Pyro: First of all, I s'pose it is early days but I would like to know what's the initial reaction been to the album?
Andrew Haug: It's been good. Very good actually. Much to our surprise because I know a lot of people, I guess, have a lot of trouble adapting to what we're ding but people are sitting up and taking a bit more notice of what we're doing, the new direction of songs, the production as well and just the overall product.
Pyro: Very good stuff. Now, one of the biggest selling points is of course the man behind the mix of 'The Meaning Unseen'. How early on was it that you decided you wanted to approach Fredrick about doing the mix?Andrew Haug: After the album was done pretty much. We just sat back and thought we had something special and of a quality standard and we thought, lets top it off with a mix from a world-renowned name and reputation. We toyed around with a couple of names and we did look in our own backyard and there were plenty of solid names but we just thought, well Australia is a small country and you've gotta think outside your own backyard and look beyond that, especially if you're going to reach a hell of a lot of people. So I just checked out his website and rang his number and he actually answered the phone which I didn't expect him to do. Then I just introduced myself.
Pyro: Were you surprised that he was willing to go through with the job after he had heard your material?
Andrew Haug: Well yeah we were actually. He's a busy man, and we just said, "Do you want to work with an unsigned Australian band?". He asked us to send him some stuff so we sent him out older EPs and told him they were were pretty different to what we're doing now. He has got a pretty hectic schedule, so it took 4-5 months before he could commit to it. In that time we kept our moths shut, because you don't want to be shooting your mouth off and then have it not happen and you look like a complete fool. Once he said he was happy to go ahead with it that was it. We're really happy with the result and I think he enjoyed working on it. We asked for his opinion on the songs straight-out and some he said he liked, others he didn't and that's fine.
Pyro: I can definitely say from seeing Contrive live that the mix has really filled out the simply three-piece sound you guys have.
Andrew Haug: Well I think that that's just changing the direction of songs and working with more dynamics and most of the previous material was written as a two-piece with Paul and myself, so when Tim came in the songs were already done so he just learnt them until we started writing new songs so we think we've definitely progressed as a band and we like to utilise what we what we have with three members.
Pyro: Was it tough to get the third member in the fold?
Andrew Haug: As in Tim? Yeah, it was. We've had a hell of a time finding bass players. A few years back when we started, Paul and I played out firs gig as a two-piece because we couldn't find a bass player.
Pyro: How'd that go?
Andrew Haug: Well, you know, you've gotta do what you've gotta do with what you've got. That was alright actually. Looking back, Tim says "Don't even do that again." buy looking back it's quite an accomplishment because Paul and I were just getting out trying to pay because we've been trying to get a gig for months. We'd held auditions for ages, but Tim coming in has certainly made a hell of a difference. He's certainly an equal member of the band, if not more so.
Pyro: Musically speaking Contrive have slowly evolved between releases, but you seem to really have headed in a new direction with your debut album. It seems more aggressive and has a very straight-up-metal sort of sound to it. The older stuff was notably different, Was the change in sound a conscious decision or one of those things that just happens?
Andrew Haug: It just happened. Like any band when they want to progress and try different things. It's just a matter of chipping away the pieces and seeing what you can make out of it at the end. So yeah, it pretty much just evolved. We sat down and said "We want to try this." and "We want to try that." because we listen to so much stuff and we really want to create our own sound. For example Paul might just strum a riff and instantly I'll know where it's from (not that he's ripped it off, he just probably doesn't know where it's come from) and just start drumming along and he'll say "What song's that?" and I'll tell him, and it'll be like "Oh fuck". It is hard to try and be original these days but you takes bits and pieces here and there and try and mould them into your own but we like to think we're a mix of Rock and Metal. Just straight up.
Pyro: You've pretty much hit the nail on the head there.Andrew Haug: Yeah. It's more simplistic than what we've done. There's been times when Paul wanted me to do more double bass, and I'll say "No, it doesn't work. Lets just rock it". You feel the groove is there - hold it. We're all amicable, and just wanted to keep it as broad as we could and we're totally happy with it.
Pyro: Tell me a little bit more on how Track 8 came about, and where your interest in Taiko drumming stemmed from?
