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All Roads Lead To WACKEN With TRAVIS EVERETT From WITCHGRINDER · HEAVY Music Interviews

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: I I'm Travis from witch Grinder. We are an industrial
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: metal band from Melbourne, Australia. We're heading up to Sydney
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: this Saturday to play the official first thirty five years
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: of Vakin celebration, which will be held at the Crowbar.
• 0:20
  Speaker 2: Doors at seven. A bunch of great.
• 0:22
  Speaker 3: Bands, fantasty that'll do me here? You going today? Yeah? Good, good,
• 0:29
  Speaker 3: as you say.
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  Speaker 4: We're trying to help celebrate thirty years of Germany's metal
• 0:33
  Speaker 4: behemoth Varkan and open Air with an anniversary pre party
• 0:37
  Speaker 4: the Crowbar, Sydney this Saturday, April eight ends. So I
• 0:41
  Speaker 4: guess it's the next best thing to actually playing Varking itself,
• 0:44
  Speaker 4: isn't it.
• 0:44
  Speaker 2: Well yeah, I suppose so.
• 0:50
  Speaker 3: Yeah.
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  Speaker 1: Look, it's an amazing festival. We've always wanted to be
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  Speaker 1: a part of it in some way or another. We
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: haven't managed to get over to Germany yet, but that's
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: plans for the horizon. So yeah, when we got asked
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: to do this was at least something to do with it,
• 1:06
  Speaker 1: So yeah, it'll be special.
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  Speaker 2: Nice.
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  Speaker 4: It's actually part of an ambitious global celebration. It sees
• 1:13
  Speaker 4: thirty five shows in thirty five countries in one day,
• 1:16
  Speaker 4: so it's a pretty big task to pull all that off, mate,
• 1:19
  Speaker 4: Like one shows enough, let alone trying to coordinate thirty five.
• 1:23
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I look, I don't know how they've done it
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: that they have.
• 1:27
  Speaker 2: I mean.
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: Michael who's organized this from Metal Ruse. He does one
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: in Australia called Metal United down Under and he manages
• 1:39
  Speaker 1: to do I think it's all the major cities and
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: then a few of the suburban country towns and things
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: like that, and he does it the one over the
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  Speaker 1: one night as well, so I think he well, he's
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: got a little bit of experience with he's been doing
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  Speaker 1: that for a long time, so I know it's not
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  Speaker 1: a global thing, but at least he.
• 1:59
  Speaker 2: Has idea of what he's doing with this.
• 2:02
  Speaker 5: So yeah, it's actually an honor bro that that organizers
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  Speaker 5: thought of Australian bands in the first place and then
• 2:10
  Speaker 5: wanted to stay something here and it sort of shows
• 2:12
  Speaker 5: that we're on their radar in some respect.
• 2:14
  Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, no, it's great.
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  Speaker 1: Look, I've known a few Aussie bands to go over
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  Speaker 1: and play Parking and you know, it's good to see
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  Speaker 1: that they've got interest in the metal music scene over here.
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  Speaker 1: We're not just like you know, austral is down over
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  Speaker 1: there and you know we're on the edge of.
• 2:34
  Speaker 2: The world and no one they haven't forgotten about us. Yeah,
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  Speaker 2: I think we're too loud.
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  Speaker 3: To actually a loud to ignore.
• 2:44
  Speaker 4: This show features yourselves, there's our last enemy, shutter Face
• 2:47
  Speaker 4: and tun Squad, Like, did you know or did you
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  Speaker 4: think maybe the people behind the buck and are using
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  Speaker 4: this as an audition and looking into sort of you
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  Speaker 4: bands potentially one day.
• 2:58
  Speaker 1: I honestly, I I don't know how Vakom works that well.
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: I know that they sometimes yearly they will have a
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  Speaker 1: Battle of Bands where your band can you know, compete
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  Speaker 1: against other bands in your country and you can earn
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: your way onto a Battle of the Band stage, so
• 3:18
  Speaker 1: they obviously have some choice or something in that.
• 3:22
  Speaker 2: But yeah, I don't I don't really know.
• 3:26
  Speaker 3: Yeah, cut your odds down down before and one in four.
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  Speaker 4: Anyway, this might not be the easiest question to answer,
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  Speaker 4: but thirty five years and one metal festival, it's a
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  Speaker 4: great achievement for Barking. I think Australia's largest one with
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  Speaker 4: Big Day Out at about twenty two years and sound
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  Speaker 4: Wave came in a twelve. So what sorts of things
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  Speaker 4: do you think festival organizers in Australia can take on
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  Speaker 4: board when it comes to putting on mass festivals like that.
