When a band is being asked to support headline acts such as Idelwild, Bob Evans and Josh Pyke, are being nominated for WAMI awards and have virtually every reviewer in the country singing their praise, it’s time to take notice of a band on the rise.

The Autumn Isles is made up of Alex Arpino (lead vocals, guitar, keys), Russell Loasby (drums & percussion), Brian Moloney (bass guitar), Aidan Gordon (lead guitar & backing vocal) and Hayat Feghaly (keys, percussion & backing vocals).

The Autumn Isles were born in Perth and played their first show in 2005, however Alex tells me fans will notice a lineup change with the launch of their second EP, ‘Wish Lists & Sunken Lands’, ‘Hayat is the newest member of the band she came on board in November last year when Alison departed. The move to a five piece has really allowed us to expand musically and recreate the recordings with a lot more confidence. This line up is great; we are really looking forward to bringing it to a wider audience.’

When asked to describe their sound Alex says ‘Infectious, Introspective, Layered, Driving, Psychedelic, Harmonious, Shambolic.’ I’m even more impressed when he lists musicians such as The Beach Boys, Nirvana, The Flaming Lips and The Beatles as their influences.

So how has The Autumn Isles found having to open for some of the best artists going around? ‘I think our second show was supporting Scottish band Idlewild at one of the larger venues in Perth, which was a bit daunting to be honest. But it really forces you to confront any niggling performance anxiety; it is a bit surreal at times, especially if you have grown up watching these bands.   It really reinforces that belief that anything is possible. It also makes you want to continue to improve and develop, there is nothing like watching a seasoned pro from side of stage. It’s like “ahh that is how you do it”.’

So what do people need to know about the new EP? ‘It has 7 tracks, all of which we have had from the bands origin; I really see it as a closing of a chapter and the beginning of the next. It really plays as a complete package much like an album, I really enjoy when a band has an overall theme across recordings, everything from the art work to the lyrics, a thread that goes through. “Wish Lists & Sunken Lands” does that I believe. The tracks are mostly up tempo indie pop with a few introspective moments, a lot of vocals with a few nods to 6o’s psychedelic pop. We hope you enjoy it.

If you think you would enjoy the sounds of The Autumn Isles check out www.myspace.com/theautumnisles or www.theautumnisles.com  for more details.

Dave Griffiths

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Relocating a band from Canberra to Melbourne is no easy feat… just ask the guys of metal outfit, Agave Maize.

Made up of Greg Ho (guitars), Rich McMaster (vocals), Joel Goodwin (vocals), Shannon Hyde (bass) and Lucas Lord-Harris (drums), Agave Maize have recorded a terrific debut album and are excited about their move to Melbourne, ‘We’ve had some ongoing challenges as the band has been split across Melbourne and Canberra since 2003, but with us all now residing in the lovely Melbourne, we see 2008 as a great year to get some momentum going for us.’

And while they are influenced by bands such as Aborym, Katatonia and Opeth, bassist Shannon Hyde says Agave Maize haven’t put a label on themselves, ‘We’re definitely Metal but we don’t aim or confine ourselves to a sub genre. We all have differing influences which can make our sound quite eclectic and hard to label, I think. We’re mostly mid-tempo and somewhat melodic while maintaining a lot of aggression and energy. To be honest, we’re probably still finding out exactly what ‘our sound’ is but it’s getting more consistent.’

So what inspired their brilliant debut album? ‘Agave Maize is our collective outlet for our extreme emotions, feelings and thoughts. We put a lot of thought into our lyrics and cover some pretty messed up stuff. We like that we have the band as an outlet where we don’t need to be censored, I guess it keeps us sane enough to avoid going on some sort of killing rampage haha.’

The great news is fans will be able to pick up this album at their gigs so make sure you check out www.myspace.com/agavemaize for their gig information. This is one metal band Melbourne needs to embrace with open arms.

Dave Griffiths

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Made up of Dux (guitar & vocals), Danny (bass), Nick (guitar) and Phelan (drums & vocals), Periah is perhaps one of the best young Aussie heavy rock bands to hit the scene since The Butterfly Effect. They formed four years as a band that ‘simply jammed together’. Today sees Periah fresh on the back of delivering their new EP. I asked Dux what he could tell us about the new EP. ‘It’s called “Conversations. We recorded at Electric Sun studios with Dave Petrovic, and mastered it at Turtle Rock studios with Rick O’Niell. Who are both incredible engineers and great guys! It’s a six track, and our first professional release. We’re really happy with what came out in the end as a lot of time and effort went into it.’

So what was it like recording it? ‘It was good fun, and a great learning curve for us. There were a few stressful periods as we were on a budget and time wasn’t really on our side, but we really enjoyed it. Dave is such a great guy to work with and he’s always throwing out ideas and suggestions and opening our mind to different approaches. I really recommend him to all bands!’

So what can fans expect to hear on ‘Conversations’? ‘It’s pretty much all new material that we’d been testing live, to get a bit of development and see how the crowd reacted to them. One song on there, “Pattern”, was actually one of our first 3 track demo that we revamped and spiced up a bit. We feel everyone’s creative influence is really apparent in all the songs, and it’s a good cross section of our sound at the moment.’

With influences such as Deftones, Tool and Meshuggah it’s no surprise that Periah are one of the best Alternative Metal bands going around at the moment. Check them out at www.myspace.com/periahband for more details.

Dave Griffiths

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