The Downbeat - Steve Judd - Karnivool

Episode Date: May 15, 2023

I sat down with Steve Judd of Australian progressive titans KARNIVOOL to talk drums, how he has his eggs, passing off live mistakes as simply 'Jazz', pizza...and diabetes (unrelated).

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But first, let me tell you about today's guest. He's a hot dude. He's a very good drummer. Oh, it's not a drum podcast. Relax. Steve Judd from Carnival. I'm not going to tell you the story about the first time I met Steve Judd because he's in the podcast. I'm not going to tell you how Steve Judd has his eggs because it's in the podcast.

I'm not going to tell you about Steve Judd's practice routine or how Carnival writes the song because it's in the GDPC. What I am going to tell you about is today's sponsor for the Downbeat podcast as ever. Displate. Displate, make metal posters like this, right? They double as a musical instrument. Why are they so good? Well, they're metal, so they don't get all rubbish like paper posters. Why are they so good?

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If you're on YouTube, do a like, do a subscribe, do a comment, just enjoy yourself. A bit of popcorn. Steve Judd from Carnival on the Downbeat Podcast. The start. You don't have to do it, but thank you. I thought I'd help. Thank you so much.

Steve, I haven't seen you since, uh, 2017. Yeah, long time. When I met you for about 45 minutes in Perth? Amplify Bar. Was that the name of the venue? Yeah. plus one.

I was like, oh yeah, cool, didn't ask you the plus one is. Played like shit. Come over. And then we all just

met you, but we're just having a chat. And then you were like, yeah, I've got to go on tour next week or something. I was like, oh, what's your band called? And you went carnival

and I went, oh my God, because I was a big fan, but I didn't, I didn't, I just knew the music. Yeah. Perf boys,

born and bred? Yeah, all except Hoss, one of the guitarists, is a Melbourne lad. I was born in you. New Zealand, but came to us when I was kids. Have you got, is there New Zealand in your accent?

No. No, see, I don't know. It's really hard for me to tell the difference. I say six, so. Oh, yeah, they say sex. Is it sex? Sucks. Sucks.

It's a you, like, all they, they mix them up. I mean, I'm sure they say sex, too, but. They probably say, different connotation. They would say six for sex, I think. Off the top of my head. Do you want to have six? Yeah, right. There we go.

Sounded a bit South African there. Thanks for coming. You had a little stressful, stressful morning. Just bus parking, you know, tour life. At the garage. Yeah. The garage is a bit small for Carnival. Yeah, we played, God, the last time we were here, we played the garage as well.

So that was 2015, I think. Where the fuck you been? Not many places, actually. No, I just mean question one, like. I don't have any questions written, but... We did... Where'd you go? Well, the last...

God, our last record was 2013. That's 10 years? Yes, so the 15 tour was to promote that album, I guess. And then since then, we've been writing. You have actually been writing? Very slowly.

How slowly are we talking about? Tall? This is almost tall. Well, it's 10 years and we don't have an album. So, pretty... slowly. Like out of those 10 years, have you been writing very slowly over 10 years? Or did you break for a bit?

We've taken like little mini breaks along the way, done a little bit of touring back home, a little bit overseas. We just haven't made it back a year since 15. But we've done, God, I think we did South Africa and India and a few other places. And then some touring back home. We've released one song last year, or the year before. That's about it.

So without leaking anything that you can't leak, is that one song, you know when bands have already recorded an album and then they go, here's a single, but we're not announcing an album yet. Is that what's happened? Is there an album? Just tell me there's an album.

There could be in time. But you're planning on it. an album. Come on, don't... The plan is an album. Because you can't dine out on three for that long. We just don't know how to get there at this point. So we're kind of just building bits as we go. We have another couple of songs done. And the rest is kind of just finalising half-cooked ideas.

We're going to come back to that because that's like a real question thing that I do want to know. That needs proper analysis, right? Yeah. For us too. Yeah. It's not a four minutes in to the podcast conversation. Four minutes in is I made you a coffee. It's nice, actually.

