Hi! Adam here, I play guitar and do backup Vocals. Ciarn my partner in life and crime is the lead vocalist & bassist, Steve whacks the tubs & and Mitch wails on 2nd guitar. Other bands we’ve played or play in include, Drunk Mums, Reaper, Red Red Krovvy, Rubber Room, Meat, Mesa Cosa, Dumb Punts. All of which don’t sound anything like SMOOCH, the purpose of this band was to get out of our comfort zone to push ourselves creatively and physically.
We recorded Drums, Bass & Rhythm Guitars all together on a 70’s Neve Console, the same used for Australian greats AC/DC & Cold Chisel, we then added double-tracked guitar solos, Vocals and a few little percussion things afterwards. We like to keep it live as possible to honour the 70’s feel of our predecessors.
3) Do you use the nowadays digital recording technology or do you only work with analog machines in analog studios? Have you recorded all your records in the same way or are there any changes in the recording process lately?
Our first 7” was done by me in the lounge room of the house we all lived in at the time. I used to record alot of bands but only really using Pro Tools & we worked on the songs for almost a year before recording so just wanted to smash something out and release it on cassette dubbed by ourselves as more of a PROMO copy which seemed to be a common thing in the past.
For the LP we wanted to use analogue but the cost of doing so wasn’t in our budget, thankfully the Neve console we used was from the ’70s and was one of the first solid-state consoles so it still had a super warm sound.
4) How would you describe the music you are playing?
Hard Rock, Proto-Metal & Early Glam
I think that the main thing for me personally is for the sounds of the words to be important before the message. For example, our song Glitter Thugs instantly paints a picture of a gang covered in sequins. Ciarn is the main writer of lyrics in the band though so I can’t speak for her. Alot of our topics include Gender Equality, Politics & others are more about rockin & havin a good time. Its important to have that balance.
6) Do you have a new video on youtube featuring a track from the newly released LP??
We have a video for Feminine Touch which is the first track off the album. Wild Rose did an amazing job of capturing the look we are going for and understanding what we wanted in general.
7) What can concert goers expect at a Smooch gig? Are you playin' any famous cover songs during the concert?
Heads boppin, boots stompin, butts boogin, wailin solos, thunderous drums and powerful vocals. We have covered Hector “Bye Bye Bad Days” & , we’ve worked on doing a priest and angels cover and plan to do some more but haven’t gotten round to it.
8) Are there any bands in Australia today you consider yourself close to, musically speaking?
The short answer is ROT TV & STREET SWEEPER. I think what we do is so specific that it’s hard to lump us in with other bands. People see the image and think GLAM, oh yeah! But Hair Metal sucks and hate it when we are referred to that side of the genre.
I grew up listening to punk, grindcore & and death metal. Couldn't tear me away from bands like Ramones, Death or Black Flag so I can’t really say that any of that has influenced Smooch. The 3 main bands I think that Influence us are Kiss, The Runaways & Judas Priest, The Sweet, Girlschool. I know thats 5 ya lucky I stopped there.
10) What are the plans for for 2024 as far as Smooch is concerned? Do you guys plan to come over to Europe to promote the record?
What we plan to do is finish writing and eventually record our next album and I’m sorry to say but I don’t think we’ll be touring overseas until that comes out. We all play in other bands so we need to focus on those outputs. We take our time with Smooch cos we want it to be the best it can be.
11) Anything you wanna add?
Boogie Woogie All Night Long
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Jiffy Marx: I currently play synth and sing in Autogramm and play bass and sing in a band called Night Court. I’ve also played guitar in a bunch of bands and used to also play guitar in Autogramm but doing three things at once proved to be a challenge so we recruited our friend Lars to take over which seems to have been a totally worthwhile decision!
The Silo: I play the drums, sing a bit and put effects on everything! I operate a little recording studio called The Mango Pit in Chicago, when I’m not playing with Autogramm or some of the other bands I play with.
Lars Von Seattle: I do the guitaring in Autogramm & have played in some Seattle rock groups over the years.
CC Voltage: I play bass in the band, and I’ve also played in Berlin’s Dysnea Boys, London’s Loyalties, and Vancouver’s Black Halos and Spitfires.
The Silo: Both! We tracked the basics live at a big studio called Rain City Recorders in Vancouver, then afterward we overdubbed extra vocals and synths and guitars and tambourines and bleeps and bloops at little studios: The Balloon Factory in Vancouver and The Mango Pit in Chicago.
3) Do you use the nowadays digital recording technology or do you only work with analog machines in analog studios? Have you recorded all your records in the same way or are there any changes in the recording process lately?
The Silo: We use the digital stuff as the recording medium because that’s what we can afford — we’ve made all of our records ourselves. No outside producers or mixers. I have some nice preamps and a summing mixer to add analog tone to the proceedings. No tape though. Would love that but we also don’t have the money! The only real change between this album and the last two: this is the first time we recorded anything in a big studio, and we had an assistant engineer to help with the bedtracks in that studio. The first two were done completely in my own small project studios.
Jiffy Marx: Definitely not against calling it new wave but also proud that there is more than that. I think we each bring something a bit different to the band- CC is the Rock’n’roll guy, I’m the power pop / punk guy, The Silo brings the pop and Lars has also brought some jangle into the mix. I think the result, although we all still worship The Ramones, is a unique amalgamation of all of our different tastes.
