22 Nov 2009 // An interview by Shade
What is the best gig you have ever performed at, and why?

Two gigs come to mind that are equal in satisfaction value. In the U.S. we performed at a renowned venue called Downtown Brew in San Luis Obispo, California... we had done heaps of promotion for this gig and it was our first album release and first tour in the states. The place packed out and the crowd absolutely went off. In New Zealand our album release of 'Quiet Earth' at Chicks Hotel in Port Chalmers was definitely the best show to date. You couldn't have fit another head into the venue and the high energy crowd was literally jumping up and down for the 2 hours that we played. Plus we had one of our favourite bands support: the Biff Merchants. It was a good feeling!

What is your favourite NZ venue?

I couldn't name just one venue because NZ has so many great ones. But what comes to mind is the Mussel Inn in Takaka, Redcliffe Cafe in Te Anau, Riverhouse in Wanaka, Hot Mamas in Motueka, Blue Pub in Methven and Chicks Hotel and Sammy's in Dunedin. (We must be South Islander's!)

What NZ musicians or bands would you like to see more of, and why?

Biff Merchants and Left or Right... on their night they are two of the best bands I've ever witnessed play.

What is your most embarrassing on tour/gig moment?

There have been heaps of embarrassing moments on tour unfortunately... slurring words, forgetting lyrics, screwing up songs... but getting known for the band that start bar brawls is the worst! Not that we do start it, it's just that there have been some gnarly fights at our gigs over the years... two of which were full bar brawls where everyone was involved! Drunk people suck!!

How do you describe your music?

I don't describe it very well. Music is hard to write about. Basically we smash through the outer edges of most genres, giving our music a fucked up shape that won't fit into any pigeon-shaped hole. Troubadour songwriting, grungy rock and roll, latin spice, alt country and psychedelic, dubbed out, funky, jazzy beats all get smeared together for some air time. This diversity is probably our biggest strength and steepest street..."so, what kind of music do you play?" Um... Yeah... About that... Check the album, or better yet, check a live show. In short: "Let the music do the talking."

What can we expect to see from the Julian Temple Band over the next year?

We've just released our second album 'Quiet Earth' and are touring NZ extensively over summer with a stop off at many a small beach town and the Parihaka International Peace Festival. We've also got a third album in the pipeline being mixed and mastered by Tom Bell (from the Heavy 8's) at his Tin Shack studio in Dunedin. If all goes to plan and we can save a bit of cash then we'll release that some time next year...

What advice would you like to give to other aspiring musicians?

If it's what you want to do, then do it... but definitely don't do it for the money or the fame... there is no such thing!! And when it's time to leave this planet you can't take any of that with you anyway. Oh yeah.. and suss your band name wisely... we had to change ours after touring and releasing with it for 3 years because of legal shite!! Totally pushed us back a step or two... THOUSAND!

Singer-songwriter Julian Temple was born into a diverse family of working musicians, with his mother, a dixie-land jazz pianist, and his father a classical lute player, giving him his first musical inspirations. Earliest memories include playing with toys and singing under his mother's antique grand piano as she vamped away to her original sheet music by the likes of Irving Berlin, Jelly Roll Morton, Rudy Vallee, Al Jolson and all the ragtime greats. The youngest of three, Temple taught himself the guitar at the age of 12 and immediately started writing his own material.

Fast forward to 2004 and Julian Temple Band formed in Dunedin by a group of keen music students attending the University of Otago. A far cry from dixie-land, the band employs a wide variety of contemporary musical styles including blues, jazz and rock and roll to communicate their curious vignettes on life, love, loss, addiction, environmentalism, and mental health. With an innate desire to share their love for music and "induce the jamboree", Julian Temple Band are known for their extreme touring habits and energetic live performances. Members include jazz and experimental drummer Paul McLennan-Kissel (Entire Alphabet, Onsombil), funk-rock-reggae bassist Steve 'Seedy' Marshall (Left Or Right), Doors-esque keyboardist Logan Hampton (Alizarin Lizard), classical and avant-garde violinist Alex Vaatstra (Ha The Unclear, Grawlixes, Matt Langley), indie electric guitarist Richard Ley-Hamilton (Males, Asta Rangu) and singer-songwriter-guitarist Julian Temple.

JTB have independently released six albums; In Sea (2006), Quiet Earth (2009), Balance Escapes (2010), Upsidedownbackwards (2012), Ceiling In The Sky (2015), and Antarctica (2018) and toured extensively through the U.S.A., Australia and New Zealand.

Visit the muzic.net.nz Profile for Julian Temple Band

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