Thank you very much. He sounds surprised. Good slurps out. Well, I haven't heard rave reviews from the one I've heard. Yeah, Josh was like, in fairness, right? So I make, usually I'll make a V60, but Josh was coming and he likes espresso. I was like, I'll fire up the rig. But the beans that I've got, roasted the filter.

I thought I'd make him an espresso 50 second extraction and he was like it comes into the podcast of the first thing he says just slagging my coffee off so I was like are you going to do it as well as an Australia thing because you guys love coffee

yeah look I don't want to put any pressure on but we've been trying to hunt the best coffee in every city so far where have you been don't you don't have to fucking reel off everything lots of Germany Czech Republic did you go to

five elephants in Berlin Have you been to Berlin in this tour? Yes. No, I don't know if we made it there. I can't remember the Berlin one. Munich? Munich? Did you go to Man versus Machine?

No. You fucking should have asked me. I'm going to go through your shit. Whatever I've logged, that's what we had. I'll have to go through it. I'm going to get those up later. I'm just going to have a look and I'll be like, okay, I know where I'm going. Are you playing Switzerland?

Have you done it yet? Yes. No. No, we didn't do it this run. Some fucking... Man, I'll have to look at the tour dates. I should probably know these things, but it doesn't matter. But you said something interesting to me when I was making this coffee.

Number one, I think... Give me the rundown of the amount of coffee that you drink a day currently? Currently, about four to six cups. Four to six cups, so not including the shots. Not shots, cups. And sometimes I'll get an extra shot. Oh, yeah. So three shots per coffee.

Are you an extra shot if you have to resort to Starbucks or something? No, I'm an extra shot. Even in a bougie place? Do they ever just go, this guy? I did get a funny look from one of the cafes we went to in Germany. And one of the girls, I asked for a double espresso and flat white with an extra shot. And she was like, you know that's seven shots of coffee? I fucking know.

Or five shots of coffee. I said, yep. My, I have to be really careful with like replying to stuff like that. How old are you? 40. 40? Congrats.

How was it? It was all right. Yeah? It was like every other birthday. No breakdown? No. Never had any kind of, I'm old breakdown? No, it might be on the way.

Oh, really? I'm 36. I've had like, fucking, three. I haven't even had your one now. I haven't got 40. 50 will be the breakdown for me But if someone Buy 50

Who cares It's just done then Anyway 10 years By 50 you'll have One more album We should be We should have

We might be having the same Conversation then But my always My go-to response in my head But I have to realise Like No that's not okay It's like

Look at how old I am I know how many coffees They're in that fucking coffee I've been drinking coffee For a while I've been drinking coffee For so long Like

It's not like Oh, you know that's actually got crack in it. It's a big fucking secret. Yeah, every time I go for breakfast with one of my friends back home, I always order too many drinks. So juice, water, double espresso, almond flat white. And then every time they come,

they put the double espresso for me and give him the other coffee. Bring that over. Juice, me. That's weird. Always shocked. It happens every week. Even today. This is minimal liquid for me.

Can I get you an old? I need another. three or four bottles to feel comfortable. I can get you a few things. I can top you up on that as well. You can do it yourself. I'll allow you to do it yourself. Right, run me down.

You're waking up. I'm still on the coffee thing. You're waking up on the bus. What time do you wake up at? Let's go through a Steve Judd day. Day in the life. A day in the life.

Well, most days, we've probably been up around 10, 11. All right. And then I'll usually find a cafe. coffee first get all the coffee some food and many drinks like a chestboard of drinks yeah very nice not a lot of room for food but we create the space yeah and then gym is it we could have went to the gym we could be doing that now i've already been uh i haven't i'm doing this instead priorities what i could have fucking oh nice would you do at the gym when you're on tour like you've got a program or you just fucking getting a bit of blood moving

Do a bit of everything. So I'm trying to do more strength lifts at the moment. So I'm doing deads, squats. I'd much rather us both at the gym right now. We could be doing dead. Instead of entertaining these people. Motherfucker. I could have done deads today.

