Wellington band Volcana are playing the San Fransisco Bathhouse's weekly Wednesday showcase of exciting Wellington bands. UTR caught up with front man Eugene Bradley to find out what Volcana is all about.
How did the band start?
Volcana started about 5 years ago. My partner Sonia was the original drummer, but she had to stop a couple of years ago because we had a baby. We had always wanted to do a two-piece. I guess we were drawn to the gritty and simple, good 'ol honest sound. Also you only had to split the money two ways!
How long have you been together?
I met Nick a few years ago at a Volcana gig. He was based in Auckland at the time. Anyway, he said he really dug our sound. Then I heard Nick had come to Welly and saw him at a party a couple of years ago-he was trying to throw together a Cramps covers band. So I mentioned Volcana didn't have a drummer and he was keen as to join. So he has been playing in Volcana for a bit over 1 and a half years.
Describe your sound?
Our sound is pretty garagey, a bit psychedelic, heavy rocky and a teency bit punky I suppose.
Describe your influences and/or inspiration?
My biggest influences that made me wanna be in a band were groups Ween and Darcy Clay. I loved the way their music had another dimension to it-not many bands at the time dared to do what they did. Also bands like Nirvana that made you feel like you too could pick up a guitar, stumble across a killer riff and sing about stuff. Our influences these days range from Wanda Jackson to The Black Lips.
What are you working on at the moment?
We have just finished recording and almost finished mixing and mastering about 12 songs which we will be releasing on vinyl later this year. Also we will be releasing them on the Band Camp website.
What are the future plans for you guys?
After that we plan on writing some new stuff and doing a NZ tour. We are also doing a wee music vid to promote the album.
What can we expect from the live show / why should we come see you on Wednesday?
On Wednesday you can expect to hear a unique sound that covers a range of genres whilst still being true to the roots of rock n roll. I think we also sound like there is way more than two of us on stage!
Why are you excited about playing with the other bands?
I am excited about playing with Terror Of The Deep and The Stacks because they have definetely honed their sounds and they will work well with us.
The state of the Wellington music scene is:
The state of Wellington music scene is, probably for the most part, a little boring. I only say that cause when Volcana started there seemed like there were a lot more original sounding bands back then and more bands in general! A lot of bands have dispersed and the members left town, like The Wrongdoings, Knifefight, Newtown-oh and the Hardy Ha Ha's! There were also more venues too, like the Adelaide in Newtown and The Watusi.
Favourite Wellington bands?
Favourite Wellington bands of mine are the ones that are a little outside the mainstream scene and sound-bands like Terror of the Deep, Sheitgeist, The Raskolnikovs, Kittentank, Beastwars to name a few.
