Taasha & Tristian
'When The Flood Comes' is now almost three years old, but for Taasha Coates the break in between their last album tour and The Audreys latest set of recordings was more than just welcome; it was necessary. "We needed it. I was burned out," she tells me with a reflective sigh. "It's a very absorbing way of life, being a musician. It's not just a job- it's everything. My personal life was a mess and I was unhealthy and overworked. I just wanted to have a better balance between my emotional and personal life and my work." Plans for recording the band's new album were put on hold as other band members indulged in solo projects while Coates backpacked through India to be as far away from music as possible. Upon her return, she promises she won't be getting all Beatles on us with any new instruments, rather simply continuing along the musical journey of The Audreys in a far more positive frame of mind. "I think they're some of the best songs we've ever written, so I'm feeling really good about it," Coates says of their current work. "I don't know about that old idea that you only make good records when you're really depressed and fucked up, and when you you're feeling really good, they suck. But there are still sad songs in there. I had lots to draw from." Coates and fellow Audreys staple Tristan Goodall are currently completing their first tour as a duo, as a bit of a break from time spent in studio. Their run will end at the Bird In Hand Winery in Woodside, a town which has a very fond place in Coates' heart. "I still have a house there, along the road heading towards Charleston. I just hope the people living there at the moment are watering my plants." This will be the first time Taasha and Trsitan have officially play without the band, though fans familiar with The Audreys live show will know the pair often grace the stage with a stripped back cover or two during the performance. It's become somewhat of a signature for the band, and something Coates is keen to continue. "On both our previous album tours, Tristan and I would come out, just the two of us at some time during the show and play a cover, and it was a different cover every night. Then at the end of the tour, we do just a show with the two of us where we play all the covers from the tour. So our first tour was 27 dates, which meant 27 covers. Our second tour was a little shorter, but there we got people to request the songs and write which show they were going to be at. So before a show we'd look at the list and pick one and when we got up to do it we'd say, 'thanks to so-and-so for requesting this song' and you'd always hear a little squeal from the audience." This time round, covers shouldn't be the only songs to get such a reaction with the pair ready to try out some of their new material in what will undoubtedly be a perfect setting, indoors amongst the wine barrels at Bird In Hand. Coates is quick to reiterate just how refreshed she feels in the recording the new songs. "We're taking it pretty easy (in studio). When we get in there, we do long days but we try not to work every day because you can get a bit of 'studio fever'. We work really well with Shane (O'Mara, the album producer) so there's no pressure to nail the first take or anything, which is a good feeling. It's also nice that after so long, you trust one another. If you're not embarrassed and you trust the people you're with then you'll be more confident about trying new things and if it doesn't work then you can say 'that was fucked, oh well at least we gave it a go'." With the new album due in October, fans won't have too much longer to wait to have The Audreys back on the touring scene, something Coates admittedly has slight trepidation towards. "The problem of course with being a musician is that people can hop online and find out where you are on any given evening. If you're touring it's perfect for stalkers. Do you want me to put my flight itinerary online as well and you can meet me at the airport?" Taasha & Tristan will be at Bird In Hand Winery on Fri 4 June.  |
Issue 495
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