White Birds and Lemons Newsletter Interview

Photo taken by Nic Staveley.

What is the best gig/event you have ever performed at, and why?

The best gig weve played was either the Big Day Out just passed or playing with The Veils up at the Leigh Sawmill in January of 07. We are big fans and it was a real honour to be asked to play with them, and the venue was equally awesome and special.

What is your favourite NZ venue?

Favourite NZ venue, I really like the San Fransisco Bath House in Wellington, it’s really big and the sound is really good. I would like to play the Mighty Mighty in Wellington some time soon too. Auckland I think maybe 4:20 or Rising Sun especially when it packs out, always a good time. Either that or the fail safe Kings Arms.

What can we expect to see from White Birds and Lemons over the next year?

We are writing songs for an album that we will hopefully release before the year is out, we have written so much new material since our EP, and its really starting to shape up to be a really good debut album with a lot of good songs. We are planning on heading over seas this year as well, try and secure an awesome record deal and do some nationwide tours, we have yet to travel to the South Island so it’s a must for us.

What other NZ musicians or bands would you like to see more of, and why?

Biased opinions point towards our friends The Coshercot Honeys from Auckland, they have some really cool tunes and they are totally original too which is refreshing to hear and they do it so well. I think they will blow up sometime soon when people start hearing them and realise that they are the coolest band around.

If you could, what rumour would you start about yourselves?

We have a time machine that allows us to go into the future and steal hits from the year 2020 and bring them back to our time.

What advice would you like to give to other aspiring musicians?

Write as much as you can, over time your songs will get better and more original enabling you to find your own sound that you’ve been looking for. If you are a new band then get as many gigs as possible, this will make your band tight and also introduce you to the local music scene. Do tours to other cities too, it’s a lot of fun and a good chance to make friends with bands from other cities. Also, listen to a very broad range of music and if you aren’t that educated on music that your mums and dads listened to, then get out their vinyls and listen. The 60’s and 70’s were an amazing time for bands inventing new genres and sounds. Listen to The Beatles, David Bowie and Johnny Cash. Listen to everything they ever did. It will make you a better musician and person.