I got deads tomorrow. I did deads. Actually, I had yesterday off. I should be there today. But as I say, here instead. So that's on you. Do you find that fucks me a drumming? no I mean the last show we did

Bristol and I went to the gym like right before sound check which gym Lux Fitness it was the closest so it's proximity base yeah oh yeah same yeah so we're there did some deads I basically spent the whole hour doing dead lifts and pull-ups and that was it nice and then sound check and I went to sound check did that

that was it you find it limbers you up or do you just exactly the same I feel like I'm pretty stiff anyway so it doesn't make a difference to be honest I wish I was you I feel like you're one of those people who's just really good at the drums and don't have to try that's what I'm you said a couple of things on the way here that was like

this motherfucker it's funny because I always think the opposite and every show I mean everyone's their own worst critic but the first few I would say we're generally pretty under-rehearsed. So the first few shows are always kind of, God, they're pretty rough. But, you know, the feedback you get is always like, oh, it's good.

Lots of little mistakes, but you kind of over, you know, you overblow them in your head. I feel like you guys are so proggy, though, that you can just pretend the mistake was just like, I was just in the moment. Yeah, the amount of times I've called out jazz on stage when someone's done something or John O' turn around and give me this.

funny look. Played this wrong. And I'm like, yeah, I played that wrong. It's fine. I know, unless it's like blindly obvious. Yeah. Okay, so you've had your coffee. Are you eating pre-gim?

I just want to know this for me. I don't care about these people. Oh, yeah. I eat pre-gim, so I'll try and eat. That's at the coffee experience. With the coffee. And the drinks. All the drinks, some sort of carb.

And then I'll do gym. And then straight after. eat sound check eat and then usually we've got like an hour or so before sound check another coffee? Oh always so what's your coffee order on that

second coffee? I usually stick to the oat flat whites after after gym although there's been there's been some nights on you know it's like on the bus you're not always sleeping the best so there's been a couple nights where I've just done

the double espresso before the show to try and perk up and do you find that affects your drumming? No. What are you? You're one of those people that's just good. I hate it. I have like the most meticulous like,

I have to eat this close to the show. I have to do this. And then I still fucking hate how I played. The only thing I try and manage is my food before the timing of... What's your cut off? I usually try and eat like an hour and a half before we play. That's fucking too late for me. Really?

What's yours? I've got to do, it's got to be three hours before. Oh, shit. Yeah. No, I need, I need some fuel, I think. Plus, I'm type 1 diabetic as well, so I have to try and manage my meal times to control my sugar levels on stage.

Is it? What's, which, what type 1 is? Insulin dependent. So I have to do the shots before I eat. You're the second type 1 diabetic on the Downbeat podcast. Oh, there you go. Who's the first? Comedian Ed Gamble.

Oh, wow. type 1 diabetic. I didn't get to see anyone do any needle shit though. I've already done one here. You've done it. I'm pretty quick. Did you actually? You shot up in my...

In your living room? In my living room. It wouldn't be the first time. Anyway, enough about my heroin addiction. Okay. Then an hour and a half. What's that meal? Whatever we get for dinner?

So usually, if I get some rice or potatoes or something, fairly carb heavy. I'll have that. That's about it. How long's you sat? Hour and a half. Do you hate that? Would you love it?

Depends on how well I'm playing. Sometimes it feels like the longest hour and a half of your life. And then, you know, we had a couple of shows back. We probably got two songs from the end. And it was the first time I looked at the set list and I'm, oh, shit, we're at this point already. Which means, obviously, the show's going well. Yeah, and it was fun.

