It’s always great when you can see a band who have been given an opportunity of a lifetime and then take that and run with it. This was exactly the case with Aussie band ‘October Rage’ who had the chance to support Global Icons Bon Jovi for the three nights of the Sydney leg of their world tour. They won over not only the crowd and us here at May the Rock be with You but they may have made a new fan or two if you read below. With a single already on iTunes, a debut album due this year which will bring their extremely mature sound and the talent to match making them most definitely a band to watch in 2011.
When a band describes themselves as a bombastic heavy rock band that brings you the latest in head banging tunes, stadium rock anthems and majestic ballads you’re in for a treat and that’s what we found with October Rage so of course they were instantly deemed as one of our Best Things You’ve Never Heard!
For those that have not yet heard of October Rage, give us a little bio, tell us about the band, how long you have been together etc..
Rocking onto the global music scene is the Australian band October Rage. Hailing from the east coast, brothers Nick (vocals, guitar) and William Roberts (bass) began the project with a single minded purpose of creating hard hitting, head banging tunes, stadium rock anthems and majestic ballads to satisfy even the most avid rock fan.
After returning from L.A in late 2008 the brothers began their search for like-minded, talented musicians, and found them in the form of Rory Bratby (drums) and Tim Ciantar (guitar). With a live show that leaves the audience gasping and screaming for more, Bratby’s thundering grooves have many nicknaming him a “young Bonham”, whilst Ciantar’s lightning fingers shred the fret board with a crazed intensity highlighting his blistering solo’s and chunky guitar riffs.
October Rage set off to Melbourne to record their debut single “Silver Line” with award winning producer Adrian Hannan, with mastering by Martin Pullan at Edensound Studio’s (DEEP PURPLE, RITCHIE BLACKMORE).
With their ever-growing fan army of “Ragers” the bands bombastic sound is reaching fresh ears around the globe! October Rage are currently working on their Debut album scheduled for release in early 2011.
As a band who are some of your biggest influences?
{WILLIAM} We grew up with the classics, Led Zeppelin, Guns n Roses, Queen, Black Sabbath etc, but we are also influenced by bands like Metallica, Breaking Benjamin, Alter Bridge, you know, heavy rock. 
Tell us about the name ‘October Rage’, where did the name come from? Some anger issues one October?
{NICK} Ha ha, yes in fact! The band was formed by Will and I in October following a split with a previous band. Needless to say there were a few rage issues to be jammed out.
Your first EP has been available on iTunes since late last year, how has the reaction been?
{TIM} Absolutely amazing. It’s had a great reaction from Australia but the USA is currently eating it up! So far it’s been on things like MTV, INDY CAR 300, with heaps of radio play as well. Last year one of our songs was selected for the theme song for an upcoming feature film.
Tell us about the song Silver Line and why this was chosen as your first single.
{NICK} Mainly because it’s a good solid rock song. It was one of the first songs written by the band and with the help of our producer, Adrian Hannan it turned into one of our favourite songs to showcase the bands talent. The backline of Will and Rory is simple, yet effective and Tim’s guitar work is immaculate.
You’ve also got your debut album due out this year. Can you give us an insight into what we can expect?
{RORY} It’s hopefully going to be monumental, we have a combination of some heavy, kick ass tracks, that will get your devil horns pumping, along with some rock ballads and a few surprises thrown in!
What is it that will make October Rage stand out above everyone else?
{TIM} The bass player wears a kilt on stage? Ha ha but seriously, we’re hoping to break away from some really strong trends that are common in the Australian music scene nowadays. We like our rock with a bit of balls, ha ha.
For those that aren’t aware, you recently won the opportunity to open for Bon Jovi on the Sydney leg of their Australian tour, tell us about that experience and how that came to happen.
{TIM} Bon Jovi knows the opportunity it gives unsigned bands to play with bigger artists as that is one of the things that broke them onto the world stage. Now they run a competition to find a support band in every state they do a show. Triple M (Sydney’s biggest rock station), ran the competition for our state and we were picked as the top 5 out of hundreds of bands. It then came down to a public vote and we were crowned the winners. 
Did you get any words of wisdom from any of the guys?
{NICK} Hell yes! We got the opportunity to talk to the Jov at length when we were invited back to the end-of-tour party at The Ivy. The guys were really down to earth, with some helpful hints on continued success. Jon said that he loved our set, and that we were one of the best support bands they’ve had had on the whole tour, which you can imagine left us pretty chuffed.
So, any chance of a guest appearance by one of the Bon Jovi guys on your album? Ha ha
{NICK} We can’t say too much at this stage, haha. Watch this space.
From a song writing perspective, who handles all those duties and what is the inspiration behind the songs?
{WILLIAM} Everyone plays a part in the creation of the songs, but Nick’s mainly responsible for the lyrics and melody . Nicks personal experiences and observations play a huge part in the songs. As brothers it’s great for him and I to bounce ideas off each other with no ego involved. Going into the studio, the songs really begin to take shape with each band member bringing in a few fresh ideas.
As a band you get to pick one song that you can cover to record, what would it be and why?
{RORY} Something from Led Zeppelin for sure. Black Dog comes to mind, but Nick would have to wear REALLY tight pants to be able to hit those high notes, ha ha.
Lastly, here is the opportunity for you to gaze into your future. Finish this sentence for us with as much as you want. By the end of 2011, October Rage will have…..
Recorded our debut album, toured America, changed the inner workings of politics and created world peace. Well maybe by 2012…..
Essential Information
From: Australia
Band Members: Nick Roberts – Vocals / Guitar, William Roberts – Bass, Tim Ciantar – Guitar, Rory Bratby – Drums
Website: www.octoberrage.com
Latest Release: Silver Line EP – Check it out here on iTunes
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