October 17, 2024 • 8 mins
Christchurch rockers Volts have released their debut self titled album, their guitarist Marc called up a couple of days before to set the scene, recap the winter months and tease the gigs ahead.
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Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Welcome to Radio Hodar Keys Off the Record podcast with
Greg Preven.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Let's have a chat with Vaults Cure to Mark.
Speaker 3 (00:10):
Hey Greek, are you doing yeah?
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Really well? Thanks mate? How's christ you've been today?
Speaker 3 (00:13):
Good? Yeah, it's been been quite an exciting week actually
getting prepped for the big album release coming.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Yeah, well that's this weekend. Get to that in a moment.
But what else has been going on for you guys?
Just in twenty twenty four.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
Haven't played a lot of shows, just sort of focused
on finishing writing and cross each winters can be a
bit gnally, so it was a good time to sort
of get you know, get that a lot of work done.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
Yeah, you get some cold days, some cold nights. Did
you manage to get out and have a bit of
fun in those in between times? Are you a skier?
Are you a snowboard or anything like? Nah?
Speaker 3 (00:46):
I'm not big on outdoor activity. I do quite a
bit of work on the event space, so I was
quite busy with work stuff.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
We had the go live festivals is didn't you? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (00:57):
Which was which was great to run that a game
for the full year, so it was it was really
good and everything went smooth. Yeah, yeah, we'll be back
for next year, which is exciting.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
So yeah, and in between times, you've been noodling around
on the guitar coming up with riffs. Was it your
idea for this one? Make up your mind.
Speaker 3 (01:16):
It's probably been our most collaborative song writing wise to date,
which I was really stoked about different songs you know,
had differently was a contribution. I've been sort of sitting
on that riff for a while, that big, chunky, kind
of metal riff, and that's like totally my wheelhouse, and
i'd be I was keen to sort of roll that
out for a while, and the song just felt kind
of right for that, and the band all kind of
edited their elements, and I think we'd sort of had
(01:38):
this point where we had a we've had a good
run with the band. We're really really grateful for the
shows we've got to play and we've had We've had
a really really enjoyable couple of years, and it was
sort of like, how do we maintain this momentum? It
sort of the song sort of centers around that kind
of struggle with like it's such a competitive industry and
so that song kind of like we just threw all
(01:59):
the energy to the song is like trying to be
a bit of an uplifting kind of tune that represented
where we're all out with the bands and with the
album coming, and you know, we're still really excited to
be doing it. But it's been really hard work.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
It was a five of you as well, so that's
a lot of decision makers.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
Yeah, it's we genuinely going pretty good. But it's fairly harmonious.
I'm pleased to say harmonious. Wow, that's good. Do you
have a favorite part of the song? I just I
love that big, kind of hefty brief. It's sort of
the driver of the tune. But I was also really
stoked with the chorus, like Andy and Vick and Lorna
kind of came up with that. It's quite an empowering
(02:33):
sort of chorus. I feel like the song just kind
of rocks along and it's got this real uplift kind
of moment, which is always fun to having a song,
you know.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
Yeah, all right, well let's check it out.
Speaker 3 (02:43):
Sure, this is Mark from VOLTZ and you're about to
listen to our new song. Make up your mind on Holroki.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
It's already a heardache that's false, a new song make
up your Mind, and we're lucky enough to have the
guitarist Mark on a zoom with us now Cure to Mark,
thanks for bringing us that tune. Thanks Greg Rocking song Man.
Nice week, and that's from a new album that's out
this weekend.
Speaker 3 (03:25):
Yeah, so the album's out this Friday. It's quite a
mixed listen, Like, there's a lot of kind of our
signature kind of heavier tracks, but we went for trying
to you know, for a bit of a dynamic, you know,
a few moments for an audience listening, if you know,
if you're going album start to finish, to try and
have some good moments. I think thirteen tracks and we've
got like we've featured most of the newer singles that
(03:46):
we put out in the last twelve months. Plus there's
some new songs we played live before that people might
be familiar with, but there's also a couple of brand
new songs that were written just for the record no
one would have heard before, so it's exciting to get
those out as well. We were self titled. We're usually
agreeing on stuff, but we thought, yeah, rather than trying
to overthink what the record needs to be called, because
(04:07):
it was just sort of about us in our journey.
