to round out the bill. Tickets on sale now. A band that defies categorisation and one of the most innovative indie bands, SAY ANYTHING are heading back to Australia this October for a series of headline shows.
TICKETS ON SALE NOW WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 15TH –AMPLIFIER BAR, PERTH 18+ With Guest Dan Cribb & The Isolated Tickets available at www.oztix.com.au THURSDAY OCTOBER 16TH –FOWLERS LIVE, ADELAIDE LIC/AA // With Guest The Hard Aches Tickets available at www.oztix.com.au | www.moshtix.com.au | www.venuetix.com.au FRIDAY OCTOBER 17TH –THE CORNER HOTEL, MELBOURNE – 18+ // With Guest My Echo *Tickets selling Fast Tickets available www.cornerhotel.com | www.oztix.com.au SATURDAY OCTOBER 18TH –MANNING BAR, SYDNEY – 18+ With Guest Drawing North Tickets available at www.oztix.com.au SUNDAY OCTOBER 19th –THE HI FI, BRISBANE 18+ With Guest Inside The Whale Tickets available at www.oztix.com.au
PRESENTED BY TAPERJEAN TOURING, SELECT TOURING, BOMBSHELLZINE, 24 HUNDRED,
Forming in 2000, SAY ANYTHING has built a formidable and fiercely loyal fan base with their quirky, honest and eclectic take on rock. Since the release of their seminal album ‘ …Is A Real Boy’, SAY ANYTHING have been pushing musical boundaries with each of their records. SAY ANYTHING’S latest offering is no different, ‘Hebrews’ showcases Max Bemis at his ambitious best with the band opting to replace traditional guitar riffs with orchestral string arrangements.
Critics and fans alike praised the album “undoubtedly the most chaotic and passionate release in SAY ANYTHING’S history” – Absolutepunk, with Killyourstereo declaring “Hebrews is experimentation done right, SAY ANYTHING’S most unique sounding record - 90/100”. Armed with an eccentric and energetic live show and an extensive discography SAY ANYTHING’S Australian tour is not to be missed.
EXCLUSIVE INTERvIEW By Jen Rees | Photos by Neil Visel & Chris Phelps | Live photos by Natalie Bisignano Great to hear that you are heading to Australia in October! I know, it’s great! You start in Perth, did you know that’s pretty unique for bands to go to Perth? Is that true? Yeah, most bands don’t go there as it is so far away from the other major cities on the east coast. Really? In the couple of times that we have been over, I think we’ve played there before. Oh ok. Well, that’s awesome that we are playing there. How many times have you been to Australia now? I believe this will be our third trip. Do you have a fav city to play at? You know, I have not spent enough time in Australia to really distinguish... I remember Sydney being great, obviously, but the whole country is amazing and maybe this time I will be able to decide. There is a lot of rivalry between Sydney and Melbourne as to who are the best crowds. Oh really, that is good to know! And yeah Melbourne is better… just saying, as that is where I am from. (Laughing) I will be there at your Melbourne Show. Well, I will make sure that I will do a better job there then! Is this a world wind tour or will you have time to take in some sights and get
some relaxation? You know it is a pretty rushed trip I think. We have like no days off, possibly one day at the beginning when we are all jetlagged and crazy. Although I guess if we get up earlier enough in the day we will be able to walk around and see some of the sites, as the shows are at night. That sounds good. You have also toured with Saves The Day, Manchester Orchestra and Thrice. What would be your fav past tour and any funny stories you can tell us? Man, it is really hard to pick just one tour. I don’t think I actually have a favourite, but there have been highlights and when we play with Saves The Day the shows are incredible, same with Manchester Orchestra. The last shows we played were incredible, it has been fun playing by myself on the acoustic tour, I got to play songs that I liked. So I got to play with a hero of mine and that was great. You know after every tour I say that was the best tour. Ha yeah, I say that after every concert I go to! Yeah it is really hard to make that call, isn’t it. I am really hoping that your set list includes Walk for Hell and my favourite song Alive With the Glory of Love. Any chance of that? Yeah definitely at least one of those. Great! So your new album is called Hebrews…
interesting title. Is there a story behind that? Yeah I mean that I think that the record is an examination of why we keep tradition. I particularly come from a Jewish upbringing and background so I kind of fashioned not only the damnation of myself but the damnation of what it is like to be of part of a culture, part of a race, part of an agenda, and sort of a scribe or identity that society places upon you and all the burdens. Yeah, like I come from all that. So Hebrews is a reference to my particular upbringing, I don’t think the record is specific to being Jewish. Yeah, no I did not think so.
they are the ones that triangulated the part so I think due to that the songs are generally pretty aggressive, you don’t really lose any of the attitude going either way. They pretty much sound the same either way, maybe a little bit louder with guitars although it is a pretty loud and heavy record to begin with. I have not felt that it was a sacrifice, if anything it brings something new to the show.
