Interview for Mink Magazine
He went from being an assassin gangster one day to a mute rapist the next. He’s plotted conspiracies against great political leaders and, most recently, has become a smooth criminal – guns, drugs, women, the whole shebang.
So how exactly has he managed to pull off all these gritty acts without securing himself a nice little spot in prison or, as a matter of fact, any reprimand from the criminal justice system at all?
The answer is simple – Paul Winchester is an actor with the most dedicated intentions to make his unconventional roles believable.
Interview for minkmagazine.com
In a day and age where anyone can buy a camera, take a few shots of pretty girls and flowers and call themselves a photographer, the line separating hobbyists from professionals can often be very thin and blurred. Whether it’s a 13-year-old with a digital or a professional with elaborate manual equipment, photos are photos – and shouldn’t we all be allowed to express ourselves?
But the difference between the masses and photographers like Geoffrey Chuah is that the latter group makes it their mission to stand up and stand out. Whilst doing what he loves, Chuah is also trying to push boundaries and bridge the gap between simply taking pictures, and creating works of art.
“My passion is my photography but it’s more my art; it gives me an opportunity to do something different,” he says.
Interview for vibewire.net
You’d expect to be hard pressed to find someone who would take so much interest in maritime history that they’d research deeply enough to find out what ancient whalers screamed every time they harpooned a whale. Harder pressed, still, to find anyone who would name a record after that cry, and subsequently base the entire album around this obscure idea.
You’re forgetting, though, that Josh Pyke isn’t just anyone.
The Sydney singer-songwriter has spent the past 18 months riding on a wave of success thanks to his critically acclaimed 2007 debut album Memories and Dust. Playing sold out shows around the country and finding himself on the bill for international festival giants such as Glastonbury, he’s also sold in excess of 50 000 records and been named Best Adult Contemporary Album in the 2007 ARIAs.
This weekend marks the release of Pyke’s much awaited followup album, Chimney’s Afire – and despite the huge commercial success of his last record, he is still waiting with bated breath to hear how fans and critics alike respond.
Interview for bombshellzine.com
There’s no way you can interview Anti-Flag without talking politics, especially with the US election just around the bend. But these Pittsburgh punks have taken a step back this time around, with no Rock Against Bush to be seen – “We’re not as involved in the election process as before…the election is not what’s important, what’s important is the mobilisation that has occurred because of George W. Bush,” says bassist Chris #2.
It may seem like a step down from their usual in-your-face political ferocity, but the truth is that, 20 years after they first formed, Anti-Flag are growing up and making a lot of changes. Their eighth album, The Bright Lights of America, was released in April this year – and they’ve never felt so fresh.
“Unless you start throwing some curveballs and making people scratch their heads and wonder what you’re doing as a band, you can become stagnant and stale, and people can lose interest,” Chris says.
Produced by Tony Visconti, the man behind 30 years of David Bowie’s career, The Bright Lights sees Anti-Flag break further out of their comfort zone by incorporating never-before-used elements in their music, including strings and child choirs: “I think that with each record we’ve either expanded the sounds or the textures of the records…this is making it a challenge for us to make a record, making it a challenge for the people who think they know what Anti-Flag is.” But you won’t see the strings used in the live show, as the band believes that listening to the album and going to the show should be wholly separate experiences so that fans can appreciate versatility in performance modes.
The Bright Lights is the band’s second release on major label RCA Records and whilst critics may pan them for ‘selling out’, they have no regrets: “Any time that you step outside of someone else’s comfort zone, they’re going to call you a sellout and say that you’re doing it for the wrong reasons, because that’s something that they don’t understand, something they wouldn’t do… do I like working with a major label and aiding the capitalist system more than I have to? Not at all. But the reality is we’re a band that sells records… we’ve certainly gotten more press and been pushed into a bigger spotlight than ever before.”
Their two-record deal with RCA has ended with the release of The Bright Lights, and it’s uncertain as of yet if they’ll continue their work with RCA for the next release, move back to their own label A-F Records, or sign with a different major – but for now, they’re just focusing on spreading the love. And the love is coming back here soon.
Anti-Flag will be returning to Australian shores in December for the second time this year, having played the Big Day Out in January, which Chris calls “an honour… the respect that we were given was beyond believable and I couldn’t believe how big and how ferocious those rock shows were for us. It really reinstils my faith in humanity”.
The guys look forward to coming back and playing for all their new fans and spreading their message loud and clear, no matter where they are: “I think that the thing I love about our band is that our messages are not exclusively American, or Australian, or German, or anything. That is exactly what Anti-Flag means. It’s about breaking down the barriers between people and nationality.”
Interview for bombshellzine.com
Congratulations on the new album and getting to #1 on the Billboard charts. You went from #97 for Transatlanticism, to #4 for Plans, to #1. How’s that feel?
Thanks. That feels pretty weird. I’m not sure exactly what to do with that information, it seems to be a pretty big deal for my parents but it’s hard for us to kind of really believe it’s true in some ways. I think we’ve always sort of felt like, “does that happen to our band? Doesn’t that happen to other bands?” It’s just kind of strange.
