AN INTERVIEW WITH THE THE THE STUTTERS

After the show, there were a few questions for the band that I had rattling about in the back of my head (primarily, how did you get that name?). I asked some of these burning questions when I met up with Tim after he’d finished playing roadie for his own band, but decided to ask them again (plus a few more) for the sake of the following EXCLUSIVE interview which Tim and Denis have graciously agreed to participate in.

Shu: Firstly, “The The The Stutters”. It’s a clever name, and doesn’t reveal its potential for hilarity until you’re forced to say it out loud. How did you come up with it?
Tim: Originally the idea was to be called “The Stutters” but that idea was already taken. Denis then came up with the magical idea of “The St-St-Stutters” but that was a bit too weird. I think as time passed we settled on “The The The Stutters”.

S: Aren’t you afraid that people who ask you the name of your band will think you’ve got an actual stutter when you tell them?
T: I’m afraid of many things. But if people think I’ve got a stutter, it makes things more interesting for them, and I’m cool with that.
Denis: It keeps me up at night!

S: Tell us a little about how you guys got together.
T: Denis and I have been playing together for quite some time, building up our collections of songs on the side whilst dabbling in other musical projects. When the offer to join Kent St. and Real Bacon was given, we decided to get more real about it. We were lucky enough to snag an awesome bassist, Rod from Ikarios and drummer, Luke, a veteran of the music scene and hence The The The Stutters was formed.

S: How did you manage to land the gig, and what were your reactions when you got it?
T: The ever graceful Mark from Kent St. lent down from his mighty throne and said, “Would you like to open for us?” We nervously accepted. I saw the gig as an opportunity to do actually do something with my music, so I was pumped and eager to actually see other people’s reactions to what we had written.
D: Having a deadline was great because it meant we had to get off our asses and practice, something which we used to be a little lazy about.

S: How did you feel in the days leading up to the gig?
T: Leading up to the gig, I kind of lied to myself that the gig wasn’t coming and continued practicing and going about life as you do. Course the second day before the gig I started getting superstitious and imagined all the possibilities of everything going wrong. My effects pedal breaking. Denis breaking his arms. Rod being abducted. Luckily, after an awesome practice that night I felt back to normal.
D: I was stressing the whole day but once we got on the stage and started playing, the nerves disappeared. Strange.

S: Had you “unofficially” performed anywhere else before this? Either as a band, or separately?
T: I played a few times in high school with friends, recorded an original song for the high school music CD, but since then nothing too serious but a few open mic nights and sing-alongs at parties and the beach.

S: I can imagine that for the band members especially, a band’s first gig will always remain one of their most memorable despite how it turned out. How do you think you went on the night?
T: I couldn’t have dreamed a better first gig. Well obviously I could, but I think for a first time on stage we played pretty damn well, and you really can’t ask for more than that of your band.
D: It was a lot of fun. I just wish I could have stood up and moved around a little. Damn leg.

S: I managed to catch Tim doing what I presume to be kung-fu stretches on stage a little while before you started playing. At this early stage, have you guys experimented with any pre-show rituals e.g. the huddle formation?
T: A group huddle wasn’t possible with Denis in his current state. Rod let his hair down and flailed it around a bit for good luck, I think. I didn’t really notice Luke doing anything out of the ordinary. I guess I like to stretch and warm up a bit, but I could’ve just been moving about to spite Denis.
D: Tim is such a spiteful creature.

S: It’s obvious you’re fans of Radiohead – after all, two out of the four shirts on stage that night were Radiohead shirts! How much of an influence have they played in your approach to songwriting, and are there any other musicians you’d consider as influences?
T: Radiohead are definitely a band I aspire to. They’ve definitely influenced our approach to songwriting in that we’ve tried hard make sure that every song we write is different and we’re trying hard not to fit ourselves into a particular genre. Gomez is another band I love and who have influenced me greatly; their music is simple, but every song is fused with so many different elements and styles but fine tuned and harmonised to their particular style. I suppose that’s what we’re looking to do, to find our style or direction and write what we feel, instead of what is expected according to a music’s genre.
D: Radiohead are more of an influence in my desire to make music rather than the songwriting process itself. They’re kinda hard to rip off or I’d have been doing it already.

S: Do you set out to make a particular kind of music, or does it write itself? Is there a process in the band for writing songs?
T: Writing music comes fairly easy to me. However there’s always a league of difference between songs you sit down and write, and ones which come to you naturally. Music I write always reflects what’s going on in my life at the time. Thankfully at the point in time we were writings songs for our gig I was having a rather dramatic time in life, while rough at the time, it was a muse I could turn to for thoughts and emotions.
D: One of us will come in with an idea and then we’ll spend some time messing around with everything trying to make it sound better. Pretty much.

S: Tim, you were primarily a drummer before starting up with The The The Stutters. What made you decide to make the switch to vocals and guitar?
T: Shortly before we received the offer to play at the Globe, the group of friends Denis and I were playing with disbanded. I originally took up the drums so we could play together as a band. So when it was time to move on, rather then seeing it as a setback I saw it as an opportunity to take center stage next to Denis an to hop back on guitar. I’ve always enjoyed singing, and I’ve always wanted to be a singer in a band. It’s taken awhile but I finally got my chance and I’m glad I took it.

S: Denis, how’s the leg? And while we’re on the subject, what happened to it?
T: Bahhahahhaha!
D: I had a little accident involving a motorbike and some trees. I had to spend a month in the hospital with two broken legs and even missed out on a trip to Japan to see Radiohead. Oh well… I’ve got nobody to blame but myself. I won’t be getting on a bike for a long time that’s for sure. Why didn’t anyone tell me those things are dangerous?

S: What are your plans for the future as a band?
T: Originally I thought our show at the Globe was going to be a one-off thing, but considering the amount of positive feedback we got on the night, I think we’re all happy to roll with it and attempt to make a name for ourselves in the Brisbane indie music scene.

S: Is there anything you’d like to say to your fans/supporters?
T: A massive thanks for all who made it to our first gig. It’s you guys who made the show awesome. A massive thanks to Kent St., Ikarios and Real Bacon for having us on board. Kudos to Nick the sound guy at the Globe who made us sound awesome and my first time on stage comfortable and organised. And last but not least, I would like to thank my band for all their time and efforts they’ve put into our music.
D:Agreed.

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Thanks to…
Tim and Denis for agreeing to participate in this interview.
Min-Wye for providing the photo above exclusively for if90. You can see more of Min-Wye’s photos from the concert on his blog.

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The The The Stutters – Official Website
The The The Stutters – MySpace