Buchanan have been handpicked by multi-Grammy and ARIA award winner Keith Urban to support him on stage for the Australian leg of his “ripCORD World Tour 2016” (see dates below…) and they hit Adelaide last night!
2016 has seen Buchanan release two albums, perform headline tours and with words like ‘million’ being used to describe their online streams and views, it’s safe to say Buchanan are blowing up and their infectious sonic goodness is spreading like wildfire.
Buchanan recently released their new single ‘The Beep Test’ in late November. The track was written and mixed in Los Angeles at G.O.O.D. Music with legendary producer Anthony Kilhoffer (All seven Kanye West solo albums). The track was also co-written with Space (Digital Daggers, Seether).
Having recently relocated to Los Angeles to launch his tech startup ‘Vampr’, a LinkedIn-style music app connecting musicians and the music industry, Buchanan’s enigmatic frontman Josh Simons has been co-writing on a number of exciting projects with Kilhoffer, some of which are set to drop soon from Kanye West’s infamous hip-hop label.
We interviewed Buchanan lead singer Josh on the eve of their Adelaide concert and here is the transcript:
- What was your reaction when you found out that you were supporting Keith Urban?
We got the call when I was in France – I was supremely jet-lagged and actually thought my agent was having a laugh when I got the call! It was like “Keith wants you to support him on his national arena tour but they need an answer today”. And of course, I couldn’t say yes quick enough – a massive honour indeed.
- What is the previous biggest tour that you have been part of
Well for the last couple of years we’ve been doing mainly our own headline club tours, so it’s been a while since we’ve played the support act. I remember when we first started we did an east-coast run with Kimbra and Gypsy & the Cat and then went straight into Laneway Festival – that was pretty big.
- Please tell me a bit about your music style and how you formed?
Our musical style is pretty eclectic. At this point we’ve got some songs that you might call indie, some others which are more dance-y or EDM – one of our songs, Pleasure, has a trap outro… so I’m not really sure! For us, a strong melody has always been the hero or focus, so we don’t really care for genre or limiting our sound to one kind of noise. Buchanan is like a musical family where people come and go and contribute as and when we feel ready to do something new. We never really formed, it was just born out of collaborating with people in various countries and then a sound – and eventually albums – emerged from that. It’s an odd arrangement, but it works for us and it’s part of what makes us unique, I think.
- What have you got planned for 2017?
After we wrap the Keith tour I’m heading straight back to Los Angeles to work on some new material with Anthony Kilhoffer who did all of Kanye’s records. We’ve already released one song from those sessions, called The Beep Test and people seem to really like it, so we’ll keep going down that path for a bit and see where it leads.
- Where do you get the ideas to write the music you write?
I used to find most of my inspiration from other artists and musical acts – these days I look more to literature and visual art for inspiration. I’ve also worked on trying to distill my own feelings about the world and personal things into a simple and relatable message that others can relate to. All part of growing as a songwriter and artist, at least I hope!
- What’s the most funny thing to happen while you were onstage?
Well it wasn’t funny at the time, but in hindsight it’s pretty funny! We were headlining the Triple J Unearthed stage at BIGSOUND – we’d been touring all year and had our show down pat, but given we were the last band of the day the backline equipment – which everyone shared at the festival – had pretty much had enough. We launched into our second song, confident as anything, and both the guitar amp and bass amp failed at the same time. We were completely exposed and it was a train wreck – I should have just done an acoustic cover while the road crew found replacement gear but instead I thought I’d try my hand at standup for the first time… I’ve never seen a room empty out quicker than that haha
- Whats the most memorable gig you been to as a punter?
I saw Girls Aloud, Jay-Z and Coldplay at Wembley Stadium in 2009 with Kieran – who’s playing bass with us on this tour and has also worked on almost every Buchanan record. He was a co-writer on a Girls Aloud track, The Promise, which went to number 1, and we got to see that played to a sold-out stadium in the UK. Amazing moment for him, and a very proud moment for me as a friend. It was also just a phenomenal show all around from all acts.
- Who is your biggest inspiration?
My dad. He died when I was two but I take him with me on tour – I have this photo of him and I that I keep in my carry-on luggage whenever I travel anywhere.
- What are some of your passions outside of music?
I love cinematography and visual art. Fashion too. Brands fascinate me and the process of creating a brand – a look, something iconic – I spend a lot of time on that, reading about it, practising it.
- What advice would you give to aspiring bands?
Don’t ever give up – if you really believe in it, even if people are saying no, never give up. No is a really good thing to get used to hearing – it toughens you up, you learn resolve, and it gives you time to hone your craft.
Great advice by Josh to close out the interview. Please find below the dates for the rest of Buchanas’s tour with Keith Urban.
KEITH URBAN’S “ripCORD World Tour AUSTRALIA 2016” DATES
Tuesday December 6 – Adelaide Entertainment Centre
Thursday December 8 – Melbourne, Rod Laver Arena
Friday December 9 – Melbourne, Rod Laver Arena
Saturday December 10 – Canberra, GIO Stadium
Monday December 12 – Sydney, Qudos Bank Arena
Wednesday December 14 – Sydney, ICC Theatre (formerly Sydney Convention Centre)
Friday December 16 – Brisbane Entertainment Centre
Saturday December 17 – Brisbane Entertainment Centre
www.facebook.com/officialbuchanan
www.instagram.com/buchananband
www.soundcloud.com/buchananband
‘The Beep Test’ private single stream: https://soundcloud.com/buchananband/buchanan-the-beep-test/s-lLpdo
Buchanan TED Talk link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIDmjfnD7TM
Buchanan have been handpicked by multi-Grammy and ARIA award winner Keith Urban to support him on stage for the Australian leg of his “ripCORD World Tour 2016” (see dates below…) and they hit Adelaide last night!
