While largely unknown stateside, the Aussie garage band The Drones opened up for Built to Spill and the Meat Puppets last Thursday. After playing a fast and furious set, lead singer Gareth Liddiard took some time to talk to the Daily Collegian about his band and the show.
PETER RIZZO: Being from Austrailia how do you like the US so far?
GARETH LIDDIARD: It's great, this is the fifth time we've been and its an amazing place. We've been all over both coasts, but we've never been to the middle but its a lot different than Austrailia.
PR: You lost a couple of big music prizes to fellow Aussies Wolfmother, how do you feel about their demise?
GL: Um...we knew this guy who was cousins with the drummer and they hate the singer, apparently hes the biggest (rhymes with bunt) ever, so we knew it was coming for some time.
PR: Really I was a fan of Wolfmother...
GL: Yeah yeah they were a good band
PR: Is there any small vindication?
GL: Nah I don't really care about that sort of stuff, I mean we knew it was comin', he (the lead singer) was the only guy who didn't actually know.
PR: Are you touring a new album?
GL: No, we're sort of between recording one and when we get back to Austrailia we'll be wrapping it up.
PR: Is it difficult going from playing larger shows in Austrailia to smaller shows in America?
GL: Yeah it is, but it keeps you honest.
PR: They seemed to really like you out there though?
GL: They seemed to be digging it. It was a good reaction, certainly not the worst.
PR:How do you feel about sharing a bill with the Meat Puppets, and Built to Spill, how did that happen?
GL: Yeah it's great. Yeah we've gotten to hang out with them. This is our third show with them, we've got seven more. Built to Spill talked to our booking agents and we knew the band, Band of Horses, who are getting pretty big, they're cool guys. So we ended up talking through them and got all the dates worked out.
PR: How old are you guys?
GL: We're old, I'm 32.
PR: You use a lot of effects up there...
GL: Yeah that's the cool thing. No that's all effects and whammy, I'm a whammy bar man. And there is like a knob when you turn it, it goes (whhhhhrrrrrrr). That's my thing. I started making weird noises then graduated to Led Zeppelin songs.
PR: When did you start playing guitar?
GL: When I was about seventeen.
PR: How long have you been together as a band?
GL: We've had a few different line ups, people in and out, but this lineups been together for eight years.
PR: You're bassist didnt seem to like the crowd tonight, why did she have her back turned the whole time?
GL: Yeaht that's what she does, she does that all the time, shes just shy. Its not that she doesnt like you.
PR: How does a girl end up in such a loud rock band?
GL: She's my girlfriend. Yeah you have to be married into it. Its great we go on tour share a room together, we've been together for like ten years. She goes to all the gigs and it makes it a lot nicer.
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