Melbourne band THE BRINKSMEN started writing their original material about four years ago and have since blossomed into the well-rounded act that they are today. Now this family band has the full package: bass, guitar, drums, two keyboards, and several vocalists, which all help to fill out their intricate vocal harmonies and classic rock instrumentation. They’re really geared up to showcase their new formula and unique sound for their audience at the Espy on the 22nd, so don’t miss your chance to see THE BRINKSMEN then. They take a break between rehearsals to chat with Emergenza on how the band got started, what makes them unique, and what they’re looking forward to the most about their upcoming gig.

SO YOU'RE A FAMILY BAND. CAN YOU TELL US WHO DOES WHAT IN THE BAND?
Steve plays bass and is our lead vocalist. Josh is our primary pianist and keyboard player. Jeth plays guitar and does some backing vocals. Tim is our drummer and also sings a little. Katie provides the female vocals and plays keyboard as well.

HOW DID YOU FIRST DISCOVER YOU LOVED PLAYING MUSIC TOGETHER?
We’ve jammed together since we started getting music lessons. At that point we were all on piano, so playing together was complicated. Once we branched out to other instruments it got easier, and then we started writing our own songs three or four years ago. That was when it really became fun for us.

WHAT’S THE INSPIRATION FOR THE NAME THE BRINKSMEN?
When we started thinking of calling ourselves a band, Katie was still pretty young so it was mainly us guys playing. So, we started calling ourselves We Few, which is a reference to Shakespeare’s Henry V: “We few, we happy few, we band of brothers”. Then Katie started getting more involved and we realised we needed something less male-specific. So, we settled on The Brinksmen… It’s also a reminder for us that
time is not unlimited. Right now we’re all in the same location, we all have time to devote to music, but that won’t last forever. So, we’re on the brink of changes – hopefully good ones.

WHERE DO YOU DRAW YOUR MUSICAL INSPIRATION FROM?
Vocally, we’re in awe of Chris Isaak’s control and range. Jeth is inspired by Mark Knopfler’s guitar work in Dire Straits and his solo music. Josh and Katie like everything from classical to dance music, and we all listen to current rock and pop, so it’s a fairly broad set of influences.

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IS THE KEY ELEMENT IN YOUR SOUND?
A multi-layered fusion of pop styles from our keyboards, rockier sounds from our guitars, and some harmonies in unusual vocal ranges.

YOU'VE GOT QUITE A FEW RECORDINGS DONE ALREADY. WHERE DO YOU RECORD, AND WHAT'S YOUR APPROACH IN THE STUDIO?
We record in our lounge room, so our current tracks are more demo than studio quality, but it’s a useful part of the creative process for us. Generally, Steve comes up with lyrics and melody, and then we work together to arrange everything else. We all have different schedules with school, study, and work, so times when we’re all available are a little scarce. In the early stages of a song’s development, it’s often just two or three of us messing around together, and then if we come up with something we like we record it. That allows the others to play it back and record whatever they come up with. Then when we’re all available, we jam what we’ve got, throw half of it out, add new stuff, and eventually settle on something so we can start the actual recording process. That usually involves multiple takes, and once we’re just about done someone will have a bright idea and say, ‘What if we did…?’ So it’s a long process, but we enjoy it.

WHAT ARE YOU PLANNING TO DO WITH THESE RECORDINGS? ARE THEY PART OF AN UPCOMING ALBUM RELEASE?
They’re really just for uploading to various sites for promotional purposes. No disrespect to the lounge studio, but we wouldn’t be comfortable asking for money for these tracks. The execution and production are a little rough.

WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO JOIN EMERGENZA, AND WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO MOST ABOUT THE FESTIVAL EXPERIENCE?
Playing live is always exciting, and it looks like a really well organised festival. The promotional side seems to be well handled also, so that’s a bonus. Listening to the other bands should be good fun too.

HOW ARE YOU PLANNING TO PROMOTE FOR YOUR UPCOMING SHOW?
Mainly word of mouth, but some online as well.

WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO GAIN FROM THE EMERGENZA EXPERIENCE?
It’s an opportunity to get out and play, let some more people hear our music, and see some other acts. And our dad is from Switzerland, so if we got to the finals in Germany it’d be cool to be near there!