joe hansen grinspoon

Interview by: Mary Evans

Date: February 2011

Via email

Photos by: Grinspoon

Hello!  We’re very pleased to have this opportunity to interview you guys.

Could you please take a moment to introduce yourself?

My name is Joe Hansen and I play bass in Grinspoon.

How’re things in the Grinspoon camp at the moment?

Really good. We just finished a fifty gig tour round Australia so we should be pretty match fit for the UK

2010 was a busy year for you as a band… what has 2011 brought so far?

We finished our tour early January and since then we’ve had a couple of weeks off to chill out and search for our passports.

You guys released your new album Six to Midnight towards the end of 2009 in Australia… what has the response been like so far?

It’s been awesome. The gigs have been going great and everyone's digging the new songs. It’s fun for us to have more material to draw on for our live sets.

You’ve also toured quite extensively in support of the album… what was the reaction like in the live setting?

The response to the new stuff has been great. We purposefully wrote an album of songs that would be good to play live and I think we achieved that.

I’m sat listening to the album as I type this up… I have to say, I’m very impressed with the material and while there’s not a song I don’t like, I find my ‘favourite’ changes with each listen.  Which would you say is your favourite at the moment and why?

There's a whole bunch of songs I like... Tonight, Dogs, Lockdown and Run are all fun to play. The heavy ones are always my favourites to play live.

Can you tell us a little about the album and how it came about?

We had a bunch of slightly awkward and hilarious  meetings with different producers that we were looking at working with and we ended up going with Rick Will, who was just so enthusiastic about the songs we couldn’t resist! He’s done heaps of stuff like Skindred and he’s a unique character that really brought a different slant on the album.  His whole vibe was doing it as live as possible and capturing the energy of the band and I thought he did a good job of that.

Recording an album live is something not a lot of bands seem to feel comfortable with… You’ve done this previously a few years ago, and now with this new album… how did you find the experience?

It’s a lot more fun than doing everything separately - things can get a bit sterile in the studio so it’s good to all get all in there together and belt out the tunes like we do onstage. Rick even got Phil to play guitar and sing at the same time in the studio if that’s how it was gonna be onstage.

You seem like you’re a very democratic band when it comes to writing and deciding what will make it to an album and what won’t make the cut… is it always that way or have you had heated arguments?

We have a voting system that’s more water-tight than the Westminster system! Actually there’s always lots of debate and lobbying for songs along the process but in the end we usually all put our votes in and give the producer a vote as well so hopefully the best songs get through in the end.

The band has been to the UK a couple of times but the main focus appeared to be on London, although you have ventured more northerly on occasion… what are you most looking forward to with being able to tour more of the country this time?

Just getting in the van and driving from town to town and checking it all out. Hopefully we can generate some good road stories out of the tour.

Going back in time a little… you guys have been together since 1995 and unlike some bands, you’ve had no line up changes.  Quite a feat in itself… A lot of bands appear on a radar and then fall by the wayside… What would you say has been the secret to the longevity of the band?

We’ve all sacked each other a couple of times but you just turn up to the next rehearsal and get on with it like nothing has happened. Pat actually sacked himself once.

Has the band ever been at a point, or yourself personally, where you thought you could just say ‘Goodbye’ to Grinspoon?

We’ve been through tough stages just like any band that lasts a while but honestly I’ve never thought of chucking it in - we’ve worked too hard to just throw it away. Not every musician gets to record albums and tour round and live the life we are – it’s definitely not something we take for granted.

Phil went through a pretty rough time during 2006 / 2007… without wanting to dwell on such a sad and difficult time, most bands would have self destructed.  Would you say that this experience went on to strengthen the bond you have as a band, and most importantly, a group of friends?

For sure. We could have easily imploded, but some things are more important than deadlines or release dates and we wanted to give Phil the time to get himself better. There was no point in laying any blame on him or anyone else for his situation, it was just a matter of doing what he had to do to fix himself up. He’s as good as gold now and although I wouldn’t want to go through it again it definitely made us appreciate what we’ve got together and everything we’ve been through together as a band.

Being Australian myself I know the feeling of ‘not wanting to feel stuck’… I believe that was part of your inspiration in the beginning.  How does it feel now, years later, to be able to pretty much go anywhere and do whatever you please?

Well our first challenge was just getting out of Lismore! As a band you always want to expand your horizons and it is cool being able to look at everything we’ve done and everywhere we’ve been... and everywhere we’re going …..

What else inspires you, both personally and as a band?

Hearing the songs that started in your head at home or on a shitty acoustic somewhere finally make it on to a nice shiny CD. Also playing those songs in front of hundreds or thousands of people who are getting off on them as much as you – it’s pretty awesome!

