Official band bio: After a turbulent start to 2012, Sydney-based folk/indie-pop trio SET SAIL are ready to once again make their mark on the Australian music scene embarking on a mammoth 18-date tour of the country parading a new collection of heartfelt rhythms in the form of their new six-track “Hey!”, due for release on June 22, 2012.
“Hey!” features six formidable, yet quirky offerings and demonstrates its collective conscious in the spirited lead track Charlestown, a song about California summers and roaring twenties dancing.
“Hey!” is the band’s first new material since their debut offering, 2011s “The Riley Moore” EP which notched over 14,000 sales… not bad for three guys who started their musical journey busking on street corners, playing for anyone willing to stop for a listen and a dance.
Forming in November 2010, Brandon, Josh and Josiah were university dropouts with one ambitious idea of making music to fund a trip around the world. The far-fetched idea became a reality in 2011 when the trio set off on their “World Stage” Tour, performing in 40 cities across four continents and earning the band the reputation as “one of the most amazing live acts.”
SET SAIL made national headlines earlier in the year when lead singer Brandon Hoogenboom was literally forced to “Set Sail” after being deported by Australian authorities for breaching his visa conditions. A Facebook petition that went viral attracting over 8,500 signatures of support within a day of its creation helped bring Brandon back to Australia and has allowed the band to continue creating the music and causing the ruckus that made them so popular.
With their singer back on Australian soil, SET SAIL went on to record a stellar follow up release and are jumping at the chance to get back on the road and unleash “Hey!” onto their Australian fans. The band has promised a performance true to their trademark form, showcasing their infectious and energetic live performance in venues all across the Great Southern Land.
“We’re excited to bring the new material live,” says Josiah Willows. “It’s been an incredible journey this past year and we’re very keen to get out of the studio and back on the road!”
The trio continue to be celebrated for their guerilla-style performances which has seen them arrested in Madrid for street busking, playing to a crowd of thousands in their under-jocks in London and performing 30,000 feet above sea level on a Virgin Atlantic flight across the Tasman Sea. It’s all just another day in the life of SET SAIL.
You can be assured that Set Sail will be launching “HEY” true to their trademark form, showcasing their infectious, energetic and unpredictable live performance for the duration of their tour. Sail on down to a performance and see the band Triple J describe as projecting “a real joyous energy”.
Set Sail drummer Josh gives more insight into the band below…
As this may be the first time a lot of our readers have been introduced to Set Sail, let’s start with the basics first, when did the first band get together and what was the inspiration behind the band name Set Sail?
We first got together back in 2009 to busk for fun, though we formally started the whole ‘band’ thing in November of 2010.
The inspiration behind our name came from our ‘obsession’ with boats and the sea. Set Sail felt like an appropriate name choice.
Can you introduce each member of the band and give us a rock ‘n’ roll fact or myth about each?
Rock and Roll myth haha.
Joshy May on drums/vocal – fact – eats 42 jelly beans a day, drinks 27 beers before each show and has a pet fish.
Brandon Hoogenboom on guitar/vocals – won’t play a show unless Josiah massages his feet with fine oils.
Josiah Willows on Violin/loops/vocals – won’t play unless Josh gets him a Big Mac with no pickles.
In just under a couple of weeks, your new EP ‘Hey’ will be released – so tell us, why will this be the greatest thing you have released so far?
I think last EP we had a shorter deadline to produce the record before we started travelling as well as being younger, both in age and musically. We’ve spent nearly 8 months working on this EP, we’re very excited about the songs.
You have released your first single ‘Charleston’ – tell us a little bit about the background to that song and how indicative is that of what we can expect from the rest of the new EP?
Charleston for us was a song that kind of pop’d out of nowhere. Initially it was a song Josiah wrote as a ‘funny’ song, inspired by our friend Diya in Melbourne who would always try to teach us how to dance the Charleston when we visited We were in New Zealand at the time writing and flew Daniel May (Joshy May’s brother) over to write with us. With Dan, Charleston was shaped and turned into the song it is.
In terms of song writing, what do you consider to be the most important elements that feature in a Set Sail song?
We all like big hooks. Whether that be a musical hook, played or sung, we like to have them everywhere. We all have different tastes in music so the way we come about having multiple hooks in a song is really fun and interesting.
Over the course of the bands evolution, what and/or who have you found inspires and influences your music the most, in both a lyrical and musical sense?