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  Speaker 1: Well, look, as you said, you know, the Big Day
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  Speaker 1: Out run for a very very very long time, so
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  Speaker 1: did sad Way. Samways was very successful. We can see
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  Speaker 1: good things doing kind of the same, but they're not
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  Speaker 1: bringing in too much I guess because being a smaller population,
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  Speaker 1: you know, in Australia and compared to overseas that can
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  Speaker 1: bring a lot more people in, you know, a lot
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  Speaker 1: bigger of a metal scene over there. Did you say
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  Speaker 1: advice to.
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  Speaker 4: Yeah, like, what do you think we could do to
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  Speaker 4: sort of compete on that level because our festivals don't
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  Speaker 4: seem to have longevity.
• 4:34
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm not sure.
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  Speaker 1: I mean as long as look if the bands, I
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  Speaker 1: think they should put a bunch more local bands on.
• 4:44
  Speaker 2: If I'm honest, I see the bills.
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  Speaker 1: They've got an incredible lineup of international bands, but they
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  Speaker 1: don't have enough local bands on. And I think if
• 4:54
  Speaker 1: they didn't support the local scene a bit more, I
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  Speaker 1: think that had reached more people, which would make the
• 5:01
  Speaker 1: festivals bigger here in Australia, even if it was a
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: smaller stage like it doesn't matter. But yeah, I think
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  Speaker 1: they need to stop worrying about just the international bands
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  Speaker 1: and support the local talent and you know, get them
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  Speaker 1: to bring people in.
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  Speaker 4: I think you're right here, like speaking to a lot
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  Speaker 4: of people that go to these festivals, like they'd respect
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  Speaker 4: the festivals a lot more if there was more Australian
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  Speaker 4: bands there because it shows that they are appreciating the
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  Speaker 4: people that are going there, not just the dollars coming
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  Speaker 4: out of the sales.
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  Speaker 1: Yes, well there's Look, I'll give it to Froth and
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  Speaker 1: Fury Festival. They have a lot of locals, especially over
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  Speaker 1: that way, like for Adelaide bands and Perth that miss
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  Speaker 1: out on the East Coast tour, so they're doing extremely well.
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  Speaker 1: They seem to have a nice mix of internationals and
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  Speaker 1: local bands. Another good growing festival up in Brisbane at
• 6:00
  Speaker 1: the moment's the Necrosnic Festival, as you would know, which
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  Speaker 1: highly looks after the locals and they seem to only
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  Speaker 1: have one or two internationals. But I think those both
• 6:13
  Speaker 1: those vessels are both running in a good way where
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  Speaker 1: in terms of.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, looking after.
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  Speaker 1: Like I said, looking after the locals and and internationals,
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  Speaker 1: but me knowing who runs those, they're both guys who
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  Speaker 1: done it done the hard yards in bands when they
• 6:32
  Speaker 1: were growing up, so I think they understand it a
• 6:35
  Speaker 1: little bit more.
• 6:36
  Speaker 4: Yeah, the fund does and stuf there for which grinder
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  Speaker 4: either bro with Onces of Riff coming up at North
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  Speaker 4: Coach Social Club with elm Street bark and on Skye
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  Speaker 4: on May the sixteenth, But that should be a good
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  Speaker 4: one too.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm really I'm really excited for that one.
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  Speaker 1: Actually, Yeah, we don't get we don't often play our
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  Speaker 1: home city much anymore.
• 7:01
  Speaker 2: Like we've we've played a.
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  Speaker 1: Few international supports the last couple of years except for
• 7:08
  Speaker 1: our I think it was our album launch.
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  Speaker 2: Which was about two years ago. So this feels a
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  Speaker 2: bit more.
• 7:16
  Speaker 1: I know it's it's marketed as a little it is
• 7:19
  Speaker 1: a kind of little mini mini festival, but us and
• 7:22
  Speaker 1: Allen Street are really good friends, so it's going to
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  Speaker 1: be good. It's a it's a smaller club than what
• 7:28
  Speaker 1: we've we've played the last few times, so it'll be
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  Speaker 1: a bit more intimate and it'll probably get a bit
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  Speaker 1: more wild.
• 7:37
  Speaker 3: Nobody worries about that.
• 7:39
  Speaker 4: Then after that made Your Up My Way as part
• 7:41
  Speaker 4: of the Returning Dead, a winter festival at the Mansfield
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  Speaker 4: Tavern on June the twenty seventh, which features Mammal Choda,
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  Speaker 4: Joe Bullet Bell, Black, Reno, Heaves More Broilette.
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  Speaker 3: Firstly, how good is it to see Dead a Winter back?
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  Speaker 2: Ah?
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  Speaker 3: I was.
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  Speaker 1: I heard little whispers that it was getting it was
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  Speaker 1: coming back. I think at a year ago, maybe it
• 8:02
  Speaker 1: was even long, maybe it was two years ago. But
• 8:04
  Speaker 1: I did hear, you know, the birds chirping or something, whatever.
• 8:08
  Speaker 2: You want to call it.