Lars Von Seattle: I think new wave is a fine term, even though it was later used by more hardcore punks to describe trend-chasers or poseurs. I like most bands that are described as new wave, so I’m fine with it.
CC Voltage: I think you hit the nail on the head. We’re huge fans of that era of music, so it’s a big compliment to hear people say we’ve succeeded in making something sound authentic.
Jiffy Marx: Unfortunately I would have to say anxiety and depression but I try to put a positive spin on it by normalizing mental health issues.
The Silo: I’m not a prolific lyric writer, but judging from what I’ve written so far, it seems that it’s mostly about dancing!
CC Voltage: I generally just say things until they fit along with the music. Then I go back and try to make those words actually sound like they have some kind of meaning. It’s kind of like creating a stream of consciousness story. There’s rarely any significant meaning to mine unfortunately.
6) Do you have a new video on youtube featuring a track from the newly released LP??
CC Voltage: We have 3 videos from the new LP. I would encourage you to check out “Born Losers”, seeing as we went on a skiing trip and partied with a sasquatch!
7) What can concert goers expect at an Autogramm gig? Are you playin' any famous cover songs during the concert?
Jiffy Marx: We do like to throw a cover in as an encore if the vibe is right!
The Silo: Hopefully we’ll make you dance — without a doubt we’ll put you in a very good mood. We have a few covers that we’ve tried to make our own. Some possibly unrecognizable. Come to a show and find out!
Lars Von Seattle: I like it when shows are called concerts. Like it’s at a huge venue or there’s classical recital involved somehow!
CC Voltage: I’d say you can expect to have fun and hopefully dance the night away!
8) Are there any bands today you consider yourself close to, musically speaking?
Jiffy Marx: There are lots of punk bands with synths, ones like The Spits who dig skateboarding and The Ramones and other ones like Uranium Club who seem to have some Devo worship going on, and there’s lots of post punk bands these days but even tho we love all those things i wouldn’t say we sound like any of them.
The Silo: We probably have more in common with old US bands and current Australian ones…lots to like in all parts of the world currently tho. I’d say we share more of a spirit than a sound with bands like The Rubs, The Reflectors, The Dumpies, The Whiffs, Sextile etc all of which I like.
Lars Von Seattle: I think we probably like plenty of US bands doing punk, new wave, or power pop styles, but I can’t think of any that feel similar to Autogramm.
CC Voltage: Obviously we consider ourselves musically close to a lot of classic new wave and power pop bands, but there’s not too many current bands doing what we do. I like the Mind Spiders, they’re very cool.
9) To what kind of music did you listen to as a teenager? What were your favorite bands as a teenager? Name 3 bands that you consider still have an influence on your own work today.
The Silo: The Cure, XTC, The Police
Lars Von Seattle: When I was a kid, I listened to rap cassettes my friends gave me and told me about. Growing up in Seattle, the “grunge” phenomenon just took over everything, regardless of how one felt about it— it was inescapable but bands like Nirvana, Mudhoney, 7 Year Bitch, and Bikini Kill led me to older punk bands like Black Flag, X-Ray Spex, Devo, the Stooges, etc.
CC Voltage: My teens went from liking contemporary pop music like Aha and Howard Jones, to getting into punk like The Circle Jerks, Death Sentence and Spermbirds, then to liking stuff like Mudhoney and Nirvana when that was just starting. I think I still write music from a punk/rock perspective though, and bands like the Ramones, AC/DC and The Sex Pistols probably influence how I actually create music. Then it gets run through the Autogramm blender and somehow comes out sounding new wave! Haha.
10) What are the plans for 2024 as far as Autogramm is concerned? Do you guys plan to come over to Europe to promote the new record?
The Silo: Europe in March 2024, Eastern US and Canada in Summer 2024!
Lars Von Seattle: Yes, Europe!
CC Voltage: Can’t wait to be in Europe!
11) Anything you wanna add?
The Silo: Thank you for listening to and supporting independent, diy music! Go to shows, not just ours! Buy your favorite bands’ records so that they keep doing it! We’re all teetering on the edge of being able to actually do anything at all as broke ass musicians, so never forget that fans make all the difference!
CC Voltage: Thanks for having us!
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EUROPEAN TOUR DATES:
March SAT 16 NL - HAARLEM - SCHLACHTHUIS
March 17 BELGIUM / HOLLAND - TBA
March 18 BE - BRUXELLES - LE CHAFF
March 19 FR - PARIS – L'INTERNATIONAL
March 20 DE KARLSRUHE – ALTE HACKEREI
March 21 DE KASSEL – SANDERSHAUS
March 22 DE - BOCHUM – WAGENI
March 23 DE - FRANKFURT – DREIKÖNIGSKELLER
March 24 DE - BAYREUTH – SCHOKOFABRIK
March 25 DE - LEIPZIG – NBL
March 26 DE - DRESDEN - CHEMIEFABRIK
March 27 DE - BERLIN – SCHOKOLADEN
March 28 DE - HAMBURG – MS HEDI
March 29 HOLLAND - TBA
