The former frontman of Brisbane rock band Fushia, Ryan Nebauer now dedicates his musical creations to his project Neighbour.
Who is Neighbour... Neighbour is a musical venture driven and fronted by myself, Ryan, but involving my good friends Jhindu Lawrie and James Watson. My recordings and live performances can, and do, feature a bunch of talented friends I know; my dad has even been known to jump up to play double bass.
We sound like... We're an acoustic-folk act currently, but I feel an evolution of the sound happening, so we'll see where this goes.
Our first gig was... Supporting Sahara Beck at the now closed Dowse Bar (RIP).
When did you settle on the group's name, and was it a unanimous decision... Well I had the intention to do a solo project, but didn't want to go under my own name. My last name is Nebauer, but all my Australian friends pronounce it as 'Neighbour', and that can lend itself to any kind of musical project.
In the studio we usually... Bring girls in to sing the high vocals we can't reach.
If I could tour with anyone... Paul Dempsey, hands down. I feel there is a lot I could learn from that man. He's always been a glowing inspiration.
Social media is... A double-edged sword. It's great as a platform to easily access what we do as musicians, but outside of that it has destroyed social lives and perceptions of how to communicate among many of my friends. Hopefully we can adapt to it in better ways.
My favourite app at the moment is (why?)... Memorise - it's teaching me French everyday and I probably wouldn't attempt that if it wasn't so simple.
To date, our most embarrassing moment was the time... We were about to play a set at The Triffid and James leant his double bass against a door for a second, during which someone walked out the door, knocked over the bass and snapped the neck. Needless to say the set was a little stripped back.
Life on the road can be... About to go on our first tour this October, get back to me in two months.
If you'll have us on your bill, all we ask is that our rider contains... Blended fruits of the season, chilled to two degrees, served in a martini glass with a side of jalapenos.
The most scary scenario I've found myself in, was... I had a guy at a show recently, and kindly, ask if he could join our band and write all our lyrics. Half an hour later he was shouting abuse and saying we're doing everything wrong and missing a great opportunity. He was 60-years old and only had two buttons holding his shirt together.
What celebrity/ famous person would you love to be spokesperson of the band... Ricky Gervais - the man can speak no wrong.
Three people you'd like to invite around for a dinner party... Russell Brand, Tony Abbott and Jamie Oliver. The conversation would be interesting to say the least, and if it's too tense I'm sure Jamie's food could put all tensions to ease.
If we we're coming over to your place, what would you cook?
Roasted eggplant, topped with balsamic tomato, raisin, caramelised onion and parsley with a side of herb chips. It would be lunch and we'd follow with many beers. Let me know a time and place.
No matter the expense, send me a case of... Man pills.
The last time I saw the inside of a gym was... I worked in a coffee shop inside a gym last year. I was the only skinny guy and not listening to Calvin Harris remixes on repeat.
What's the one chore you dislike the most?
Attending to the endless needs of my car.
Do you have any phobias... please explain?
I am legitimately scared of thieves after one walked into my room while I was sleeping.
Would you ever partake in a reality show? If so, what type?
Yes. They should do a 'Big Brother' where people actually come from all walks of life and aren't horny losers from the Gold Coast. Put people from several different religions, races and world views in a room and you'd have some interesting results. It might actually put the reality back in TV.
If you could prank any of your friends, who's your target, and how are you bringing them down?
I constantly and subtly text people I don't know on my friends' phones, slowly but surely sending them insane.
Neighbour plays Front Yard Music at QPAC's Melbourne Street Green on 25 September from 5pm, and Ben & Jerry's Openair Cinema Brisbane 4 & 18 October.
