Canberra singer-songwriter Blake Caragh showcases his grunge influences on his debut EP 'Extinction', released earlier this month.
Formerly of punk trio Bleach It Clean, Caragh has spent the past year or so honing his own songwriting while earning his live chops with plenty of shows played in Sydney and Canberra.The first single from 'Extinction' is the tense, angsty acoustic grunt of 'Human Hunting Hat'. The opening track is 'Pictures', an experimental song of sorts.
"'Pictures' was one of my first attempts at story writing," Blake says. "I wanted to make up a character and story completely removed from myself."
Who is Blake Caragh... I am a '90s grunge-inspired singer-songwriter from Canberra, Australia.
I sound like... People say I sound like a combination of Placebo, REM and Nirvana.
My first gig was... Red Bar in Sydney, 2019.
When did you settle on your stage name? I decided I prefer to use my real name than to go with an alias.
In the studio it's usually... Chaotic. I have a habit of rushing things. I'm trying to learn to slow it down and take more time with what I'm recording.
If I could tour with anyone... I've always wanted to tour with Ben Folds or Rufus Wainwright. I'm a big fan of both their music and live shows.
Social media is... A great tool for promoting anything, but I find it difficult and embarrassing to always be writing posts about yourself.
My favourite app at the moment is... YouTube. It's a boring choice, but I listen to music on it all the time.
To date, my most embarrassing moment was the time... My guitar stopped working and I had to borrow another one, then that one didn't work either. We spent 20 minutes in front of the crowd setting up guitars.
Life on the road can be... A bit boring because it's just me. The gigs are always fun, but it sucks spending so much time on a bus.
If you'll have me on your bill, all I ask is that the rider contains... A case of beer.
The most scary scenario I've found myself in, was... The time I was walking home from the studio and I didn't realise it was like a 20km walk. About halfway home, I got caught in a huge thunderstorm with my gear. That's when I caved and begged my mum for a lift.
What celebrity/ famous person would you love to be spokesperson of the band... Christopher Walken – anything that guy does is magic.
Three people you'd like to invite around for a dinner party... If I'm allowed to choose dead people; Francis Bacon, Francisco Goya and Alexander McQueen because they've all made my favourite art and I think they'd be really interesting to know as people.
If we were coming over to your place, what would you cook us? The only thing I know how to cook is two-minute noodles.
No matter the expense, send me a case of... Whatever, I'm not fussy. I always like trying new stuff.
The last time I saw the inside of a gym was... Never.
What's the one chore you dislike the most? Mowing the lawn because I'm ginger and I burn.
Do you have any phobias... please explain? I don't like being in a big crowd; not sure why, just don't like it.
Would you ever partake in a reality show? I don't think I'd do a reality TV show, but I'd love to be on an online show like 'Spicy Wings' or something.
If you could prank any of your friends, who's your target, and how are you bringing them down? I'm easily scared, so my friend scares me all the time. I've always wanted to get him back by wrapping everything in his house in foil, but it seems expensive.