Some nights where I'm like, with two songs in, I'm like, fuck, this is going forever. If you make a mistake in the first song. Oh, always. It's that throw, you know, and then you kind of get lost in that mistake. You start ruminating it. Yeah. You can't be present in the gear. Yeah, it's the worst.

I like, at last tour we did, we opened with the hardest song on drums now, and I've been practicing it for this next tour because we're also opening with it. And it's like, I'm going to make a mistake, but it feels like, I don't know if you ever pissed your pants in school, but like, it feels like the time I pissed my pants in assembly at school. Like, I've got to sit through the whole assembly. I've pissed my pants. Maybe other people know

I've also pissed my pants. But I just got to sit there and fucking deal with it. Yeah, just got to take it. All right, that's, that's, we can get into the other question. How does Carnival write a song? What's the process? I feel like you guys don't have, for a band that is worshipped by

progressive metal, like pretty heavy, bands fuck with you guys like they're always so like open and fucking terminally online about their process and all this shit but carnival's not so you're gonna now I wouldn't say I mean if we had a process it wouldn't be 10 years since our last record

but 10 years can be a process tools was 10 years because they had fucking big whiteboard and all that bollocks or whatever they were doing it's a big whiteboard for 10 year whiteboard we're gonna need an 11 year one I think at least. Yeah.

I think, God, it's different for every song. Every song. Sometimes someone will come in with a riff or a bass line or a melody. We might jam it or Drew might start programming stuff to get, you know, a bass. In the jam room together? Sometimes. And then sometimes people will be doing it individually. I mean, yeah, it kind of happens how it happens, I suppose.

So like there'll be demos in... Oh man, there's hard drives full of like half cooked ideas or like overproduced 20 second bytes but nothing else with it because we just haven't found the way to kind of extract more stuff I suppose. So who's not putting their way because someone's not? I think it's...

Well, everyone at times. 10 fucking years. 10 fucking years. I think it's more a case of everyone wants to have their say in the track. And oftentimes that means it's being pulled five different directions because everyone has an idea for things or a certain, I guess, direction they want to pull it in, which isn't always the best approach, I suppose. Yeah, but I was literally having this debate yesterday on Twitter,

which is where I do most of my debating. where like some band announced that four members of the band have left, it's a five-piece band. And the announcement was... That's a solo project, man. Yeah, the announcement was like, we are sorry to announce that blah, blah, blah and blah have left the band. And it's like, I'm doing the math while I'm reading it.

I'm like, well, hang on, that's... What do you mean we? We's doing a lot of work in that sentence. Like, I am sorry to announce everyone else in my band. The way of leaving. But then, you know what was... And I thought that was funny. I made a funny joke about it, obviously, as you do.

And then the replies are people going, I guess some people don't know that most bands are just one person. That's how music works these days. And it was like, I go on that person's profile. I'm like, oh, no, this is... That's what's fucking wrong. But there is...

So I think you need... We do the same way exactly what you... Sometimes we're in the jam room. Sometimes someone has an idea they bring it to the jammer. and sometimes someone writes a whole song themselves. I feel like that is super important to being an actual band and not one guy with a bunch of other people as opposed to like what just happened there where one guy just everyone else quit.

It's probably because one guy was writing fucking everything. Yeah. I feel like there needs to be, I mean everyone wants to have their creative input when it comes to writing songs. So you kind of want to feel that sense of connection with the material. but then I guess at this point when we don't have any music you kind of think well the other side of the coin one person writes it the record done we could have some yeah we could actually be touring yeah do um I've got a specific example

but I'm going to see if you mention the specific example first do any songs get written around a drum part oh 100% yeah so sometimes I mean sometimes drew will have the the sound awake you'd like programmed a bunch of stuff so that's already I guess the kind of starting point for something so you kind of bring that in and then we'll jam that idea and then kind of develop it in the room other times

so wait is he programming the fucking Steve Judd sound are you telling me that someone else is making this sound for you what I mean by the Steve Judd sound is you're absurd in a good way mixing of like a 6-4 feel and a 4-4 feel

