Melbourne's Jazz Party have Grown from the lounge rooms of late night house parties to month long residencies throughout the city of Melbourne. Over the past five years Jazz Party has held court at some of the most exciting and unexpected venues and have just released original music for the first time. Tomatrax caught up with Kiddo from the band to ask a few questions.
How did the band form?Partly through Late night party's that happened at "the Pound" where we used to live. The many artists and freaks would gather there and listen to great records, drink and dance until the sun came up.
If you want an actual answer it was the collaboration of Si Jay Gould and Darcy McNulty. Si is amazing at throwing party's and had the old Builders arms pub for a month. They created something that was fun and secretive and always on a Monday night because who else throws a party on a Monday ?
We didn't choose it, we are it. Actually we've been asked multiple times to change it because I suppose people think it's uncool but fuck that, there's no going back its who we are.
You've started releasing original music for the first time, what made you decide that now was the time to do so?It just seemed a shame to have these great, and beautiful songs that Darcy was writing and not be able to share them with a larger audience.
Also money.
I'm sure we would have recorded sooner if we had the money.
Interesting.
You can't capture what we do live really, it's like recording a house party.... Noisy and mental.
So we recorded rocknroll graveyard more how I heard it in my head... Dramatic and intense (how everything sounds in my head.)
I think it confused a lot of people, It wasn't what they were expecting from us.
We had a great time in the studio though and enjoyed creating together, and we have many strings to our collective creative bow. I think it shows our strength as a group that we can bring so many different vibes.
Wanting something that was moody, strange and visually interesting without being all "cut here, cut there, cut again!"
So it's a single shot, hot mess and that suits us.
Short answer yes!
There where many, many things that could go wrong and lots of those things did.
We shot it at double speed, and no one but the camera operators could hear the music, they were running up and down stairs with a hand held camera and no one new what was going on in each separate room.
We filmed it in our rental where we had no access to a switch board, so if the power went from all the lighting we had set up, the show would be over.
We had a generator that kept running out of petrol and increasingly drunk extras at a party that was getting weirder and weirder.
We would definitely like to release an album, we do plan on getting back into the studio soon but we'll just have to wait and see .
We really enjoy the process of recording and creating together.
The band are some of the best musicians in the country and everyone brings their A game.
Do you ever listen to your own music?
Generally you listen to it quite a bit after you record it and then you never want to hear it again. But every now and then I hear it on the radio or out and think that's good turn it up !
So much, a lot of classical atm because it soothes our crusty souls.
Lots of our friends are making and releasing music so we listen to them. I'm on a bit of a Leon Russell trip atm as he sadly just died and was incredible.
The last album I listened to from start to finish was lemonade - Beyoncé
And Darcy's was Mule Variations by Tom Waits
Finish our Yah Yahs residency, float around in a jazzy stupor and then
Play New Years Evie festival.
Yah Yah's Monday Night Residency
Featuring Jazz Party, DJ Chinabone and special guests
Monday 21 November
Monday 28 November
FREE ENTRY
Doors 8pm - late
Other Upcoming Shows
New Years Evie
Saturday 31 December 2016 - Monday 2 January 2017
Bruzzy's Farm - 210 Pyalong Road Tallarook Vic
Golden Plains XI
Meredith Supernatural Amphitheatre
March, 11, 12 & 13 2017
