3 albums by 27, do you have any plans to stop? Or are you going to keep going and take over and take world with Mild Orange?
Yeah, that's the plan, world domination. We're loving what we're doing and I think we're closer than ever. We understand like what we've got to create and work on even more, and we're honing our skills and working on new techniques. So yeah, we're just always working on new stuff, so I would expect. A fourth album and many to come after that.
Why did why did you guys end up picking music? What was the main thing that sort of drew you to be like right we're going to do it since it's not always the most rewarding career for a lot of musicians.
None of us studied music, we met at university together and we all graduated degrees, nothing music related. Like I did law and arts. I think we were very passionate about making music together and releasing it. It started getting traction online around the world, then we all graduated and we're like, you know, this is pretty cool, let's have a crack at it. Since then we haven’t looked back. I think if you really, really want to do it, there's not really much room to doubt yourself and to have a Plan B. I've totally thrown ALL Plan B out the window being like, yeah, this is this is our life. Gonna do music.
So if you didn't end up doing music, do you, would you be doing law?
Uh maybe. I always wanted to be a race car driver. When I was growing up. I don't know. For me it’d be music or art. But with what I do with music and Mild Orange, I’m able to do art and music and I still do our contracts and agreements and stuff, so I get to do the law stuff. Yeah, Mild Orange really provides at all.
What do you like the most about your lives as musicians and what do you dislike the most?
I think I really love the freedom. We are really in charge of our own destiny's. Like we are the bosses, cause it's our project. We've remained independent. So you know, we call all the shots and we do whatever we like really. So I really love that freedom. But then I guess with that also comes, like, you can never switch off from it because it’s like a little baby. You’ve got to keep feeding it and look after it, keep nurturing it. That responsibility never really shuts off. The managing the work and life balance is probably one of the hardest things. I would also say touring as well… It’s best thing, but it's also the hardest thing. Tour is the funnest time ever, but it can also be very gruelling and you lose all routine. It's a lot of driving. As we've found over the past two weeks that we did 10 shows in 14 days in Europe. By the end of that you know, doing like 7 hours in the van everyday it gets quite gruelling. But then again with that, it's like you get these awesome moments and creating an awesome bond with the people around you through all of that. That experience. I just love the many highs and lows.
Since you’ve just played Canada for the first time, what’s been your highlights?
So our First Canada show was last night, so I guess last night's show in Montreal is the highlight. So it's our first shows in Canada, are sold out, which is cool. It’s pretty wild. So Montreal last night sold out and then tomorrow night is sold out in Toronto. Last night the audiences in Montreal are so wild like they're very, very respectful and engaged throughout the song, singing along, know all the words. But then in between songs absolutely erupt with applause and cheers and like almost like deafening with how loud it was, such cool a lot of like really good energy.
What are you looking forward to most about your upcoming New Zealand tour and shows?
Yeah, I'm looking forward to coming home again, enjoying like the space and nature buzz. We haven't played in New Zealand for a long time because of COVID. We played 2 festival slots at the start of the year, apart from that, we haven't played the cities in a long time. We've done so many shows this year but haven't been able to do in New Zealand, so it's gonna be pretty cool to be back. When we're doing the New Zealand shows we will be very tight because it's at the end of the tour. I think we will have done 20 something shows leading up to it. It will be very tight and we've got a little break at home before so we will be rested and eager to play again.
So what do you what do you guys like to do when you're not playing music? What are your non music hobbies and passions?
I love skateboarding, getting into nature and going for walks and stuff. Jacks really into photography. Jah and Barry both like amazing cooks and bakers. They’re always making sourdough breads for us and keeping us well fed when we're together. Me and Jack are good at doing dishes. We all have like a huge passion for food, so with touring and whatever we do together, we eat around the world. It’s a nice way to travel, eating different things.
I love skateboarding, getting into nature and going for walks and stuff. Jacks really into photography. Jah and Barry both like amazing cooks and bakers. They’re always making sourdough breads for us and keeping us well fed when we're together. Me and Jack are good at doing dishes. We all have like a huge passion for food, so with touring and whatever we do together, we eat around the world. It’s a nice way to travel, eating different things.
What’s been your favourite cuisine so far on tour then?
On this tour, we've discovered that Vietnamese food is perfect for before a show. It’s so clean and you feel replenished after. It’s good for keeping you going during the tour and then you. You never like feel stodgy after it, just feel good.
How do you guys manage to stay together after such a long time, have you had any dramatic stories?
Nah, none. I think you know, if you take away all the music we would still just be super good mates. We all get along so well. It’s not always holding your tower or, you know, playing music together. A lot of what we do is about our relationship with each other and how close we are, and I think that that really goes into the music. So yeah, no drama really. We have our arguments. Well, we're like a big married couple with four of us. We’re mature enough to call each other out on stuff and have like serious discussions. Since day one we've always had that discipline and we can have that like open forum with each other. So yeah it's very light healthy relationship between all of us.