Your music, from starting out to now, has taken a shift in direction somewhat.  Do you think this has been a conscious decision or something more of a natural progression?

At times we’ve done things consciously but mostly it’s just been whatever we come up in the moment. There’s no real set “sound” we are aiming for.

How have your fans related to this change… do you find you’ve still got loyal fans from when you started out?

There’s people we see at gigs that we’ve seen since the beginning. I don’t think anyone wants to hear the same album ten times so most people like the different stuff, as well as the more traditional Grinspoon riff rock.

Although a lot of Australians seem to have an inbuilt desire to ‘wander’ they also tend to be fiercely patriotic. Having said that, how did it feel to be asked to play at the closing ceremony of the Commonwealth Games?

It was awesome, especially ‘cause they wanted us to play what is essentially a song about drugs! Seriously though it was pretty cool just to see the scale of production they were putting on. We didn’t even get a full run through before the whole thing kicked off, anything could’ve happened.

Speaking of patriotism, it was Australia Day this past week.  A lot of people overseas seem to gasp when told there is an ‘Australia Day’, but they don’t understand the reasons for this or how much of a celebration it can be.  What did you guys do to celebrate this time around?

We were camping with a bunch of friends so we did the traditional thing of drinking beer and playing cricket with the kids.

Touring Australia in itself can be an arduous, but ultimately a rewarding experience.  Do you guys still enjoy touring and playing to a ‘home’ crowd?

We just did a fifty date tour which finished down the south coast in a town called Merimbula - it was spectacular, and somewhere we’ve never been so there’s still a few places to explore yet…..

You’ve toured the US and have dipped your toes into the touring scene in the UK and Europe… how do the crowds here in Europe and the US differ to those back home?

Basically crowds are much the same; it’s just the level of recognition that makes the difference.

Which do you prefer, gigs or festivals?

I’ll play anywhere as long as the people are there, but nothing beats a sweaty, in your face pub crowd.

What is the Australian music scene at the moment?  Besides yourselves, are there any hidden gems that those of us in the UK are missing out on?

There’s heaps of good young bands in Australia right now – Snowdroppers and Calling All Cars are two awesome bands.

Now, having been around for the last fifteen or so years now, you’ll have seen a lot of changes in the music industry.  Besides the more prolific use of the internet, what would say has been the biggest change?

Where do I start? At the risk of sounding old, we didn’t even have mobile phones when we first started. It seems crazy now ‘cause these days the whole industry would collapse if the mobile network went down! Other stuff like recording digitally and downloading instead of buying CD’s been big changes.

Going back to writing… you’re already working on new material for your next album. Is this a trend for the band, in that you release an album and tour, but can be constantly writing for your next album?

Yeah I tend to write songs in batches in between touring. It’s good because when it comes to demo time I’ve already got a few tunes under the belt.

Do you find it easier to write when you’re back in the peace and tranquillity of your home environment or do you find it just as easy to write out on the road?

I’ve never written anything on the road... I’m usually too hung over!

We know that you’ll be heading out on tour with the Stone Temple Pilots in Australia once you’re finished up here in the UK but what’s in store for Grinspoon after that?

Just get into the studio and demo as many songs as we can for the new album.

Don’t worry!  We’re getting near the end now…

What is the one thing you can’t leave behind when you’re heading out on tour?

My laptop and tobasco sauce.

What do you miss most while you’re on tour?

My wife and kids.

If you could give one piece of advice to bands just starting out what would it be?

Don’t steal the main band's drinks while they’re onstage!

If a band asked to cover one of your songs, which band would you hope it was and which song?

It would be cool to hear Rage Against the Machine play Champion.

You’re putting together your ultimate gig… who’d be playing and why?

Queens of the Stone Age, Rage, Rolling Stones circa 70s and the Eels - just all great bands.

Have you ever experienced any extreme fan behaviour that you’d be willing to share with us?

A girl in the states once got on the ground and barked like a dog because she wanted my shoes.

If you were told you could only listen to 5 albums from now until the rest of time, which would they be ?

Eels - Daisies of the Galaxy
Rage - Battle of Los Angeles
Rolling Stones - Tattoo You
G-Love - Yeah It’s That Easy
Queens of the Stone Age - Songs for the Deaf

Can you describe yourself and the rest of the guys in a few words?

Pat: balding
Joe: goodlooking
Kristian: dodgy
Phil: sneaky

Do you have a message for your UK fans?

If you want to see some good, hot sweaty rock n roll get your ass down to one of our gigs in the UK… and we’ll see you there!

Well, we’ve come to the end so all that’s left to say is, thank you very much for your time and we look forward to seeing you out on tour next month!

Thank you.