Push to Fire Interview: Parkway Drive
by Steve O'Gallagher
Australian hardcore band Parkway Drive will be playing at this year's Groezrock Festival in Belgium. Luke recently took some time out to answer some questions for Push To Fire about the upcoming festival and life in his globe-trotting band.
Firstly, who are you and what do you do in the band?
I'm Luke and I'm the bad guitarist in the band.
How did the band start out?
Ben and Winston wanted to start something new in Byron. We'd all been in hardcore bands and they wanted to do something heavier and more metal. They asked Jeff and I if we were into it, we were, and that's that! Add a bass player or two in the mix and think of a shitty name and you have Parkway Drive.
Is there a strong metal scene in Byron Bay or did you find it hard to bring that type of rock to the masses?
There's a good hardcore scene. It pretty much just started out with us playing in bad hardcore bands and our friends came out and had fun. Somehow it got kind of cool so every kid in town started coming to shows. It's still thriving now, which is great! For a small town it's fucking awesome. As for a straight up metal scene, nah, who cares about metal?
You’ve managed to become very successful internationally, what would you attribute to your success overseas?
We do alright in UK/Europe, I wouldn't say the States is that good, haha. I guess persistence pays off. We just said let's tour there, so we did. Once we kind of got established we make sure we go back once or twice a year. Some bands don't go back for a couple years and it fucks them. You have to put in the hard yards!
It can be quite difficult for Australian bands to branch out and be heard outside of the country. Can you suggest any other Australian bands that you think the rest of the world should be made aware of at the moment?
There's an amazing band from our home town called FAH, they don't play much but hopefully they'll get their chance soon.
You supported many high profile rock acts on tours across Australia. Does any one of those tours stand out from the rest as particularly memorable or pinnacle in the band’s career?
I don't really know what 'rock' tours you're talking about as we've only really done headline tours the last couple years except for a festival here and there. A highlight for me though was Warped '07. Getting to see Bad Religion every day was so good.
If you could pick 3 other bands to tour with for the next 10 years, who would the be and why?
Bad Religion - Favourite band, never get sick of them. No Fun at All - Because I just saw them and I fucking loved it, every song is so catchy and sing-a-longy. The Warriors - Best dudes ever.
Is there any particular goal that the band has yet to achieve that you’re all keen to do so?
The main goal for me is to see some more places with the band. South America, Africa, parts of Asia, Antarctica??? I just wanna go everywhere, so I'm excited for this next record cycle.
Your tour schedule looks pretty non-stop until August. Are you looking forward to it or are do you prefer being closer to home?
It's actually looking non-stop until mid 2011. I'm sweet because I don't have a girl at home and the only real thing I miss is my home, mates and surfing. But we've talked about it and if we find it hard touring this much in the next year or so we're gonna chill out a bit. We're not gonna be stupid and burn ourselves out, we haven't done it yet, so we'll play it by ear.
What’s your favourite part of the whole lifestyle of being in a band?
Travelling. We aren't rockstars, or a party band. We enjoy nature and seeing new places. Being able to play our music to people that actually want to hear it is an added bonus for me. I don't mean to take anything away from how much playing those shows to kids means to me but the travelling aspect keeps me sane.
What are your expectations for this year's Warped Tour?
The lineup looks kind of shitty to me to be honest. I'm hoping for a late edition that gets me more psyched for it. But the tour as a whole is so fun. We did 5 weeks last time so it'll be interesting to see how doing the whole thing goes. I love it though, hot summer days, squirting girls with water pistols, hanging out in board shorts all day, can't wait!
What can you tell us about the new album you’re working on at the moment and when do you think it will be released?
We're actually in the studio right now recording it. We're using a new producer this time, Joe Barresi and he's a fucking legend. It's heavier, catchier, faster and has way more sing a longs. It should be released mid year.
You're playing Groezrock this year, how are you looking forward to it?
Can't wait for Groezrock! It's actually my birthday that day and the bands playing are so fucking good. BR, Pennywise, 88, H20, AFI, and our tour package. What a day.