What's the worst situation you guys have sort of been in or the worst show you've played at if you've got one?
We’ve had some really weird situations over this Europe tour. It was still great show but it was just leading up to it. We played in Warsaw last week and we had a 7 hour drive from Krakow to get to Warsaw. We were running late to the sound check even though we left early cause there was roadworks. Then we arrived at sound check. All the equipment there wasn't working. Then we go over and then it gets like 8:00 PM then we’re finally able to get some food after this whole big day. When we rock up get food and the place we’re at forgot mine and Jacks meals. Then it gets to like 20 minutes before the show and we're on the other side of the river to where the show was. We arrive at the show 5 minutes before we go on stage. It was just so stressful. But showed up and it was actually a really epic show. So I think all of that like all of the stress moved away from the show and just moved to like, what the hell is going on then finally go up on stage and have no time to think about it and just played. If you have too much time before a show you can really like getting your head and start thinking about it too much. So it's nice to have a distraction, but that was a very stressful distraction. In terms of like bad shows, I feel like we've had so many things go wrong over the years at our shows that we’re quite good at just dealing with it. We’ve had amps blow on stage before or strings breaking and just like not even be able to hear anything, but I think having those things happen and having played so many shows now it just really doesn't faze you, you just kind of know how to deal with it. Like last night's show, like the fold back speakers for me weren't working. I kept looking over to Barry, like, can you hear my guitar? And he's like, no. I had to play, like the entire show last night pretty much just by feeling it all and from my head without being able to quite hear the guitar. But that was actually quite satisfying. Just knowing that you can still deliver while being under those slight pressures.
It's never all gonna be perfect. That's what I really like about live music. It's the moment. It’s so unpredictable. We really strive to have a live show be live. Nothing is ever pre-recorded and we’re never going to play to like a click track and things. It's all going to be real, what you see is what you get. It’s real in the moment. Which can come with like the stress of when life goes wrong it goes wrong, but when it goes right, it's just so epic.
What’s everyone’s role in the band? I know every band has a roadie, van driver, bodyguard. Who takes on what role?
Yeah we have roles. Jack is drummer, he does photography he takes a lot of photos. He’s always taking photos of all of us when we're out and about. Barry plays bass and he's always cooking for us. He's always like making breaky for everyone. Him and I do most of the driving. He’s a good cook. Jah, plays lead guitar and him and I do like a lot of managing and he does the accounts. He books everything and logistics. Then I do our production and mixing, I play guitar, primary songwriter and I do our artwork and our contracts and a bit of management too. We kind of just take on many, many roles because we need to. Out of necessity at the at the start, now we're just fallen into these roles that we just really enjoy and feel natural. I like being connected to all sides of the project. Even the business side. I'm not afraid to address that cause things have to operate somehow and it's nice knowing how that's all working.
What non-music influences help you create your music and art?
Definitely Skateboarding. Growing up the skateboarding culture. Skate videos have influenced my music taste and also the way I see objects. I see things and I imagine like ramps on them or as that’s skateable. I view the urban world, like, it's kind of skate park. I'm always looking out for spots and things, so that gives you like a lens to look through. Then I’d say like nature, there's a massive influence growing up Aotearoa with how beautiful it is has definitely influenced us. All of us. I think it's influenced the artwork as well. With my artwork I try to incorporate like multimedia. With how we create music, it's analogue, it's real things going in, real people playing stuff, but it all ends up being listened to like digitally or like enhanced digitally, mixed digitally on the computer. So I try and mimic that with my artwork. Where it's like real analogue things maybe the source media, then I play with it, digitally enhance it and then go back to analogue and just mixing around like that. Computers are big influence, I guess. In that regard, data.
Where does your mind go when you're playing in front of an audience?
Sometimes it goes to the randomest places. I'm often very present or in this weird flow state. All of us were talking about this yesterday actually. Just like how funny it is sometimes where your mind can wander when you know a song so well. Like you're still in the in the in the groove and doing it. But sometimes you might be like, oh, what should I eat tomorrow? in your head and you're thinking about that. But I'm often when I'm on stage I’m very focused about how is everyone in every part of the room feeling this or I'm trying to think of like you know what's coming up next. Or I just totally like black out for a whole show and like you play it and then you finish it and then you like, try and recount it and you're. Like what just happened? It's like you just time travelled from the start to the end and it's like this big like flow state moment. I often play like a whole show with my eyes shut. I'm trying to get in the zone and I am in it. Yeah, I like playing with my eyes, shut 'cause it kind of transports you rather than, like, making awkward eye contact with people in front.
