Chords for Jungle Giants Interview

Hey guys, Sarah here with Sam from the Jungle Giants.
Welcome.
Now, most of your [A] band members all went to the same high school, yeah?
Yeah, we all did, yeah.
And how did you guys figure out that you wanted to make music together?
Um, well, actually, we were at Mansfield, I'll just [Gbm] say this, we were at 4122 Mansfield State High.
[Em] Represent.
Shut [Eb] up.
Um, we [A] were all in the same music classes.
I was a grade above.
You're like the cool [Am] older dude.
I'm such a cool guy, I'm in with new kids.
So I [Eb] met Andrew, our bass player, he didn't [B] play bass at the time, but I met him at a
party and he was just like, singing songs and then, um, I remember there was just like
a couple people sitting around and I was listening to his songs and they were really cool and
then so when it came time to [Gbm] get the band going I just was [Am] like, can you play bass?
He [Cm] was like, nope.
I was like, do you want to?
Can you learn?
Um, and then Sarah, I met Sarah because she was like this really reclusive, uh, like she
[Dm] came to school late, I think she started in like grade 10 [D] or 11 and then she didn't
like [Dm] make an effort to make any friends, maybe she was too shy, but she would just go into
one of the rooms in the music block and then just play guitar [F] all the time.
And then like, I think Andrew started talking to her and was like, she's pretty cool and
she's good at guitar and then eventually I met her and Kielin was just like this, uh,
fun time, good times guy that happened to play drums at the time.
So [Dm] when I left school, [A] I had all these songs together and I asked them all if they wanted
to be in the band and everyone said keen, which is cool.
So while they were [E] finishing school, um, [Am] there was like eight months left and I realized
I needed, I needed $6 [Eb],000 to do the first EP when I got [A] a job at 9L convenience store
and a job [Bb] at McDonald's and then [A] I worked like 60, 70 hours a week.
I was getting paid crap, but I just like got it over with and I was [C] like doing these weird
little things like during work, I would just be writing down how much I'm [E] getting paid
this hour, how much I'm getting paid this week.
[Cm] And then one day after all these months of doing it, I tallied up how much I had in my
bank account and it was like $6 [C],020 and I was like, we made it.
And then so I quit that day.
[Dm] Amazing.
Look where you are now.
Yeah.
I'm in a boardroom doing business.
[Am] Since the beginning, how has your songwriting process changed?
[A] From the very start, um, it all was, it was all acoustic and then slowly [C] things would
start coming on [A] when we started recording like, Hey, why don't we try electric guitar?
And that was like the very [F] start.
And then after a couple of years I started learning production programs like [A] Cubase and
Logic and things like that.
Um, a little bit of Pro Tools, but I suck at that.
[B] And so it kind of transformed into just from the guitar into the phone, singing, [Am] recording.
Then I was essentially doing that, but in a program so I could listen back, put [A] things
on it, which was really fun.
[E] And that was like the first record.
So then I had [A] my own like demos.
This record, I just tried [Eb] something completely different again.
[D] That was just trying to do like a nine to five [A] thing.
And like it changed my life forever.
I went on this dumb writing trip to Paris.
I spent all my money and then I got there and I like spent four days trying to write
anything and I couldn't because I was like, I don't feel like writing.
[E] I'm all the way in Paris and I feel like I have to.
And I don't speak any French and I forgot to get like an English to French dictionary.
So I had a very hard time.
But so what I did, I just like, uh, [Bb] I kind of just went, okay, you know what?
Screw writing songs [E] here.
I know I came here for that, but I'm just going to like do other things.
[A] And then so like hired a bike and like rode around.
Get some inspiration.
Went to some bars or whatever.
And then I [B] just kind of was like, I'm just going to read a book maybe.
And then in the Airbnb I was staying at, there was like [Am] heaps of books and I just started reading.
And [B] after a couple of books, I finally landed on this one book, which was called A Call
to Arms by Ernest Hemingway.
[Bb] Really cool book.
Best book I ever read at the time.
Like it really [Cm] got me into reading again since I was a kid.
And, uh, yeah, there was just something about the book that I found really inspiring and
I'm [Ab] thinking of it less like a book, but more of like a, [Dm] a really cool way that he's put
all the things together to make it, you know, he's teasing it here.
And it was a really good arrangement and I'd never really like that hadn't impressed upon
me before with a book.
[E] So I kind of got the inspiration I was [A] looking for just from a book instead of writing.
So that kind of did this cool thing for me to just started researching it the same way.
And it just so happened that he wrote like this whole [E] essay on how to write better.
That's handy.
Yeah.
And like [A] how to deal with this stuff.
And like, if you're not having a good [E] time, well, try this.