• 8:09
  Speaker 1: And I reached out to him straight away because we
• 8:13
  Speaker 1: pretty much started our when the band first started and
• 8:18
  Speaker 1: we first went on tour, I think we either had
• 8:21
  Speaker 1: our own show or jumped on someone's show, but I
• 8:24
  Speaker 1: definitely know.
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  Speaker 2: One of the first times.
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  Speaker 1: We were ever up in Brisbane was for the Dinner
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  Speaker 1: Winner festival and we got looked after them a few
• 8:30
  Speaker 1: a couple of times, so we got to play a
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  Speaker 1: few of them. So being a part of the resurrection
• 8:35
  Speaker 1: of that is it's pretty cool.
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  Speaker 3: And how incredible is the lineup mate? That's great and
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  Speaker 3: predominantly for Australian.
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  Speaker 4: So did you approve what we were talking about before,
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  Speaker 4: like the Australian music can compete with the rest of
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  Speaker 4: the world Italy?
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, Well, that's I mean, yeah, just like, just like
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  Speaker 1: we said before, if they if they had, if something
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  Speaker 1: like that, the bands.
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  Speaker 2: That were all playing on that were on.
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  Speaker 1: One of these other bigger festivals with the internationals, I
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  Speaker 1: think that would probably bring a wider reach and probably
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  Speaker 1: longer lasting.
• 9:10
  Speaker 4: This was a little bit off centime, but it's a
• 9:11
  Speaker 4: new little segment I'm starting here and it is. But
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  Speaker 4: do you remember the first time you heard one of
• 9:16
  Speaker 4: your songs played on the radio and where you were
• 9:19
  Speaker 4: at the time.
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  Speaker 2: Hmm, no, No.
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  Speaker 1: I remember, yes, Sorry, I remember the first time I
• 9:33
  Speaker 1: was Look, I do remember roughly, things like on local
• 9:37
  Speaker 1: radio stations and things like that, mostly just promoting the gigs.
• 9:43
  Speaker 1: I can't remember the first time I heard my music
• 9:45
  Speaker 1: played on a radio station, but I do remember the
• 9:48
  Speaker 1: first time we were on television. Yeah, we got played
• 9:53
  Speaker 1: on Rage, you know later like the two am slot
• 9:58
  Speaker 1: or whatever it is on a Saturday.
• 9:59
  Speaker 2: Night, all be other metal and.
• 10:02
  Speaker 1: Yeah, and I remember our film clip coming on and
• 10:05
  Speaker 1: I didn't even realize it was on that night. I
• 10:06
  Speaker 1: was just happen to be drinking up late with a
• 10:10
  Speaker 1: friend and we had Rage on and come on. So yeah,
• 10:15
  Speaker 1: that's the closest thing i'd say to remember in the
• 10:17
  Speaker 1: first thing, and then that was pretty special to me.
• 10:20
  Speaker 4: Yeah, it would have been. Which try to release your
• 10:24
  Speaker 4: last album, Nothing Stays Buried. Back in March twenty twenty four,
• 10:27
  Speaker 4: met so have you got any new music you'd be
• 10:29
  Speaker 4: played at any of these upcome shows.
• 10:32
  Speaker 1: We were playing a song that we haven't had on
• 10:36
  Speaker 1: the set list at this show, But we don't have
• 10:40
  Speaker 1: any new material that.
• 10:41
  Speaker 2: Will be showing.
• 10:41
  Speaker 1: Until we're getting late later on this year. Towards the
• 10:47
  Speaker 1: end of the year, we'll probably have.
• 10:48
  Speaker 6: A single release for the upcoming album, which hopefully will
• 10:56
  Speaker 6: come out next year if all goes to plan.
• 10:59
  Speaker 2: Yeah, started cross, Sorry.
• 11:02
  Speaker 3: If you started on to get the new one.
• 11:05
  Speaker 1: We're working on it, yeah, just we're still in like
• 11:09
  Speaker 1: pre production phases. Yeah, but there's a couple of there's
• 11:13
  Speaker 1: a couple of good banger which kind of ones in
• 11:16
  Speaker 1: there that make me, you know, confident that it's going
• 11:18
  Speaker 1: to be it's going to.
• 11:19
  Speaker 2: Be pretty cool. So hopefully we'll get to release one
• 11:22
  Speaker 2: of those songs this year. We'll see how we go.
• 11:25
  Speaker 3: Fantastic travel all right, Rob, Well, thanks very much for
• 11:28
  Speaker 3: your time.
• 11:28
  Speaker 4: Which grind Of play at markin Open Airs thirty fifth
• 11:32
  Speaker 4: Anniversary pro Bile Sydney this Saturday, April Light each mate,
• 11:35
  Speaker 4: so have yourself a cracker and I'll see you dead
• 11:37
  Speaker 4: A winner.
• 11:38
  Speaker 1: Yeah, thanks Chris. Always good to chat to you, mate,