Brisbane indie surf-rock band Shag Rock have just begun their 'Loosen Up' tour and lead guitar and vocalist Jacob Reed says everything's off to a great start.
“The current tour's been really good, we only started our first tour earlier in the year so [tour life is] still pretty new for us,” Jacob says.
Shag Rock will be touring across Australia visiting Sydney, Canberra, Gold Coast, Brisbane, Byron Bay and Adelaide. Jacob says the band is most excited for their home-town gig in Brisbane.
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“Brisbane is the one we're super stoked for; it's always really good coming back after these tours. There always seems to be a really good crowd and everyone's super happy,” Jacob says.
The band will be touring in their van or as they call it the 'Shag Wagon'. “We have this big, seedy black van that we drive everywhere; the whole, last tour was in it. It's good to get back in the van again. It's kind of like our home, we just drive around, eat in it and sleep in it,” Jacob says.
Shag Rock hasn't stopped working this year. “We toured at the start of the year and then did [local] gigs [in between tours]; it's kind of like your practice time is the actual gigs. Constant, good times really,” Jacob laughs.
Big things are in the works for the band with news of American shows. “We found out that we got this festival showcase in New York at Mondo Festival; we've got this big tour lined up which will be the most unreal experience because most of us haven't been to America at all,” Jacob says excitingly. “It also sort of feels like will be able to showcase Australian music a bit so it's a cool feeling.”
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Since the band formed in 2011 they have been working closely with ex-Powderfinger guitarist Ian Haug. Jacob says the band has been super lucky to be able to work with him. “We've been working with Ian for a while. We first started when we were back in high school. We recorded a song then and he saw something and stuck with us for a while,” Jacob says.
“We're constantly trying new stuff and he's always getting us to experiment with all different tangents over the years, he comes up with stuff you'd never think of. We're really lucky.”
Jacob says the band constantly has new music in the works. “We've got a few demo dates lined up, we already had one where we recorded some stuff in the studio. We're always writing new stuff, even when we were finishing the first album. We will hopefully get a single or two out this year plus hopefully an EP early next year sometime,” he says.
Jacob says the band deferred university to focus on the band, but they still have other commitments including surfing (of course). “We took uni off for the year and just gave the band a crack, but we've all got part-time jobs. I teach swimming classes and Alex has a computer job,” Jacob says.
“We surf a lot and drink a lot, pretty much Shag Rock in a nutshell.”
Shag Rock Tour Dates
25 Aug - The Foundry (Brisbane)26 Aug - 38 Berwick (Brisbane)
1 Sep - Solbar (Sunshine Coast)
8 Sep - Miami Marketta (Gold Coast)
14 Sep - Oxford Art Gallery (Sydney)
15 Sep - Smith's Alternative (Canberra)
14 Oct - Red Deer Music & Arts Festival (Brisbane)