Andrew Haug: Ah, 'Todoroki' - which means "rolling thunder". I've been studying Taiko drumming (trying to at least), for the last five years or so. It's still bowls me how the the Japanese do it. I'm still astounded that I'm attempting to play it. I just thought a lot of people hear rhythms in the album, and some moments get 'tribal-esque'. People will hear some, perhaps interesting styles of drumming and don't know where they stem from, and it's pretty much coming from the influence of learning from my Taiko master Toshi Sakamotto. A lot of the drum beats are almost like riffs. The idea of 'Todoroki' - as drum-wankey as it is for some - was just to show people, hey, this is something a bit different. This is part of our sound. Something to broaden people's minds a little bit. There's been a hell of a lot of people who've heard the track and either not known anything about it about it and/or not know what to think about it. So I just hope it's opening people's eyes and ears to something a little bit different.
Pyro: I think it does add something to the album.
Andrew Haug: Yeah, we having 'Todoroki' and then 'Divided', the follower, shows contracts. 'Divided' is to me, a Taiko rhythm played on a drum kit, whereas 'Todoroki' is just me playing traditional Taiko drums. A lot of people think the intro is actually overdubbed. It isn't. It's actually played on my kit. It's a chance for people so sit there and think "Hmm, shit". It's just me putting to practice what I've learnt on my kit. Yeah, it's wankey, but it rules [laughs].
Pyro: [laughs] I'll pay that. Contrive stick to a pretty relentless touring schedule, playing anywhere, anytime. Do you guys ever get a little tired of playing gigs?
Andrew Haug: Not at all. I think that's the only way you're going to get better as a live band. Nothing can prepare you for the live front. You can rehearse 50 times, but people say "A live gig's worth 50 rehearsals". At home you're in your comfort zone. You don't have to try too hard. When lights are on, mics are on and everything's booming it's just such a rush. We really enjoy it. To me, we're a live band. We love playing live. I think we're only going to get better and any opportunity we get to take live we want to play. It sometimes astounds me that some bands might play once every 4-5 months, and you see them live the next time and they're really no better than the last. They probably jam once a week and that's good enough for them. And that's fine, that's their prerogative. It's their band, but I think the proof's in the pudding. If you hone your craft in the live front you become a better band. Hopefully, if people like the music you they will come and see you and enjoy you as a live band and not be a bunch of stiffs. Shit, we just love playing live. Expect a hell of a lot more shows on our current tour.
Pyro: I noticed you've booked about a thousands dates across Australia.
Andrew Haug: Not enough for us! People say "We're going interstate for a 'tour'" when they're just going somewhere for two gigs. It's hard to really do much in this country. You could tour Australia in like a week [laughs]. To me, touring is like 30 days straight in a bus like you might do in the US or Europe, but it just doesn't happen here. As much as all bands would love that (it would be a blast), but you've got to make the most of what you've got and just deal with it and get on with it.
Pyro: You've played alongside a plethora of different bands in Australia, including a lot of unusual matches. Do you find crowds are less receptive say, if you're playing alongside death metal bands, or grindcore as opposed to something a little stylistically closer to home?
Andrew Haug: Of course. But we don't get intimidated by any of that shit. At least people see something different. Personally, if I went to a gig with four bands and they all sound the same I'd be bored shitless. But I guess that if people are into that style, they'll go see it. Even if people aren't into our shit, whether they liked it or not is incidental. At least they got exposed to something a little bit left-of-center than what the rest of the bands on the bill were doing. It doesn't phase us. You know, put us on the bill and we'll do out thing. We're generally used to a pretty average reception.
Pyro: Well you got encored in Sydney a couple of weeks back.Andrew Haug: Yeah, that was a blow away! That really freaked us out. We really just do our thing and hopefully people will open their ears enough to come around to it. We're not expecting miracles overnight. We do our thing and if you're willing to give us a go, check it out.
Pyro: I've gotta ask. Has the fact that you're "The guy from full metal racket" or your label contacts helped in scoring some of those big international supports?
Andrew Haug: Nah. Not at all. A lot of people assume that, but to me the industry is about contacts but at the same time you've gotta get out there and just splash your stuff basically. As far as support and things, most promoters generally ask because we're an easy band to work with which is an important factor. When promoters want to deal with a support band the last thing they want is a shitty support band without their own mix or who can't set up their gear quick enough. I think that we're professional enough to not give any of these promoters and headaches. With them dealing with use over the years, they've wanted to work with us again which has totally worked in our favour. It's basically a case of do your thing and get out of the way! As far as the Triple J thing, it's an entirely separate thing all together.
Pyro: Does the fact that your brother Paul is part of Contrive ever cause any situations (either good or bad) that wouldn't pop up in a band with no blood relations within the ranks?
