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Push to Fire Interview: Amy Meredith
This is a completely different scene to what the band were like 12 months ago. Relatively unknown in the mainstream music culture in Australia, the band played hometown gigs in the Sutherland Shire - where, as the story goes, after a few short gigs were approached by A&R's from the major labels. The band were swiftly signed to Japanese label Tsubi/Ksubi - where they embarked on a trip to the US, but returned empty handed. Leaving the label, the band released a 4-track EP and flew relatively under the radar. Until now. Now the band is one of the most promising young acts in the mainstream music scene. Their debut album, 'Restless' has done considerably well since its release only a couple of months ago, and the band have just begun their headline tour - which will carry through to the end of October.
Lo Russo is, understandably, quick to acknowledge the amount of work the band has had to do in order to make their music successful. "You've got to do a lot of hard work, that's what we're all about," he explains. "Write a lot of songs, tour, do all the hard yards." And there is no denying the band have been working consistently hard to get where they are at the moment. The band have been touring, Lo Russo explains, "for the better part of the year" - most recently playing support for Grinspoon. A tour that took the band to the more regional areas of Australia. "You get a lot of fans from the regional areas, and I think its about building up your fan base. Every show we do, with another band that we're supporting, it's all about building the fan base. It's definitely different."
While most bands talk about their dedication to their fans, some don't follow through with giving something back to the people who, ultimately keep them in a job. Amy Meredith is different, and Lo Russo is genuinely appreciative of the bands fans and followers. "I'm online all the time with my Twitter and Facebook," he explains, "It's about reaching out to the fans and making sure that they feel like they are a part of the bands success." And in turn, the fans have responded accordingly. The bands first album, 'Restless' debuted at #8 in the ARIA charts, subsequent single 'Lying' jumped 25 spots to #10, and latest single, 'Young at Heart' is expected to reach a similar standing upon its release on October 1st. All of this was topped off by fans snapping up tickets to the bands current headlining tour. "It's an exciting time to kick out on our own tour. We've sold a lot of tickets to it already," he says. "And it's exciting because, Sydney is sold out, and Melbourne is on its way. I think it's really good for us to get on the road and do our own shows to our own fans."
Evidently excited to be heading out on tour again, Lo Russo laughs when asked what the crowds could expect.
"Expect a lot of nudity," he laughs, quickly adding, "That's definitely a lie. If you come [to the shows], I guess you expect a lot of fun, for sure." It is during these tours, both as headliners and as supports, that Lo Russo also believes is where you learn the most important parts of being a musician. "Be humble. In one way or another, depending on who you're playing with, humility is important too," he continues, "You meet artists, not mentioning names, who aren't humble, and then you learn from them to be humble. Then the ones who are humble, you want to be like them. So, I guess that's the most important thing." Lo Russo and his fellow band members, whilst relatively new to the music spotlight, seem to be embodying the lessons they have learnt on tour, and from other musicians - and it shows.
Honesty appears to be another clear part of the bands dynamic - with people responding either positively or negatively to Lo Russo's honest penmanship when it comes to writing the lyrics to their songs. "I guess in one way or another, indirectly [it makes people appreciate the songs more]," he believes, "but I mean, if I'm writing from a place of honesty or experience, I feel it's easier to write about as well. Sometimes I do write stories based on inspiration from films or books or some story that I've heard on the news or whatever," he further explains, "But mainly, it's an experience, and I think that people can really relate to that." Time will tell just how many people they can reach, with the band recently returning to the US to play a "showcase for Epic Records." "We played really well," Lo Russo reflects, "We also met with the management companies and labels over there.. and a publisher, all sorts of things. That was a lot of fun and a very successful trip. I think now it's about building our presence over there, bit by bit." Though reflecting on this, the key dynamic of the band is evident. "We've still got a hell of a lot of work to do, that's for sure," he continues," I think in the next few months, in November, that's what we will be planning. Everything to do with the other territories."
It becomes clear by the end of the interview, why Lo Russo sounds exhausted. The band are constantly busy making the band as successful as possible, and interacting through as many mediums as they can - putting every ounce of themselves into their music. So it seems wrong to ask what they will be up to next. "Next on the cards is to finish this tour, release 'Young at Heart' and make it a smash hit!" And a new album? "Yeah, definitely. I mean, we're always writing so, the next album will be ready soon. I think we're focused on making this record as successful as possible, we've got a lot of singles to pump off it."
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