We just kept it as vaults.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
So your debut self titled album, it's got quite a
ring to today.
Speaker 3 (04:13):
Yeah, And we the artwork, that's the only thing we
kept sort of a bit of synergy with with the EP,
so that the recurring Wolf artwork that was in our
first GP is also featured in a different kind of
perspective in the album.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
Right, And what made you choose the Wolf?
Speaker 3 (04:30):
Ah, I'd like to have a good story, but it
just Andy, a guitarist and designer. He just sort of
came up with this concept that we thought looked kind
of rock and roll.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
Yeah. So you mentioned there's some dynamic changes within the album.
Does that mean the acoustic guitargets will work out?
Speaker 3 (04:49):
Nah? We didn't. We didn't go that far, but we
were we were sitting around having some venos a while
ago and we stood a jokingly. We were watching a
bunch of music videos and we were reflecting on like
how great power ballads in the eighties and nineties, and
we thought, oh man, it'd be great to have like
a moment like that on the record. And so we've
got some slower tunes, but we didn't. I'm want to
call them power ballance.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
But like every rose has its thorn or yeah, we
didn't go that far.
Speaker 3 (05:13):
I still needed to be vaults.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
Yeah yeah. And there's a gig to celebrate in christ Search.
Speaker 3 (05:19):
Yeah. So we've got a release show this Saturday at
a Rolling Stone, which we just sold out today, which
is amazing. Yeah, yeah, thank you. Really stoked that people
are keen to come out and support it and see
and celebrate the records.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
And they'll have had by then twenty four hours to
have checked it out since it comes out to totally.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
Consume the record, coming to hear the songs.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
And sing along with you all. Are there any songs
that will be played for the first time that night, Yes, so.
Speaker 3 (05:50):
One of the slower tunes and Flames is making its debut,
so we'll be We've got a final rehearsal tonight that
we'll be working through that to make sure it sounds great.
On Saturday, We've a song quite quite excited to play
called System Failure. We actually wrote really really early on
in the band and it just got shelved. It never
quite felt like it was It got to a point
(06:10):
where we were all happy with it and we revisited
it because the music still felt pretty good, and then
Victoria and Andy rewrote the vocals and the melodies and
it just kind of got reinvented as this you tune,
which is really cool. That sounds really excited about it.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
All right, So have you come up with the setlist
yet or is that something you'll do on the day.
Speaker 3 (06:29):
Oh no, this is all lockdown, man. We will be
drilling that tonight. We'll be playing pretty much the full record,
a couple of older songs and a couple of little
surprise covers in there as well.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
And is there any sort of takeaway from the audience
at the end of the night. Is the merch is
the violme?
Speaker 3 (06:46):
Yeah? So we've got some really cool brand new T
shirts that are from the make Up Your Mind single
artwork and delby you will have those available for the
first time as well. So would really like to get
up north to at some stage and builder we were
hoping to do a North and South release, but yeah,
just budget and time just didn't allow it this time.
But we definitely keen to get out of town and
(07:06):
play some shows again if.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
And when that does happen. Where's the best place to
find information on you guys.
Speaker 3 (07:12):
Vaults dot band. That's our main website and that links
to all our socials. We promote all our merchant, gigs
and music on.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
Vaults dot band. And the album is out this Friday,
this self titled debut album from Volts.
Speaker 3 (07:25):
Yeah, and I think just to let anyone know in
christ Church, we've got a big festival coming up in
December that will be our next lug show. If you
missed out on the release show at Odatai Smoke Festival
in Hagley Park. Who else is on the bill for
that busy end of the year Head like a Hole
and Ted Pole.
Speaker 2 (07:44):
Jeez, what a lineup that's gonna be a good one.
Speaker 3 (07:46):
Yeah, that's gonna be a cracker.
Speaker 2 (07:48):
Mark from Volts all the best for the album, the
show this weekend and the Smoke Festival. Thanks for your
time in Hidaki.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
Thanks Greg radioches off the Record podcast.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
Why not subscribe so they download automatically and don't forget
to rate us five stars?
