Hugo Slide are a two piece garage rock band from Brisbane who will be showing off their music as part of the Upcoming RAW showcase in Brisbane. Tomatrax caught up with Sam, drummer of the band, to ask a few questions.
How did the band form?
Jesse and I met through work. We had a quiet day, started chatting about movies and comedy before music even came up. He’d already written a bunch of songs and was looking for someone to jam with and I’d started playing drums about six months earlier so we tee’d up a time to meet and just started playing. The first time we played together was awful. In terms of musicianship, he was miles ahead of me, which was pretty intimidating. I’m still playing catch up.
Where did the name Hugo Slide come from?
Jesse was lost at sea for three days, while he battled the elements he came up with the word “Slide”. I added “Hugo” shortly after. The real story goes almost exactly like that.
You’ve said that you make songs in a garage, are all your songs recorded in the garage?
All our recording to date has been done in studios, the garage is more of a rehearsal space. Would love to set up a home studio one day!
Is it hard to create and perform music as a two piece?
It’s probably easier to be honest. Sometimes it would be cool to have a bass player or another guitarist, but this keeps it nice and simple. I think it would be hard to find someone else that would gel with the two of us. Also, it’s a lot easier to organize to jam with just us. Plus we only need to split the beer rider two ways. That’s pretty awesome.
You have somewhat different musical influences, how do the different influences mix when writing music?
When it comes to writing songs Jesse does pretty much all the work. Our tastes in music are a bit different but we both love some of the same stuff too, we like a pretty wide range of gear. We don’t seem to disagree on much when we’re working on new songs. Our biggest dilemma is what order to play them in.
You will be playing at the RAW showcase this week, what can fans expect from your show?
Our set is a lot more polished than it used to be, that’s for sure. We’ve only got 20 minutes so we’re pretty much just going to smash through five of our favourites. No time for chat, just some rock n roll with a touch of bluesy pop. If that makes sense?
How did you get involved with RAW?
They actually approached us! We’re pretty excited about the whole thing to be honest. It’s a really well put together event. We’ve been involved in some pretty dodgy band comps and gigs in the past, so it’s refreshing to get on something that’s a bit pro!
You’ve been working towards your debut EP, how has this been going?
In one word…slow! We’ve recorded a few singles here and there, but we’ve never had a studio experience that made us want to return and do the EP there. We’ve been tossing up buying our own gear and doing it in the garage. Yet to commit to anything. Watch this space…
When writing what comes first, the words or the music?
Jesse usually has a few riffs on the go and as things inspire him he’ll jot down some lyrics and just start matching the two together until something fits. Once he’s got a song 80% sorted I’ll throw a beat on it and we’ll just play it until we’re happy.
Do you ever listen to your own music?
Not really, I think that’s a bit weird. While we’re recording it and probably for a week or so after we will when it’s all new and fresh, but not so much after that. We’ll always check out any footage that our friends’ film of gigs to see how we sound and laugh at the bits we screwed up.
What music do you listen to?
We’re both into a pretty wide range of stuff. I’m a big KISS fan. Alice Cooper, Queen, INXS, Otis Redding and I cop a bit of shit for this one…but I think Adele is a freak (in a good way). Jesse’s a bit more alternative…Radiohead, The Black Keys, The Strokes, Jamie T, plus whatever else the cool kids are listening to.
What does Hugo Slide have planned in 2015?
We don’t really plan too far ahead. The EP will happen one day, but until then we’ll just keep playing gigs as they come up and keep having a good time. We’re pretty casual about the whole thing. Maybe a bit too casual…
Hugo Slide will be playing at the RAW Showcase at the Met on Thursday 20 November. Check out the RAW page to find out more!
