Rudely Interrupted I Am Alive Interview

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Rudely Interrupted I Am Alive Interview

Unique Melbourne indie pop rockers, Rudely Interrupted have announced the release of their new single, I Am Alive and new EP of the same title due out October 3. With support from Australia Council for the Arts and The Frasil Foundation, the band will be celebrating with a national Australian tour including three festivals kick starting in Melbourne on October 5 and heading through Sydney to play Oxford Arts Factory on October 26, Lismore Workers Club on October 31, Northcote Social Club (Melb) on November 9, Governor Hindmarsh (Ade) on November 16 and the Rosemount Hotel (Perth) on December 3.

In 2008, Rudely Interrupted became the first ever indie band to perform at the United Nations in NYC and have since become regulars on the global touring circuit, only recently returning from their thirteenth international tour which saw them perform with the eighty piece, Alberto Pio Orchestra in Italy and then over to the US to perform at the Twenty Wonder celebrations at the iconic Doll Factory in LA. Other key performances over the years include Laneway & Woodford Folk Festivals in Australia, NXNE Music Festival in Canada, Rock An Der Wabe festival in Germany, Spikes Asia Awards in Singapore and VSA Arts Festival in Washington DC and a spot on Australia's Spicks and Specks to name just a few.

With support from The Frasil Foundation, Rudely Interrupted are taking over the world and inspiring other individuals with challenges and disabilities to give everything a shot and follow their dreams. 'We are here to show you that you can do anything you want," beams Brooks, 'with the right support and a lot of hard work, truly, anything is possible! We are living proof of dreams coming true and together with the Frasil Foundation we will be touring the world with our powerful message of hope and 'anything Is possible."

"I don't feel disabled," explains lead vocalist and keyboard player, Rory Burnside, 'being born with perfect pitch and without eyes probably makes me a better musician." Drummer Josh Hogan also has an incredible story to tell, but most importantly he has developed a technique that works for him and he can really play the skins. 'As for Beke, Happy Mondays have Bez and Rudely Interrupted have Beke, a naturally gifted entertainer, he's responsible for on-stage midi triggering and good times and spiritual guidance both on stage and off," says Brooks.

Excited to unleash their new tunes on the world, Brooks says the band are keen to be known for the quality of their music and not their disabilities. 'What a musician chooses to play is the art, that choice is not influenced by, let's say… having one leg, they are almost always influenced by the emotional world around their conscience. And so are we. But our expression is characterized by the physical traits and I also think this gives us a style," says Brooks. 'And I can see a day where we will be accepted as artists in our own right, a group of passionate indie rockers giving it their all."

The film clip for lead single, I Am Alive was created and illustrated by Mirranda Burton (Kasey Chambers) with the help of some illustrations from band member Sam Beke. 'We tried to capture the craziness of our lives since we started touring all over the world," says Brooks.

Mixed by Greg Wales (You Am I, Augie March, Bloc Party) and recorded at Tender Trap Studios in Northcote (Melbourne), the new self-produced EP is the band's fourth studio release comprising six passionate, uplifting rock songs.

'Their music is some of the most energetic and genuine to emerge from the Australian rock -n' roll underground in recent times." Timeout Sydney

View the clip for new single I Am Alive
Purchase new EP I Am Alive
Info on The Frasil Foundation

Rudely Interrupted Tour Dates

Sun 5th Oct | Popnscott Media Private Guests Only Show, Vic | 3-4pm
Http://Popandscott.Com

Sat 12th Oct | Step Up For Down Syndrome Jump Festival, Vic | All Ages | 1pm On Stage

Interview with Rohan Brooks

Question: What inspired you guys to create the band, Rudely Interrupted?

Rohan Brooks: Our music is our vehicle to everything we do around the world. We are in it to help each other and we want to show people anything is possible, given the right support, a lot of hard work, anything really is possible. We want to create opportunities for ourselves with our music and performances like every other artist, we have something to say and we're going to tell the world all about it.

Question: What do you enjoy most about touring?

Rohan Brooks: Performing, the feeling of a successful show, meeting all the fans and developing strong relationships with so many new people is all so thrilling for us, we feel privileged to have these opportunities, we work hard for it, but at the same time it's humbling to watch our music engage people all over the world.

Question: What should we expect from the upcoming shows?

Rohan Brooks: When you come to a Rudely Interrupted show, you'll have the time of your life, it's fun, and you'll hear and see some extremely well crafted songs performed with dynamic precision. People are really drawn to the bands live performance because of the unique characters in the group, but the sound and the togetherness is addictive and totally entertaining on all levels.

Question: How would you describe your music?

Rohan Brooks: Uplifting anthems, indie/rock/love/pop. We gain a lot of our song inspirations from the conversations we share. Working with the guys makes for a very unique environment to collect creative sparks from. We have fun, we encourage each other to express and build a strong work ethic around our instruments and it's that environment that our music comes from.

We write uplifting anthems, we like to explore the positives of our experiences together and so we tend to write more uplifting songs.

