What is your name?
Hey, this is Pete.
What is the band’s name?
President Street
How did you come up with the band’s name?
President Street is actually the name of the street that I grew up in. Its in a suburb called Kewdale next to the airport in Perth, Western Australia. Most people keep driving straight past it 🙂
What is your genre of music?
I suppose I’d say Pop
Give us a little bio about you as a band and individuals.
So we’re an aussie outfit. As a collective we’re a very diverse bunch of people with completely different life and musical experiences and we really came together just around the idea of making music that we’re really proud of.
What made you go in to music?
Funny, but I don’t really know the answer to that other than to say it kinda just happened. I’m not the guy who grew up with music lessons as a kid and playing in school bands, etc. I found music after stumbling (literally after a few drinks) into percussion and found myself just being taken over by it. It was then after gigging around for a bit that I realized my real passion was actually in the creation of music. I had never had a music lesson in my life and, to this day, I still don’t have any theory and can’t read music. So I went out and got garage band and started feeling out how to create, compose and layer different instruments and create songs. After that I migrated to Pro Tools and it all just grew from there.
That’s why our EP is called “Involuntary Actions” cos we kinda feel that that’s what making music is to us.
Are you a signed?
Nope. We’re fully independent and fully DIY. We really feel that’s important for us to be able to keep the focus on what we think is important – song writing and musicianship.
Of course that has its challenges but we think its definitely worth it.
You’re set to release your new single ‘Yeah I Know’,tell us more about it.
Yeah I Know is the first song on our debut EP “Involuntary Actions”. Its a song about betrayal. The focus for me with this track was I tried to really capture the emotional journey of being betrayed by someone that you love.
What was the writing process like?
I wrote this song at a time when I was hanging out with a couple of film writer buddies of mine and I was quite intrigued by the 3-act structure that they typically use for their scripts. So, I tried to incorporate that idea into Yeah I Know by capturing the 3 stages of betrayal as I see them – suspicion being the first act, then moving into that quiet stage of acceptance as the second act before changing into anger for the final act. And of course we needed to keep within the construct of verses, chorus, etc.
I tried to capture the different emotions by focusing on different sounds in the 3 acts. In the first act the focus is on the mellotron choirs, then we strip the music back for that moment of acceptance before the energy picks up and we let the guitars get a bit dirty and angry in the final act.
What was the recording process like?
As a rule we tend to record pretty organically rather than going “we got a room booked for 2 days so we gotta get in there and write a song”. In the case of Yeah I Know it actually started life with really distorted guitars and in a way it kinda went straight to anger. It was after the song was basically written that we then started the deconstruction process of finding the right sounds to build the emotional journey that I was trying to explore. The distorted guitars are still there but now only in the third act ☺
What was the inspiration behind ‘Yeah I Know’
I was watching a movie (can’t remember which one now!) where someone was completely blindsided by their partner’s betrayal and it got me thinking about the different emotional stages of being betrayed.
Will we see a new EP or Album this year?
You bet. We have a bunch of new songs to come out this year which we’re really excited to share!
If so what can we expect?
I think you’ll see quite a bit of activity from us in the second half of 2018 with the new tracks coming out. I think there’s definitely an emotive edge to the new tracks which I hope people will connect with.
Do you have any collaborations coming up with any up coming artists?
Not at this stage
Would you be up for collaborations if other musicians wanted one with you? and who would they have to contact?
Absolutely! They could reach out via the website or socials.
Do you have gigs coming up or a tour in planning?
We’re talking about doing some support gigs here in Oz and we’re really hoping to get some dates together in the UK for the second half of the year.
If so where are you thinking of heading?
Definitely hoping to get to the UK this year
What else can we expect from you.
I’m super excited about the music video which we’ve just shot for our upcoming track “Need U Now”. It’s a really creative and cinematic music video for our new single with a super talented actor friend of mine Kate Jenkinson that will come out in the next couple months. I can’t wait to share that!
Do you play any instruments?
Yeah I play a bit of guitars, keys, percussion
Who are your influences?
Its kinda diverse. Growing up in Kewdale I was surrounded by the sound of rock music with bands like ACDC pretty much playing on rotation around me. But once I discovered R&B in my teens I got pretty intoxicated with the sounds of people like Prince and Maxwell. Then throw bands like Oasis into the mix.
I think I’m drawn to songs that have hooky melodies but I love listening to how different artists have built their sounds around those melodies. I equally love “You shook me all night long” by ACDC as “When you were mine” by Prince – but sonically they’re so different.
How do you get inspiration to write songs?
I tend to take inspiration from observing people around me. I find true life events as really the best form of inspiration and I really focus on trying to capture the emotion of a particular moment. I’ve written songs while watching a scene unfold next to me on a plane or just doing a bit of people watching. Self-reflection is also a fairly big feature in my song writing.
Where do you see yourself now in 5 Years?
Hopefully touring heavily!
When you’re not doing music, what do you do?
I love to get as much boxing training in as I can. I definitely will never be a competitive boxer (I don’t have that desire to hurt people) but I love the mental and physical challenge of it.
What was the song you listened to most that influenced you to go more in to the music scene?
I was completely taken by “All of the Lights” by Kanye. That song really hit me with the combination of different sounds and production techniques that he uses. I was very inspired by it.
What’s the best advice you have ever been given?
Don’t release anything until you’re truly ready. I reckon all songwriters are chomping at the bit to let people hear their work but of course you only get one shot to make a first impression so make it count.
What advice would you give to aspiring musicians not about the industry and just as an artist?
Find people to work with that are with you on your journey for the right reasons. It’s a hard thing to do but I truly reckon that the right team is everything.
What quote or saying do you always stick by?
Don’t eat yellow snow ☺
Where in your hometown is a must go to visit?
The National Gallery of Victoria is a definite must see. Its always changing its vibe and is a great starting point for any tour of Melbourne.
You’re coming off tour;
1/ Where do you go first?
The family farm
2/ Who do you see first?
The family
3/What do you eat first?
A good steak (we have a couple of vegetarians among us)
When you are at a gig, what are 5 things you cannot forget?
Guitar picks (you’ll be amazed how easy it is to forget them!)
Set list
Band Aids
A spare t-shirt
To breathe
Do you have social media accounts so your fans can follow you?
For sure, you can find us on insta, facebook, twitter or just head to our website
