Latest / HEAVY Music Interviews / Bringing The Message Home With JOEL O'KEEFFE From AIRBOURNE

Transcript

Bringing The Message Home With JOEL O'KEEFFE From AIRBOURNE · HEAVY Music Interviews

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Good. Hey.
• 0:00
  Speaker 2: My name's Joel o'keeff and I'm playing an Airborne and
• 0:03
  Speaker 2: we're coming back to tour Australia and we're very excited because,
• 0:07
  Speaker 2: you know, one of our favorite bands of all time,
• 0:09
  Speaker 2: Guns and Roses, has decided to take us with him.
• 0:11
  Speaker 2: So we're going to be going all around Australia and
• 0:14
  Speaker 2: it's going to be a blast.
• 0:15
  Speaker 3: It's literally in the world that we live in today.
• 0:19
  Speaker 3: You know you've.
• 0:19
  Speaker 2: Got you know, everyone attached to their phones or you
• 0:23
  Speaker 2: know you've got.
• 0:23
  Speaker 3: To go to work tomorrow.
• 0:24
  Speaker 2: We're always thinking about the future, thinking about the past.
• 0:27
  Speaker 3: Chain to this, chain to that.
• 0:29
  Speaker 2: This is the opportunity to literally live right in the
• 0:32
  Speaker 2: present and rock and just be purely free. And you know,
• 0:36
  Speaker 2: no phone, no job, nothing but is in Guns and Roses.
• 0:41
  Speaker 3: What gets better than that?
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: I don't think there's much better in the world, my friend,
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: and thank you for joining us today from your car.
• 0:48
  Speaker 3: No no worries, mate.
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: Every year is a big gear for Airborn these days, mate,
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: But like you say, twenty twenty six is going to
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: be massive, especially the second half. You've got your new
• 0:59
  Speaker 1: album coming out, You've got the Guns and Rags to all.
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: I'm just going to say man on behalf of all
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: Austrain rock bands. Sick gratulations and good onions for flying
• 1:06
  Speaker 1: the flag everywhere, going my man.
• 1:09
  Speaker 2: Thank you mate. That's all we're trying to do. You know,
• 1:11
  Speaker 2: we're just a good Ossie band. Avalanche. We just had
• 1:14
  Speaker 2: them overseas with us. You know, we did whatever we
• 1:17
  Speaker 2: could to get them on some big stages over there
• 1:19
  Speaker 2: with us, and it really worked out for them.
• 1:21
  Speaker 3: They've got it.
• 1:21
  Speaker 2: It's you know, they showed up, played their asses off
• 1:25
  Speaker 2: like all Izy fans do. They go hard, go home
• 1:27
  Speaker 2: thing that we're just naturally born with, and they did it.
• 1:30
  Speaker 2: And I think they've got a manager now. I think
• 1:33
  Speaker 2: they're talking to record labels and they're already coming back
• 1:35
  Speaker 2: to do festivals this year.
• 1:36
  Speaker 3: I think. So it works.
• 1:39
  Speaker 2: Ossie rock works because we're the only people that can
• 1:41
  Speaker 2: make it. And that's what That's one of the things
• 1:44
  Speaker 2: that we brought in this world. Other than the two
• 1:45
  Speaker 2: stroke lawn mower and the hills hoist. You know, I
• 1:49
  Speaker 2: can closeline. We brought Ossie rock. The Americans can't do it,
• 1:53
  Speaker 2: it's too soft. The English can't do it. They just
• 1:56
  Speaker 2: I don't know, they sort of they just don't have it,
• 1:58
  Speaker 2: but we have it. That's what we do. We took
• 2:01
  Speaker 2: the best of the English rock and roll, we took
• 2:03
  Speaker 2: the best of the American rock and roll. We made
• 2:05
  Speaker 2: a thing called Ossie rock and roll. And thanks to
• 2:07
  Speaker 2: Billy Thoughte, thanks to the Easy Beasts, a CDC, the Angels,
• 2:11
  Speaker 2: Roast Tattoo, George Young and Harry Vander, that's the thing
• 2:15
  Speaker 2: that we have and that's the one thing that makes
• 2:19
  Speaker 2: Ossie music, you know, so awesome and so individual to us.
