AHEAD of their visit to Settlers Tavern, the Mail had a chat with Sam Cormack from Ball Park Music about all things from a broken shoe to touring struggles.
The chat started with Cormack sweltering in his parked car, saying his love for his current pair of shoes left him waiting to replace the soles rather than replace them entirely at a local shopping centre.
After a brief conversation about how much shoe repair costs in an east coast vs. west coast debate, Cormack got stuck in to discussing the bands prior work which will make an appearance in the upcoming gig.
The band is renowned for their albums such as Happiness and Surrounding Suburbs, Museum and their most recent 2014 release, Puddinghead.
The group recorded Puddinghead themselves, renting a house and spending four to five days a week for nine months recording.
Cormack compared the experience to the night before Christmas to the existential crisis of the discovery of Santa.
“A studio doesn’t become a sacred place anymore,” he said.
”We found it was far more cost effective and made working creatively possible, rather than a studio session.”
The slower, prettier tunes are sometimes the most underrated from the albums said Cormack, with the band known for their high octane songs and performance style.
However, the band’s sweet tune Comin’ Down is the most popular according to sales, said Cormack, causing the band to often question what to put into sets.
“It can be really daunting not knowing how they (the audience) will respond to your set,” he said.
Ruining our illusion about the touring lifestyle, Cormack said being on the road was not always about Almost Famous-esque roadtrip sing alongs.
“I’m a homebody, my passion is recording,” Cormack said.
Cormack said the group did spend a moment singing Tiny Dancer on the way to a gig in Geelong recently though, much to our relief.
With the gig in Margaret river being the band’s 301st show Cormack said the band was ready for a big set.
The sold out gig for those lucky enough to get a ticket to the Trippin’ the Light tour is on October 25. Doors from 9pm.