An interview with the Wood and steel that will play in round one of Emergenza Festival Australia:

LET'S TALK ABOUT YOUR BAND NAME: WHO CHOSE IT AND WHY?

Me and Jack were trying to come up with a band name on the way to class one day. Around the same I was thinking about writing a song about guitars and how there just wood and steel yet they are shaped in such a way they make the sound they do, and it sounded like an ok band name so we just went 'what the hell' and started calling ourselves wood and steel.

PLEASE TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR BAND: HOW AND WHEN WAS IT BORN?

In year eight a friend of ours started a band an we had me on drums and guitar, Darren on bass and the other friend was a guitarist/singer, after a while of looking for someone who could play drums I thought we might as well just teach someone, Jack was a good friend so I asked him. In the following weeks it became apparent that he was a good choice as he learnt drums very quickly. Then after a while the band broke up because the guy who started it didn't want to do it anymore. Then we took part in a battle of the bands with our friend Anthony; after a bit Anthony quit because he needed to focus on his studies and we got Darren back. Only performed original music since.

WHEN DID YOUR INTEREST IN MUSIC BEGIN? AND HOW HAS YOUR MUSIC CHANGED FROM THE MOMENT YOU BEGAN TO PLAY TOGETHER?

My interest began in year seven: I listened to the Foo fighters, aussie crawl and Powderfinger mainly, Darren's interest in music began probably a couple of years before and Jack when he tarted playing drums. Really our music hasn't changed much at the start.. I was trying out different genres but we basically play a mix, I was heavily influence by John Butler at one point but apart from that we've just gotten better at playing and me better at writing.

WHAT ARE YOUR MUSICAL INFLUENCES?

I am heavily influence by Powderfinger, Foo's, John Butler, Matchbox twenty and a lot of old blues artists, Jack's very similar except not so much blues: more jazz and funk. Darren's a jazz player, he does everything but his favourite is jazz.

IS THERE A SONG THAT IS SPECIAL FOR YOU? IF SO, WHICH ONE AND WHY?

There are really many songs that are more special to me, I find that depending on the mood I'm in. There will be songs I'll enjoy playing more but that changes all the time, Jack and Darren seem to like “Civilisation and creation”, the first one we did.

WHERE DO YOU GET INSPIRATION TO WRITE SONGS (EVENTS, MOOD....)?

I write songs sometimes with thought..I have something I want to say and I'll have an idea down sometime and it'll come to writing time, normally at midnight and I'll write it. Other times I'll be playing guitar and a riff will be accidentally played and I might not even know what I'm writing about I'll just get lyrics that make sense and write them down.

HOW DID YOU KNOW ABOUT EMERGENZA FESTIVAL AND WHY YOU DECIDED TO TAKE PART IN IT?

I found emergenza a while ago and saw what they were doing and I think I signed up at one point and then i got an email asking if I ould send some music in and it basically happened from that.

WHAT DO YOU EXPECT FROM EMERGENZA AND HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR FIRST EMERGENZA CONCERT?
I expect to have a gig at the Espy, going to be the best performance we have ever done and the best venue we have ever played at and we are really excited to be a part of it!

Wanna enrol your band in  Emergenza Festival Australia? Click here!