Snake Bite Whisky are proving Rock Is Not Dead!
The heart of Australia’s rock scene is set to beat louder and stronger this February as the Rock Is Not Dead Festival rolls into The Koala Tavern, Capalaba Qld on February 1st. Organised by the passionate Rock Is Not Dead group, this event will be a celebration of Aussie rock culture with a fierce determination to revive our Rock music scene. We caught up with Australian Sleaze rock band Snake Bite Whisky’s Jay R to see what punters can do to support the cause, who they want to share the stage with at Rock Is Not Dead and what fans can expect from their set.
You are one of the acts announced for the the very first Rock Is Not Dead Festival happening in Capalaba, Queensland on the 1st of February. Are you looking forward to joining this all-Australian Rock line-up?
Hell yeah! It’s a real honour to be picked to perform with so many other great Australian bands and to take part in an event that hopefully will become a fixture on the festival circuit.
Rock Is Not Dead aims to raise awareness of the amazing Rock bands and talent we have in Australia, do you think events like this are important in supporting the growth and recognition of the genre?
Definitely, this is the country that gave the world AC/DC and Airbourne and the current crop of Aussie rock bands are just as good but the mainstream media has switched off to the fact that there is a new wave of Australian rock bands (that encompass multiple styles). If you look at the UK with the new wave of classic rock movement that is similar to the Rock Is Not Dead guys where a group of guys got together to thrust the new wave of British hard rock into the mainstream and it worked. There are British rock bands similar to the bands playing this festival who are now charting on the mainstream charts and getting national exposure there. Events like this are the start of putting Australian hard rock back on the fucking map.
“mainstream media has switched off to the fact that there is a new wave of Australian rock bands”
What other ways can music fans help support our fabulous rock bands and artists?
It’s the simple things that take little to no effort that can make all the difference like sharing social media posts or posting links to videos or streaming services. Liking and commenting on social media posts and of course, buying merch, CDs and downloads support us financially. Just keep on talking about the bands because the more you do the more other people will check out the bands and it grows from there. And the biggest one is to get out to shows and pre-buy tickets! Can’t fucking stress that point enough, there is a tendency for local shows for people to wait until the last minute to buy tickets or just buy at the door but venues want to see pre-sales and if there aren’t enough then some venues will pull the show.
How do you prepare yourself for a festival event like Rock Is Not Dead?
Drink lots of alcohol! Haha! Seriously though we craft a set we think will work best in the set time we have and if we haven’t been on the road recently we will have a few rehearsals to tighten everything up but we don’t rehearse stage moves or any of that shit, it’s all spontaneous and oh yeah! drink lots of booze!
“We play rock the way it used to be played and our show is no exception. It’s controlled chaos, always teetering on the brink of disaster, dangerous and exhilarating!”
What can punters expect from your upcoming performance at The Koala Tavern?
A full throttle, unrelenting, no-compromise rock and roll show. We leave everything on the stage, it’s blood, sweat and beers, the most fun you can have with your clothes on. We play rock the way it used to be played and our show is no exception. It’s controlled chaos, always teetering on the brink of disaster, dangerous and exhilarating!
If you could jump on stage and collaborate with any artist or band from the Rock Is Not Dead line-up, who would it be and why?
Haha! That’s a fucking hard one. They are all super talented and we have played with pretty much all of them at some point but I think a Snake Bite Whisky and Goatzilla mashup would be a whole lotta fun.
What’s your favourite song from your back catalogue to play live and why?
Easy, ‘Last Man Standing’ just because it’s like our unofficial anthem. We always play it last and the chorus is our mantra… Drink! Fuck! Rock! It’s so easy for people to sing along too even if they’ve never heard the song before because you hear the chorus once and you know it! It’s an epic track to finish on and tear the roof of a venue.
“We leave everything on the stage, it’s blood, sweat and beers, the most fun you can have with your clothes on.”
What's your favourite festival memory either as a scheduled act or as an attendee?
Easily had to be playing at Rocklahoma in the US last year on the same lineup as Pantera, Rob Zombie, Skid Row and many more. It was cool as fuck watching bands like Buckcherry, Skid Row and Steven Adler from the side of the stage. Also, throwing Sleazaroo (our blowup Kangaroo) out into the crowd and getting them to do the ‘Aussie, Aussie, Aussie’ chant was so fucking cool!
Do you have a message for the punters who are heading to Rock Is Not Dead in February?
Yeah, grab yer mates, get your tickets early and let’s sell this out and put this event on the map and wake the mainstream up that Rock Is Not Dead it’s alive and kicking your ass!
Tickets: https://tickets.oztix.com.au/outlet/event/ed6cd600-0002-4eb2-963c-ea6e6683140a
Event link: www.youtube.com/@rockisnotdead7
Event Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rockisnotdeadaus/
Interview by Michelle Symes
November 2024