Townsville country/rock band Three Mile Road is set to launch another EP this weekend, so Girl caught up with lead vocalist Damien McCluskey to get all the info.
Last time we spoke, you were about to launch I Know A Girl. How did the launch go?
“Yeah last year’s launch went really well, there was a great turn out on the night and we got some great reviews.”
Who was the girl the song was written about? We know a ‘Girl’ too (hint hint)?
“Haha, that song was pure fantasy – a girl I used to know, a girl I currently know, and a girl I’d like to know – if that makes sense, haha!”
You’re about to release a new single – what’s this one called, and what’s it about?
“Yeah we’re gearing up for the launch of a new single called Newcastle on March 19th. I don’t even know what the song’s about any more, I sort of messed up a bit with this one; I usually try not to write songs about myself or my personal life, as it can become difficult to live with the song. But, this song is basically a mixture of a reality that happened last year and an ultimately impossible, but preferred, illusion, which I like to think about sometimes haha.”
We haven’t had any hints about what goes on behind the scenes at TMR – is it true you’re releasing a video that might give us some ideas?
“We’re releasing a behind the scenes video of us in the studio recording Newcastle, which was filmed by the team at Visual Reflection. Lior Cohen is a great videographer and a truly generous man, we’ve gotten him to do a few videos for us and have a few planned with him in the future. For this video, we basically asked him in to basically document our experience in the studio, although, I’m not sure how much of the footage is suitable for public domain, though, as we tend to treat studio time more like a mini holiday as opposed to a professional venture, which can sometimes be to our detriment but we have a good time, haha! We’ll be posting the video to YouTube this week.”
You announced on Facebook a while ago you were going to release an older track, Don’t You Worry… why the delay?
“Yes, we released Don’t You Worry for free on Unearthed a couple of weeks ago, sort of to mark the end of our hard rock style. To be honest it took me a while to organise artwork and recording, etc. Sometimes life gets in the way. But it’s out there now, finally.”
What’s with the artwork for that release?
“I’ll admit the artwork is fairly heavy imagery, probably more so than the song portrays; although ultimately it illustrates exactly what the song is about, to me at least.”
You recorded Newcastle at The Rec Room – what else have you recorded there?
“We’ve recorded with Sam Wright at The Rec Room about nine times, including some live videos – I Know A Girl, Jane, and the video for All I Need. Sam is a great audio engineer and producer and we love working with him. He’s also very tolerant of our sometimes lewd behaviour in his studio, haha!”
Why are you releasing consecutive singles instead of an EP or album?
“Money, really. I could be bad at math, but it seems cheaper to me, haha! Nah, it’s quite difficult to find time to write a rehearse songs, formulate ideas for albums, artwork, tours, etc. when you’re a completely self-funded artist and trying to support yourself financially. We have released an album and an EP and have another EP coming up later in the year after a string of singles, but I do prefer to write one song at a time and have artwork created specifically for that one song. I feel it makes it more unique and individual to each story.”
What inspires you to write?
“I’m a big thinker and I definitely think too much, but also, not quite enough. I think I’m just fascinated with the “human condition” and the way people think, feel and perceive things, why and how they do things, and the thought processes involved with decision making and emotions. I also never write when I’m intoxicated, I always have to be completely sober.”
What are your plans for the rest of 2016?
“We’re going back to our original sound, that we had when we first started out, and basically we’re just trying to record as many tracks as we can. I just like to write and record music to share with people that might enjoy it. To me, there is no greater feeling of accomplishment, than when someone says they enjoy one of my songs.”
Three Mile Road’s Newcastle single launch will be held this Saturday, 19 March at the Herbert Hotel in Townsville, supported by Nicole Cross, Lost For Ideas and Kendal Daines. Doors open 6.30pm, entry $10 at the door.
Check out the teaser for the behind the scenes video here:
(Pic credit: Paul Freeman (supplied))
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