Speaker 3 (08:06):
Thanks mate.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
Find out more about this podcast and the people who
make it at hodache dot co dot nz. It
Welcome to Radio Hodar Keys Off the Record podcast with
Greg Preven.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Let's have a chat with Vaults Cure to Mark.
Speaker 3 (00:10):
Hey Greek, are you doing yeah?
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Really well? Thanks mate? How's christ you've been today?
Speaker 3 (00:13):
Good? Yeah, it's been been quite an exciting week actually
getting prepped for the big album release coming.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Yeah, well that's this weekend. Get to that in a moment.
But what else has been going on for you guys?
Just in twenty twenty four.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
Haven't played a lot of shows, just sort of focused
on finishing writing and cross each winters can be a
bit gnally, so it was a good time to sort
of get you know, get that a lot of work done.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
Yeah, you get some cold days, some cold nights. Did
you manage to get out and have a bit of
fun in those in between times? Are you a skier?
Are you a snowboard or anything like? Nah?
Speaker 3 (00:46):
I'm not big on outdoor activity. I do quite a
bit of work on the event space, so I was
quite busy with work stuff.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
We had the go live festivals is didn't you? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (00:57):
Which was which was great to run that a game
for the full year, so it was it was really
good and everything went smooth. Yeah, yeah, we'll be back
for next year, which is exciting.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
So yeah, and in between times, you've been noodling around
on the guitar coming up with riffs. Was it your
idea for this one? Make up your mind.
Speaker 3 (01:16):
It's probably been our most collaborative song writing wise to date,
which I was really stoked about different songs you know,
had differently was a contribution. I've been sort of sitting
on that riff for a while, that big, chunky, kind
of metal riff, and that's like totally my wheelhouse, and
i'd be I was keen to sort of roll that
out for a while, and the song just felt kind
of right for that, and the band all kind of
edited their elements, and I think we'd sort of had
(01:38):
this point where we had a we've had a good
run with the band. We're really really grateful for the
shows we've got to play and we've had We've had
a really really enjoyable couple of years, and it was
sort of like, how do we maintain this momentum? It
sort of the song sort of centers around that kind
of struggle with like it's such a competitive industry and
so that song kind of like we just threw all
(01:59):
the energy to the song is like trying to be
a bit of an uplifting kind of tune that represented
where we're all out with the bands and with the
album coming, and you know, we're still really excited to
be doing it. But it's been really hard work.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
It was a five of you as well, so that's
a lot of decision makers.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
Yeah, it's we genuinely going pretty good. But it's fairly harmonious.
I'm pleased to say harmonious. Wow, that's good. Do you
have a favorite part of the song? I just I
love that big, kind of hefty brief. It's sort of
the driver of the tune. But I was also really
stoked with the chorus, like Andy and Vick and Lorna
kind of came up with that. It's quite an empowering
(02:33):
sort of chorus. I feel like the song just kind
of rocks along and it's got this real uplift kind
of moment, which is always fun to having a song,
you know.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
Yeah, all right, well let's check it out.
Speaker 3 (02:43):
Sure, this is Mark from VOLTZ and you're about to
listen to our new song. Make up your mind on Holroki.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
It's already a heardache that's false, a new song make
up your Mind, and we're lucky enough to have the
guitarist Mark on a zoom with us now Cure to Mark,
thanks for bringing us that tune. Thanks Greg Rocking song Man.
Nice week, and that's from a new album that's out
this weekend.
Speaker 3 (03:25):
Yeah, so the album's out this Friday. It's quite a
mixed listen, Like, there's a lot of kind of our
signature kind of heavier tracks, but we went for trying
to you know, for a bit of a dynamic, you know,
a few moments for an audience listening, if you know,
if you're going album start to finish, to try and
have some good moments. I think thirteen tracks and we've
got like we've featured most of the newer singles that
(03:46):
we put out in the last twelve months. Plus there's
some new songs we played live before that people might
be familiar with, but there's also a couple of brand
new songs that were written just for the record no
one would have heard before, so it's exciting to get
those out as well. We were self titled. We're usually
agreeing on stuff, but we thought, yeah, rather than trying
to overthink what the record needs to be called, because
(04:07):
it was just sort of about us in our journey.