The biggest factor in influence would come down to our lives personally. When Riley Moore was written we were so much younger and musically younger, so I think you can hear it both in lyrics and musically. We have all grown up since then, travelled the world and experienced so much, so I think that is shown in both lyrics and sound.
You hail from Sydney, Australia. For the benefit of those in galaxies far, far, away…what do you have to say about the rock scene in Sydney at the moment and your place within it?
I think Sydney is waiting to explode with an International act. In the last few years other cities have produced some really great bands and musicians and set a benchmark. As far as where we stand, I hope that we can become that international act haha!
If you were a person in the crowd at one of your gigs, what five words would you walk away using to describe the performance you just witnessed?
Eccentric, Good Vibes, Women, Happy and Party.
Gigs, gigs, gigs… you have a bunch coming up and whilst I am sure they will be your unpredictable best, at the very least, what is something punters can expect from this tour?
This tour we’ve put a lot of time in the direction of not only the music but the show. We have on board now such musically gifted musicians in our bass player and keyboardist which has helped grow the show. We like to keep the audience involved and excited throughout the entire show. Keeping them guessing but not weirded out haha.
With 2012 already five months down, here’s a chance to gaze into your crystal ball. By the end of 2012, Set Sail, will have:
1. Recorded our debut album
2. Continued our ‘World Stage’ travel/music series and travelled to Africa, South America and Asia
3. Lived in a cabin in Montana for 3 months songwriting
Essential Information
From: Sydney, Australia
Sounds like: “Summer pop”
Band members: Brandon Hoogenboom – guitar, Joshua May – drums, Josiah Willows – violin
Website: www.facebook.com/setsailmusic
Latest release: Hey! EP (22 June 2012)
Tour dates:
SET SAIL TOUR 2012 WITH SPECIAL GUESTS
TICKETS ON SALE NOW
Saturday, June 30: Oxford Art Factory, Sydney, NSW (18+)
Tickets from www.oxfordartfactory.com or 1300 GET TIX
Thursday, July 5: Blackbear Lodge, Brisbane, QLD (18+)
Tickets from www.blackbearlodge.com.au
Friday, July 6: Spotted Cow, Toowoomba, QLD (18+)
Tickets from www.spottedcow.com.au or (07) 4639 3264
Saturday, July 7: Sol Bar, Maroochydore, QLD (18+)
Tickets from www.oztix.com.au or (07) 5443 9550
Thursday, July 12: Jive Bar, Adelaide, SA (18+)
Tickets from www.moshtix.com.au or (08) 8211 6683
Friday, July 13: Rosemount Hotel, Perth, WA (18+)
(with Brow Horn Orchestra)
Tickets from www.rosemounthotel.oztix.com.au or (08) 9328 7062
Saturday, July 14: Melville Youth Centre, Melville, WA (Under 18s)
(with Brow Horn Orchestra)
Saturday, July 14: Mojo’s, Fremantle, WA (18+)
(with Brow Horn Orchestra)
Tickets from www.oztix.com.au or (08) 9430 4010
Sunday, July 15: Clancy’s Fish Pub, Dunsborough, WA (18+)
Free admission
Friday, July 20: Beach Hotel, Byron Bay, NSW (18+)
Free admission
Saturday, July 21: Great Northern Hotel, Newcastle, NSW (18+)
Tickets from www.thegreatnorthern.oztix.com.au or (02) 4927 3844
Sunday, July 22: Brass Monkey, Cronulla, NSW (18+)
Tickets from www.brassmonkey.com.au or (02) 9544 3844
Thursday, July 26: Royal Oak Hotel, Launceston, TAS (18+)
Free admission
Friday, July 27: Republic Bar, Hobart, TAS (18+)
Tickets from www.moshtix.com.au or 1300 GET TIX
Thursday, August 2: Transit Bar, Canberra, ACT (18+)
Tickets from www.moshtix.com.au or 1300 GET TIX
Friday, August 3: The Patch, Wollongong, NSW (18+)
Tickets from www.thepatchwollongong.com
Saturday, August 4: Clarendon Guesthouse, Katoomba, NSW
Tickets from www.clarendonguesthouse.com.au or (02) 4782 1322
Thursday, August 9: Toff In Town, Melbourne, VIC (18+)
Tickets from www.moshtix.com.au or 1300 GET TIX
