A QUICK DOZEN WITH MATT COLLINS, THIS TIME ONLY

Shane | 22 November 2018 | Reply

A QUICK DOZEN WITH MATT COLLINS, THIS TIME ONLY
By Shane Pinnegar

Best described as ‘Suburban punk’ Sydney 4 piece This Time Only dropped their second single ‘Marco Ave’ last Friday and we go them to answer the quick dozen – I LOVE these Q’s – so well thought through with both personal and telling a story. Hope you dig!

“I can’t say that I care, even if that’s unfair…” It’s a striking lash of honesty that sticks out upon the first listen of ‘Marco Avenue’. Lead vocalist Matt Collins goes in head-first, plunging into memories and experiences passed and presenting a tight, honest final result. “The song centres around a park where we used to hang out as kids. It’s a look back on the relationships we had in the past that have deteriorated has we have grown and moved away from the local area we grew up in. It’s significant to us because it’s our youth, and were at an age now where those things are getting further and further away from us”. This Time Only

Recorded in Sydney, and produced by Clayton Segelov, ‘Marco Avenue’ is This Time Only at their most refined yet. Working in this capacity with one another has strengthened the band and with this EP in the pipeline for release in the near future, This Time Only are in a very exciting position moving forward.

“Suburban punk played with a lot of energy and a lot of heart,” said Triple J’s, Dom Alessio – so we got singer & rhythm guitarist Matt Collins to stand by for a grilling with our Quick Dozen.

1. Tell us a little about your latest release. Are there any hidden nuggets the band put in the material that only diehard fans might pick up on?

Our latest release is a punchy track written about a park where we all used to hang out as kids. It’s a kind of reflection back to those days, as we have now all gotten older and moved away. The park in itself serves as a metaphor for our youth and days now far behind us.

2. What got you into music, and can you tell us about the moment you realised you wanted to be a musician?

My dad would be responsible, however there is no real moment. My dad used to play tapes & videos of all his favourite music constantly, so my brother and I were always surrounded by rock music. It was pretty much drilled into as from such a young age, that we were always going to end up as musos.

3. Who would be your main musical influences?

My dad – without him I may have never picked up a guitar.
Queen – Their showmanship was something as a kid I was in awe of. The diversity of their song writing is also inspiring, as it taught me you don’t have to pigeon hole yourself into a genre, just because people think that’s the type of band you are.
The Smith Street Band – Poetic lyrics and frantic punk music blended perfectly together was something that blew me away about these guys. It also helped me personally to embrace my Aussie accent when singing, as it was something I was embarrassed of as a kid. I used to try and mask it and Smithies gave me the confidence to be myself vocally.

4. If you could call in any one collaborator to do a song with, who would it be?

I would live to work with Nat Foster from Press Club. I have seen them play 4 or 5 times now, and her energy and stage presence is phenomenal. I’d love to get in the studio with her and see what amazing tracks we could come up with.

5. How would you describe your music to someone who’d never listened to you before?

Our music is storytelling set to the tune of punchy punk tunes. Songs you can relate with and music to get you jacked.

6. What’s the best thing about being a musician?

I love the whole concept of taking an idea that exists solely in my head then turning it into something real and tangible in the world. The music you make can affect people in so many ways, physically and emotionally, it’s kind of like making real-life magic and I love it.

7. When the band are all hanging out together, who cooks; who gets the drinks in; and who is first to crack out the acoustic guitars for a singalong?

Dan & Matt are usually the first with the beers. We don’t really cook together. Despite our drummer Mark not knowing how to play a guitar, he can often be seen strumming open strings and singing whatever he feels like. He’s always wanted to be a lead singer haha.

8. If you weren’t a musician, what would be your dream job?

If I wasn’t a muso I’d want to be something around the industry, like a guitar or drum tech for touring artists.

9. Looking back over your career, is there a single moment or situation you feel was a misstep, or you would like to be able to “do over”?

No not really, any “mistakes” we made have all been valuable learning experiences and have made us better musicians in the long run. I wouldn’t change any of that.

10. If you were made ruler of the world, what would your first orders be?

I would make reality talent TV shows (X Factor etc.) illegal. That shit needs to go.

11. If you could magically go back in time and be a part of the recording sessions for any one record in history, which would you choose – and what does that record mean to you?

I would really love to sit in on What It Is to burn – Finch. This is one of my favourite albums of all time. I love how raw it sounds, as if the guys just jumped into the studio and smashed out some killer performances and laid it down. Some of Nate Barcalow’s vocal performances on that album were insane, so I would love to see those takes in real-time.

12. What, for you, is the meaning of life??

Wow, these questions got deep really quick. Life is about finding what you love and doing it every day. I feel very lucky that music found me, and that I found some friends who are passionate about creating it as I am.