Big crowds can be intimidating?
No, I find it way more intimidating with smaller. You feel more naked? You can like really look into each other’s eyes and you can see all the detail, but when it's like a big crowd, it all kind of blurs into one. It’s different. I find it way less intimidating on a bigger stage.
What's your sort of routine after it shows done, if you have one?
We don't really eat much before we go onstage, nor do we, like, drink. So after we finish a show, we might, you know, go out for a meal together and just have a beer and. Chill out. Nothing too Rockstar.
Are you guys going to play Nest Fest 2023?
No, It's a good festival though. I highly recommend you go. We haven't been invited. So maybe, maybe this can be a lobby to get us there. Harry, who runs it is actually a mate of mine from home. He's a good dude. We played the first two nest fests and it's really cool to see. What he's. Turned it into over the years.
What's your all-time favourite album art? Or top 3 if you can’t pick one.
Okay #1 I’d say in rainbows for Radiohead. I really like the mix, that that photo, I don't even know what it is, but you can really feel that. Then the way that they've done the text so bold, just saying the same name over and over in different colours on it is so cool. I'm like really obsessed with text and font and just the way it was used just so boldly there is so sick. That's a really good question. I just have to leave it there. That's the first one that came to me.
What's the best piece of advice another musician has ever given you?
Uhm, to not be afraid? I'm not sure. Not quite given it to me, but just things that I've observed from other artists. Like to not be afraid to do it yourself. As a teenager was super influenced by Toro Y Moi and Connan Moccasin. Seeing that they had self-produced all this stuff, their artwork, they did all the direction and editing for their videos even. That's been a massive influence on me to give me the courage to be like, you know what, I can do all of those things myself. And you know, being a musician doesn't just mean writing a song or making music. It's the whole art form and all of the media around it. Even going so far into the business side as well, cause that is an art form in itself. The way that the whole the band or the brand represents itself and conducts things. Yeah, I think from. Toro Y Moi, there's been a huge influence. For that reason.
Yeah, it's great that you can put your own sort of personal touch on the whole project.
Yeah rather than like signing up with some massive thing that tells you what to do. I think there's too much of a creative force in mild orange to get locked up and not be able to steer our own way.
Is it anything that you're really proud of that you never have an excuse to talk about?
I’m really proud of how we've managed to land on the world stage. Like right now, on this recent tour through Europe and stuff, we're playing shows that are bigger than what we're doing currently in New Zealand. I'm just really proud of how we've managed to maintain our values and control over our project the whole way and to do things the way we want to do it and not compromise on that for you know, a trend or for like a big label or something. We've stuck true to what we believe in and our styles. I'm really, really proud of that. That we still do it ourselves and yeah.
There's a lot of amazing local talent around at the moment. I’m loving The Beths and Lunar Intruder. Is there anything that you're listening to from home that you're really loving?
I'm always a fan of Marlins Dreaming. I love those dudes, they're constantly out there putting out awesome stuff. Bianca Bailey. Wiri Donna, she's supporting us in NZ and we have been watching her for a few years now. The music that she's writing, producing and putting out is epic. We’re really excited to see her and her band play on tour.
With the most venues (Starters, The Crown) in your hometown (Dunedin) being shut down/being pushed out, what’s your thoughts on the future of Dunedin music?
It’s huge shame that The Crown is the next one. That's such a cool venue at such a perfect size for up and coming starting bands. I mean it just sucks that it's always been a problem in Dunedin the venue thing. Especially like entry level. It’s a huge blow that starters has gone too. I mean there’s Dive. But I think with you know, having such a good uni scene, they’ll find a way to still have gigs. But like you know cause crowns what like 100 cap, I think you’ll still find a way to do it. People still want to hear live music, there’ll be a way. It'll probably just have to be underground for a while. Tricky, aye.
I mean when we started playing house parties because we weren’t able to go to venues and start or play brief peel, called U Bar now. It was either play there or nowhere, so we played a couple house parties. That’s still a good option starting out, but I mean like touring? Yeah, it really makes it hard. Dive is kind of the only option and then you have to go to Glenroy, which is a huge step up. I don't know it’s hard. It's also hard to open a venue. I think I know maybe we need to put more pressure on the Council. To prioritise it 'cause it is such a important part of our cities identity and culture especially Dunedin. Such a huge part of it. Don't let the music stop.
Who would find your music more pleasing? Aliens from outer space or under the sea?
Outer space or under the sea? I instantly started thinking of crab people from South Park. I don’t know if they’d like it because they only froth that song. So I’m gonna say the aliens from outer space for the cosmic tunes. Yeah they’re looking for space.
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