• 2:26
  Speaker 2: So when you bring it overseas, Australians don't seem to
• 2:29
  Speaker 2: love it as much, or the masses don't seem too.
• 2:33
  Speaker 2: There's a whole bunch of us that do, which is
• 2:35
  Speaker 2: why we're out to.
• 2:36
  Speaker 3: See Roase Tattoo in the middle of a suburb in
• 2:37
  Speaker 3: the middle of nowhere. It's packed because we're all out there.
• 2:41
  Speaker 2: But overseas they fucking love it. They love love it.
• 2:47
  Speaker 2: And when they get it, because they see us putting
• 2:50
  Speaker 2: in so hard on stage, no matter what izy band
• 2:52
  Speaker 2: it is and it's good time rock and roll, they go,
• 2:54
  Speaker 2: how fucking goods this? I just got to see an
• 2:56
  Speaker 2: American band that did nothing like this. They just sat
• 2:59
  Speaker 2: up there and part you know or you know, it's
• 3:01
  Speaker 2: just a different thing. So I'm not saying about that about.
• 3:05
  Speaker 3: All of them, but it's just what Ossie's bringing.
• 3:07
  Speaker 2: It's no bullshit, good time dick ass rock and roll.
• 3:11
  Speaker 2: And you know, the more we do it, you know,
• 3:14
  Speaker 2: the more we can get overseas and.
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: Do it, the better, Okay, brother well said. Now, the
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: Guns and Roses TURL kicks off in Adelaide on November
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: twenty ninth, then hitch Town's called Brisbane, Newcastle, Melbourne and
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: Sydney and then the uphand for the final show to
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: seven at seventeen. But it's the first show on Adelaide.
• 3:29
  Speaker 1: I want to talk about, mate, Like you're playing at
• 3:31
  Speaker 1: the VP Adelaide Branch final Supercars man Like it seems
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: like a gig Airborne We're born to do.
• 3:38
  Speaker 2: Yeah. Like with you know, obviously Guns and Roses headlining, Mate,
• 3:41
  Speaker 2: it's going to bring a lot of people that are
• 3:43
  Speaker 2: that are in the.
• 3:44
  Speaker 3: Rock and roll, which is great.
• 3:45
  Speaker 2: It's a good chance for us to get out there
• 3:47
  Speaker 2: and just you know, make a whole bunch of noise
• 3:49
  Speaker 2: before they get on and do it. But it is,
• 3:52
  Speaker 2: it's it goes hand in hand, you know, Ossie Rock
• 3:56
  Speaker 2: and Va Supercars. You know, it's just you can't get
• 4:00
  Speaker 2: better than that. And the thing is that with Guns
• 4:02
  Speaker 2: and Roses every night, you know, when you support a
• 4:04
  Speaker 2: band like that, is that once you do your set,
• 4:08
  Speaker 2: you know, you're put in your work, your ass off,
• 4:10
  Speaker 2: you do, you bring your best you can, then you
• 4:13
  Speaker 2: get to enjoy with everyone else in the crowd. One
• 4:15
  Speaker 2: of the greatest bands in the history of you know,
• 4:18
  Speaker 2: in rock and roll. And and that's the thing about them,
• 4:21
  Speaker 2: is they just the thing about Gunners is I grew
• 4:24
  Speaker 2: up with them as a kid, so to be able
• 4:27
  Speaker 2: to that they inspired our band. And you know, like
• 4:29
  Speaker 2: I was saying before, they're one of the bands that
• 4:32
  Speaker 2: go hard axles up there singing three hours every night.
• 4:35
  Speaker 2: The guy's working his ass off, you know, like he's
• 4:38
  Speaker 2: warming He spends hours work warming up, hours warming down,
• 4:42
  Speaker 2: you know, and they all they all work so hard
• 4:45
  Speaker 2: to bring you the best Guns and Roses can bring you.
• 4:47
  Speaker 2: And it's there's nothing more inspiring than playing with a
• 4:49
  Speaker 2: band like that and looking forward to learning off them.
• 4:52
  Speaker 2: That's the other thing is when you when you get
• 4:55
  Speaker 2: to play with a band like that, you learn so
• 4:57
  Speaker 2: much from them. So look the crowd's in for a hour.
• 5:01
  Speaker 3: Of the night.
