A QUICK DOZEN with DEVYN JUPP & JACKSON MACLEOD of SHANGRILA

A QUICK DOZEN with DEVYN JUPP & JACKSON MACLEOD of SHANGRILA
By Shane Pinnegar

According to a recent press release, Perth’s WAM song of the year nominees Shangrila have made an impassioned return for 2019. Bursting forth from the melodic alt-rock territory they’ve been making themselves more than comfortable and renowned within since the release of 2018’s Love and Leaving EP, Shangrila’s latest shares a snapshot of a band fully in possession of a strong musical identity.

New single Fade Away is a song that deals with the struggles of mental health issues and the importance of having a support network rallying for one’s growth and healing, ‘Fade Away’ strikes hard with energy and emotion powering the soaring vocal notes of Devyn Jupp, the pulsating rhythms from Ben Ferguson (bass) and Dan Harper (drums) and the urgency of Jackson Macleod and Lyndsay Antica’s guitar work. “This song touches on issues that all people go through in this life; we want people to know that they are not alone and we are all on this journey together,” explained guitarist Jackson Macleod.

With a band history stretching back almost a decade, the evolution of Shangrila is one that has been constant and ever intriguing. Theirs is a sound that has become textured and marked by melodic pop-punk and indie-rock flavours over the last few years, reflecting the band’s shared tastes and strong sense of individualism in style. The release of their debut EP Love and Leaving and subsequent headline dates and shows supporting the likes of Trophy Eyes and Gyroscope proved the perfect introduction to the band’s new sonic path, one that was well-released by industry and their fans alike.

Cut from the same WA cloth as the likes of Karnivool, Tired Lion, Shangrila now find themselves occupying space in the same arena as Trophy Eyes, Slowly Slowly and Alexisonfire. One driven by raw emotion and an impulsive and addictive musical delivery.

Bringing the intensely personal nature of ‘Fade Away’ to life on screen, Shangrila worked with filmmaker Ross Metcalf on the creation of the song’s official music video. Filmed across Northbridge and Perth, the final result shines a light on the relief and support found in feelings of darkness and isolation. “The music video tells a story of a young man struggling with everything life is throwing at him, and how he confides in someone he loves, and finds some safety in that love,” added Jackson.

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?

Jackson: ‘Fade Away” is a song that touches on certain emotions that most people will experience at some stage throughout their lives. This song is made from the raw energy that is behind all feelings of anxiety and vulnerability and how being able to confide in someone that cares for you can have such a huge positive impact on your life. This track has no hidden nuggets. We wanted to give our old and new listeners something new and powerful to be immersed in as they listened to it. This is definitely one of the heavier tracks you will be hearing from us!

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

Devyn: I think the first memory of me actually paying proper attention to music was when me and my sister got Hanson’s ‘Middle of Nowhere’ album for Christmas when we were probably 6. That was the first time id ever sat down and listened to a complete album and appreciated all the instrumentation and singing and more than just the radio single (although MMMbop did get an absolute thrashing). I can’t really pinpoint the exact moment I wanted to be a musician but i was about 12-13 when I decided I wanted to play guitar – probably because I wasn’t any good at sports haha.

3. Who would be your main five musical influences?

Jackson: My top five biggest musical influences all came into my life at an early age. My parents have always been very passionate about music and it rubbed off on me as soon as they showed me the U2 Rattle and Hum DVD at the age of 6. My top five influences would have to be the following;

Red Hot Chilli Peppers
Limp Bizkit
U2
Kings of Leon
and Last but not least Slipknot!

Although these aren’t bands that I still listen to on a daily basis, these are all bands that completely swept me off my feet and had me jumping around the living room with a tennis racket when i heard them for the first time.

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

Devyn: There’s so many people i’d love to work with, even just here in Perth but if we’re talking big league; Producer would probably Max Martin because well… just google his resume haha. In terms of artists it would be Avril Lavigne, I’ve just got a soft spot for her voice and a good sing along and man she got some absolute belters.

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

Devyn: I always get stuck with this one, especially at work or family events with awkward distant relatives. I usually say we are Alternative Rock and then if they ask me for an example and they are young-ish i’ll say Bring Me The Horizon (because regular people finally know about them now haha) and if they are older i just make something up because chances are they are just being polite and they won’t look it up haha.

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

Jackson: Being able to truly express ourselves with more than just words and having the opportunity to create an experience for people. There is nothing more satisfying for us as musicians then writing a song like ‘Fade Away’ and having people tell us they could feel exactly what we were singing about or that they could feel the exact energy we put into the song at a specific moment.

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?

Devyn: Most occasions are at my house so I usually cook a barbecue. Jackson has a child like obsession with Straw-pedos (where you put a straw in the top of a stubbie so you can skull it in 3-4 seconds) so id say him for drinks haha. I think we’d banish a band member for pulling out an acoustic guitar haha nobody has time for that while hanging out.

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

Jackson: Such a hard question to answer as its all ive ever wanted to be or do. I guess if I could choose anything in the world in the world i would love to be able to make my own short films. I love sitting up late at night and watching the “staff picks” on Vimeo and getting inspired by people’s visual creations.

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”?

Jackson: I honestly feel like myself and Devyn would have the exact same answer to this question and that would be to do with our first band “Common Bond”. We were very young and things happened very fast for us in that band and looking back I often wish we trusted our own judgement more. Everything really does happen for a reason and with out all of those extremely important (and expensive) learning curves we wouldn’t be here making music today.

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

Jackson: I love this question so much i don’t even know where to begin. I’d probably start small with the basics like making it a world law that parking fines don’t exist at all, making doctors appointments free and pints of beer were never more than $5.

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?

Devyn: I know there’s so many super legendary albums in famous studios that i will get crucified for not choosing and this question had me stumped for an hour but… I think I’d go back to Linkin Park’s Meteora album, just because that album changed music for me. It was the first time id heard anything that emotionally driven and heavy. I wouldn’t even do anything haha maybe ring out some of those big chords on guitar or play the piano riff for ‘In The End’ but it would just be awesome to feel that energy in the room and obviously get the chance to meet the late Chester Bennington.

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

Devyn: Phwoar… I’d first like to thank Jackson for leaving me this question to answer (jerk). I honestly have no idea what im doing here, it’s definitely not to work 9-5, it’s definitely not to sit around on social media until it’s time to go to sleep and start again. I think ultimately we’ve just got to find those moments of joy in life and work towards making them happen as much as possible.

 

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Category: Interviews