2016 has seen Buchanan release two albums, perform headline tours and with words like ‘million’ being used to describe their online streams and views, it’s safe to say Buchanan are blowing up and their infectious sonic goodness is spreading like wildfire.
Buchanan recently released their new single ‘The Beep Test’ in late November. The track was written and mixed in Los Angeles at G.O.O.D. Music with legendary producer Anthony Kilhoffer (All seven Kanye West solo albums). The track was also co-written with Space (Digital Daggers, Seether).
Having recently relocated to Los Angeles to launch his tech startup ‘Vampr’, a LinkedIn-style music app connecting musicians and the music industry, Buchanan’s enigmatic frontman Josh Simons has been co-writing on a number of exciting projects with Kilhoffer, some of which are set to drop soon from Kanye West’s infamous hip-hop label.
We interviewed Buchanan lead singer Josh on the eve of their Adelaide concert and here is the transcript:
- What was your reaction when you found out that you were supporting Keith Urban?
We got the call when I was in France – I was supremely jet-lagged and actually thought my agent was having a laugh when I got the call! It was like “Keith wants you to support him on his national arena tour but they need an answer today”. And of course, I couldn’t say yes quick enough – a massive honour indeed.
- What is the previous biggest tour that you have been part of
Well for the last couple of years we’ve been doing mainly our own headline club tours, so it’s been a while since we’ve played the support act. I remember when we first started we did an east-coast run with Kimbra and Gypsy & the Cat and then went straight into Laneway Festival – that was pretty big.
- Please tell me a bit about your music style and how you formed?
Our musical style is pretty eclectic. At this point we’ve got some songs that you might call indie, some others which are more dance-y or EDM – one of our songs, Pleasure, has a trap outro… so I’m not really sure! For us, a strong melody has always been the hero or focus, so we don’t really care for genre or limiting our sound to one kind of noise. Buchanan is like a musical family where people come and go and contribute as and when we feel ready to do something new. We never really formed, it was just born out of collaborating with people in various countries and then a sound – and eventually albums – emerged from that. It’s an odd arrangement, but it works for us and it’s part of what makes us unique, I think.
- What have you got planned for 2017?
After we wrap the Keith tour I’m heading straight back to Los Angeles to work on some new material with Anthony Kilhoffer who did all of Kanye’s records. We’ve already released one song from those sessions, called The Beep Test and people seem to really like it, so we’ll keep going down that path for a bit and see where it leads.
- Where do you get the ideas to write the music you write?
I used to find most of my inspiration from other artists and musical acts – these days I look more to literature and visual art for inspiration. I’ve also worked on trying to distill my own feelings about the world and personal things into a simple and relatable message that others can relate to. All part of growing as a songwriter and artist, at least I hope!
- What’s the most funny thing to happen while you were onstage?
Well it wasn’t funny at the time, but in hindsight it’s pretty funny! We were headlining the Triple J Unearthed stage at BIGSOUND – we’d been touring all year and had our show down pat, but given we were the last band of the day the backline equipment – which everyone shared at the festival – had pretty much had enough. We launched into our second song, confident as anything, and both the guitar amp and bass amp failed at the same time. We were completely exposed and it was a train wreck – I should have just done an acoustic cover while the road crew found replacement gear but instead I thought I’d try my hand at standup for the first time… I’ve never seen a room empty out quicker than that haha
- Whats the most memorable gig you been to as a punter?
I saw Girls Aloud, Jay-Z and Coldplay at Wembley Stadium in 2009 with Kieran – who’s playing bass with us on this tour and has also worked on almost every Buchanan record. He was a co-writer on a Girls Aloud track, The Promise, which went to number 1, and we got to see that played to a sold-out stadium in the UK. Amazing moment for him, and a very proud moment for me as a friend. It was also just a phenomenal show all around from all acts.
- Who is your biggest inspiration?
My dad. He died when I was two but I take him with me on tour – I have this photo of him and I that I keep in my carry-on luggage whenever I travel anywhere.
- What are some of your passions outside of music?
I love cinematography and visual art. Fashion too. Brands fascinate me and the process of creating a brand – a look, something iconic – I spend a lot of time on that, reading about it, practising it.
- What advice would you give to aspiring bands?
Don’t ever give up – if you really believe in it, even if people are saying no, never give up. No is a really good thing to get used to hearing – it toughens you up, you learn resolve, and it gives you time to hone your craft.
Great advice by Josh to close out the interview. Please find below the dates for the rest of Buchanas’s tour with Keith Urban.
KEITH URBAN’S “ripCORD World Tour AUSTRALIA 2016” DATES
Tuesday December 6 – Adelaide Entertainment Centre
Thursday December 8 – Melbourne, Rod Laver Arena
Friday December 9 – Melbourne, Rod Laver Arena
Saturday December 10 – Canberra, GIO Stadium
Monday December 12 – Sydney, Qudos Bank Arena
Wednesday December 14 – Sydney, ICC Theatre (formerly Sydney Convention Centre)
Friday December 16 – Brisbane Entertainment Centre
Saturday December 17 – Brisbane Entertainment Centre
www.facebook.com/officialbuchanan
www.instagram.com/buchananband
www.soundcloud.com/buchananband
‘The Beep Test’ private single stream: https://soundcloud.com/buchananband/buchanan-the-beep-test/s-lLpdo
Buchanan TED Talk link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIDmjfnD7TM
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