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: And everyone of course the world known for being one
• 5:06
  Speaker 1: of the best live bands going around made. So what
• 5:08
  Speaker 1: do you do with the port like this with gunners, Like,
• 5:10
  Speaker 1: what's your mindset going in? Like you go out there
• 5:12
  Speaker 1: with the mindset to blow the headliners away? Or do
• 5:15
  Speaker 1: you go out there just some more digg your job
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: and warm the crowd up?
• 5:19
  Speaker 3: Oh?
• 5:19
  Speaker 2: Look, you know the thing is, you know, always in
• 5:22
  Speaker 2: rock and roll, it doesn't matter who's who. Like, you know,
• 5:27
  Speaker 2: your job is to is to give everything you got
• 5:30
  Speaker 2: to the crowd. You know, I sort of focus so
• 5:33
  Speaker 2: much as blowing the headliner away.
• 5:34
  Speaker 3: That's not the point.
• 5:35
  Speaker 2: You're both there to bring something to the table, and
• 5:39
  Speaker 2: ultimately they're there to bring the big guns and roses
• 5:41
  Speaker 2: show and our job is not to you know, we're not.
• 5:45
  Speaker 2: No one's fighting against each other on the stage. As
• 5:48
  Speaker 2: long as you're giving it all to the crowd you give.
• 5:51
  Speaker 2: You don't yalk off the stage, leaving Edison up there.
• 5:54
  Speaker 2: So if you're doing that, it doesn't really it's all
• 5:57
  Speaker 2: for the crowd. So if your focus is on trying
• 6:00
  Speaker 2: to blow someone off the stage, you're missing the point
• 6:02
  Speaker 2: because you're missing the whole reason why you're there. The
• 6:06
  Speaker 2: fans put you there. They are the people that have
• 6:09
  Speaker 2: come to see the show. And the thing is, you know,
• 6:11
  Speaker 2: everyone's here to see Guns and Roses, and we're like
• 6:14
  Speaker 2: a little appetizer, a little little rock and roll or.
• 6:16
  Speaker 3: Dermle or something. But we're going to make sure we
• 6:19
  Speaker 3: give you a meat pie slice.
• 6:20
  Speaker 2: We're going to give you everything we got with a
• 6:22
  Speaker 2: couple of vbs and some you know, we're gonna we're
• 6:25
  Speaker 2: gonna give you more than what we can possibly give you.
• 6:28
  Speaker 2: So that's our job and that's what we'll be doing.
• 6:31
  Speaker 2: So you know, by the time you get the Guns
• 6:33
  Speaker 2: and Roses, you know you've had a few beers because
• 6:36
  Speaker 2: you've felt like you wanted to. You've been go no,
• 6:38
  Speaker 2: this is rock and roll, I'm gonna have a drink,
• 6:40
  Speaker 2: this is good timing, or you're just rocking out. You know,
• 6:42
  Speaker 2: we're going to get your lubed up, warmed up and
• 6:44
  Speaker 2: ready a rock. That's our job and we'll do it.
• 6:47
  Speaker 1: Anyone seen you guys before, made will at chess to
• 6:50
  Speaker 1: how much you run around on French stage. You claim
• 6:53
  Speaker 1: on things do lots and ship rover, but do you
• 6:55
  Speaker 1: do your reconnaissance before show, you plan out what you're
• 6:57
  Speaker 1: going to do, or is it more spontaneous.
• 7:00
  Speaker 3: It's always spontaneous. Mate.
• 7:03
  Speaker 2: Every stage is a different stage, every crowd's different, the
• 7:06
  Speaker 2: day is different, you know, everything's different. It's always just
• 7:10
  Speaker 2: in the moment wherever you find yourself on stages where
• 7:13
  Speaker 2: you end up for that particular point. Sometimes you realize
• 7:16
  Speaker 2: that you're too far from the mic and you're gonna
• 7:17
  Speaker 2: have to run like crazy to get back there, and
• 7:20
  Speaker 2: that's you.
• 7:21
  Speaker 3: Know, that happens a lot.
• 7:22
  Speaker 2: So maybe that's where all the running around comes from.
