Dan Preston and Josh Armistead had played in various bands, including TeamYes! and Slazenger, and formed Outrun after a coincidental meeting while both were road-tripping around Nevada. With a third member in tow and their debut album just hitting the shelves, we jump into the passenger seat to take a trip with Outrun.
Yourgigs (YG): A lasting partnership that arose from the US state of Nevada is a rarity - can you tell us how the band got together and what your initial aims were?
Outrun (OR): We started as an instrumental outfit years ago called Nautilus with Dan on synth, Josh on electric guitar and various people on drums which was a little similar but more rocky and post-rocky. But life got in the way of that band. Dan and I did meet up again in the States (he on work and I was just bumming). When I got to Australia, Dan moved down from Sydney about the same time and we go a heap of friends together to start a party band. Initially there was a few of us but it worked out that Dan and I keep it a duo. It seemed having only two in the studio and on stage was easy and seems to be a good way to work, but eventually we wanted better bass sounds and recruited Mark O'Keefe. Since Mark joined, our sound has become much more fluid and so has the writing process.
YG: What can we expect at an Outrun show on your upcoming tour?
OR: Sweaty moshpits, very loud beats, very deep bass, stunning visuals, inspired bass playing, analogue synths and distortion pedals, good times, dancing, dancing, dancing, gay people, straight people, happy people.
YG: Was it hard to capture the live energy of the band onto tape for your debut album?
OR: A little. Because we lose ourselves when we play live, we're not so conscious of what we are doing so we may appear loose and provide an audience [with] something to watch. We are pretty self-indulgent when we play live and usually make sure we have a good time on stage before anything else. But in the studio, we are very aware of trying to make what comes out of people's speakers when they play an Outrun CD give them that same feeling we get when we hear it.
YG: Your name and sound both reflect a bygone era - what aspect of the music of the past most appeals to you and which parts do you most wish to bring with you to contemporary music?
OR: Fat bass, analog synths and vocals from the past. Beats and production from the future; that's the way it seems to go. Most of our beats are quite simple; mostly rock beats. It's the arpeggiators and basslines that make them good. Modern recording and production software means the only limitation is our imaginations. We do a lot of cutting and pasting which is made very simple with Logic Pro. Once upon a time, it would have taken months to cut and paste the tape to get quite simple effects. We also use a lot of very modern and complicated software to achieve old sounds. That sounds strange but we could never afford the old machines that actually produce the intended sounds.
I guess to answer your question, the actual musicianship harnessed by wild minds, in times of excess and experimentation, is really what we want to bring to Outrun. It's the vision and intention that we admire. It is too easy these days to let software write songs for you or influence you greatly. I think [that] that vision of what you want and the journey you take to get it will never be a bygone concept.
YG: The hardest thing about being in the music industry in Australia?
OR: Up until recently I would never have considered us "in the music industry" but it seems to be that way now. I feel that the Australian music industry is quite mainstream, but I am quickly referred to America's music industry which is very mainstream but seems to have some very, very good mainstream artists/ producers (Dr Dre, Pharrel Williams etc.).
I know there are many world-class independent artists in Australia but they all seem to steer clear of the industry. Many are doing it their own way and forging new networks and ways of touring and making a living through their music. But, unlike the mainstream, you need to do a bit of searching to find them. The mainstream tells people what they should listen to and what is good. People who think for themselves seek out music through alternative channels and know what is good; they don't need the industry.
I think the Australian music industry is made up of very cautious, safe players: people who know what the mainstream want (JJJ type music). Festivals seem to be exponentially growing as album sales wither. But I don't see many edgy bands or producers on those festival line-ups (except maybe Golden Plains, St Jeromes Laneways and ATP)
We mainly look abroad for electronic inspiration but try to include our own musical education of gritty, dirty Australian music that also influenced the world such as the Birthday Party, AC/DC, Midnight Oil, Cybotron, The Scientists, The Triffids etc.
YG: What's your goal for the next 12-18 months?
OR: Recording, playing, touring. Hopefully by the end of 2009 we will have played around the globe. Snowboarding in the French Alps would be a marvellous pre-gig ritual. Hopefully playing lots of festivals.
YG: Have any of you actually ever gone out road racing in a red Ferrari with your girlfriend beside you in your passenger seat?
OR: No - but me and two friends once stole an imported sports car from this horrible drunk American she-goblin. We drove all over Geelong wondering how we could sell it and move overseas. I tried to drive it but it was too powerful and I didn't want to crash it. We just went somewhere and drank a bottle (probably a cask) of wine and listened to Cat Stevens (the only CD that was in the CD player). We returned the car (undamaged) and threw the keys into her front yard.
Outrun's FutureNature is out now on Snowball through Inertia. The band play Melbourne's Toff Of The Town on 8th November, Revolver on 12th November, and Sydney's Candy's Apartment on 21st November.
Andy Ryan
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