West Australian singer-songwriter Mick Finn has been waiting a long time to release his debut single, 'Useless Loop'.
Finn's connection to music has run deep for all his years, but his life has been a complicated journey.An enlistment in the army saw him sent on deployment to Afghanistan and his life was deeply affected by what he saw and experienced in that war-torn part of the world.
Five years after he was honourably discharged, Finn was diagnosed with PTSD and the fall-out/ in has affected his life ever since, with depression and addiction issues punctuating every effort, endeavour, and achievement along the way.
Recorded mostly at home with finishing touches and mixing by producer Sam Cutri at Loop Studios, Finn's Odyssey Cutri says captures "the fluidity of Bowie, the sensitivity of Nick Cave and the unhinged emotion and disdain of Kurt Cobain".
Adds Mick: "It took me a long long time to build this project into what it is today, a seven-piece band, and it rocks. I met my producer Sam and he helped me find a manager and things just kind of transpired from there, it's a truly wonderful thing."
His debut single, 'Useless Loop', is a case in point. According to Finn "it was borne out of the frustration of having addiction problems in the family home. How that causes conflict between you and a partner and, I guess, the self-guilt and the self-loathing and the self-torment that comes along with that."
Ahead of the release of 'Useless Loop' on 5 November, which Mick and band will launch the same day at Four5Nine in Perth, Mick sits down for a chat.
Our first gig was... Indie Bar Scarborough (Indian Ocean Hotel).
When did you settle on the group's name, and was it a unanimous decision... Hmm, difficult question. I settled on the name Mick Finn Odyssey or The Mick Fin Odyssey (I'm still not sure what it is to be honest, haha) a few years back, maybe three years.
We did discuss the idea among the label at OFR, but I think ultimately it came down to these songs being an ode to my journey in life and so the project became what it is today, the Mick Finn Odyssey. Weird name really, haha.
In the studio we usually... Concentrate and remain focused at all times, I don't even smoke weed when I'm recording with Sam. We want nothing but the best takes and for that you need to be at the top of your game; when I'm in a million dollar studio I'm there to work full stop.
If we could tour with anyone... It would be anybody that is a nice person or group of artists we can have fun with travelling and playing music along the way.
Social media is... Designed to make you hate yourself and think much less of yourself than you really are. It is garnered towards the encouragement of attention seeking and the will to make others either jealous or elated due to your own perceived fortune.
I stopped posting bullsh.t about myself when I realised that if nobody is asking me about my life then I'm probably not worth being heard from, why am I telling mostly random people how I feel?
Nobody actually gives a f... and even if they did they probably can't fix the immensely, deeply seeded causes you are troubled by. . . Good marketing tools though.
My favourite app at the moment is... My Voice Memos, because I can capture what pours out of my heart in an untainted manner and harness the pure energy, ready to be transformed into a song some day.
To date, my most embarrassing moment was the time... I can't repeat that moment here, I'm sorry, but I can say it was lewd and highly inappropriate for anybody to experience.
Life on the road can be... Tough and lonely.
If you'll have us on your bill, all we ask is that our rider contains... Gin, cointreau and Doritos. . . and watermelon lol! Nah jokes we don't really care haha.
The most scary scenario I've found myself in, was... Bullets both ways over head, that's enough. I could go further but I won't.
What celebrity/ famous person would you love to be spokesperson of the band... Mike Tyson, because he seems like a kind-hearted soul and is super connected haha.
If you had to live in a city abroad, where would you choose and why? Nadi, Fiji. Best surf in the world close by and far from any major city on earth.
Three people you'd like to invite around for a dinner party... My Mum, because I can't any more. Jimi Hendrix because I'm sure it would be fun and Donald Trump so I could tell him to his face he is an imbecile and that the whole world including his wife believes so.
If we were coming over to your place, what would you cook us? Depends on what you prefer, but I can do a nice Vienna schnitzel with Bavarian potato salad. Super tasty!
When it comes to pets are you a lover or hater of our furry friends? Lover! I love my lab Charlie Boy!
No matter the expense, send me a case of... Afghan Kush. Can I say that here?
The last time I saw the inside of a gym was... 2013. It's all body weight training for me now. Surfing and rock climbing outdoors is enough.
What's the one chore you dislike the most? Folding clothes.
Do you have any phobias... I'm afraid of failure, nobody wants to fail.
Would you ever partake in a reality show? 'Survivor'. Lol does that count? I think that experience would be fun.
If you could prank any of your friends, who's your target, and how are you bringing them down? I don't prank, that brings bad karma.
Best local takeaway joint for a midnight feed that will leave you with a food coma? If open, Santa Lucia Pizza.
Which fictional character best describes your personality? Yosemate Sam, always wears a hat and loves to shoot his guns hahaha.
Last show you binge-watched? 'See'. Strange concept I suppose.
Mick Finn Odyssey play Four5Nine (Perth) 5 November.