• 7:26
  Speaker 1: Okay, looking back at the too, I think one of
• 7:27
  Speaker 1: the things is overlooked here, which is, to me, one
• 7:30
  Speaker 1: of the most important things is the Guns and Rows
• 7:32
  Speaker 1: have chosen an Australian band to do the national tour
• 7:35
  Speaker 1: with them. It's not enough of that, ye days, as
• 7:38
  Speaker 1: bands should be on every fucking bill, I reckon.
• 7:42
  Speaker 2: Look, the thing is, you know, it's that's gutsy as
• 7:45
  Speaker 2: that they did that. You know, we're not like our
• 7:49
  Speaker 2: little our little USSI Van hasn't had a chance really
• 7:52
  Speaker 2: to play on many big stages in Australia. We've had
• 7:55
  Speaker 2: tons overseas and you know, we keep doing that every
• 7:58
  Speaker 2: time we go over there, and it keeps growing.
• 8:00
  Speaker 3: But Australia has been quite tough for us as well.
• 8:02
  Speaker 2: So it's you know, it's pretty gutsy they did that,
• 8:07
  Speaker 2: and I one hundred percent agree with you. I really
• 8:10
  Speaker 2: do think that. You know, when we you know, you know,
• 8:13
  Speaker 2: all the money that gets put into bringing out the
• 8:15
  Speaker 2: big the big bands and stuff like that from overseas,
• 8:18
  Speaker 2: and it's great that they want to come out here
• 8:20
  Speaker 2: and play. But it's also great for you know, if,
• 8:24
  Speaker 2: like I was saying before, we've lost so many venues
• 8:26
  Speaker 2: in Australia thirteen hundred venues or whatever it is, those
• 8:28
  Speaker 2: small cap venues. So if you can get them on
• 8:31
  Speaker 2: those stages, if you can get Aussie bands on there,
• 8:34
  Speaker 2: you know, in front of crowds, it does move the
• 8:36
  Speaker 2: needle for them. But they got to show up, you know.
• 8:39
  Speaker 2: That's the other thing. You can't just give someone an
• 8:41
  Speaker 2: opportunity and then they fuck it up or just you know,
• 8:44
  Speaker 2: get up there and you know, I don't know, just
• 8:46
  Speaker 2: don't don't bring it. You've got to get up there
• 8:49
  Speaker 2: and give it, you all. And I think Eussie bands
• 8:51
  Speaker 2: do that naturally. I think it's just what we do
• 8:53
  Speaker 2: because we're so far away from everyone that if we're
• 8:56
  Speaker 2: going to particularly when we've got to go overseas, we've
• 8:59
  Speaker 2: got to travel so far to get there, so you know,
• 9:02
  Speaker 2: it's just go hard or go home.
• 9:04
  Speaker 3: It's an old as he's saying, but it's true.
• 9:06
  Speaker 1: It is indeed for the benefit of people who might
• 9:09
  Speaker 1: be going along just to see guns and raisers, and
• 9:11
  Speaker 1: like you say, you might not have heard of there.
• 9:12
  Speaker 1: Born got three songs that I listened to in order
• 9:15
  Speaker 1: to get to know the band better before they gave.
• 9:17
  Speaker 2: Oh well, okay, listen to the latest one that I
• 9:20
  Speaker 2: when we were doing the set, Gutsy or Alive after Death,
• 9:24
  Speaker 2: and then go listen to run a Wild you know it.
• 9:26
  Speaker 3: We'll be playing those three.
• 9:27
  Speaker 2: So you know, do that and yeah, I guess that'll
• 9:32
  Speaker 2: probably give you a little taste of what we do.
• 9:35
  Speaker 3: But yeah, just get ready.
• 9:37
  Speaker 2: Yeah it's born taste, but just get ready to rock.
• 9:40
  Speaker 2: If you don't even want to listen to us, it
• 9:41
  Speaker 2: doesn't really matter. Just come to if you're at the
• 9:44
  Speaker 2: gig and you find yourself not at the bar, when
• 9:47
  Speaker 2: we're on stage and you find yourself in the crowd,
• 9:50
  Speaker 2: hopefully we make your rock that's what we'll be there doing.
• 9:53
  Speaker 1: Yes, you mentioned the side of Live but to Death,
• 9:56
  Speaker 1: which is a new one you're released from your upcoming
• 9:59
  Speaker 1: self album you out in August twenty eighth, mate, Like,
• 10:02
  Speaker 1: is that song a good representation of what do you
• 10:04
  Speaker 1: expect from the whole album?
