As a part of the Brisbane Fringe Festival, Amon & Audra are coming together with live projection artist, Andrew Gibbs, to present ‘The Darkness’, a powerful musical and visual narrative that explores the stages of the grief cycle, tonight at the New Globe Theatre.
Who is... Amon and Audra met when Audra responded to an ad by Amon to join Brisbane-based progressive rock band The Wandering in 2012. After a debut EP, ‘Halfway To Vegas’, The Wandering separated and Amon and Audra decided to continue, and in January 2013 began writing as a duo after a fateful trip to the Tamworth Country Music Festival. This new lease on songwriting saw an indie folk/ Americana sound naturally develop, both remarking that the music felt the most authentic to date. Their EP ‘Home’ was launched in December 2013 over two spectacular sold-out nights on a private rooftop penthouse in Brisbane. A live album of these shows, ‘Live On A Rooftop’, was then released in 2014, receiving radio play in Australia, America, Canada and the UK.
We sound like... From mournful ballads to soulful duets, Amon & Audra weave folk, alt-country and blues into a world of rich storytelling. With a desire to connect deeply with every listener, they captivate audiences through the emotional intensity of their performances.
Our first gig was... Bundaberg Flood Relief Festival in 2012. A road trip to Bundy and a big outdoor festival for a good cause was lovely way to kick things off! What proved to be most influential about this trip was not the show, rather it was the intimate performance that occurred later that night in a friends backyard. This was to be the first interactive evening and has gone on to be an integral part of our more intimate shows.
When did you settle on the group's name, and was it a unanimous decision... It was interesting actually, as neither of us had ever used our own names for our music. It felt like an important step for us. Putting ourselves forward as songwriters, rather than blending into a larger band. Plus we have some pretty unusual names :)
In the studio we usually... Spend a lot of time on connecting and building our relationship as friends, often before playing any music. We usually check-in with each other and share how life is going. The ups and downs, the challenges and successes. It’s from life, our own lives, that we draw so much inspiration for our music. Intimacy and authenticity is such a big part of our live show, and that all begins in our own relationship with each other.
If we could tour with anyone... Audra is a massive fan of Beth Hart, though I’m not sure our sound will suit her style at present, except our track ‘The River’. We’ve always really loved what The Civil Wars do, and found them a great inspiration at times. They have now broken up, so maybe a comeback tour.
Social media is… Very handy, at times exhausting, and never the most important way to connect. Nothing beats getting in the same room with an audience, no matter how large or small. That’s where the magic happens.
My favourite app at the moment is... Twilight — it automatically adjust screen brightness when the sun goes and cuts out the screens ‘blue light’ so I sleep better at night. Great for night owls and musicians.
To date, our my most embarrassing moment was the time… Haha, I just shared this the other day. Being given a hand sewn g-string for my 11th birthday by my aunty. Even had a clip-on modesty flap at the back if needed :)
Life on the road can be… Great fun! We are both the frequent travelling types, so hitting the road is awesome. Audra’s from Canada so she’s permanently on the road, and I’m living in my 60th home, so life on the road is very familiar.
If you'll have us on your bill, all we ask is that our rider contains… Haha we actually found a rider we put together as a joke the other day!
1. 1/2 hour grounding session
2. Vocal warmup
3. Freshly squeezed juice
4. Lemon tea
5. Massage therapist
6. Basket of kittens
7. 5L tub of jelly (preferably layered)
8. Bottle of Drambui
9. Patchouli or jasmine incense
The most scary scenario we've found ourselves in, was… I can’t speak for Audra, but I’ll always remember the 48 hours I had in Beirut. Travelling overland from Damascus into Lebanon and got unexpectedly dropped off in the Hezbollah controlled Beqaa Valley. Haggling with no language to get a local bus to Beirut. A sketchy cab ride with a guy I didn’t know into the back suburbs of Beirut. Being interrogated whether I was a Christian or not (loaded question in Beirut). A night out with UN workers hearing how on edge the whole city is constantly. An even more sketchy cab ride out of town on my way back to Amman in Jordan, where we drove through the Hezbollah controlled part of the city, with missile craters, bombed out buildings from Israeli jets, and Hezbollah flags and billboards of martyrs everywhere. I was pretty glad to get back in Jordan!
What celebrity/ famous person would you love to be spokesperson of the band... Eddie Vedder — I’ve always loved the passion he has brought to his music. He just seems to get better with age and I really feel he cares about music and the industry as a whole. He feels authentic and that would make a good spokesperson.
Three people you'd like to invite around for a dinner party... Off the top of my head, at this point in time, no particular order… Malcolm Fraser — love where he is at and what he is putting out there at the moment. Would love to know how he has changed quite significantly over the years. Thich Nhat Hanh — supreme zen master; would make for an interesting (and mindful) dinner! Perhaps no one would speak haha! Richard Branson — someone to bring the humour! I reckon with those three people around a table, who knows what might be dreamed up over dinner :)
If we were coming over to your place, what would you cook us? You’d get something vegetarian. Probably roll out a traditional Indian dahl made from scratch, homemade flat bread, rice and a cucumber and mint riata. Nice drop of red to top it all off!
Damn the expense, send me a case of… Penfolds Grange — one of the good years 1950-59.
The last time I saw the inside of a gym was… Audra goes pretty much everyday and loves doing some pretty solid lifting training. She has bigger guns than I do! Me, been a long time. Air-conditioned exercise with TV just doesn’t do it for me.
What's the one chore you dislike the most? Pet hate really. Picking up other people’s dishes out of the sink. Drives me mad! Clean your own shit people.
‘The Darkness’ is at the New Globe Theatre tonight, Friday 29th August.