And [G] then, so he wrote this essay and it was all [A] about, uh, instead of looking at writing
music as this romantic God given [C] musey thing that just happens, then you just, you know,
it's something apart from you, you know, it's saying, shut up to that idea.
And it's saying, it's, you have to work, you have [Bb] to be working and [B] it's you just creating
opportunities for yourself.
[Cm] Quiet Frostity, what should fans be expecting from this?
Fans can expect like, uh, uh, just, uh, just the coolest, the best production we've ever done.
I just reckon it's, [Dm] it's way more, it's just a realized whole record.
I'm really happy with the production and I guess just bangers.
It's just, yeah.
Banger after banger.
[A] No, like I feel for this one, we're all, we're, we all really, really like the songs.
We like what we did with the songs and we love the production and the record has a certain
flow that, um, we didn't, um, we didn't expect, but it came together.
So I just think it was like a, yeah.
So something clicked with the record.
So people can expect, um, a nice record.
How would you describe your perfect live show?
An endless rider with ping pong tables [E] backstage.
Uh, all of our best friends ever.
Uh, we get dropped off by helicopter, [A] um, right before, two minutes before the set.
We could be drinking backstage, get picked up by helicopter, drop.
Just to go the couple of meters.
[E] Yeah.
Um, but yeah, you know, like, uh, I guess good live show to me and [A] something that makes
it a good live show is, uh, not too regiment, like, like just [E] things happen.
But there was one, one of my favorite shows we ever played was we did like this smaller
show in Sydney was Oxford Arts Factory.
I fell into the crowd.
I was like a bit drunk and then I was singing and I tumbled all the way forward and I like
nearly [E] did a flip.
And then, um, as I [G] fell in, people were trying to help me up.
And then my, the mic came with me and my brother was there and he'd been living in Berlin and
I hadn't seen him like a year and a half.
And he was there and he took the mic [E] and he was like, Sam, it's me, Steven.
And then I was like, [Am] what the hell are you doing here, man?
And like the [E] band was still playing, but then they kind of just [A] like quietened down and
turned it into a jam.
And it was just the funniest, everyone was laughing so hard.
It was the funniest thing.
And he was really drunk.
So he was like, it's so good to see you, man. So good.
I was like, [G] Steven, I need the mic.
I need it.
I'm in the middle [E] of a thing right now.
I need to keep the gig going.
He's like, [A] okay, see you afterwards.
It was so good.
What is your dream rider?
If you could [Cm] have anything in the world.
I like to keep it simple, like really nice cheese and meat.
Is that keeping it simple?
[Dm] Nice, yeah.
A nice platter, maybe some sandwiches, a [Eb] bunch of good booze, [Dm] _ something for everyone.
Espresso [D] martinis, pre-made would be nice.
Like the ones in jars, the really hipster ones or like ready to go in a shaker.
Shaker.
[E] And I'd like to have, actually, I'd love to have like a butler, like a sexy butler, just making drinks.
Just keep it [A] simple.
And then ping pong.
What is one record that changed your life?
A record that got me super, super, duper, [B] uber, uber into writing at [A] least was Mirama
Forever Ago by Bon Iver.
But [Am] I can also say, [A] what was that first record by Cloud Control?
I don't know, it's cold anymore.
It's been ages.
[E] But that Cloud Control first record also [Eb] changed everything for me.
I remember, so I was listening to that Bon Iver record that made me want to write [G] music for short.
So I was [B] like playing around with acoustic guitars.
But then [Cm] that first Cloud Control record, I should look it up.
Must have really changed your life.
It did though.
But like, it just like, what it did was it made me want to like [Dm] put electric guitars
in the songs.
And I was like, we should get [A] some drums.
Like, it was like, yeah, it was like, [D] it just, everything made sense from that.
So I realized that you could take acoustic songs and make it bandy.
What is one thing your mom doesn't know about you?
My mom?
Yeah.
Oh, a million things.
Here's one thing.
I [A] remember one lie.
I was just telling you how before the band started, I was working those two jobs.
[Gbm] She doesn't know how I, she thought I quit [Am] McDonald's.
But actually there was one day when I realized I had enough money, I just stopped going.
[E] And then, uh, you just didn't [Cm] turn up the shifts.
And they just kept calling and [Am] they kept calling all the time.
And I just like put my [Ab] phone down every time.
It's an annoying ex.
[E] Like, get the message.
And then so I got fired.
So like I could say my employment history looks really [A] bad.
She doesn't know this.
She probably wouldn't like to know it, but I guess she wouldn't care either.
Just make sure she doesn't watch the interview.
Yes.
Yes.
Hey, I'm Sam from The Jungle Giants and you're watching