Andrew Haug: No, not all all. The main thing is people getting confused because we're twins. I don't think I could play with anybody else though. I'm proud that I'm playing with somebody that's blood-related because the connection is so damn strong. I'm often intrigued when I see a 5 or 6-piece band who are all mates from different upbringing who've all come together to do their thing. I guess that is like a brotherhood too but there's just something a little bit stronger about having a family member in the band. It's something really unique. People who play in a band with a brother or sister will probably know what I'm talking about. It's definitely a strong connection and it hasn't hindered anything apart from us a few musical things, like song directions but from the outside it's nothing.
Pyro: I think the second last track of the album is a cover of the Armoured Angel classic 'Communion'.
Andrew Haug: Fuck yeah.
Pyro: Were any other cover tracks considered for the album or did you decide straight away that you were going with 'Communion'?
Andrew Haug: Paul decided. He just said one day "We've gotta play the Armoured's". Paul and I have known them for years and we're mates with them now. Tim really hadn't heard much of their stuff and I've still got both of the demos, so we were just jamming. We never really thought about putting it on the album. We thought, lets play it at Metal For The Brain. Joel was gonna be there so it would be a bit of a tribute to a mate. With time, playing it regularly, we've loved it. It's just such a fun song to play and it's going to be in the set for a hell of a long time. I just love playing it. We didn't really have any considerations for any other covers. I think what's special about is it, is that it's an Australia song, and hopefully if this album gets and recognition outside of Australia maybe they'll acknowledge the band which they might not have known about and maybe they'll check out some of their previous stuff if they can find it. I guess it puts the spotlight on a legendary band and hopefully people won't forget.
Pyro: Having played alongside so many, and also hearing loads through your radio commitments, are there any Aussie bands (particularly from Melbourne) you'd like to give a bit of a plug to readers...
Andrew Haug: Well, most of them are pretty established. You've got your Alchemists, Alarums, Cog, Switchblade, Fuck... I'm Dead are always a treat, Shallow Grave, Truth Corroded....it is a difficult question because there's so much shit coming through. Another band that's made me really sit up is Forearm. They've just released their debut album. They're out of Melbourne. They're your straight-ahead Metallic, Machine Head type of metal. Pretty strong and solid. Then you've got Minus Life out of Brisbane who show a lot of promise. Hopefully they'll have something new out next year. Then from Perth there's bands like Subtruck which I love. They're just so straight-up it's ridiculous. There's a tonne of other bands too..
Pyro: I'm aware that's your a bit of a record collector [laughs].Andrew Haug: ...obsessed...
Pyro: What's the count?
Andrew Haug: Haven't counted man. There's a 'few', but I guess we can keep it at that [laughs]
Pyro: Have you got any highly prizes possessions in the collection?
Andrew Haug: Well, that's always a hard one. Like I'll tell my mum "I just got this rare album. I was told it's worth $200.", she'll ask "Why don't you sell it?" and I'm like "Nah, I don't want to part with it" but I think something is really only worth what someone is willing to pay for it. I've picked up some amazing bargains on eBay. It's hard to know though. You look at it and wonder "What is this shit really worth?". Sometimes at garage sales I'll see records for like $2 and wonder "Do these people really know what they've got here?" when they're selling it for $2. You're not gonna say anything because you want it for that price, but like I said it's really just a matter of what people are willing to day. I've got some gems, but I ain't gonna part with them.
Pyro: I'm gonna have to wrap things up pretty soon. Quick interview but what can you do? Just finally, what's been rocking your CD player lately?
Andrew Haug: The new almighty Opeth, Clutch, Corrosion Of Conformity, Nevermore - that's fucking crushing, God Forbid is a pretty strong one too, Porcupine Tree - they're a band I feel are still pretty underrated, Bloodsimple is another good one.. I guess we'll work it out come Top 10 time at the end of the year. We'll see what's changed.
Pyro: Any closing comments?
Andrew Haug: Just get out and support the scene otherwise it's not gonna survive. Bands won't make music and it'll all dry up so support Australian music. Don't download it, buy it and help the bands out. That's the way it should be.
Pyro: Well, thanks for your time Andrew.
Andrew Haug: Cool man. Thank you!
Pyro: No worries. Best of luck with the national tour.
Andrew Haug: Cheers man.
Pyro: Hope to speak to you again soon. Thanks again.
Andrew Haug: No worries.
- Pyro
