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September 4, 2023 • 15 mins
Australian grindcore band King Parrot are touring the United States and Kevin Powell was able to talk to vocalist Matthew Young! Join in as "Youngy" explains his favorite parts of touring, differences between Australia and the United States and more! Recorded phone via iHeartMedia studios.
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(00:07):
Pitts. Hey, it's Kevin Powell. I'm here at the podcast in the
studio and I have a special kindof podcast episode for you. It's over

(00:32):
the thumb. But these guys areout on tour, making their way across
the United States all the way upuntil September thirty. I am talking to
King Parrott and we have youngie.How are you doing, buddy? I'm
doing all right, brother. Howare you so far? So good?
You're a busy guy. You justgot off an interview and you're just hopping
on the nutter. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I was apologize with the
delay there. I was just stokingship and we were just going on a

(00:56):
little bit too long. No,that's quite all right, quite alright.
And we're in are in book ontoday. I went playing a minute we
did it. Yeah, we've beenbeen after bed a week so far and
uh something, you know, beingin New Leans, went through Florida and
up through the Carolinas, and playedWashington, DC last night and here we're
in New York today. Geez,And where are so? This is not

(01:19):
your first time in the United States? Correct? No, We've we've been
like one a one of touring alot so what's special about this tour so
far? What was the best partso far? What are you looking forward
to? Are there any places thatyou're like, I can't wait to go
back to this place where I reallycan't wait to go to this place for

(01:40):
the first time. Well, youknow what, last night we played in
Washington, DC, and I weI think we must have done like weeks
to living on twelve tours here inthe state and and that was the first
time we played in Washington, DC. And it was absolutely killer. You
know, it was an incredible show. And we played at the venue called
the Black Cat, which is reallyuh. I think it's like could owned

(02:02):
by some some music industry figures.I think maybe Dave Grohl is a part
owner and at some point and yeah, and so that was really cool,
fun. But you know, we'vegot some great stuff coming. We're playing
some greens Santra, which is goingto be crazy. Uh in a week
or so, I'll be going outto Tomorrow. We're playing up at RPM

(02:23):
Fest in Matsachusetts, which is isa cool little guest the more run by
the guys from the band in LynchKing, And we played at that like
the first one they ever had yearsago, like in twenty Cornine, so
it'd be great to go back andplay a theme. We're playing a culture
or sold over in Illinois along theScavalierra and I am Morbid and Pung and
Stanch and Chromags and a bunch ofbands other great bands as well. And

(02:47):
uh, I mean it's fire out, man. If we're going everywhere pretty
much on this tour, all overall over the US, you know,
iping to Canada as well, sowe're just excited to be doing it all.
There's quite a few places that wehaven't actually played before the wind they
went on this front and already doneas well. So man, it's just
exciting to be back and being ableto travel and being let's spaget it's it's

(03:08):
been awesome the first week to killit. That's so good to hear.
And for people that don't know,you guys are from Australia, so you're
ever here in the United States.What all goes into preparing for a tour
this size and what especially coming acrossthe border, coming across the seas to
play in the United States, Well, I guess you have to get permission

(03:30):
good, right, Oh yeah,And usually that's the hardest part from what
I've heard. Yeah, yeah,yeah, yeah, So you're gonna get
permission, so you're gonna get thegreen kick from the from the immigration people
or whatever. So we we've beenable to do that many times in the
past, so it wasn't such abig deal for us now, and you

(03:51):
know, it's it's still a process, you know, and you kind of
gotta you gotta roll with gods alittle bit and go, Okay, we're
gonna stop booking only stop, We'regonna for it and then you're gonna make
sure the emission and that sort ofcomes off. You've already made making the
plans. But because we've had manyvisas and things like that before, it
wasn't such a big deal this time. So yeah, there's there's just months

(04:14):
and months of preparation, you know, just organizing juice beats and and all
a little bits and pieces. Butyou know, we love it and it's
all part of it, so weknow what it's all about, you know,
and it's just it's not you know, do all at work and do
the preparation and I'll just finally beout here and enjoying it, you know.
And they're having a great time ofplaying the show absolutely, and I

(04:39):
can only imagine. I mean,there's such a thing as bad stress and
good stress. I'm sure you've hada little bit of both preparing for its
are like this. But now it'sall paying off. Like you said,
you're on the road, you're headingall these places, you're playing with Weedy,
You're gonna be playing with pan Terra, which is awesome. I talked
to Snaffoo, another label meat ofyours over on house Core Records. How

