What is your name and role within the duo?
Astrid – Singer, guitarist & song writer
Where are you currently based?
Gold Coast, QLD
Your modernised remake of These Boots Are Made for Walkin’ by Nancy Sinatra is out now
Why did you choose this track? And how did you aim to remake this classic? Where did you record?
I was home alone one night and switched on the TV, Austin Powers was on and it was the scene where “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’ was playing. I picked up the guitar and learnt it. I thought it sounded pretty cool with a slower tempo and showed my lead guitarist, Dan. He really liked it so we decided to record it for fun. We recorded this one at my house. I was locked in a cupboard for about 6 hours straight while Dan sat at the computer doing the tracking/mixing. It was in summer too, I was sweating and cranky and applying wet towels to stay cool.
We never actually meant for the song to end up so complex, it was just going to be acoustic the whole way through. Then it just grew as we experimented and we ended up really breaking some boundaries musically. We’re both super happy with the turn out.
Please tell us about your debut single Squalor Syndrome, which you released earlier this year: What influenced this track? How has the feedback from your peers been?
I treat my writing almost like a diary entry. It’s a great way for me to gather my scattered thoughts and gain a good perspective of my current situation. This track was written several years back while I was embroiled in a very tumultuous relationship. It’s about feeling trapped emotionally and dealing with the realisation that you’ve been the victim of trickery or manipulation by the person you love. The feedback was good. We got some decent airplay and exposure on music blogs.
Your music features a great mixture of indie / rock with a hint of electronica. It’s a little edgy and emotional and very original. What influences your sound? What equipment do you use?
We have a very “colourful” mixture of influences. 2 of my favourite musicians are Jeff Buckely & Fiona Apple. Dan is of Spanish decent so naturally he loves the flamenco style. But then there’s the heavy metal element which might come as a surprise. Both Dan and myself are massive fans of heavy metal / death metal music which divulges itself through darker sounding guitar riffs and intricate solos.
We have a huge collection of guitars (acoustics and electrics 6, 7 and 8 strings). We try to showcase some of these at our shows. Dan is a wizard on the electric guitar so it’s great to give him the opportunity to show off. He’s got so much on stage charisma and loves the attention lol.
How did you start playing music?
My life has always revolved around music, I grew up in a musical family of four sisters plus two older brothers who played guitar and wrote so there was always a guitar, microphone or keyboard in the house. I started writing from a young age but never treated it seriously until I met my lead guitarist, Dan. He really dug my songs so we had a few jams. He added these amazing flamenco sounding leads that breathe life into the songs.
Both songs have had radio airplay and your Boots remake even made it’s way into the top 10 charts on a Brisbane’s 4ZZZ radio station, what do you think the key is to getting radio airplay these days?
It’s hard to say, I think you need to be as original as possible without trying too hard. But really, music is just personal preference. And, if I can inspire just one person to feel strong emotions while listening to our stuff, then I feel all the hard work is totally worth it.
You’re playing Crafted Festival on the Gold Coast in November, 2017, what can we expect from this show? How do you usually prepare for an up coming show?
Crafted is going to be a big one for us. We’ve never played a festival gig before and it’s an unreal feeling to be included on a line-up with so many other awesome musos. This is also our first full band gig so we’re very excited to rock out.
We hear that you’re releasing your 3rd single “We Fly By the Night” in mid September, 2017, what’s the vibe of this track? What influenced the track?
This is a very dreamy track. It’s got some wicked polysynth samples and vocal pads that are very luring. There’s some catchy electronic drum beats too that add a lot of energy.
The song is a reflection of a nasty relationship. It’s about 2 lovers who are at the end of their tether and one decides to break free from the unholy mess. It’s very intense and there are a lot of metaphors in the lyrics which helps feed the ferocity of the song.
Top 3 icons?
Stevie Nicks – Fleetwood Mac: Love her voice, her gypsy style and her rock and roll attitude
Freddy Mercury – Queen: An amazing song writer and such a theatrical performer
Zakk Wylde – Black Label Society / Ozzy Osbourne guitarist: Incredible multi-instrumentalist (singer, guitarist) and song writer!
What are you listening to at the moment?
I’ve been listening to an artist called David Maxim Micic. He’s a heavy metal artist with such a unique style. He features lots of amazing singers etc in his songs. His stuff is like nothing I’ve heard before. I also love Glass Animals, they make me want to bopp around the house like a lunatic. It’s really fun / feel good stuff.
What do you like to do outside of music?
I love yoga, I’m currently doing my yoga teacher training. And I love anything outdoors, swimming, surfing, hiking. I enjoy being in nature.
Favorite food and place to hangout?
There’s this really awesome place in Brisbane called “Netherworld” that serves greasy vegan food and amazing tap beer. When you walk in there is like you’ve gone back in time. They have loads of old school arcade games and awesome music!
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