With 15 lives dates in 3 weeks across Europe at the end of May and start of June, I'm not sure whether hip hop, psych-soul project Boo Seeka will be in the right medical condition to undertake their own, 16-date national tour in the second week of June.
Boo Seeka is in Europe at the moment; you two have been spending a bit of time overseas touring the last 12 months; how have the adventures been?
We feel pretty lucky really, to be travelling around Australia and Europe playing shows. Great times and new experiences.
Tell us about your new single, 'Oh My'. The press release says it has 'more hip hop driven beats and melodic layerings'.
'Oh My' started its life in Europe actually. We were in the van and started on this beat, real heavy, hip hop kinda thing. Then we got back home and spent time on it in the studio and it slowly developed into the song as we know it, which is quite different from how it was originally shaping up. We went hip hop on 'Fool' and I think that's carried through to 'Oh My'.
How is work on the debut album coming along?
The album's coming along nicely; the songs are done. We just like to sit on them for as long as it takes to get them to a point that we're as stoked as we can be with them. We're still writing though, so we're open to some of the new material pushing out some of the old material. We're pretty damn excited about it.
You're collaborating with producer Ian Pritchett; what has he brought to the project?
Ian is a huge part of our sound. He's bloody great at what he does and is a great guy to work with. He's always bringing in new ideas and taking songs off on tangents. One of those minds you just love to watch in action.
Can we expect the album released this year?
I'd like to say expect it this year.
Boo Seeka were part of the recent Groovin The Moo series; you guys have blast? Favourite memory?
Groovin was on a new level for us. It was unreal. Great memories of the shows, the crowds, the banter off stage. We found ourselves running around with punters at nearly all of 'em, just having a killer time with killer people. Favourite memory: being interviewed by an at-the-time very zen The Meeting Tree in face masks, doing yoga moves involving balancing wine on our heads and getting in touch with our spirit animals.
Once you return from Europe, you have a month-long stretch of Australian live dates; you're obviously still enjoying life on the road?
We love the road. If you said to us you can have a 9-5 in the same building every day or fly around the world doing what you love we'd never think twice. We're really looking forward to the Aussie leg of the 'Oh My' tour. Always promises a good time. We find ourselves writing the majority of our music on the road too. So it's work and pleasure.
How often are you guys back home in Sydney these days?
Not a great deal. We spent less days in Sydney last year than not in Sydney. Doesn't matter where we are though, Sydney always feels like home, and when you have long stints away a bit of homesickness can sink in. But we wouldn't change a thing.
What has been the biggest development for Boo Seeka in the last 12 months?
Maybe Ben finally developing a significant enough loss of attachment for his brown, leather shoes. It took 15 months, but they're finally in shoe heaven. No doubt one day he'll be sitting on a beach at sunset and an old, petrified, brown leather shoe will wash upon the shore to a tear of joy falling from his eye. Other than that probably the growing number of people that our music has reached over the past 12 months has been pretty crazy.
The best fan reaction Boo Seeka have experienced?
Someone was speechless once, like hyperventilating, which was new to us. That was outdone at Woodford Festival over New Year's when a dude from the crowd almost fainted when meeting our manager. Old Neal's the real rockstar in all this; must be from all his film clip cameos.
This time next year; where will the Boo Seeka trajectory have travelled?
If we keep working as hard as we are and people continue to enjoy our music then who knows where we'll be in a year.
Boo Seeka Tour Dates
Fri 10 Jun – Solbar (Sunshine Coast)Sat 11 Jun – Woolly Mammoth (Brisbane)
Sun 12 Jun – Miami Marketta (Gold Coast)
Fri 17 Jun – Flinders Social (Townsville)
Sat 18 Jun – Darwin Railway Club
Thu 23 Jun – Wollongong Uni Bar
Fri 24 Jun – Commercial Hotel (Milton)
Fri 1 Jul – Area Hotel (Griffith)
Sat 2 Jul – Home Tavern (Wagga Wagga)
Thu 7 Jul – Oxford Art Factory (Sydney)
Fri 8 Jul – Cambridge Hotel (Newcastle)
Wed 13 Jul – Transit Bar (Canberra)
Thu 14 Jul – Karova Lounge (Ballarat)
Fri 15 Jul – Howler (Melbourne)
Sat 16 Jul – Baha (Rye)
Boo Seeka also play Splendour In The Grass 22-24 July as well as Maroochy Music & Vis Arts Festival 10 September.
