We spend a couple of minutes with Melbourne power-duo Hotel Wrecking City Traders ahead of their support slot for Sleep on Sunday December 7 at The Corner Hotel.
What’s going on in the world of Hotel Wrecking City Traders?
We just wrapped up a recording session with Jason PC (Blood Duster) in September which was really productive. The fruits of our labor will come out in the form of 2 full-length album releases, one on Bro Fidelity Records and one on a UK label, as well as a split release on Wild Animals Records with our UK buddies Hey Colossus. So there’s tonnes of new music to be released in 2015 as well as a national tour and possibly a return to Europe for more shows, too.
What motivates you to make music?
Necessity. It keeps us sane. It keeps us stimulated. Really it’s just a joyful experience and the creative aspect of it has always been very rewarding when the two of us get in a room, on a stage or in a studio. It’s a form of creative expression and a shared experience that is rarely matched by other pursuits in life.
What have been the high and low points of your musical experiences so far?
High Points:
Touring Europe this April and being the first ever Australian band invited to play at London’s Desertfest — alongside Boris, Spirit Caravan, Weedeater, and tonnes of other killer bands. That was a great tour and we played 22 shows over a 3 week period and had a great time. Our last album and EP were both met with really good reactions and we’re stoked to be releasing an album in the UK next year as well. That kind of came about from the Euro tour and it’s refreshing to know that people care about what we do. We also had Raul Sanchez (River of Snakes, Magic Dirt) play 2nd guitar on a few tracks on our recent recording which turned out great. So they were all really cool things that happened this year. In the past we have got to play with some great bands like Earthless, Om, Saint Vitus, Russian Circles, Eagle Twin. All of those shows were fun.
Low Points
None really. Other than the usual stuff that bands like us experience from time to time (poorly promoted shows, people getting violent at shows, people with egos). But we’re easy going people and we enjoy doing what we do, the way we choose to do it. It takes a lot to bum us out. We’re positive people, or at least we try to be.
What music are you listening to at the moment?
Off the top of my head:
Roomrunner — Separate
Mutoid Man — Helium Head
The Cosmic Dead/Mugstar — Split
Kandodo — Kandodo
Old Man Gloom — The Ape of God
Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs — Psychopomp
Stars of the Lid — The Tired Sounds of Stars of the Lid
Earthless meets Heavy Blanket — In a Dutch Haze
Kerbdog — Congregation Live
If you were stranded on a desert island, which member of the band would get eaten first?
Probably me (Ben) as I would be trying to make friends with the native wildlife and might get chomped by a beast or something in the process.
Here’s an opportunity to bitch about something, whether music related or not. What really pisses you off?
I think both of us can safely say that our day jobs are a fuckin’ pain in the ass most of the time. Inefficiency and poor management of simple tasks tend to fuck us off pretty quick. That and racism.
You’re putting together your perfect gig featuring Australian artists. Who would you get to play and where? Feel free to include acts/DJs/bands/venues that no longer exist.
Probably an outdoor show somewhere near a waterfall in a picturesque remote location. Would be cool if we could have: GOD, Magic Dirt, Coloured Balls, Rowland S Howard, Muffcake, Cosmic Psychos, Spider Goat Canyon, Bonnie Mercer, Alysia Manceau, Breathing Shrine, Little Desert, Justice Yeldham, Hate Sax, BUDD and Cocks Arquette would make for a pretty mind bending day of music.
Hotel Wrecking City Traders join MAMMOTH MAMMOTH in support of Sleep on Sunday December 7 at The Corner Hotel in Melbourne. Tickets on sale now from lifeisnoise.com.
