SMoM Interview: April Maze

June 6, 2011 at 13:35 (Artist Profiles, Interviews)
Tags: alternative folk, folk, folk festival, folk music, snowy mountains of music, the april maze

Image courtesy of the April Maze

This Friday the Snowy Mountains of Music Festival will blast the Perisher slopes with come of the coolest acts around. Timber and Steel are packing the winter woolies to go and check out this unique festival and to get in the mood, we’ve been checking out some of the lesser known acts. We were delighted to discover the mellow tunes of The April Maze. We were so excited by them that, instead of just Spotlighting them, we decided we should grab a few minutes of their time and grill them! Sivan is the gorgeous vocalist and cellist and she took some time out to chat with us about their musical influences and their time on the folk festival circuit.

KT Bell: Hi there, thanks for taking the time to talk to Timber and Steel.
Sivan: Hi Timber and Steel, Thanks for picking us!

KT:The April Maze is a name I came across only a few weeks ago and ever since then your name has been everywhere! But you’ve been touring non-stop since April 2010, what has the last year of touring and recording been like for the two of you?
S: Oohh that is a huge question! Every day on the road is so so different. It has been a wondrous whirlwind, and if you were to put it on a graph it would be a huge learning curve…

We’ve been ripped off, under – paid, we’ve camped out on the side of the road in stormy weather, we’ve been flooded in, and smoked out, and we’ve worked like dogs. But we have also played to amazing audiences in the middle of nowhere, played at some of our absolute  favourite Australian folk festivals,  had all night jam sessions with amazing musicians,  slept in amazing apartments overlooking perfect seas and blue skies, eaten like kings and have truly seen a lot of this amazing country.
 
KT: You have quite a retro look and even theme, especially when it comes to your current single “The Protest Song”, yet a relaxed, mellow sound. Where do you draw your musical influences from?
S: Artists that have made a statement, have stood up for what they believe in, all the while managing to capture the essence of a moment through a song are the artists that have influenced and inspired us the most. There are so many of these artists – but those that we have listened to the most are  The Beatles, Cat Stevens, Fleetwood Mac, Bob Dylan, Bob Marley, Toots, Gillian Welsch, India Arie, and Pearl Jam. We LOVE folk music. To us, this means music that is simple but sparks imagination and tells a good story.

KT: The local music scenes in Australia have been screaming about music venues with pubs closing down and a general shift in the scene. You’ve been doing house gigs and hosting open mic nights, how have they been, and do you think that is the way of the future for emerging bands?
S: We gave up our day jobs to commit ourselves 100% to music, and we are in no way ready to turn back…so when venues close down, or when liquor licensing laws only allow one person on stage at a time (which by the way is the dumbest law ever instated), or whatever, we have had to find other ways of finding audiences. Busking is a great way of gathering supporters, open mics a great way to get involved with younger upcoming artists, and house concerts are a fabulous way of putting on unique and intimate shows where you can also make a decent income – we particularly love these as they break down barriers between the performer and audience that other gigs have in place.  House concerts can be a way into the future for emerging bands… but house concerts aren’t for everyone … I think that it is important for music makers, venues and audiences to work together to keep the live music scene in Australia alive.

KT: You’ve appeared at a couple of festivals lately including the Port Fairy Folk Festival and the National, how have you found the audiences at those festivals compared to your venue gigs?
S: Ahhh the folk festivals are our dream audiences, everyone really listens…at the National Folk Festival we mentioned on stage that we had been cold camping out as we didn’t have enough blankets, and also that we hadn’t received any easter eggs as we had forgotten that it was Easter…after the show people where offering us spare doona’s left right and centre, and throughout the rest of the festival people were running up to us with Easter eggs…and I love chocoate – so I was as happy as Larry!

And you know what…we love playing venues as well…it’s the spice of life. Sure people wearing silver pants may thrust up against our mic stands (true story), or get in our ear after the show about how we should audition for the X-factor,but it makes things interesting–  But really, there are so many great venues around – we really do love it. The best is when it is the second or third time you have played the venue, and people know all the words.

KT: What are you most looking forward to about playing at the Snowy Mountains of Music Festival?
S: The Snow. Snowball fights, making snowmen/women. Gathering by an open fire for warmth and sing alongs, seeing loads of great music…drinking hot chocolate and mulled wine! Playing music…getting on the ski lift and eating a snow cone!
 
KT: What other acts are you looking forward to seeing at the Festival?
S: All of them! It’s an awesome line-up this year – we will try and soak in as much music as is physically possible whilst we are at the festival… these are the days, and as far as I know, you only live once, so we are going to enjoy!
 
KT: Thanks for your time, it’s been lovely talking to you and we look forward to seeing you at the Snowy Mountains of Music Festival!
S: Thank you!

Country of Origin: Australia (Melbourne)
File Under: Alt-Folk
Sounds Like: A bit like a Carol King and She & Him collaboration
Myspace: myspace.com/theaprilmaze
Official website: theaprilmaze.com

Tickets for the Snowy Mountains of Music are still available, even if you want to pop in for a day or evening. Today they have also announced a special; book your tickets online by 5pm Wednesday and get a FREE Festival Compilation CD with 21 Artists with each Online Store order.