• 10:06
  Speaker 3: Yeah? Absolutely, mate.
• 10:08
  Speaker 2: You know, it's a it's a it is it's it's
• 10:11
  Speaker 2: kind of the core message of the entire record. It's
• 10:15
  Speaker 2: really it's a it's a big thing to go into
• 10:19
  Speaker 2: in an interview like this of what the song's about
• 10:21
  Speaker 2: and where it came from, but it's ultimately it's about really,
• 10:26
  Speaker 2: you know, it's really written about Lemmy and it's about
• 10:30
  Speaker 2: like we wouldn't we wouldn't be here without him, We
• 10:33
  Speaker 2: wouldn't be out here with every band that came before
• 10:35
  Speaker 2: us as well, So you know, again playing with a
• 10:38
  Speaker 2: band like Guards and Roses, it's it's that full circle
• 10:43
  Speaker 2: thing where you just pinch yourself.
• 10:44
  Speaker 3: A bit and you go, you know, your your little Aussie.
• 10:47
  Speaker 2: Band wouldn't exist without these guys, and it's kind of
• 10:50
  Speaker 2: you know, they're obviously still alive and kicking, but the
• 10:52
  Speaker 2: ones that have gone and left us here is that
• 10:55
  Speaker 2: we keep them all alive by listening to their music
• 10:59
  Speaker 2: and remembering remembering them, and you know, and and dropping
• 11:02
  Speaker 2: the needle to their records and wearing their you know,
• 11:06
  Speaker 2: the patches on our battle jackets.
• 11:09
  Speaker 3: Every time you mentioned whacking before.
• 11:11
  Speaker 2: Every time we play overseas and we don't see the
• 11:14
  Speaker 2: Motorhead logo on the poster, it feels sad something's missing.
• 11:18
  Speaker 3: But then you go out and.
• 11:19
  Speaker 2: You play the show and you see all the Motorhead
• 11:22
  Speaker 2: shirts and you see the Motorhead battle jackets and you
• 11:25
  Speaker 2: and you hear and you're hear him through the PA
• 11:27
  Speaker 2: and it's he's you know, he's not dead, He's alive
• 11:30
  Speaker 2: after death and it's just you know, and it's it's
• 11:34
  Speaker 2: that's the core message of the record as well.
• 11:36
  Speaker 1: So yeah, yeah, Fantasy Before You're gonna just want to
• 11:39
  Speaker 1: ask you, do you remember the first time you heard
• 11:41
  Speaker 1: one of your songs on radio? And where were you
• 11:44
  Speaker 1: at the time.
• 11:45
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I was in Melbourne.
• 11:47
  Speaker 2: It was on Triple M and and it was nighttime
• 11:51
  Speaker 2: slot and I think it was run and wild and
• 11:55
  Speaker 2: it was great. We were the band was all living
• 11:57
  Speaker 2: in a house in Thornbury and you know, it was
• 12:02
  Speaker 2: as you could imagine it looked a bit like.
• 12:03
  Speaker 3: The young ones. There was holes in the walls. I
• 12:05
  Speaker 3: don't think that.
• 12:06
  Speaker 2: I don't think one set of dishes was cleaned ever,
• 12:11
  Speaker 2: you know.
• 12:12
  Speaker 3: And we're sitting there with monkst piles of rubbish.
• 12:14
  Speaker 2: And just when we moved to Melbourne and now song
• 12:17
  Speaker 2: was on the radio.
• 12:18
  Speaker 3: And I think that was the last time our song.
• 12:19
  Speaker 1: Was ever on the radio, first of last.
• 12:25
  Speaker 3: So we'll see if we can change that.
• 12:28
  Speaker 1: Damn sir, right, Joel, thanks very much for your time.
• 12:30
  Speaker 1: There'd been a pleasure catching up. The tour with Guns
• 12:32
  Speaker 1: and Roses kicks off on Revember the twenty ninth. Get
• 12:35
  Speaker 1: your tickets earlier though, because they will sell out. And
• 12:37
  Speaker 1: I'll see you in Germany.
• 12:39
  Speaker 2: My friend sounds bloody good, mate, We'll see you over there.