Children Of The Tide exemplify progression and synergy that ebbs and flows from the wide musical backgrounds of Dazastah, of hip hop Aussie royalty act Downsyde; Dave Mann, WA’s celebrated wizard of rootsy/ folk; and the prodigious talent of South Australian James Abberley’s captivating weaving of blues, roots and alternative sounds.
Ahead of their showcase at WAMFest, we have a chat with James.
What's been happening for Children Of The Tide in 2019?
We have been really busy working on a bunch of new music off the back of supporting The Waifs earlier in the year, and also a spot at this year’s Wave Rock Weekender.
We have been really digging the live tracking and are hoping to release new music early 2020. One of our main goals is to record and release as many live recordings as we can, as it seems to be a forgotten way to release music these days.
I don’t know about you, but I love nothing more than listening to all the live intricacies and extended pieces of my favourite artists in a live setting, that’s why you go see the gigs isn’t it?
How and why did the group start making music together?
COTT was born after touring together during Gascoyne in May (which is a six-week music and arts tour across the Gascoyne Region). The three of us were performing our solo projects at the time when we thought it could be fun to collaborate for some of the show on the tours. And well, the rest is history.
Between Daz, Dave and you, what do you each bring to the collective sound of Children Of The Tide?
COTT has such a unique blend of flavours, blurring the lines that define musical genres. At times a heavy bassline that has been compared to Rage Against The Machine. But in the same breath it feels like a modern-day John Butler Trio vibe.
When you bring it all together, you have got yourself some rootsy as f... hip hop drenched in soul.
As musicians, what do you get out of Children Of The Tide that perhaps you don't get out of your other respective projects?
I think we all get something out of performing together that our solo projects don’t quite tap into. There is an energy and a vibe during and after the show that leaves us all feeling like little kids that have stolen Donald Trump's Bentley and taken it for a joy ride.
How did the band's name come about?
The name was easy for us, we all love the ocean and spending as much time in it, on it, and under it as we can.
You will be showcasing at WAMFest; what do you have planned for the show?
One of the things that we love about creating music together is collaborating with other artists, and having guests join us for our live shows. You can expect a surprise at this year's WAMFest.
What does it mean to be part of an event like WAMFest?
We can't wait to play WAMFest. We are crazy grateful for the opportunity to be a part of such an epic line-up of music, and we will be relishing the opportunity see so many other amazing artists do their thing; particularly looking forward to catching Abbe May and The Little Lord Street Band.
The best thing about being a WA musician is?
We love travelling and performing in WA; there are so many amazing places, festivals and venues around that it would be impossible to pick a favourite. Even though WA is the biggest state in Australia, it still feels like one, big family everywhere you go, and we look forward to playing as many shows as we can during our time.
