Groove Terminator Story / Interview
Across the airwaves it came, like a bit of a tidal wave, the latest single from Australian artist Groove Terminator, One More Time (The Sunshine Song), coming from an artist who's been around the scene for quite some time, though is only just finding his feet as far as radio play goes in any serious way & with a debut album just released recently, titled Road Kill, sporting some great sounds which have appealed to a very wide variety of listeners.
I
caught up with Groove Terminator, just prior to his tour with
Grinspoon & a couple of days after an appearance on a Saturday
morning kids TV show, where the producer had a severe play around
with the camera effects. We spoke of various things, including the
current controversy surrounding MP3 & other online issues as well
as the forthcoming tour.
First up, with the TV appearance so fresh in my mind, I had to ask what his reaction to it was.
"To be honest, I haven't actually seen it yet, though you've got me a bit worried now. I don't think there'll be too much to worry about. It's really a kids show, especially in that timeslot, but whatever exposure you get as an artist, it's almost always good."
With that out of the way, I asked about the length of time between being signed by Virgin, to the actual release of the album.
"Yes, it has been rather a while I suppose. But Virgin have been really good for me, they haven't pressured me at all. Basically, when they signed me up, they sort of said 'we want you to develop as an artist', so I guess during that time I've really been getting my head together as an artist & writing & performing, which has helped me out as far as the music on the album goes."
While speaking of the music, the latest single, which had already been getting some significant airplay, is One More Time (The Sunshine Song), which has that very cool sample that most people will be familiar with by this time, so I asked what the inspiration was.
"I don't know really. To me it was just such an obvious choice & it really fitted in with the feel of the song, so there was no question. Why nobody else has used it like this before I don't know, but a lot of people seem to like it, so I hope there'll be some more exposure overseas for it. Everywhere it's performed, the audience know & love it."
The talk of performance brought up the tour & I asked about the seemingly unusual tag along with Grinspoon.
"It's not really as strange as it sounds you know. I've always been into the rock end of things. One of my favourite bands is a little bit in the punk area & I've always loved good rock. For that reason, Grinspoon are a really good choice. They rock hard & while my music isn't rock, you can get up & dance to it, you know what I mean - it's high energy, so most people don't really separate that at a live gig, they just get into the sounds & enjoy them."
Lastly, with the technology of a lot of the Groove Terminator sound, I had to ask about GT's online experiences.
"To be honest, I haven't had a great deal of experience on the internet. I know there's so much on it to explore & find out, especially with things like streaming audio, MP3 & what have you & It's definitely something I can relate to, but I think it's the way of the future - we'll wait & see."
Catch Groove Terminator performing near you or check out his latest album Road Kill out through Virgin.
