TWENTY BIG ONES WITH MICHAEL GABRIEL, THE QUIXOTICS

TWENTY BIG ONES WITH MICHAEL GABRIEL, THE QUIXOTICS
By Shane Pinnegar

Fremantle’s eclectic indie rockers The Quixotics (pronounced Quick-zotics, though influenced by Miguel de Cervantes’ stories of the whimsical Don Quixote) released their sixth album New World State Of Mind earlier this year, so we got Michael Gabriel to tackle Twenty Big Ones for us. Take it away, Michael…

1. How long have the band been together, what’s the lineup and how would you describe what you do?

The real core of The Quixotics has been together about 8 years now, since Hannah Smillie from The Psychotic Reactions joined us on bass. My son Gabe is the drummer and he was about ten years old when he played his first live gig with me. We recorded two albums at home in that line up and the new album in a great studio called Poons Head. Our newest addition has been Aaron Powell on second guitar. He only played a little on this album. His first gig was our single launch for See Saw in Fremantle. The Quixotics was always my song writing vehicle and goes back further with various members and was quite jammy. As it has developed with a stable line up the songs have got more crafted and refined. The underlying essence of trippy melodic guitar pop rock with a little swagger still haunts the sound.

2. 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?

We are very excited about this new album ’New World State of Mind’ since it was an opportunity to transcend the home studio and explore an amazingly equipped studio with a very experienced engineer producer to help us bring the best out of the latest songs. There’s a lot that can go wrong in a recording to frustrate the outcome but very happy to report everything all along the way had gone right. Its been magical from start to finish in terms of the music although there was one tragedy. Dear friend and extraordinary musician Simon Cox was playing session keys for us and sadly during this period after completing 4 songs he sadly passed away. While in shock I ended up writing the song All Day Lonely for him and his family which we ended up recording and including on the album as a tribute.

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

My father was a musician and my folks loved to go see live bands and take me when I was very young. They also had a lot of younger friends including musicians so there were many gatherings at our family home with the guitars and piano going. Couple of these musos started teaching me guitar and it bloomed from there. Also I got caught up with older musicians especially an indigenous artist and mentor Merv Graham. Never missed his gigs or rehearsals and just hanging around jamming but i don’t recall the actual moment i wanted to be a musician. It just grew organically.

4. What is it about music that makes you feel passionate?

A couple of things. Because I grew up jamming a lot I’m very comfortable improvising on a guitar and very recently we had a live gig and one song I just decided to keep it going and the band were bewildered at first then joined in with me and improvised some music on the fly to a live audience. Those moments are thrilling but conversely now I think I’m most passionate about crafting a good inspired song and recording it. I’m really proud of this new album and I get a buzz from feeling we nailed the songs.

5. Who would be your main five musical influences?

Grew up heavily into the blues so mostly black music but at the top of that list would be Jimi Hendrix. Think I’ve got about thirty Rolling Stones albums so they were huge influence too. Eventually I succumbed to the Beatles song writing prowess along with Neil Young and I’d throw Louis Armstrong and Bob Marley in there. Too many to be pinned down to five !

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

Many of my musical heroes are gone. Of those alive Paul McCartney would be cool.

7. How would you describe your music to someone who’d never listened to you before? What is the one comparison a reviewer or fan has made that made you cringe or you disagreed with?

Well I guess you could say melodic indie guitar music with a trippy touch. Male lead vocals with engaging lyrics and catchy female harmonies from Hannah over a beat with Charlie Watts swing.

8. What is your favourite activity or hobby outside of music – what do you like to do to unwind?

Painting. Attended Curtin Uni to study fine arts and also my dad was a painter, so I guess I’m still following in his footsteps.

 

 

9. Do you have a best and/or worst performance anecdote you’d like to share, and if things do go awry during a show, how do you try to turn it around?

I was pretty nervous leading up to our first single [See Saw] launch for this album. Had recently got acquainted with Darren Payne from The Hybrid Warehouse who admired us as really wanted us to do the launch in his venue. We had severe doubts as it was an untested live venue with a tiny stage and as yet no PA, it has a tin roof and it was the middle of winter. After he enlarged the stage and kept requesting we play there we then relented.

His new PA arrived the day before the gig and we prayed there would be no rainstorms on that tin roof. With a week to go Darren expressed concern there were only 5 pre sale tickets sold! All I could say was that most of our crew [we hoped] would pay at the door. Super stoked to say a hundred punters turned up which was a full house there so we were all really stoked with how it all went. Sometimes you just got to go for it and take some risks for the rewards. If things don’t go to plan during a show take your time don’t panic, stay in the moment and improvise around the dilemma. Maintain your sense of humour – most audiences are forgiving if you keep it real.

