The Grates

Wed 25th Mar, 2009 in Features

Having just swept through America with the South by Southwest music conference, The Grates are returning home for another grand adventure. The sunny trio will play a round of big shows in May as a send-off to second album Teeth Lost, Hearts Won. FasterLouder bailed up drummer Alana in the midst of their US escapades to talk new music, stage costumes and deep dish pizza.

Much has been made of the garden shed where The Grates began practicing and recording music. After sending in a rough demo of Trampoline accompanied by a hand-written bio and press release to Triple J, did you ever dream that five years later you would have enjoyed so much success?
When you’re playing music because it’s something you have fun doing, you know it would be the ultimate opportunity to be able to continue that…but it’s not something relied upon. Things build one step at a time; each step is an encouragement, and allows you to think more clearly about the next one. We’re so happy with where we are that we’ve been able to put everything we can in this whole time – and are still planning what comes next!

I take it you don’t hand-write your press releases anymore?
Not since then, but our fingers are still in all the pies. The spicy drawing pie, the crunchy computer pie, the sausage roll of t-shirt design…

Recently you’ve been bursting onstage to the theme of Batman, are there any other superhero themes you’d like to try out?
In October we burst onstage to the theme of Laverne and Shirly. They’re more pesky girls than Superheroes, but still…Patience is currently dressing like a majorette (sans hat over here, it’s just too big!), and looks like Wonder Woman when she substitutes a red belt. But no-one’s cooler than Batman – his super-powers are money and revenge!

Patience wowed fans with her astonishing hopping dance moves on this year’s Big Day Out tour. It only emerged later that she could barely walk after injuring her ankle at the start of the tour. Due to its success, are there any plans to keep the hop in your repertoire?
She really messed that ankle up, so I’m sure it will be coming back every now and again – but she does do it with pizzazz.

You’ve signed a co-management deal with former Nirvana manager Danny Goldberg who’s been around since the 1960s. I bet he’s full of gossip. Has he dished you any dirt on anyone famous yet?
None to speak of, but, as the army always says: “Loose lips sink ships!”

You’re currently in America having played SXSW last week – how did your four days of music and ribs go?
Amazing! I think everyone there lived for the five days on music, beers in plastic cup and meat. I’ve seen a few articles that ask, ‘Are day parties better than night shows?’ Well, we were busier seeing if the County Line ribs were good the next night, cold out of the fridge.

All five of our shows were great, and really different from each other. Our first was the biggest, for My Old Kentucky Blog at the Radio Room. We played the last outside a pizza parlor – really a Pizza Manor, a massive house on the fringe of town, turned into a restaurant and bar. I think about 1/6 of the audience were kids, just sidetracked after a sweet meal!

The most recent post you’ve put on your blog shows some of the finer delicacies available in the Land Of The Free. Apart from your customary ribs, have you had the chance to sample any exotic dishes such as the Krispy Kreme Bacon Cheddar Cheeseburger or the Chicago Deep Dish Pizza?
Deep Dish Pizza, yes! We shared a tub of waffle/choc/peanut ice-cream, Cherry M&Ms, plastic-wrapped sugar donuts, and half a Moon Pie (eww) – but drew the line at the frozen hot-dog-sausage-wrapped-in-pancake-on-a-stick.

Which band did you HAVE TO SEE at SXSW?
We were thrilled to see the producer of our first album, Brian Deck, play in his band Red Red Meat – who apparently haven’t played an announced show in over a decade! I think the best new bands we saw were unexpected, playing the same showcases as us. Starfucker were a great mix of samples and keys, and Those Darlins were guitar-thrashing Texan babes with sweet tatts and catchy songs. Let’s Wrestle and Skylarkin were both catchy and melodic English bands.

Apart from proper home-cooked meals, what are you most looking forward to when you get home?
Own beds! Cheap New York hotels make me feel like Goldilocks.

You’re doing your final Australian tour for Teeth Lost, Hearts Won in May. What is the best part about playing to your home audiences?
When people know and anticipate songs, there’s a special energy to a show. I love looking up during Burn Bridges and seeing a sea of clapping hands; it’s amazing being a part of something so simultaneous!

What are your plans for the rest of the year? Do you have any immediate plans to record a third album?
We’re still focusing on touring the second album! It should see a release in America in the next few months, so we’ll hopefully be back here again soon with a whole new schedule. It’s definitely time to start thinking about writing new songs as well, but very difficult to do both at once.

Having such wonderful names for your first two albums ( Gravity Won’t Get You High and Teeth Lost, Hearts Won ) do you feel any pressure in naming your potential third album?
Naming an album is like naming a child – a big commitment, and you might have something in mind only to be proved otherwise when it appears!

The Grates play the following shows in May. Tickets are on sale now.

Friday May 1 – The Hi Fi, Brisbane
Saturday May 2 – Groovin’ The Moo, Townsville
Wednesday May 6 – ANU Bar, Canberra
Friday May 8 – The Forum, Sydney
Saturday May 9 – Groovin’ The Moo, Maitland
Sunday May 10 – HQ, Adelaide
Tuesday May 12 – Capitol, Perth
Thursday May 14 – Hobart Uni
Friday May 15 – The Forum, Melbourne
Saturday May 16 – Groovin’ The Moo, Bendigo