We just kept it as vaults.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
So your debut self titled album, it's got quite a
ring to today.
Speaker 3 (04:13):
Yeah, And we the artwork, that's the only thing we
kept sort of a bit of synergy with with the EP,
so that the recurring Wolf artwork that was in our
first GP is also featured in a different kind of
perspective in the album.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
Right, And what made you choose the Wolf?
Speaker 3 (04:30):
Ah, I'd like to have a good story, but it
just Andy, a guitarist and designer. He just sort of
came up with this concept that we thought looked kind
of rock and roll.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
Yeah. So you mentioned there's some dynamic changes within the album.
Does that mean the acoustic guitargets will work out?
Speaker 3 (04:49):
Nah? We didn't. We didn't go that far, but we
were we were sitting around having some venos a while
ago and we stood a jokingly. We were watching a
bunch of music videos and we were reflecting on like
how great power ballads in the eighties and nineties, and
we thought, oh man, it'd be great to have like
a moment like that on the record. And so we've
got some slower tunes, but we didn't. I'm want to
call them power ballance.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
But like every rose has its thorn or yeah, we
didn't go that far.
Speaker 3 (05:13):
I still needed to be vaults.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
Yeah yeah. And there's a gig to celebrate in christ Search.
Speaker 3 (05:19):
Yeah. So we've got a release show this Saturday at
a Rolling Stone, which we just sold out today, which
is amazing. Yeah, yeah, thank you. Really stoked that people
are keen to come out and support it and see
and celebrate the records.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
And they'll have had by then twenty four hours to
have checked it out since it comes out to totally.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
Consume the record, coming to hear the songs.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
And sing along with you all. Are there any songs
that will be played for the first time that night, Yes, so.
Speaker 3 (05:50):
One of the slower tunes and Flames is making its debut,
so we'll be We've got a final rehearsal tonight that
we'll be working through that to make sure it sounds great.
On Saturday, We've a song quite quite excited to play
called System Failure. We actually wrote really really early on
in the band and it just got shelved. It never
quite felt like it was It got to a point
(06:10):
where we were all happy with it and we revisited
it because the music still felt pretty good, and then
Victoria and Andy rewrote the vocals and the melodies and
it just kind of got reinvented as this you tune,
which is really cool. That sounds really excited about it.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
All right, So have you come up with the setlist
yet or is that something you'll do on the day.
Speaker 3 (06:29):
Oh no, this is all lockdown, man. We will be
drilling that tonight. We'll be playing pretty much the full record,
a couple of older songs and a couple of little
surprise covers in there as well.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
And is there any sort of takeaway from the audience
at the end of the night. Is the merch is
the violme?
Speaker 3 (06:46):
Yeah? So we've got some really cool brand new T
shirts that are from the make Up Your Mind single
artwork and delby you will have those available for the
first time as well. So would really like to get
up north to at some stage and builder we were
hoping to do a North and South release, but yeah,
just budget and time just didn't allow it this time.
But we definitely keen to get out of town and
(07:06):
play some shows again if.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
And when that does happen. Where's the best place to
find information on you guys.
Speaker 3 (07:12):
Vaults dot band. That's our main website and that links
to all our socials. We promote all our merchant, gigs
and music on.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
Vaults dot band. And the album is out this Friday,
this self titled debut album from Volts.
Speaker 3 (07:25):
Yeah, and I think just to let anyone know in
christ Church, we've got a big festival coming up in
December that will be our next lug show. If you
missed out on the release show at Odatai Smoke Festival
in Hagley Park. Who else is on the bill for
that busy end of the year Head like a Hole
and Ted Pole.
Speaker 2 (07:44):
Jeez, what a lineup that's gonna be a good one.
Speaker 3 (07:46):
Yeah, that's gonna be a cracker.
Speaker 2 (07:48):
Mark from Volts all the best for the album, the
show this weekend and the Smoke Festival. Thanks for your
time in Hidaki.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
Thanks Greg radioches off the Record podcast.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
Why not subscribe so they download automatically and don't forget
to rate us five stars?
Speaker 3 (08:06):
Thanks mate.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
Find out more about this podcast and the people who
make it at hodache dot co dot nz. It
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