Melbourne Ska Orchestra will be part of a star line up for the after party of the Age Music Awards 2016. Tomatrax caught up with Nicky Bomba from the band to ask a few questions.
What made you pick the name Melbourne Ska Orchestra?
It was actually just thrown together to represent the Ska/Reggae scene that was bubbling in Melbourne. We never thought we'd be touring the world, recording multiple albums and receiving awards.
Maybe we should have given it more thought and called it the THE RIVAL SYDNEY COLLECTION OF BANDITS (or something)
The band can perform with as few as 18 members or as many as 36, how do you determine how many performers there will be for any given show?
Its the bucks baby.Ans sometimes the size of the stage... but normally its more pesos equals more peeps! Finances are stretched as you can imagine!
Given the large band size, is it hard to get the different elements of your music to work together?
Surprisingly the makeup of the band , the talent and the dedication to this genre makes it an exciting adventure when we're composing and recording.
We all have a sweet understanding of the magnitude of our sound and the value of space in music. Ska is an excellent example of simple parts dovetailing together to create something bigger than the sum of the parts. Our real problem is working out what songs to put on the album and what songs to keep for later. It's like an all star football team of songs with too many players.
You'll be playing at the after party Age Music Victoria Awards, what can be expected from your show?
Mayhem, fun, danger, joy and ramshackle dancing. We'll be playing a set that covers a broad picture of the Melbourne Ska sound.
Is there anyone at the Awards night to the after party you'll be looking forward to seeing?
Melbourne has a pretty expansive musical family so it'll be nice just to catch up with all our mates in the context of celebrating music.
What was the inspiration for the cartoon style video for 'Sly boots'?
I have a good friend who showed me a cartoon he did for his own band(Rude Mat) years ago and always thought it would be great to do a clip like that. When we were searching for ideas for Sly Boots it seemed like a perfect match. His subsequent drawings based on his first listen were spot on and sealed the deal. We are big fans of Terry Gilliam's work with Monty Python so we put those concepts together with a little live vibe from the band. Always lots of fun shooting clips with this band.
Where did you get the idea for the spacey album cover for Sierra-Kilo-Alpha?
Space themes were featuring heavily while we were recording the album and there was lots of media about new planet discoveries, inhabiting Mars and generally revitalising Space as the frontier
for human adventure and exploration. Exploring new themes and sounds and melodies were the order of the day with the new album so it all made sense to have that as the theme. Adding the 3D element with glasses supplied took it to a whole new level that made the cd a specialised thing to have. Coffee table conversational booklet vibe. It comes with a comic book newspaper booklet with old school ads, alien stories. sports reports and horoscopes. It was buzz putting it together. Kind of like a school project gone crazy.
Do you ever listen to your own music?
All the time. We are constantly writing , exploring trying new things out, new grooves, etc. We are all fans of the Ska /Reggae genre and you will definitely see us on the dance floor at Jamaica Jump up gigs smiling and felling blessed at the music that inspired and still inspires us. Steve Montgomery, Pat Powell, Steve Phillips, Rodrigo Pino and myself (all members of MSO) had that exact experience just last week. The proof is in the feet! I'm a big fan of our new album too and will happily dance to any track, anytime!
What other music do you listen to?
Personally I like old school jamaican, world music, James Brown popcorn circa but I know the playlist of all the different members is extremely expansive and that's what gives the orchestra it's international feel.
What do you have planned after the upcoming set at the Age Music Victoria Awards?
Inhabit Mars and see how how Ska works in deeper space.... apart from other gigs and releases
Bless!
other music do you listen to?
Personally I like old school jamaican, world music, James Brown popcorn circa but I know the playlist of all the different members is extremely expansive and that's what gives the orchestra it's international feel.
* What do you have planned after the upcoming set at the Age Music Victoria Awards?
Inhabit Mars and see how how Ska works in deeper space.... apart from other gigs and releases
Bless!