-I Am Alive', it's about hope, don't be greedy, work hard, love hard, support others and have fun. Anything is possible, and I think there's an overall positive successful feeling that comes from the EP.

Question: What was the main inspiration behind the track, I Am Alive?

Rohan Brooks: Waiting for a cab, the cab was late, and we used music to distract us both from the situation. The tune just flowed, Rory joined in, we wrote a verse each and answered each other's questions finding the melody, and the chorus just jumped out. I Am Alive… It's about embracing the ups and downs that life throws at us and reaching for your dreams.

Question: How do you, as a group, overcome your own individual challenges?

Rohan Brooks: We support each other to be the best we can, we've worked out a way to build on our strengths. Rohan works with the band intensely on all levels, we build song ideas from rhythm exercises and add the colour of our conversations and the music we feel over the top of the rhythm and the songs come out of this process.

Question: Do you write your own songs?

Rohan Brooks: Yes, that's what it's about for us, an opportunity to express our music. Our songs are our tool to access the world stage.

Question: What's your inspiration?

Rohan Brooks: We get a lot of our song inspirations from the conversations we share. Working with the guys makes for a very unique environment to collect creative sparks from. We have fun, we encourage each other to express and we build a strong work ethic around our instruments.

Question: What music/artists do you listen to when you are not playing your own?

Rohan Brooks: Rory loves Johnny Cash, Beatles, we love good songs from so many artists, Peter Gabriel, Rohan likes a lot underground indie bands, Josh likes everything from Foo Fighters to Bob Dylan. Sam, AC/DC and Kiss, anything with a lightning bolt in the logo.

Question: What's next? Tour/Album/Single?

Rohan Brooks: With support from The Australia Council for the Arts, and of course our new sponsor the Frasil Foundation we're going to have the most amazing time on the road playing the new record to our devoted fans along the way. The -I Am Alive' Australian tour will see the band take in Sydney, Lismore, Adelaide, Perth, and of course Melbourne. We can't wait to take the new songs on the road, we are so thrilled with the record and we just want to shout it from the rooftops.

The single -I Am Alive' is a strong rock pop anthem, the whole EP is strong, all killer no filler we say. -I Am Alive' is about the feeling of being alive, the ups and downs are what make us all human, we embraced our differences, we want to tell people to go for their dreams, try, fail and experience all life can offer no matter your situation, never give up, but remember to smell the roses along the way.

Question: Was there a moment you contemplated throwing in the towel?

Rohan Brooks: We started this to support each other and as we concentrate on the task at hand the rest just falls into place. Our team is very strong and we feel we can take on the world together. It's an incredible feeling we all share, and the experiences only make us stronger.

Question: Do you prefer performing live or recording?

Rohan Brooks: Josh loves the live performances, Rory is the same, but comfortable in all the musical environments, he lives with perfect pitch so he has an incredible ear for music. Sam is an entertainer so he craves the live performance. Rohan has produced the records and is comfortable in the studio, but there's a certain magic to the Rudely Interrupted show, it's addictive for us all.

Question: What/who was your inspiration to go into the music industry?

Rohan Brooks: I think we are coming from a different angle, we are in this to support each other to be the best we can be, we are using music as the tool to connect to the world, we've been a totally independent act from the beginning and for the -I Am Alive' tour we have incredible support from the Frasil Foundation so we can't wait to show Australia our 4th studio project -I Am Alive.

Question: What's a typical day like?

Rohan Brooks: We throw ourselves into the music and performance. We take it very seriously, but we always have fun, we love the songs we play, the remind us of how far we've come and all the touring successes we've had around the world. On tour it's busy, hotel to hotel, gig to gig, we do what we need to do to get to the next show and perform to the best of our ability.

There's a few hick ups along the way and we've had police, ambulance, security and even fire brigades involved in some of the hotel experiences. Sam can get a little lose sometimes and he's early touring days were so exciting for him he pulled all sorts of stunts, faking heart attacks was a phase he went through.

We're a lot tighter touring unit these days, on stage and off stage, it's still fun and we're really enjoying the togetherness and the energy we feel when we perform together.

Question: What has been your favourite part of becoming a music artist?

Rohan Brooks: The feeling of walking onto stage when we are about to perform, it makes you very humble and it's something we all treasure. An appreciative audience and an energy that you just can't bottle, you can only get this from the live performance, the Rudely Interrupted experience is amazing.

Question: If you could collaborate with another artist, who would it be?

Rohan Brooks: It changes like the wind of course, Peter Gabriel, we'd love to collaborate with Peter, he's worked with some of the worlds more unique performers and he's a brilliant talent and producer. There's more, but I'd be here all night, some of the greats in the years gone, both with us and others who have passed.

Question: What is the story behind the band's name?

Rohan Brooks: Rory came up with the name, he feels his life has been rudely interrupted by his challenges, he uses his skills to connect to the world around him and so he's turned his life into a very positive experience for himself.

Interview by Brooke Hunter

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Rudely Interrupted I Am Alive Interview

Rudely Interrupted I Am Alive Interview

Interview with Rohan Brooks

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