Hey, who am I speaking with and what role do you play in the band?
My name is Timothy. I bring in the tunes, sing the words, and play a handful of instruments.
You’ve just won a whopping five WA Music awards out of seven nominations, did you ever think something like that would happen when you were starting out?
When I was starting out I was very young and wasn’t aware of WAM just yet, so I assumed I’d have an Oscar or something by now.
You’ve mentioned you don’t like being pigeon-holed into a specific genre, why is that?
Because when you focus on a genre, you get distracted from the song. We care mostly about having good songs, and they always come out sounding like the bastard son of our contradicting record collections.
How have you explored different genres on this new album, Terror Terror, Hide It Hide It?
I can hear elements of soul, house, AM radio pop and even a touch of math rock if I dare say so. It’s a weird thing, and we try not to make sense of it for fear of screwing it up.
How will this translate to live performances on your upcoming tour?
We rehearse a lot, and we spent a lot of time dissecting our own album to be able to play it live. As a six-piece band of multi-instrumentalists, we figure we can cover most bases. I would say you’ll get to hear all the songs, only with a bit more energy, depending on what drinks people buy us before hand.
How did you get together with Joel Quartermain for this latest album?
Mutual friends brought us together. We argued over music at a few buck’s nights and other gatherings, then eventually realised the only way to settle it is was to make a record together and see who won. At last count, it’s still a draw. Those ARIAs are pretty sharp though, so I’m happy to call a truce at this point.
You had huge success from your Pozible campaign to help fund this latest record, what do you think an indie band needs to do to survive these days?
Some bands have a knack for existing on the cheap, but at the same time, being in a band can be very expensive. Depending on what road you take; you just need the motivation to do the right thing by your music. A crappy demo can either ruin a band or turn out to be their finest work. There’s no set of rules that will ensure your band makes a fat stack of cash, but it’s important to remember why you wanted to make music in the first place and not lose sight of that.
Catch TIMOTHY NELSON & THE INFIDELS at Revolver on their tour across the Bight on Thursday November 20.
