Meet the Garage to V stateFinalists - Lions at Your Door

Tue 26th Feb, 2008 in Features

With the Garage to V state heats just around the corner we get up close and personal with NSW state finalist Lions at Your Door. Do they have what it takes to be a contender for the V Fest crown?

Answers by Marihuzka Larenas

Was music always an important part of your life?
I was born in Panama and from birth was constantly surrounded by music due to the culture. Mum’s salsa records and dad’s Beatles records were a big part of my early life. I discovered Bon Jovi at the age of 4 and so began my love affair with pop music. I was in the school choir throughout primary school and picked up the bass guitar at age 13 because I wanted to start a riot grrl band. Post high school, I started up a folk band (was listening to a lot of Ani Difranco at the time) and also had a short stint as a jingle singer. When the folk band died, I started up garage soul band The Hot Box with a close friend and taught myself to play guitar. In early 07 I jammed with the LAYD kids and they asked me to join the band that night. It was totally love at first jam. So yea, I guess it’s safe to say that music has always been an important part of my life.

What’s your earliest musical memory?
Probably falling asleep every night with my ear to the radio when I was about three. I use to make mum put it in my bed with me because I couldn’t sleep without music playing. When I got a little older I used an old Dictaphone to record my own versions of pop songs. My favourites were Rick Astley’s – œNever Gonna Give You Up’ and Bon Jovi’s – œLiving on a Prayer’ – of course. I actually still have some of the recordings on tape somewhere.

How would you describe your band’s music?
Fierce. Our musical brains work very differently and what we come up with when we work together is always a mash of our personalities and styles. There really is a vast array of genres represented in the music we produce. Punk, Metal, Pop, Electro, Stoner even Classical are all present and accounted for.

What are your musical influences?
I, like the rest of the band, have so many different kinds of music that I love and that influence me. I love Credence Clearwater Revival as much as I love Prince, as much as I love Sleater Kinney as much as I love Ben Kweller as much as I love Tribe Called Quest. Dave seems to have an unhealthy and unsettling passion for everything ELO, Dirk is obsessed with metal bands like Slayer and Iron Maiden, Kirsten loves beautiful music like Fiona Apple and Sweety adores Bjork and gets right into the – œnew stuff’. We have a big blender that we pile all our influences into, puree and drink up before going into rehearsal.

Who are you most looking forward to seeing at the V Festival?
I’d have to say the Smashing Pumpkins. They were such a huge band when I was a kid and I didn’t get to see them at Alternative Nation (this is another story, for another time). I had put them in the “gig that never was” basket so am stoked that I will be able to make my 12yr old dreams come true.

If you win Garage to V what would you have in your rider?
A can of coconut milk, a bottle of pineapple juice and some rum. Do you like pina colada? Oh, and a bucket of chilli fries, a case of coopers and a large NYPD mushroom pizza.

What artist would you want to share a sneaky backstage pash with at the V fest?
Hmm… I’d have to say Lovefoxx from CSS.

Why?
Purely to make myself the envy of every boy I know.

Who would you like to share a dressing room with and why?
Duran Duran : so that I wouldn’t have to travel too far if in need of a can of hairspray or some bronzer.

What’s the key ingredient for having at great day at V festival?
Dependable footwear, trans-seasonal outfit, a wingman, a copy of the timetable and a joint to smoke during QOTSA.

How important are competitions like Garage to V in the ongoing success of your band?
This competition provides a platform to reach an audience that may never have heard of us before, let alone our music. It gives punters the chance to access amazing music by incredible bands (such as the ones that have made the finals) that exist in their own backyard and hopefully it encourages them to be supportive of their local music scene. Aussie music lovers are vital to the ongoing success of LAYD and our beloved fellow local music makers.

Don’t forget to RSVP HERE to the NSW state heat featuring Lions at Your Door, Tennis, Cassette Kids, Man Ray with Special Guests The Brunettes.