10. What’s the best piece of advice another musician ever gave you?

I recall chatting to Johnny Diesel when we were quite young after seeing him perform many times. After commenting on how I noticed his voice had really improved he said to me ‘you know it’s like any other muscles, you need to use it a lot, just keep exercising it.’ So I guess that seems obvious like just saying practice a lot. But I also recall another friend who never sang at all then just flowered eventually into a great singer. So maybe there’s hope for us all! Keep going!

11. Do you follow a process or ritual before a performance to get rid of nerves or performance anxiety?

I mostly like to find a quiet space prior to performing. So it’s tricky sometimes at venues where there is no backstage room and you are the third or fourth band on and lots of friends are there and you are just chatting so much you worry you will lose your voice. But it always works out ok, I don’t think I’ve ever lost my voice totally even when it feels like a struggle early you can push through. Prior to hitting the stage I do try to warm up the voice a little though.

12. When was the last time you were starstruck and who was it?

I’m not really the starstruck kind of guy. But quite recently while at a cafe I realised I was sitting next to Mark McEntee and his wife Melanie. Mark played guitar and composed for the legendary Aussie band The Divinyls. They did some amazing stuff internationally too. It was cool to have a chat with them and fortunately an old bass player friend of mine and theirs rolled up too so that meant they didn’t need to consider me as a weird fan stalker or something after introductions were complete.

13. What’s the best thing about being a musician? If you could no longer be a musician for whatever reason, what would be your dream job?

Probably really just being able to participate and explore and discover the endless possibilities within the language of music including with other musicians. The same can be said of painting, though that for me is less collaborative. An alternate dream job traveling the world doing art while seeing some of the great galleries this planet has to offer.

 

 

14. 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?

My partner Sue is a great cook! Sue is not a musician but is a great music lover and adores feeding the band. The entire time recording the new album Sue would roll up to the studio at dinner time with enough delicious dinner for all. Aaron is pretty dependable on the drink supplies and I guess he’s also pretty good at getting the guitars started.

15. 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” even if it didn’t change your current situation??

Way back we had a pretty successful local band so we thought we would all move to Sydney and did. We had some amazing adventures and great opportunities, [but] blew a lot of opportunities usually by just turning them down if we didn’t think they were for us… so, no regrets there and that’s probably par for the course for many music careers. The one that I ponder though was an offer to record for free with a producer from a great Aussie label and we ended up saying no, and I think it was for fear of getting ripped off or being precious about the songs at the time. That one was crazy because it was exactly the reason we went East for – opportunities like that. And as for the songs, I’ve written so many since that it now strikes me as silly to have been so precious at the time. Fear of success? Who knows?

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

Corporations, your time to pay real taxes has arrived. Spread the wealth, clean up the environment. [And a] universal living wage for all – especially the creative arts sectors.

17. What is your favourite rock n’ roll movie, and why?

There’s so many good ones out there! One that comes to mind is Neil Young’s Heart of Gold. I recently scored it on DVD for Christmas from my son, who recalls when he was little me always taking the DVD out of the local library. I watched it so many times. Upon release I went to see it at the cinema with my father, so nice memories too and brilliant onstage Nashville performance by Young and company at the Ol’ Opry playing Hank Williams’ old guitar. Gold.

18. Talking about songwriting, where do you think the magic comes from?

Of the two schools of thought between working at it even if you’re not in the mood versus waiting for inspiration, I’m firmly in the inspiration camp. That’s worked for me – maybe not for everyone. I’m happy to not write for ages, then songs will just appear in a flurry when it’s time. My art studies researched the processes espoused by Surrealism which lean heavily toward the sub conscious or dream states or accident or automatic writing and irrationality that short circuits the logical mind. The origins of songwriting for me is like that, it starts from the irrational and mysterious.

19. 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?

Any Jimi Hendrix album. Lets say Electric Ladyland, the double album. Jimi’s third and final album. Amazing mixture of sounds and songs by my favourite guitarist including the heaviest of electric blues featuring a young Steve Winwood on organ jamming out on Voodoo Chile. Powerful stuff from the greatest of innovators.

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

Respect and protect nature which we are a part of and rely heavily upon. Realising everyone at some point in life really suffers losses, so feeling gratitude when going ok and trying to foster healthy relationships and life. Music and art can assist with that, being the soul food that it is. Its not enough to be clever. The heart has to be open and courageous too, like your art. Its a work in progress.

 

https://www.facebook.com/quixoticman
https://www.instagram.com/quixotics_band/#
https://michaelgabrielandthequixotics.bandcamp.com/

 

 

Category: Interviews