EMQ’s with SPACEGOAT
Hi everyone! Welcome to our new EMQ’s interview with Victoria, Australia based Alt-Metal band, Spacegoat. Huge thanks to vocalist, Ez, for taking part.
What is your name, what do you play and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?
Hey-o! My name is Ez and I’m the vocalist for Spacegoat. Our history is pretty standard to be honest, we’re just a bunch of mates that came together with the goal of playing music and we’ve been super fortunate to have fluked this amazing song-writing chemistry that we have, which makes being in this band so enjoyable and easy. We have been together since early 2018, released our debut EP, “33”, in 2019 and gigged solidly pre-Covid. 2020 halted all of our live performance momentum but allowed us to focus on writing new songs and we did so with a lot more intent and thought, in comparison to the first release.
How did you come up with your band name?
In the very, very early days our bassist suggested the name ‘Scapegoat’ and it was mis-heard as ‘Spacegoat’. Clearly that’s a MUCH cooler name so that’s what stuck. It’s a really fun name that people seem to gravitate to and we like that it doesn’t really seem to spark an instant preconception.
What Country/Region are you from and what is the Metal/Rock scene like there?
We are from Victoria, Australia. The local metal scene is almost non-existent if I’m being honest. There are plenty of metalheads and rockers here but no venues really catering to heavier styles, however we’re lucky to live close by the capital city of Melbourne, where there is a big metal scene. Australia has some amazing metal and rock bands and passionate heavy music fans.
What is your latest release? (Album, EP, Single, Video)
‘Miasma’ (released July 2nd) is the first single off our forthcoming EP “Catharsis”. This song is all about that negative internal dialogue created by anxiety and imposter syndrome.
The full EP is scheduled for release in October. We’ll be sneaking another single release in between now and then, though, so keep an eye out for that one! We are very proud of all the songs on “Catharsis” and how we’ve grown as a band since writing and releasing the first EP.
‘Miasma’ (Audio)
Who have been your greatest influences?
For me, personally, I have drawn a large amount of influence from singers such as Sandra Nasic (Guano Apes), James Hetfield (Metallica), Corey Taylor (Stone Sour/Slipknot) and Chino Moreno (Deftones). I was a late-90’s teen so nu-metal was very much my jam, that combo of clean and harsh vocals will always do it for me.
My band mates all have their own strong influences in bands like Sevendust, Periphery, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Faith No More to name but a mere few.
What first got you into music?
This seems like such a simple question, yet I don’t think I can pinpoint a definitive answer. I have always just felt like I wanted to be musical. I remember being a really little kid and hearing Kylie Minogue on the radio and thinking she must stand in a booth at the radio station all day and sing (oh bless a child’s mind!) and I remember thinking that I wanted to do that! As my music taste developed and I taught myself to sing, I could never be happy with just simply being a music fan, it’s always been an innate NEED to make music too.
If you could collaborate with a current band or musician, who would it be?
Oh man, tough one to choose…but I would have to say Jonathon Davis/Korn.
If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?
Download Festival UK. That’s an easy one!
What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?
I haven’t received any gifts at this point in time but now I hope the first one I do get is super weird just so I have a fun story to tell!
If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?
Take your passions seriously but don’t take yourself seriously. Life is much better when you’re being funny and weird…and be whatever you want to be, as long as you’re not a dickhead.
If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?
Chris Cornell. First up I wanted to say Bowie. But I changed my answer, because Bowie spent a literal lifetime making amazing music, whereas I feel Chris’s departure was premature and he still had a lot more incredible music left to give us.
What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?
I love that it’s an outlet in both an emotional and physical way. To be able to transpose your emotions into music is beyond satisfying. I’m also extremely lucky that I get to do it with my best friends. You often have to get vulnerable when making music, so to be making it with people who I trust is something I’m thankful for. I hate that it costs so much money to keep the whole thing going! It’s certainly a labour of love.
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
There are probably a lot of things that I could change, but I’d start by fucking off those awful reality TV talent shows.
Name one of your all-time favourite albums?
“In Love and Death” by The Used.
What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CD’s or Downloads?
I’m disorganised, so I definitely appreciate the convenience of downloads and streaming. I used to be one of those people who had the wrong CD in the wrong cover all the time, I’d lose them and CD’s would end up on the floor of my car all scratched. It’s not ideal. I do miss opening a CD and having the lyric booklet, though. Call me a heathen but I’ve not jumped on the vinyl wagon like so many other people these days. And cassettes? Nah, no thanks.
What’s the best gig that you have played to date?
The launch of our first EP was pretty awesome, it was at a local bar in our hometown and we had a way bigger crowd than we were expecting and it was vibin’. We absolutely live for being on stage. Writing and recording is fun, don’t get me wrong, but Spacegoat is definitely a live band; so, we really don’t care if we play to 10 people or a packed room, we will still have a ball and make it fun.
If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?
I’m sorry, there is no “not being a musician” option in my database.
Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?
Henry Rollins, Billy Connolly, Russell Brand, Corey Taylor and Miley Cyrus.
What’s next for the band?
In the immediate future, we will begin work on a music video for the second single to be released in a few months from now. And we will be getting back into playing shows again, as many as possible really, and hopefully continue to build hype for the EP that’s on the way. We’ll sneak in some song writing at some point so that we can start to move towards the next release.
What Social Media/Website links do you use to get your music out to people?
Link Tree is all you need, baby! Everything boxed up in a neat little package! People can choose their preferred platform from there, we’re on them all.
Jaffa Cakes? Are they a cake or a biscuit?
A bloody delicious biscuit, thank you very much!
Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?
Cheers for letting me ramble on! Yes! Just remember: Don’t be a dickhead.
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