In the Chair is a regular feature on Eventalaide, highlighting artists from across Australia and occasionally overseas. Everyone gets basically the same questions. It is just meant to be a bit of fun so please treat it as such.
Questions by Geoff Jenke
WAAX formed in 2012 and hail from Brisbane and consist of James Gatling and Ewan Birtwell on guitars, Tom Bloomfield on drums and Marie ‘Maz Devita on vocals. 2015 saw the release of their EP Holy Sick followed by Wild & Weak in 2015. WAAX have recently released their highly anticipated second album, At Least I’m Free. Awash in samples and programmed beats as well as gargantuan riffs and, of course, frontwoman Maz Devita’s spine-tingling howl, At Least I’m Free telegraphs the band’s ambition to step beyond ‘Australian rock’ and into a weirder, wilder landscape.
Name: Maz Devita
Alias:
Band: WAAX
In less than 50 words
describe your music, your band and yourself.
All driven by a feeling. A shared vision of
relentless hard workers who want to connect with and service their community.
Is that 50 words? Wait, omg, I’m wasting characters trying to work that out
when I could just count them. Okay, we are good. Shit.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
What was the first record
you bought with your own money and where from?
Icky Thump by the White Stripes at a petrol station
somewhere regional in 2007.
80’s or 90’s Music:
Overall,
the 80s delivered more variety for me.
What music are currently
listening to?
Deep end
by Foushee
The Best live artist/band
you’ve seen:
Preoccupations. I saw them play at the Brightside in
Brisbane and it is the best gig I have ever seen and nothing has topped it for
me.
Your “In the mood for
love” song:
Depends what kind of love. If I’m getting ready for a
date, I’ll put on Money by Leikeli47 to get my bad bitch energy on.
Your favourite Saturday
night party record?
MOTOMAMI
by Rosalia at the moment. It’s the best.
Your favourite Sunday
morning chill out record?
Saturdays=Youth by M83. Been listening since I was in
year 10 and it still goes off.
Which song do you wish you
had written?
Time (The Revelator) by Gillian Welch. It’s just the
truth.
Roger Daltry once said
“Rock N Roll has no future”. Do you agree with him?
Absolutely not. A guitar is always going to be an
instrument that a kid will want to buy and play. Rock is forever, it may take
different forms but it is never going to die.
Vinyl, CD or Streaming?
If I’m not being lazy, vinyl of course, but I stream
because I live in the fast lane. I don’t own CDs.
If you could record or
play live with any artist (dead or alive), who would it be?
Elliott Smith. If I could write a song and record
with that man, I think I’d pass away.
What is the most useless
talent you have?
Reading astrological birth charts and being the
clumsiest person in the room at all times.
Your finest recorded
moment?
On the most recent record I did the most Freddie
Mercury multi vocal harmony on the song Beam Me Up. Proudest moment,
because it worked.
Who is your musical hero
and what one question would you ask them?
I have so many, if I could get them all in a room I’d
ask, ‘why are we all so crazy? Why have we chosen to live this nonsensical life
that is making music?’
Dying, peacefully on your
death bed, what song would you like to hear?
When I was 13, I decided it would be Little Wing by
Jimi Hendrix, but is that a bit cliche? I feel like my passed-on spirit will be
like ‘okay you stuck it out and committed to your 13 year old decision, but
what if there was something better and you missed the moment?’ These are the
things that keep me up at night.
Stuck on a desert island
for a year and can only take three albums. What would they be?
Either/Or by Elliott Smith for the sad times
Rumours by Fleetwood Mac for the general daily times
Kick by INXS for the good and fun times
Favourite all time movie:
Chef (2014) with John Favreau. It has food, wholesome
energy, laffs and yeah it ticks every box.
If you drove an ice cream
van, what music would you play?
50 Cent’s Get Rich or Die Tryin
Best show you have ever
played in your career:
Splendour in 2018 when I sang a Powderfinger song
with Bernard Fanning. Pretty lit moment for a young lass.
Any backstage incident
that makes you laugh?
I am a walking incident. I make everyone laugh with
my misfortunes.
Neil Young or Paul
McCartney?
Neil
Young.
Who is the nicest person
in Rock n Roll at the moment?
Probably the dudes in In Hearts Wake. Just did some
work with them and honestly, they are all fantastic people, and they care about
the environment.
What do you hope the next 12 months holds for you?
Lots of touring both in Australia and OS! I will be relocating to LA for a while to get cracking on my next album and to just do something different.
WAAX has been to hell and back and, now, they’re charging forward — with clear eyes, a fighting spirit, and, most of all, the freedom they’ve always craved.
WAAX head out on a 22-date national tour to support the new album, At Least I’m Free, this October to December.
They will play Adelaide on Thursday 10 November at The Lion Art Factory.
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