Graphic Fiction Heroes play the Anarchy Audio Showcase at the Rosemount hotel this Thursday, June 18, along with Bury The Heard, Stone Lotus, Snake Reviver and Colour Control. We catch up with main man Chris Gibbs.
How has your year been so far?
I’m having a great year. I am currently on mid-year break from my lecturing duties at WAAPA, my band Chris Gibbs & The Transmission has been getting out there a lot and with Graphic fiction Heroes, we are about a third of the way through a brand new EP.
You tend to keep busy – what projects have you got on the boil at the moment?
Apart from Graphic Fiction Heroes and Chris Gibbs & The Transmission, I often find myself in tribute band land, which is always fun and occasionally peculiar! I play in Run Riot (a Def Leppard Tribute), KISStake (a KISS tribute), and Snakebite (a Whitesnake tribute). Aside from that something interesting always presents itself; Craig Skelton and I are in Sydney guitarist Khan Manuel’s band this Saturday night at Astor Lounge after CG&TT’s set, that came about from an email to Khan requesting the support slot. I’m always open to new challenges and usually able to pull things together quite fast if need be. Aside from all that I can often be found strumming an acoustic guitar in any number of beer gardens.
Tell us about the Anarchy Audio Showcase. How did you come on board that?
I was contacted by the organisers in the early stages and it’s a great concept. Anarchy Audio is going from strength to strength and it’s excellent to see a WA business gaining momentum. The products are high quality and genuinely unique in construction and design, what a great idea to have some local artists showcase an industry-related business. I’d like to see more of this type of thing, the local music industry is often reaching out for more support, but I think often musicians don’t necessarily see the two-way street in terms of giving back support to independent and local businesses that work in conjunction with the industry itself.
Do you use Anarchy Audio gear yourself?
Yes I have a pedal that Anarchy Audio built specifically for me a few years ago. It’s a relatively simple but effective device for providing a clean volume boost, primarily during solos. It doesn’t have a name, and I picked it up so close to completion that the AA branding smudged off, which has strangely been good to promote the brand as people at gigs or recording sessions often take a look at the pedalboard and ask me what that pedal is.
This gig has been organised by CIT Music Business students. How have they handled the challenge?
From my experience the students have been great. The booking info and lead-up to the show has been well organised, all paperwork has been thorough, the branding of the gig looks great, and in terms of the online push the presence has been unique and entertaining. I have taught at CIT in the past and there have been some great success stories with the courses and students there.
What does the rest of the year hold for you?
This Thursday will be the last live Graphic Fiction Heroes outing for a while as our bassist, Joe Southwell, is taking on a cruise ship gig. He will be recording his parts for the new EP whilst at sea, allowing Mat Ferguson and I to continue working on the project for a summer release. In the meantime Chris Gibbs & The Transmission will continue to polish the live set as there are plans in the works for a live DVD / CD which I am very excited about as I am yet to release a live product. And as always: gigging, gigging, gigging…
