By Ren Kirk
Jordi James may still be in high school, but along with mates Josh Biondillo, Scarlett Stevens and Nick Gardner he’s still found time to be part of the San Cisco.
Hailing from the musical hotbed of remote Western Australia (luminaries such as the Sleepy Jackson and Tame Impala also call WA home), these four have already been part of the Big Day Out and Laneway Festival 2011 in Australia.
Last week San Cisco released their debut EP, Golden Revolver and I caught up with Josh to find out a little more about this group of talented youngsters.
What’s your musical background?
I started playing guitar when I was in high school, about year 8 or 9, but it was mostly just playing music in my bedroom. So I did that until I met Jordi and then we started jamming together. We also started writing music together and then the next step was to start a band… which we did with Scarlett and Nick about 2 years ago.
What do you like most about being a musician?
Playing shows with other great bands and meeting people who are good at making music. Also playing festivals and the way you get to meet people from all over the planet.
If you couldn’t do music but could do or be anything else, what would you choose?
I would probably play videogames all day… and get paid for it.
Back to your real career – who are the members of San Cisco?
Jordi Davieson on guitar, keys & vocals. Scarlett Stevens on drums and vocals. Nick Gardner on bass and keys. And me (Josh Biondillo) on guitar, keys and vocals.
How did you guys get together?
Jordi and I were making music together in High School and around the same time Jordi was jamming with Scarlett - so naturally we formed a threesome (playing music, not sexy time). Then we needed a bass player so we asked our friend Nick and he came on board.
What do you each bring to the group?
I usually contribute song melodies and chords while Jordi works on the lyrics. Then Nick and Scarlett work on bass and beats. That’s how songs have been written lately and it works well. It’s a good reflection of what we’re up to musically and also means there’s lots of room to add cool little bits and whatever.
So your debut EP Golden Revolver was released at the start of last week. Tell me about the writing / recording process for this album?
Some of the songs have been around for a while, like the acoustic songs, ‘John’s Song’ and ‘Spangled Streets’. Those two are among the first songs we ever wrote. But if it were up to me we’d almost be writing new songs in the studio. I have to be writing new music all the time, otherwise I get bored.
What do you think about the Australian music scene?
I think it’s pretty incredible. Bands like Sleepy Jackson, Empire Of The Sun, Tame Impala, Pond, John Butler... and they’re just a few of the bands who’ve had amazing success with their music. Australia is definitely producing some incredible music at the moment.
Your lead single recently got some pretty high praise; “If this song was brought to me as the next Vampire Weekend single, I would not be disappointed” - Mike Walsh, XFM London. What did you guys think about that?
Yeah, that was pretty rad!
You’ve also played some big festivals so far including Big Day Out and Laneways. Was that a bit of a dream come true? Did you ever stand in the crowd as a punter and imagine one day you’d be on stage?
To be honest, the first time I played those festivals was the first time I’d ever actually gone…. I never had the money to go.
Are there any bands you’d really like to open for... or just sit and talk music with?
At the moment, probably someone like the Flaming Lips, MGMT or Vampire Weekend. The Strokes would be good too.
What’s the most interesting thing you’ve learnt musically this year?
I spend heaps of my time on the internet learning as much about music as I can. Making music and how other bands go about making music. Producers and production techniques, right through to heaps of research about gear. I am hoping I get the chance to unleash all this knowledge when we record our next EP.
What are you listening to at the moment?
Flaming Lips, Mercury Rev, Ariel Pink, Neon Indian, The Strokes new album. Also Darwin Deez; we met them last month at a festival.
Does what you’re listening to influence how you make music?
Definitely. As I listen to new music the sounds I make change - sometimes you can really hear the music I’ve been listening to in what I’m creating. For example, I bought the entire Flaming Lips Discography and have been listening to that a lot lately… it’s pretty incredible and Wayne Coyne is so cool. Listening to the Flaming Lips then led me to listen to a lot of other music that is produced by Dave Fridmann, bands like Mercury Rev, Sleater-Kinney and obviously MGMT, Tame Impala and Sleepy Jackson. Dave Fridmann has pretty much produced most of the music that I love.
What's the best way to listen to music (in your opinion), and why?
I really like speakers. Especially ones that sound really different and bring forward lots of weird and interesting things in the mix. I bought a set of these American speakers from a garage sale about a year ago and I absolutely love them. They go really loud and they push out lots of those interesting sounds I like.
What’s great about today for you?
I am on holiday!
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