Last month, Sunshine Coast groove-rock merchants Hobo Magic toured New Zealand (indulging their inner hobbits along the way).
In February, the three-piece will add more stamps to their passports when they board an iron bird to Japan. But not before a trio of SE QLD shows to raise funds for their next international adventure.
How was the December New Zealand tour; 9 shows in 11 days. You guys must be tight as?
The NZ tour was such an epic time! We hired a campervan and got to explore some really rad places on the way to shows.
We are all massive fans of 'Lord Of The Rings', so we got to unleash our hidden hobbit hobo’s within together! Mountains Gandalf! By the end of the trip, we definitely tightened as a unit but then again it could have been the old Toby enhancing the riffs.
“The best times are had when we hit the road and get to meet new people and experience weird and wonderful parts of life.”
Best moment of the NZ tour?
The best moment of the tour is a hard one as there were many ripping times throughout the trip.
One of the biggest highlights of the tour was in a small surf town on the North Island called Raglan. It’s like the NZ Byron Bay with heaps of backpackers and a cool, local community full of surfers and hippies.
The show ended up being packed out and a million people crawled out of the woodwork to get sweaty and have a wild time, which was magic.
Another highlight was going to Weta Workshop in Wellington, which is the design company that worked on 'Lord Of The Rings' and 'The Hobbit'. That was also bad-ass.
You also have a Japan tour fast approaching; who knew hobos were so popular; seriously, you guys are building up the tour miles and passport stamps. Is this the first stage towards world domination old-school style?
We’ve always been a big believer in being as busy as possible and giving people as much groove as we possibly can.
The best times are had when we hit the road and get to meet new people and experience weird and wonderful parts of life. It feels like a pilgrimage to holy lands going on tour sometimes and its addictive.
But yeah, the more we can get around the world and play our tunes the better. Live music brings people together and we have some big plans to get around this beautiful world this year.
“At Double Baked you can pay $1 to throw cricket balls at us.”
What are you most looking forward to about the Japanese visit?
I'd say the complete culture difference and experiencing how the Japanese people live and how their society works.
Also, all the weird and wonderful gadgets and historic buildings that look totally epic. Another thing is checking out the bands and music that is happening around Japan. I've heard some rad things about the music scene and that the venues are super cool.
But we will definitely try and get immersed in the place while we are there and make the most of it.
You have fundraiser shows in Brisbane, Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast this month… what is planned for each night? Will you host an auction at any of the shows?
We got some epic line-ups sorted for the fundraisers at some of our favourite venues on the Sunny Coast and Brisbane, which is recipe for a magical time!
Also we are playing a mini fest called Double Baked at Mo’s Desert Clubhouse in Burleigh Heads; such a sick venue and a crazy line-up for Aussie Day.
Brisbane: we’ve got Voiid, Cakes and Old Home joining us at The Bearded Lady and in Eumundi were hitting our local pub the Imperial Hotel with The Royal Artillery, The Unknowns, The Cloacas and Dear Doonan.
We aren’t doing auctions, but we did have a rad fan make some Hobo hats for us to sell at the shows; also at Double Baked you can pay $1 to throw cricket balls at us. So I mean, if you have some built-up hobo rage it’s a good time to get it out. We may make some crazy merch to sling.
Maybe a date with the band can get some your extra yen to spend in Japan! You've gone past 5k likes on Facebook; how integral is the band's social pages to generating new fans?
A date is definitely an idea! A quick rummage through Woollies bins and then a lighter-lit dinner shared over a half-smoked ciggie and bag of Fruity Lex! Anyone?
Social media is a rad way to get out info and share pictures and music to people with ease, so it comes in handy for sure with getting people checking out our stuff. The best way we have made new fans though I think, is by playing live and doing it through gigging solidly.
The two complement each other though for sure.
In March, you'll be supporting Swedish riff kings Greenleaf with three Victorian shows as well as a Brisbane show; you guys really must feel the momentum building with this band?
Yes! We can't wait to play with those dudes! Such rad musicians and a great band.
Yeah, it’s been rad having things to look forward to with the band and it seems that things aren’t slowing down.
Rest of 2018; surely it won't be as epic as the first three months of the year… or will it?
We are hell bent on making more music and playing in some new places, so I think this year will be our busiest. We have heaps of ideas and things in the works for this year and a big drive to get to Europe and US to give them some hobo grooves.
You released your debut album, 'The World Today', back in November; plans to record and release another album or an EP anytime soon?
We do indeed. We have a new album written and ready to record, so after the Japan tour and the run of shows with Greenleaf we are going to get hard into getting the new record sorted.
It’s got some new sounds and goes to some interesting places, so we are super keen to let it out into the world.
Away from music; what's your favourite app to waste time with?
Hmmm. I got real addicted to that game 'EverWing' once on Facebook. You could battle your friends on messenger, which I thought was pretty sweet.
If the scenestr crew were coming around for dinner, what would Hobo Magic serve up?
There would be a bountiful banquet of Bahn Mi rolls and 100 pints of Guinness for desert.
Hobo Magic Shows
Fri 12 Jan - The Bearded Lady (Brisbane)Sat 20 Jan - The Imperial Hotel (Sunshine Coast)
Fri 26 Jan – Double Baked @ Mo's Desert Clubhouse (Gold Coast)
