“A car is driven 330 kilometres at 90 kph, how long will it take to complete the trip from Hobart to Launceston in hours…” Phillip – œPip’ Branson doesn’t need a formula to work out the solution; he’s been bundled in a car full of blokes driving across Tasmania for most of the day.

The name may not sound familiar, but you’ve more than likely heard his work before. As a touring and recording member of Something for Kate, the band Michelangelo (who are the reason behind today’s road trip), or perhaps in the hey-day of 90s guitar rock when he played with the Craft brothers in Sidewinder (former bandmate Martin Craft is currently a touring with Jarvis Cocker as part of the V festival).

Now at the helm of his own outfit, Pip Branson Corporation, the guitarist/violinist has recently added vocalist to his impressive list of credentials. Even the man himself finds it hard to believe there’s only one Pip Branson doing the rounds. “Exactly, I want to franchise myself! If there were more of me to go around that would be great,” he says, giving the impression that he’s given some serious thought to the idea before.

The Corporation has been taking shape in Branson’s overactive mind for several years now. “When I first started, I’d been thinking about this project since 2002 and I was thinking about the bands that I really liked and I was really influenced by, and the music that came out of me and the things that have basically wired my brain together,” he explains. “A lot of those were kind of early pop kind of things that my brother introduced me to in the early 80s, and 90s guitar rock bands.”

Listening to the eminently confident Hot Dollar EP after a big night out would be a mistake. ‘Red Robin Heart’ literally bursts out of the speakers. The impish vocal gel nicely with nimble guitar work that sounds like a team of monkeys let loose on the strings (you too will have monkeys on the brain after listening to the second track ‘Monkey Face’). Each song dips and dives, or even jives, transplanting the eyes-down 90s guitar ethic into a series of mischievous sonic adventures.

“It’s a different sound to a lot of other things that are going on,” Branson says. “It’s kind of lyrically about my own world, which is a different kind of thing to what you hear most people talking about. It’s very close to me and close to the metropolitan kind of existence that I have.” Without giving too much away about his inner circle, the last song on the EP is succinctly entitled ‘Allmyfriendzaretrashbagz’.

With – œindie pedigree’ stamped all over him, Branson has self released the EP on the back of good contacts and his depth of industry experience. He certainly knows the ropes, but is it a matter of forewarned is forearmed, or is the whole endeavour more daunting when you know exactly what lies ahead?

“It actually does make it more daunting – that’s very true,” Branson responds thoughtfully. “I think also as much as you kind of know the people who book the venues, and I know obviously a lot of people in the magazines and radio, you’re not very fresh to them because they already know you. It’s like – œtrust me this is a really new great thing you’re going to love it!’”

“I still manage to get excited about it, and it’s different every time with different bands. The live experience is one that I’ve been doing for many, many years. I suppose it’s my forte really. I want people to get something good out of the experience, and especially me because it’s what I do with my life.”

Next up for the frenetic frontman and his corporate henchmen, “we’d love to do it an album, and it’s mostly written with lots of new songs which I’m pretty excited about, it’s just a matter of finding the time and the money.”

“We’re also making a little video at the moment [for ‘Red Robin Heart’] which is going to be hilarious. The choreographer is Emma Saunders has a group called The Fondue Set who are kind of a modern dance group, they take the p—s quite well.” Branson is quick to confirm that yes, he has added yet another feather to his overstuffed cap, “We’re going to be doing the dancing, yeah you bet! We’re going to be the first the indie rock r’n’b cross over.”

So what will Australia’s answer to Richard Branson do if he ever finds five minutes to relax? “I don’t have 5 minutes to relax cos I’m on tour with someone else, no rest for me!” he laughs, genuinely puzzled by the notion of – œspare’ time, “when I have 5 minutes to relax, what am I going to do…I don’t know….think about all the things I’m gonna to do for the next five years.” It sounds as though Pip is already planning his next takeover.