What is your name and role within Big League?
Travis, I sing, play guitar, and write the songs.
How did Big League form?
Marie (vocals/bass/wife) and I started messing around with a 4-track recorder, playing and writing at home. When we had enough material to share we got a couple of mates involved to complete the sound.
What’s been happening recently?
We’ve had a bit of a line-up change recently, our mate Jackson has joined us on guitar, and Marie broke her ankle, so we’ve been spending most of our time rehearsing new music from the comfort of our lounge room. We played a show at the Tote just before the city went into lockdown and Marie did it from a chair!
Your new single ‘Earth = Active Neutral’ is out now, what influenced the sound and songwriting?
A mate told me I should try EADABE tuning, and said a new tuning always gets you a couple of new songs! Lyrically, the planets impending doom was definitely on my mind, and once I had the vocal melody it sounded right to layer up the singing. I try to let the music get a little weird while still being hooky, I want it to rock without being cliché.
Where and when did you record?
We recorded at home in our makeshift studio. Drums, guitar, and bass were recorded live, with everything else dubbed over the top. It’s part of the album we’ve been recording and piecing together over the last two years.
How did the concept for the music video come about? – Where and when did you film and who with?
I think Gordon (Holland) wanted to draw on the shoegazey, dreamyness of the song so we just let him do his thing. It was filmed at our friend’s house early in the year, we didn’t have to decorate at all, it was a cool place to shoot. Gordons partner Cassie brought a heap of lights for us to play with and we took turns keeping our hungover mates company in the backyard!
You also have an upcoming album, how did the songwriting take place? – What influenced the sound and songwriting for the album?
Yes! Our new album’s called A Symbol Like A Cloud. I did most of the writing during stages of semi-unemployment in our living room with my Les Paul, and a coffee or beer.
I’ve been a fan of lo-fi recordings for a long time, and I’d just started listening to Car Seat Headrest’s album Twin Fantasy, a relatively recent, and boldly lo-fi record I thought. Seeing as our last album had been well rehearsed prior to recording, and was laid down in just a couple of days in a studio, I decided I wanted to go in the opposite direction; record weird ideas as they came without rushing to get an album out.
Some of the songs were written and recorded in a day, some were ideas that sat for a year before being completed. I just kept going until the album felt finished.
Who are you listening to at the moment?
I never gave the Lemonheads a proper go, but I have recently, they’re really good! I’ve also been listening to a bunch of US 80’s bands, X, Gun Club, Dream Syndicate.
What do you like to do away from music?
I tinker, we have a house that I’ve been renovating for the last few years, I’ll finish it one day.
What’s planned for 2020?
We’ll try and do as many shows home and abroad as we can, we were gearing up to tour Japan midyear but now that’s canned we’ll have to see how the lockdown plays out… like a lot of people right now, all our plans might push into next year.
Favourite food and place to hangout?
Love a good pizza, although once we’re allowed to go out again, I’ll be frothing for a beer and a burger somewhere. The Union in Fitzroy’s great, and so is Leonards House Of Love in Prahran.
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