You don’t hold anything back when you write your lyrics as demonstrated in Six Six Six. Haha. Can you tell us what was going through your head while writing that song and I have to ask, what made you decide not give our readers some idea of the meaning? to use any guitars at all on the album? It was not a decision not to use them but Sure, I don’t think that I was at any particular low or depressed point, the songs more of a decision of what I wanted to do. I wanted to make an orchestral record have a lot of energy to them, it is not a depressive song, it just is dark. I am the so I wanted to bring strings in and still be very up-tempo. So I don’t think I really kind of guy at this point that self preserthought about not recording with guitars, vates even when I am in a bad place I just thought that if I did incorporate gui- mentally even for like 5 minutes. I find tars, it is going to have a particular sound some way to find some energy or inspirawhich I am not actually the biggest fan of, tion in that and I think Six Six Six is born out of not necessarily the most healthiest guitar music with strings, it seems realemotion because it is all about glorifying ly heavy sounding not to mention that it impends having guitars, I think it is more self pitying and self sacrificing and substance abuse and fear of the darkness powerful that the lack of guitars does inside of you. I think that you know if you not show. It was more of a decision to don’t own it you never really get passed make an orchestral record than to make it. The whole record is about trying to a record with a bunch of guitars fiddling move past something like that. I think if around, and then strip it down till I knew you just retreat into full on depression what was good. about it that you can’t really begin to Even without the use of guitars, the lyrunderstand and identify what the things ics of the songs and the use of strings in your life that you need to conquer are. makes a very interesting and enjoyable I think that is where the momentum of listening. the song comes from. But in terms of Thank you! what was going on in my life it is sort of what is going on in my life still, life is like Will you be using guitars for your tour? a constant series of rigmaroles and reYeah it is just guitar, no strings on this births, at that time we were expecting our tour. The guitar players are so talented,
daughter, Lucy, and I was questioning if I had what it takes to be a father, a husband, a person and at that point I thought “No I won’t!” It is like a feeling that you get in two seconds and it goes away or for an hour that goes away, the feelings that you can latch on to and write whole songs about. Well, your emotions drip through the whole album. Yeah! Is there a song that means the most to you? Oh, that is a hard call again. I think probably ‘Lost My Touch’ for me as it carries a lot of weight for me, which is probably one of the less emotional songs on the record. I am trying to make a mission statement for myself and our fans and other musicians in my position. I think it is one of those songs that tries to be an anthem but probably fails but I think I actually did OK with that one. It says a lot about my ideals that if something happens to me God forbid a lot of what I have taken out of my life choices would pretty accurately be represented in that song. You have a huge amount of guest vocals in the album including Tom DeLonge. First of all, why so many? It started to build up out of nowhere. I was really only planning on having a couple of people but then when ever I heard the songs I just I started to love the idea of the different texture that you bring to a song when you bring someone else to work on it. That was already happening with the guest drummers, string players, the record was really turning into a giant collaboration. So I really thought that it matched the intensity and the variation by bringing in different voices and instruments. You know I like my voice but I am not in love it. (Jen laughs) I think textually
every person has a difference voice that can add to music not necessarily viewed in the punk rock music as much. And how was it working with all those artists? Did you actually physically work with them or did they send you their work? I did not physically work with anyone except for the people in my family or lives here. All of the other guest vocals were recorded at studios across the country and in people’s home set-ups so basically I send a version with me singing it to the person, who will take it and mould it and make it their own thing and send it back. How long did it take to record the album? It was a few months, probably three to four months because I was producing it out of my own studio and the only constant member of the recording team was me and my cousin who lives a few hours away and we both have really flexible time so we take breaks, life events and tours and we would take it easy. Well I hope that your tour goes well, I look forward to catching your concert in Melbourne.