|
|
 |
The Casanovas.
 The Casanovas are preparing to jump in the Tarago and spend a touch over two weeks on the road to remind everyone just what Casanova style really is. Heartbeat, the trio's latest offering, is probably close to being the last single from their self-titled album, and is out mid-April. With a heavy emphasis on live shows for the Melbourne three-piece, bassist Damo Campbell is affable and relaxed when talking about the rigours of the past year.
"We've had a lot of 'visits', I guess," Campbell muses. "I think the last year has been going to places we haven't been to before for 'visits' and that sort of thing. But we're looking forward to doing this Australian thing again!"
As for the US market, Campbell indicates that while the band are keen to do some work over there, it's a huge effort that's not going to happen in the next few months.
"We honestly haven't touched on the US at all," explains Campbell.
"To make any kind of impression, you need to tour the country, turn around and go back again. Acouple of years ago now; we supported The Datsuns over there, which was really good, but since then we've only done a show in LA and a show in New York and that's pretty much it.
"I think that's why we're going back to the UK and Europe again in June, because it's actually the first time this album's going to be released over there," he continues, "so as an album launch, [it] will be a lot better because the time before: we only had a single out, and there's only a certain amount of touring on one single, and the time before that, with The Datsuns, we had nothing. So it's good to go back and do it, where hopefully people will know a few more of your songs."
Yet what with having played probably a few hundred shows over the years, Campbell still finds it hard to talk to the crowd in between songs.
"I sing like, half the set now, and I still cannot, after a song, talk to the crowd; I don't know what to say," he says. "It's sort of weird; I have no nerves or anything for the singing and the 'strutting it' kind of thing, but then, I have this thing; whatever I say is going to be so stupid, so I have that in the back of my mind all the time.
"I think I need to do a tour, where I just say to Tommy [Boyce, vocalist/guitarist] 'alright, I'll do all the talking between the songs', and just start off with a whole heap of drugs or something, so I don't even know where I am," he adds with a laugh.
With plenty of opportunities coming up in the not-too-distant future for Campbell to take over from Boyce with the crowd banter, Campbell details the next few months for the Melbournians.
"In June we're heading off to the UK and Europe as an album tour, and then July we head to Weed, a little town in California, with Sylvia Massey [Shivey, producer] to do this new album," he says. "While we're there we'll head down to Brazil and do the tour there. And if we do alright in the UK and Europe, hopefully we'll be asked back to do some summer festivals."
The choice of Massey Shivy as producer for The Casanovas next album comes as little surprise. Having worked on Heartbeat with the band, and with a resume encompassing Smashing Pumpkins and Foo Fighters, Massey Shivy clearly knows her stuff when it comes to rock.
"We love what she did with the single; it really came out well," enthuses Campbell. "It was just so punchy, and she's really keen to work with us, which is really good, so we'll just spend a month there. She used to be in LA, and did a lot of work with Rick Rubin, and she's done stuff with Tool, REM and the [Red Hot] Chili Peppers. And then she got a bit of a reputation for herself and I guess got sick of the whole LA thing," Campbell explains. "So it's this little town that's two hours south of Sacramento and two hours north of Portland or something like that, and it's just this old theatre that she's converted into a studio, and the sounds that she gets there are amazing!"
Ann Marie Sosnowski
 | The Casanovas play at Fowlers Live on Sun 17 April. |
|
|
The latest issue
available now!
|
