Interview: Robert Muinos

Perhaps better known in Melbourne music circles as the guitarist in Melbourne’s 9 piece soul-rock group Saskwatch, Robert Muinos also performs with garage rock collective Dorsal Fins and now to top that off, the seemingly tireless Muinos has just released his first solo single, showcasing his own talents as a singer-songwriter.

Earlier this year and in the midst of a busy tour, Muinos persuaded a few of his Saskwatch bandmates to forgo a highly anticipated week long break to head back into the studio to help record his forthcoming debut EP.

Having done the hard yards touring both nationally and internationally, Robert felt that the time was right for greater introspection and his single, I Was Dreaming, captures the sound of a musician forged, not depleted by time on the road.            

It’s been an exhausting schedule and it comes as no great surprise when Muinos mentions that he has just spent a whole weekend in bed recovering, during our recent phone conversation. Having just returned from Big Sound, where both Saskwatch and Dorsal Fins performed, the performer is understandably enjoying some downtime before turning his focus to a run of solo shows.

Robert: “I’ve tried to write music for both Saskwatch and Dorsal Fins before and it always comes out really shit (laughs). I love the music that I play with them [Saskwatch, Dorsal Fins], but whenever I’ve had those great moments where a song comes out of me it’s always been a folk thing. I never made a conscious decision to write music like this, it just happened and it got to the point where I just thought, if this is what’s going to happen every time I write a song it must be for a reason so I should just go with it and see what happens."

With a strong alt-country feel, you can almost hear the kilometers rolling by in the drums and bass line that accompany I Was Dreaming. Late nights and hangovers run deep in a yearning harmonica while the Rob’s vocal melody seems to search for something naively optimistic. It’s a change of direction for the performer, but not completely out of left field.

Robert: “For me this is my chance to be the boss, which is nice. The single and the EP were recorded with Ed, the drummer from Saskwatch, but as far as the live band goes its Jim Lawrie on drums. I wanted him because we’d just done a tour together and we get along really well. We used to go to each other’s gigs all the time and became really good friends. You want to make music with people that you love.”

The theme of love plays a prevalent role in the film clip for I Was Dreaming and Makers is happy to hear the young singer speak highly of his fellow musicians. There’s praise for drummer Lawrie, who also sidelines in Dorsal Fins, as well as mates in Eagle and The Worm and The Bamboos. Muinos assures us that the Melbourne music scene is for the main part a nurturing and supportive industry.

 Robert: “We’re all just putting music out there for people to hear and for the public to decide whether they like it. I think that there are lots of people out there that have a kind of, competitive vibe when it comes to playing music. I just find it fucking weird. What’s the point in being competitive about it? Just be supportive of the whole scene.”

While he may be proudly supporting his fellow bandmates, Makers can’t help but wonder how accommodating the mainstream music industry is when it comes to up and coming musicians like Rob. With record contracts now few and far between, more and more artists are independently releasing albums, paying for production and studio sessions out of their own pockets.

It’s a hard slog, but for Robert the rewards are paying off ten fold. “It feels good. I think some people like it [the single] and some people think it’s ok. It was pretty scary before but now that it’s released I’m just letting it do its own thing. I did my best to raise the kid and now it’s going to have to look after itself, I’m letting him be free.”

Robert Muinos launches his debut single I Was Dreaming on Thursday October 16th at The Old Bar in Fitzroy.

Buy 'I Was Dreaming' here: https://itunes.apple.com/au/album/i-was-dreaming-single/id914983483 I WAS DREAMING was written by Robert Muinos Produced by Magoo and Robert https://www.facebook.com/robertmuinosmusic https://soundcloud.com/robertmuinos https://www.triplejunearthed.com/artist/robert-muinos Directed by Jacintho Muinos

Interview: Eliza Hull

It’s been a little over a year since Makers last caught up with Musician Eliza Hull, not surprising when you consider how busy she’s been over the past twelve months.

In 2013 the talented singer/songwriter released her sophomore EP The Ghosts You Never Catch and spent time touring in both Europe and the USA, not to mention performances with Owl Eyes and SAFIA.

This Saturday the 20th of September will see Eliza launching her brand new single at The Toff In Town. Produced by Hayden Calnin, Caught is the first track lifted off the forthcoming The Bones Of Us (due for release in early 2015).

 On the eve of her launch night at The Toff, Makers took 5 minutes with Eliza Hull to catch up on what’s been happening since we last spoke in 2013.

Hey Eliza, it’s been a while since we caught up with you and it sounds like a lot has been happening! What have been the biggest changes and challenges over the past year?

I put out my sophomore EP The Ghosts You Never Catch late last year, toured a little with that and also had a couple of American TV syncs for my song ‘Echoes’ which was a dream come true. Mostly this year I have been working on my debut album The Bones Of Us.  Every spare moment was spent at my producer’s (Hayden Calnin) home studio, it is finally finished which is exciting.

Last year I also travelled overseas where I performed in Europe and The U.S. and that was extremely surreal.  It’s funny because I almost forgot what the last year has included; it’s been a good year!

Please tell us about the writing and recording process behind your debut album, The Bones Of Us.

A lot of the songs I wrote on my own just with my keyboard. The inspiration was sparked really quickly. I began writing as soon as I finished the EP. Some of them I co-write with other artists including Ainslie Wills, Texture Like Sun and UK songwriter Tim Gordine.

The title comes from the exposure I feel the album projects; it’s the bones of us, the showing of everything. From stories of love, relationships, and about learning to accept myself, one song in particular is titled ‘Army’ and talks about how sometimes we can be our own worst critic, we can be a war against ourselves and sometimes in order to let someone else in we must first let ourselves in.

I worked with local producer Hayden Calnin on all of the songs. That was an easy process; we work really well together and bounce off each other.

You just mentioned that you’ve spent time playing in both Europe and the USA, How did foreign audiences react to your music and were there any standout gigs from your time abroad? 

I loved performing overseas. Two shows that stand out were actually unexpected gigs, the first one was at The London History Museum, and I won a competition to perform there for their opening night. It was a real shock, very surreal to be at the top of the stairs in this amazing historical London building singing to five hundred people! Another, I performed in Central Park in New York; this was an improvised gig as I found a piano and decided to do a set. I had a huge crowd and lots of tourists taking photos thinking it was a real live performance!

You’ll be launching your new single Caught, at The Toff this coming Saturday night. What can we expect from the show?

New songs, as well as special guests live on stage with me. It is going to be a very special show and I have supports from two of my favourite Melbourne artists Texture Like Sun and Lanks.

Finally, what does Eliza Hull get up to when she’s not writing, recording or performing, how do you spend your free time?

I work in a juvenile detention centre teaching music, and work with homeless youth in St Kilda teaching music and English. I’m currently studying and… I’m also pregnant! I am having a baby due in February 2015, so at the moment I ‘m pretty occupied.

I also love writing poetry and catching up with friends at cafes. I could spend everyday at my local Melbourne café writing and drinking coffee.  

Eliza Hull launches the single, ‘Caught’ at The Toff In Town this Saturday 20th September, supported by Texture Like Sun and Lanks.Tickets are available through: The Toff In Town .