INTERVIEW: Soak Up The Spaghetti Stains' Debut Album ‘Essential Ingredients’
The Spaghetti Stains. Photo by Chelsea Sienna King.
There are a couple of things that I immediately noticed when I got an email from indie rockers The Spaghetti Stains. The first was the band name. I’m a huge fan of spaghetti, and so I instantly clicked play. The second thing I noticed was that the tunes were rock-solid (which isn’t how pasta should be).
Growing up on Braiakolung, GunaiKurnai Country (Gippsland), the band aren’t afraid to wear their influences on their sleeves. You can hear the impact that Australia’s music scene has had on the band, but much like a homemade pasta recipe, they’ve put their own spin on things. Their debut album, Essential Ingredients, makes for a delightfully delicious listen. It’s a collection of tunes that the band have been working on for a while now, and they’ve finally come to the boil.
I spoke to the band about the album, as well as their experience on the road. It’s a great chat about how touring can bring a band together, and how sometimes, all you need is a big bowl of pasta to get through things. It’s a great chat, and if you’re a fan of Australian music (which, if you’re reading this, I’m going to assume you are), then you’ll want to give this a spin.
Ben Madden: Firstly, can you introduce yourself and your music?
The Spaghetti Stains: Hey Hey, Emmah, Pan and Rosie here. We are The Spaghetti Stains, or… ’Spag Stains’. We make noise of the alt/indie/surfy rock kind.
Our world consists of hugs, long spontaneous conversations with the sun, tree hugging sessions, veggie toasty consumption, energetic dancing, deep chats at 2am with friends, and most importantly a bowl of spaghetti fuelled FUN!
You’ve just released your debut album, Essential Ingredients. Can you tell me about the album, and how it all came together?
Essential Ingredients is our debut album, a body of work that has come together over the last four or so years. The recipe (aka the album), consists of ten works that represent our first chapter as a band. When you boil it down, the album is a combination of sun soaked melodies, heartfelt harmonies, with a dash of daredevil infused lyricism stirred throughout, all of which have become the Essential Ingredients of our songwriting style. Our process is extremely collaborative and we view each members contribution as equal within the project.
Listening to the album, it strikes me as a great example of the indie rock that Australia is so proficient at producing. What were some of the influences on the album, as well as your musical journey in general?
Whether it's a lot or a little, we can all relate to indie rock. Its personality to us looks a little like this:
Down to earth
Left wing and subtly out about it
Wears heart on sleeve
Cracks cheeky one liners on the reg
Honest but good at bullshitting their way out of any situation
Loves a good Bevy with mates
All of the above are pretty much the key components that have become such a staple in Australian indie rock music, and quite simply, it’s a beautiful representation of life in raw form. As a band, we are all particularly influenced by the experiences and stories unfolding around us. Whether it’s conscious or subconscious, we always seem to write from a place of love and honesty, with intention to capture pieces of our external worlds in the process. In return, listeners seem to build themselves a picture of how we might travel through our lives as people, off the stage and outside of music - and they find themselves resonating with our music.
When it comes to specific musical humans that have inspired us, there are so many. The more notable ones in our list probably include Courtney Barnett, Ball Park Music, RAT!Hammock, plus all our amazing mates also in bands (don’t get us started on that list).
You were the recipients of a Level Up Grant from Triple J Unearthed. Can you tell me about how that helped the band fully realise the songs that are present on Essential Ingredients?
All the songs were written before the grant came into existence, so on music writing front, we wouldn’t say the grant added anything there… but what it DID do, was allow us to bring these songs to life in a completely new and revived format. Gigging as much as we were, with no real time to write new music, meant the set list became somewhat stale to our ears. Audiences still loved them live, but we were so ready to leave many of them behind and work on new material. Simultaneously, we didn’t want them to disappear into the back of our minds never to be played again either, so naturally bringing them into this world through another form - being recorded versions - was the next step.
The Level Up Grant from Triple J Unearthed, quite literally, gave us the step up we needed, supporting us to get into the studio, record, and bring the whole album out from our mind palace and into physical existence. The hype around the release has really allowed us to appreciate the works in a new light, breathing fresh air into our whole lineup of songs and allowing us to have fun up on stage again.
Following the release of the album, you’ve just been on tour throughout Victoria and NSW. I believe it was the band’s first time properly hitting the road – what lessons did you learn from the tour, and what would you say to bands preparing for their first time properly hitting the road?
Most of the lessons honestly came from the back of house side of things. As a self managed band, the weight of the release falls completely on your shoulders and sometimes all you want to really do is worry about playing the shows. Letting others help you is sometimes really beneficial. Acting with solidarity and supporting each other throughout the planning stages was really the key to getting the tour on the road so to speak.
Additionally, when you’re on the road, yah doin’ it, it’s happening…. so make the most of it.
Although the whole experience is pretty much planned out (where/where/what you are playing, who you’re playing with etc.) it’s a really nice time to be spontaneous and let the rest of the worlds’ worries slip under the carpet for just a little while. Us Spags pretty much lived by the motto ‘Here. Now’ throughout the whole trip. When we get into a venue, no matter what has happened before the show, what is going to happen after the show, all we really need to focus on is playing, being in the moment, that's what ends up cultivating a buzzing energy and fun space for you and the audience; the rest will sort itself out when the time comes. JUST PLAY the damn show!!
Given that the band name is so food-themed, can you talk me through about what meals were had while on the tour?
Sometimes we ate out, sometimes we whipped up home cooked meals, but ultimately they all had one thing in common - they were made with love and warmth, and shared with friends. This really kept us going. House hopping from one mate's abode to the next made it easier to cook meals and give us the energy we needed to travel here and there and fang around on stage. The general theme though was curry, hummus, cucumbers, and veggo rolls from 7-Eleven.
What are the essential ingredients for a great plate of spaghetti?
Fresh air from the trees, pasta, red wine - Aldi special buys, dumpster dived tomatoes, salt from a long day at the beach, and your fave surf rock playlist lingering in the background. Oh and happiness, peace and love - Lots of that. (Editor’s note - Agreed!)
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Finally, what are the next few steps, both personally and for the band?
We’re pitching that the next chapter in our book will look pretty different to the first. But rest assured, it will have all the stuff you have come to know and love, it might just read a little different.
Now that the tour is done dusted, finito, we have a few more shows and then you might not see us for a while. It’s winter and we will be hibernating. But unlike trusty grizzly bears, hopefully we don’t come out the other side all snoozy and a little on the heavier side (Not that there’s anything wrong with that at all!). Rather, we hope to have cooked up some freshly seasoned tunes, ready to be consumed by the ears of many.
We can’t say too much, but if you missed us live this time round, there are a few cheeky shows on the horizon that involve us hitting the road again so stay tuned. That’s all folks.
You can follow The Spaghetti Stains on Facebook here and Instagram here.