(05:00):
has house Core Records been treating youguys? How's everything been? Oh?
Man, they're great. They've been, you know, without a doubt,
the most supportive people with our bands, uh, over the over the years,
they've really sort of taken to undertheir wing and being incredibly supportive when

(05:20):
we've been out on the road anddoing doing what we do, you know,
which is which is to our housesoften play as many shows as we
can while we're over here in NorthAmerica. So they've been great. And
the opportunity to play with Santera thatwas, you know, a no brainer
for us, but I wanted togive on the House record has been some

(05:44):
time to play some shows with panTerra, and you know, we've got
five shows on with them and we'reincredibly grateful to the opportunity to be able
to do that. It's it's huge, you know, it's huge from a
band like us, you know,I mean, I know where were we
are what we are, stream metalband from Australia and it's great to have

(06:08):
the opportunity to be able to playin front of those bigger audiences and it
closed ourselves to to you know,a whole bunch of people to potentially never
heard of it before. So yeah, absolutely, and you guys are killing
it. Rather it be from theprevious albums have come out. For the
latest EP, hold Up in theLayer, how's that been? Oh good

(06:31):
man? Yeah, so we we'veactually recorded that VID right, well,
we actually recorded it before COVID.It was never really intended to come out.
It was it was something that we'rerecorded at the Housecore Record studio on
one of our last stewards. Wehad a week off and we were just
like, let's get into the studioand just try and write and record as

(06:55):
many songs as we can in thespace of a few days. That's what
we came up with, and youknow, we just remixed it all.
All that were just sitting there.You know, we weren't we hadn't really
intended on using it, but itwas just sitting and so we mixed it
and sort of mastered and we're like, you know, let's put it out
as a short little DP on aseven inches, you know, And that

(07:15):
was just sort of a project anddoing while we were sort of sitting around
doing nothing doing COVID. So yeah, it was, it was. It
was a great thing to do.But you know, we're currently kind of
outside of touring and all that sortof stuff. We've been working on a
new record and we're going to getto get to that over your winter out

(07:36):
number time and trying to get getback into the studio as soon as we
can and getting new record out hopefullynext year. That's that's the plan.
So yeah, that's why I liketo hear. I love hearing when bands
are working on new music. Thatwas actually giving me my next question anyway,
But to follow up on that,when it comes to writing music,

(07:56):
yes, there's a million ways todo it. And you just kind of
talked about the hold up in theLayer EP, how you're in the studio,
you had a few days to doit, and you did it.
With this album that you're working on. How are you guys approaching this or
do we get that far yet?Well, we've been doing some demos.
Alex Paris has got like in thehome studio kind of set up, so
we go in there and and youknow, work on work on ideas in

(08:20):
the rehearsal room, and then we'llgo on put him down in his little
studio, and you know, we'rejust chipping away in it that way.
I think we're probably bet halfway throughso far, so you know, we'll
get a little bit more time overthe summer getting those songs down. And
I think for us, the waythat we operate, we're you know,
do it kind of olds, butwe like to be in the room together
when we're writing and jamming. We'renot want to We're not you know,

(08:41):
we're not like you know, we'renot those sort of computer bands, but
you know, do it all ona click and do it do it that
way. We really wants to feelit out organically in the in the studio
and jam jam the songs and getto know them and and feel that possibility
in that cohesion in in building thesongs together. And I think one of

(09:01):
the important things with new music too, is that you've got to be you've
got to really know the songs.And I heard a term from a guy
that I look up to a lotof black places of Australian punk band called
the Heart On and he said,you know, you've got to understand the

(09:24):
spirit of the song. And Ireally liked that term when trying to you
know, play new music and understandnew music and feel that new music.
And that's sort of something that we'rebringing to this record is that we want
to write these want to be asbest as we possibly can, but want
to jam them enough so that wedo understand the spirit of it and the

(09:45):
way that's going to be delivered ontape, you know. So that's that's
something that we're really sort of consciousof on this this time around. Amazing
answer. I love talking to bands, are getting to know them. I
do want to go back a littlebit. What differences have you seen between
playing in Australia compared to the UnitedStates, rather be small, big,
any differences that you care to share. Uh, well, I guess just

(10:09):
for a band like us, wehave a lot of audiences, participation,
interaction in between the songs and stufflike that that you know, we do.
You know, we'll smash out fouror five songs and then been a
bant in between. And I guessprobably the thing with us is that being
Australian, Australian audi a little bitmore harm to hankling and all that sort

