BAND INTERVIEW

Clinkerfield have been receiving strange text messages from Indonesia. Alo Clinkerfield... Lagi ngapain? Masih sibuk ya?" Clinkerfield sih?! Lead singer and guitarist Jimmy Stewart is still trying to work out what they mean. The wonders of cyberspace have brought Clinkerfield considerable success. Web-based music distributorMP3. com has them placed 13 on their rock charts and Clinkerfield's new single A House is not a Home has reached number seven in the alt-country category. Apparently, they also have a following in Indonesia. In Melbourne, Clinkerfield have been receiving regular airplay from community radio stations RRR and PBS, and their new EP has received glowing reviews from the Melbourne street press. ‘Now... if only some people would buy the thing,’ Jimmy says.

The Melbourne based four piece met while studying music at NMIT. After embarking on a trip around Australia in 1999, driving at a top speed of 60 km/h (they lost top gear), they decided to start Clinkerfield. ‘Matty, Ash and Johnno all really liked beer too, which pretty much sealed the deal,’ Jimmy explains.

Since then, Clinkerfield have gained a reputation for being one of the hardest working bands in Melbourne, often playing three gigs a week while holding down full time jobs.

They have also managed to put out two albums Wrote Your Name on a Toilet Wall, and Treason Season, and have just finished recording an EP called The Silly Serpentine Wind.

While Clinkerfield’s previous work traversed a range of styles including angsty ballads, explosive rock songs, upbeat jazz numbers and Beatlesque harmonies, TSSW has taken a mellower direction. It has an alt-country feel to it with rootsy guitar and story based lyrics. Jimmy describes it as ‘fucked-up, country opera’. The EP also features tracks recorded with Art of Fighting guitarist Marty Brown. ‘It was great working with him. He had some wonderful equipment, and a real sound-nerd approach with trying out different stuff,’ Jimmy says.

Clinkerfield have also become renowned for their raucous stage antics. ‘Drinking shots on stage is a good sign of silly gig,’ mumbles Jimmy, in his aussie drawl. ‘People seem to appreciate it. If you’re on stage and you’re playing music and you’re getting drunk, it’s cool. It’s the glorified tragedy of self destruction of the breast beating artist.’ One of the most unforgettable gigs for Jimmy was at the Green Room. The plumbing pipes burst upstairs and the roof caved in. ‘We liked to think it was because we brought the house down,’ Jimmy jokes. ‘The water started gushing onto some electrical stuff making sparks and smoke. People’s lives were in danger… and the water turned out to be sewerage and people were frolicking in it,’ Jimmy says. That was gross. Luckily, everyone was drunk.’ ‘It was our version of Smoke on the Water,’ adds bass player Matty Quinn.

Jimmy writes most of the music for Clinkerfield. ‘Before bed, in me jocks,’ he explains.

‘I like to think we could gain a certain respect for being in a band that does a bit of everything,’ says Jimmy. ‘The bands I really love cross over a few genres and they’re not boring.’ He says Clinkerfield are committed to exploring new musical directions and challenging themselves as musicians. ‘Whatever we do next will be completely different and it will always be a conscious decision to do something different so we don’t go getting bored,’

And if anyone speaks Indonesian they would like them to get in touch.