QandA with...Loon Lake

Three brothers and two mates make up the garage-pop band from Melbourne Loon Lake.  

Loon Lake - 3 bros and 2 mates

Since forming in 2010, "Loon Lake," - comprising of Simon, Nick, Sam, Dan and Tim, -  has become a well known name within the Australian music scene, with hits such as "Bad to Me" featuring regularly on national radio station, Triple J.   The group have also been prolific performers, performing at Big Day Out, Groovin' the Moo as well as touring with UK band, Kaiser Chiefs.

One day before they perform their sold out show in Adelaide, Simon from the band took some time out to answer a few quick questions about the music industry, the journey so far and what we can expect from their new EP "Thirty Three".

RTM: The band Loon Lake formed in 2010 and since then you have conquered everything from festivals such as Pyramid Rock and Big Day out right through to touring with artists such as Bluejuice and Kaiser Chiefs.  What have you learnt from performing alongside such seasoned performers?

LL: I think having the opportunity to play alongside those guys who have obviously been doing it for so long, shows how far you can take it and how much you can improve. One thing that I noticed with touring with the Kaiser Chiefs was the level of professionalism, every night and through every detail. They seemed to have a great amount of respect for their fans, every show they did was to their full capacity to what I could see. I think what you have to remember when being a live band, no matter where you play is that every time you can win one new fan over. And that's important, no matter what the gig is you should play like its your last, because punters can detect when you are not enjoying it or giving it your all. High profile bands are seasoned at that - they have played shitty gigs too, but they get to the position they are by persistence dedication and handwork.

RTM: You are currently headlining your own tour, promoting the new Loon Lake EP "Thirty Three" - what can people expect at a Loon Lake gig?


LL: Every time this question gets asked I find it really hard to answer, as I guess I have never seen a Loon Lake gig. In comparison to our previous headline shows we have definitely stepped the production side of things up. We have spent more time and effort on presenting more of a 'show' to the punters. Within our limits though I guess - we don't have a revolving drum cage hovering above stage. Yet. Musically, we have definitely got some more treats in store, obviously with a new EP comes new songs to play, which is exciting for us. We are yet to play our song 'Cherry Lips' live yet, which will be fun for us to see how it goes down. I feel we are playing a lot tighter at the moment too.

The boys will be performing in Adelaide tomorrow night,
as part of their "Thirty Three" tour.

RTM: How would you describe Loon Lake's music to someone who had never heard it before?

LL: I would probably describe it is 'garage pop' music, that has a penchant for melodies and hooks. Not sure though, I think its best to listen to us and make up your own mind. People might hear it completely different to what I do. That's the good thing about music, it subjective. Some might like it, some might hate it.

RTM: Talk us through the name of the EP - Why "Thirty Three"?

LL: Ok, firstly that is the name of one of the tracks on the EP. In particular that song is about someone who has got to that age and sort of realised 'what am I doing in life? Do I need to change/settle down kind of thing?' Then after we recorded the EP, we realised there was kind of an underlying theme throughout the songs, basically it is about change, and getting to a particular point in your life and working out what you want and need. It was something we all agreed on and we felt that was an apt title.

RTM: Three brothers in the band...how is it traveling and performing together?

LL: It's all fine. We are good friends and we hang out a lot so there are no real dramas, and if there is they usually dismissed very quickly. There are obviously moments where you get under each others skin, but I think this is common within any close relationship. I guess you can't really hold a grudge for too long, as at some point in time you have to go home and hang out with the rest of your family. They don't want to hear your petty band problems.

  


RTM: I love the Pic of Last Dinosaurs singer Sean wearing a Loon Lake t-shirt!  Do you feel a sense of community in the Australian music industry - particularly amongst up and coming musicians?

LL: Yeah that was great hey. We played with them a couple of times and they are top lads, he really liked the shirt so we gave him one.  It was cool to see that he was wearing it in a press shot. They are a top band too, I really like some of the licks their guitarist uses. I do think there is definitely a sense of community amongst the young bands, everyone is appreciative of everyone and definitely trying to help each other out. At the same time I guess you are all doing your own thing and trying to pave your own road, but generally all the bands we come across are great to each other. You have to be as you run into each other all the time. I think the elder statesman in Oz rock are cool too. The Jebediah crew were some of the nicest dudes I've met.

RTM: After the "Thirty Three" tour, what's in store for the boys from Loon Lake?

LL:  After the tour we are really concentrating on writing more songs as we are thinking about our debut album. I mean the writing has already begun, but I think we really need to make a concentrated effort to work hard on making a very good and cohesive debut album. I feel the debut album is one of the defining moments of a bands career, it's definitely important to do the very best you can with that.

In terms of live shows, we have a couple of things like Bigsound and Queenscliff, we are obviously hoping for more summer festivals and supports and stuff. But generally that is where we will be for the next year, we may go a bit quiet as we concentrate on the album.

To find out more about where you can catch Loon Lake on their "Thirty Three" tour, head to their website.

You can also connect with the band on Facebook and Twitter.

Loon Lake are

Sam; Vox, Guitar, Keys

Sime; Guitar

Dan; Guitar

Timmy; Bass

Nick; Drums

Ran with Simon from Loon Lake