(10:33):
of stuff that can you really bigoff, you know. So we have
a little bit more of that sortof thing going on in Australia with the
audience, whereas in America everyone seemsto be a little bit more pliant.
So it depends on where you go. Honestly, well that's true as well,
you know, and I think we'rehitting, you know, we're hitting.
Think this is the end of thisto us, I'm probably being spaking

(10:56):
a little bit more down there.But so far everyone's pretty blit and we
kind of yeah, it's just somethingthat happens in austray because we've played it
probably a little more than we haveover here, so that would be that
would be the main difference, isthat everyone's little bit more blit. But
you know what I've noticed definitely onthese tours that the enthusiasm and the anticipations

(11:24):
the show is really high and it'sbeen great. Just can happen and play
these shows with you know, somefun, a few with we need it
now and and even the headlining onesthat we did on our own, the
attendance ut being great. I lovehearing stuff like that, man, And

(11:45):
I've never I've never heard someone sayyeah, Americans are just so polite compands
to the people who come to ourshows in Australia, bros like oh yeah,
I can only imagine. I dolike asking bands. I like asking
bands. You get you guys havebeen around a while. What advice would

(12:05):
you give to bands that might bestarting out or trying to break through that
glass barrier? Anything you guys havebeen through, anything you personally think off
top of your head, anything youcare to share. I would say mostly
the main thing we just do tobe uh what. Everyone loved the music
part of its right. Everyone lovedjamming and making music, creating music.

(12:26):
I would say, enjoy playing live, hit out and play as many as
many places as you possibly can,and to our networks, make friends,
make friends another band, the samefor the Copper, the same Aspirations as
you. And then the other partof it, you know, probably people
don't want to hear, is thatyou're kind of going to embrace the Disney

(12:50):
start, I think it will beas well. You're gonna think on the
big start. I mean, you'regonna be contend, be game all the
time. But I didn't make itcalculated, and it's homework and you you
know, you've got the right peoplewith you, and when you grow up
the way that you should organically andall that sort of stuff, then those

(13:11):
things that you take can be youknow, quite calculated and things tend to
work out. So yeah, thatwould be my thing, is you know,
like, yeah, you got toembrace that business side of the band
who a little bit and match sure, and then you know, and then
keep everyone happy and keep all thepeople in the band happy and all that
sort of stuff. But that canbe a bit of a juggling act.

(13:33):
But it's it's I guess, thecreative types for people in the music industry.
It can be really you know shortwho embrace things like spreadsheet and accounting
and all of that sort of stuff. But it can be quite challenging to
creative side to do that. ButI think it's definitely something that you have

(13:54):
great advice for sure. Not alot of people just starting out, I
mean, no other people know this, but you do have to embrace the
business side. Do you think youwoke up last night and said, yeah,
let's do this tour right now,let's go. No, there's a
lot of planning involved, and whenyou're there, there's a lot of stuff
you have to plan for to happenthat you weren't prepared for. You never
know what could happen when you're onthe road, and there's a lot of

(14:16):
stuff that could go down the pipeline. And it's not just about the touring,
it's about the writing music and there'sa lot of moving pieces and a
lot of moving gears that go behindthese things. But that's also why I
was able to talk to you today, So I'm very thankful for that.
Absolutely, Man, any final wordsyou want to say to fans as we
wrap things up, well, justyou know, you can check it out

(14:37):
on the social media and King ParrotBand on like pay school, Instagram,
far and stuff is King Parrot bandand website King parrott dot net where you
can get all the two A datesto the North American tour. And I'll
take a link to all that stufffor all the shows that we're playing.
I mean here where I don't leavethe Seek show. Maybe I think it's

(14:58):
like the big shows them on.And we've got another twenty twenty eight to
go, so yeah, come outand see us, and you know we'll
be on bananas as you always andyeah, it's exciting. Man, it's
so great to be back here andand thank you to your support. We
appreciated absolutely. Young, I'm gonnatalk to you, talk to you here

(15:18):
in a second off air, Sodon't hang up, Okay, so much,
No problem. That's Young. He'sin the band King Parrott. These
guys rule. They are fast,they're grindcore, they're heavy, they're on
housecore records. I hope they playmy favorite song, bite your Head Off,
because it is a killer song andit's a killer album as well.
Make sure you check out King Parrot. Make sure if you're around these tour

(15:41):
dates to check them out on tour. Thanks for checking out this episode of
the Kevin Peal Podcast. Oh We'llsee you guys next time.
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