Muscle Car

Damian From Muscle Car Has A Chat With Me

when did you guys form?
December 1998. i used to play in a band with Shamus (drummer) and i met Paul at a gig called ROCK AGAINST WORK and we had a mutual interest in all things rock.


so we got together and i had started writing all these rock songs and it just sorta fell together. just had trouble finding a bass player.

What has been favourite gig and venue?
May this year. the place was chock full. people going nuts. singing along to our songs.


and we played with our fave Aussie bands The Giants Of Science, The Hymies, and Greensteam.

Although we played the Exeter Hotel here in Adelaide the other night and during Feel Her Breathe i accidently smacked a woman in the head with the guitar. that was pretty cool. she told me afterwards that she loved it.

who is your influnces?
Stuff from as early as Elvis, the Stones, Beatles, MC5, Stooges, New York Dolls, and all that cool stuff but the biggest influence on what we do is the 80’s glam rock hair band stuff like Motley Crue, Skid Row, Poison, Warrant, Tesla, Whitesnake, Faster Pussycat, Dogs D’Amour, Hanoi Rocks, etc. plus 90’s stuff like Backyard babies, The Wildhearts, Hellacopters, Silver Ginger 5. i think that covers it

what are you listening to at the moment?
right at this very point in time, i have the Royal Beat Conspiracy’s “Gala Galore” CD going…


just before i had Bon Jovi’s “Keep The Faith” and before that Marvelous 3’s “Ready Sex Go”. it’s been a great night so far 🙂

do you think that aussie does enought for australian music and does triple j help
Um… this is a tough question because for every plus, there’s a negative.

Like i don’t think enough is ever done for Australian music by the radios because radio is more often than not run on a pay to play basis which means that the indie bands hardly get the support they need.


Triple J could do more because they have the power to change things

and get more bands known but they mainly play major label indie stuff which still doesn’t give those younger bands who recorded a demo at bob’s garage

a outlet so they stick to small time community radio which still doesn’t have the coverage that Triple J does.

i think the Australian music show is a great idea but i think triple J could do a lot more to help push our bands but i understand that money talks so it’s gonna be a while yet… thank god for community radio though 🙂

If there was one band you could play with who would that be?
The Wildhearts or the Silver Ginger 5.Although Paul would wanna play with KISS

what go to you into music?

well my parents were right into rock n roll.

my mum is a huge Beatles fan, my dad was right into the Stones and AC/DC.

so i grew up hearing this cool guitar driven stuff and it just developed then i just discovered bands on my own like Motorhead and Poison and stuff in the mid 80’s…

Twisted Sister, Venom and Guns N Roses and stuff. I had always had a dream of playing drums cos i loved watching Animal in The Muppets. Then one day i just decided i wanted to play drums. my brother wanted to play guitar so we formed a crap band but that’s how it started. 7 years later i ditched the drums and played guitar

what your beer of choice?
hahaha, i don’t drink beer or any alcohol for that matter.

but i’d say Sparkling Ale cos when our bass player drinks it, he turns into a raving looney and drops his pants in public and starts screaming out “c’mon! let’s rock!”

I think that cool i like people who do that

Damo what? not drink or drop their pants?
drink

Damo yeah i have never drunk alcohol. just have no interest in it. i ain’t straight edge or anything. i just don’t like alcohol or drugs.
I hate drugs to the max

Damo so do i… but i am all for the legalisation of them

Damo goes on about a band which made him really want to do rock and roll

Actually i just also remembered the one band that really made me wanna rock out and play rock n roll… THE HARD-ONS! my all time favourite Aussie band.
When i first heard them in 1988 i was like FUCK YEAH!!!

and they were like the most amazing band i had ever heard in my life.

yeah they rock

indeed. a totally underrated Aussie band. they were doing the pop punk thing years before anyone else even dared to in Australia.

they were writing some of the best songs i had ever heard and being like in year 8 at school and loving a band called the Hard-Ons was a pretty full on thing to do

cos the first hassle you get is dumbass homophobes thinking you’re gay because you like a band called The Hard-Ons. Idiots!

are you a big fan of emo?
i don’t mind some of it. like i love Jawbreaker. Jets To Brazil are good, The Promise Ring i like.

Alkaline Trio are brilliant. shit, what other ones do i like? can’t even remember but they’re my faves.

weston are kinda emo

you think? i’d say they’re more of a rock band. especially their later albums.

they were in the pop punk thing for a while but i’d say they’re definitely a rock band

I also say that blueline medic are defently emo

yeah… that’s true

but caustic soda were heaps better

I like caustic soda but can not find any of there stuff

really? they must have sold out of all their CDs.

they were a great live band that i think their recordings never could live up to. like they were still great, especially that last 7″ they put on Crackle. that was amazing and the songs were just incredibly written. but live they were just a million times better

I could get it through shock

yeah, get it all. it’s cool. the 7″ is the best. grab that cos that’ll blow your mind
I will then

Any Last words

yeah, get a copy of our latest CD EP called “Sandra Sully” as it kicks ass. If you can’t find it in the shops, go here: Musclecar and that will help you get your hands on a copy no matter where in the world you are.
Thanks Chris for the interview and good luck with your webzine. \m/ Death to false metal \m/