Michael Paynter (04/04/2014)
So you recently announced your new album and new single Weary Stars, how has the response been to it?
The response has been quite awesome actually, if I’m completely honest. It’s been a long time coming. You know, I think my fans are probably the most patient people on earth, waiting sort of seven years for this and I think that maybe after three or four attempts of me trying to do it and many years, sometimes you might question whether people care anymore. So it’s great to get it out and find that people are enjoying it and its great having the feedback from like the favourite songs and listening to it on their family car trips and stuff like that is a really great feeling.
I’ve actually been waiting for the album for a fair while, I’ve been a fan for a bit and yeah, it’s good to finally have!
Well there you go. It’s a good feeling.
It does have a pretty cool sound, a mix of the more pop sound and the rock sounds. Was that always the intention, right from the start or has it changed through time?
Well I’ve always considered myself to be a “pop-rock artist” without trying to be too cliché, but yeah I think it’s a part of a greater transition for me I guess. I’ve always loved really pop music and a lot of electronic elements and for me, my favourite kind of pop/rock through the years has been stuff like Linkin Park, I think they’re real pioneers in that area in terms of using great pieces of industrial electronic glitch-y sounds and working them into pop music, as well as people like Nine Inch Nails and that kind of thing. So I think that’s always something I’ve enjoyed and it’s great to get a few of those elements in on the record
Is there a story behind where the name Weary Stars came from? Is there an idea behind that or was it from the top of your head?
No, it was just kind of what the lyrics of the single were. We named it after that because we feel like the single kind of summarises a lot of what the album is about and in terms of, you know, the stuff I’ve been through over the past couple of years. We just kind of felt like it was a good way to sum up the album in a couple of words.
You’ve been doing a lot of work with a few Australian bands here and there, like Icehouse and Masketta Fall. How have things like that been going?
It’s been great! I’ve been sort of touring with Icehouse and The Veronicas for the better part of 3-4 years. In terms of Masketta Fall, it’s a band I actually manage and I’ve been writing some songs with them, producing their new stuff, I produced their last EP and we just finished writing the next one. I think I’m enjoying the side of my life where I can participate in other peoples bands, and playing in other peoples bands. I also really love writing for and with other people.
Are you going to try and tour internationally?
I hope so. I’m planning to get back to LA very soon, it looks like the second half of the year is opening up for that so who know what that holds! But for the moment I’m just excited to get to places around Australia that I haven’t been to in a while, so I’m looking forward to just doing the home country first.
Alright, that’s all I’ve got for you, but thanks for calling and chatting with The 59th Sound today!
No worries, thanks for having me. Look forward to reading it!
Nicole Beverley
The response has been quite awesome actually, if I’m completely honest. It’s been a long time coming. You know, I think my fans are probably the most patient people on earth, waiting sort of seven years for this and I think that maybe after three or four attempts of me trying to do it and many years, sometimes you might question whether people care anymore. So it’s great to get it out and find that people are enjoying it and its great having the feedback from like the favourite songs and listening to it on their family car trips and stuff like that is a really great feeling.
I’ve actually been waiting for the album for a fair while, I’ve been a fan for a bit and yeah, it’s good to finally have!
Well there you go. It’s a good feeling.
It does have a pretty cool sound, a mix of the more pop sound and the rock sounds. Was that always the intention, right from the start or has it changed through time?
Well I’ve always considered myself to be a “pop-rock artist” without trying to be too cliché, but yeah I think it’s a part of a greater transition for me I guess. I’ve always loved really pop music and a lot of electronic elements and for me, my favourite kind of pop/rock through the years has been stuff like Linkin Park, I think they’re real pioneers in that area in terms of using great pieces of industrial electronic glitch-y sounds and working them into pop music, as well as people like Nine Inch Nails and that kind of thing. So I think that’s always something I’ve enjoyed and it’s great to get a few of those elements in on the record
Is there a story behind where the name Weary Stars came from? Is there an idea behind that or was it from the top of your head?
No, it was just kind of what the lyrics of the single were. We named it after that because we feel like the single kind of summarises a lot of what the album is about and in terms of, you know, the stuff I’ve been through over the past couple of years. We just kind of felt like it was a good way to sum up the album in a couple of words.
You’ve been doing a lot of work with a few Australian bands here and there, like Icehouse and Masketta Fall. How have things like that been going?
It’s been great! I’ve been sort of touring with Icehouse and The Veronicas for the better part of 3-4 years. In terms of Masketta Fall, it’s a band I actually manage and I’ve been writing some songs with them, producing their new stuff, I produced their last EP and we just finished writing the next one. I think I’m enjoying the side of my life where I can participate in other peoples bands, and playing in other peoples bands. I also really love writing for and with other people.
Are you going to try and tour internationally?
I hope so. I’m planning to get back to LA very soon, it looks like the second half of the year is opening up for that so who know what that holds! But for the moment I’m just excited to get to places around Australia that I haven’t been to in a while, so I’m looking forward to just doing the home country first.
Alright, that’s all I’ve got for you, but thanks for calling and chatting with The 59th Sound today!
No worries, thanks for having me. Look forward to reading it!
Nicole Beverley