do you know what I mean like that's kind of the Steve Judd signature for me is the groups of three yeah I was about to say just playing with threes playing with threes but in four yeah but that's you right it's everyone I guess really it's just the carnival

what's the song on sound awake and it's like boom ba boom bab boom boom boom and there's a bling every time you hear snare uh the cordal lure the cordal law yeah who wrote that drew programmed it drew he programmed that and then you had to learn it yeah so we basically that was he'd had that basically the outline of that thing programmed and then not much of the music just that kind of part with the effect sort of stuff in the background and then we had to kind of get in a room and adapt it and write the rest of the

See, I would have put money on it. You came up with that drumbeat and then they put whatever that noise is that happens at the same time as the snare. Yeah. They would have done it that way around. Yeah. What if you fucking miss one of those snares?

And it goes... Oh, man, I remember the first tour we did with the record. Yeah. So when Sound Oake came out, we were basically playing the majority of the stuff with the old. And I remember there was one show. I didn't play the start of the song because we started and then my monitor's cut out

so I didn't have the click didn't have anything to play along to and I was like and obviously that's such a syncopated group and all I could hear I was just trying to keep time with the kick drum and all I could hear is king

yeah trying to keep time with the most insane like groups of threes I was looking at the monitor dude going I'm trying to think what that would sound like without drums. It would just be...

I think it was one of the first times we played it, yeah. It would almost sound like a completely out of time for four-four count because of the way the phrasing is. And they actually, you know, obviously ringing out chords through the start. So I just remember horse turning around going,

I was like, I've got nothing. He was like, oh, fuck. I had to wait it out. That's the kind of thing, though, that you guys can get away with like a jazz moment. Yeah. Like that was...

That was very minimal. Yeah, minimalistic jazz. I loved what you did with the Caudill Law tonight. Yeah, that extra space was so nice. Very pink Floyd. Very lovely. The first time I ever saw you guys, right, and I've said this on the podcast before, so I like to apologize in person.

Great. All right. I didn't check out Carnival for the longest time because of the name. Because I saw the name, and in my head, and now I know the band, I get it. In my head, I thought, like, German war metal kind of band

Yeah, very similar No, but like I was like No, everyone's like You gotta check out this band Carnival You're all gonna love it Like because they knew I'd love it And it was like when everyone was like

You've got to watch Breaking Bad I was like fuck you I'm not doing it I'm not one of those people And then I did it I'm like okay It's the best fucking thing on earth But the same same thing with Carnival

And I still didn't check it out And then it was Sonosphere Festival 2010 So it would have been on that tour Maybe it was the gig I don't know because I didn't know the songs I said I'll go check out of that band You were like first on

Yeah Second main stage or something Went and I think I walked in To setting fire to the hive And I just went Oh my God I'm really

I turned to my mate Chris It was there at the time I was like I'm really sorry I didn't check out of this band And I was fucking blown away And I think you ended with Change With the fucking

The bit of the end of change the drum part who wrote that that was just just a jam just the end of the so we'd finish the song tracked it then in another studio track the outro for it really just a click running i was just kind of playing some ideas we basically had like probably four times the length of what's at the end of the song and then just cut out the best bits yeah that's fucking cool and then you had to learn it from the cut out version well yeah i think that's half the stuff i played because a lot of i mean a lot of it's written and then a lot of it's just kind of feeling out ideas yeah and then we've never actually had an album written

going in to record it so a lot of it's been finished in the studio so then the back end of recording process everyone has to go back and like relearn all their stuff yeah and that's my least favorite bit as well whenever we have a section that's like a progier section or yeah just give me like 10 takes of just jam stuff and then I'm like cool like were any of those kids and it's like yeah yeah and then the producer cuts it up and I'm like I'll just have to learn that insane fill into that part and that bit into that bit but they they are right though they do make the best bit yeah they make the best stuff sometimes but I mean we don't even you know it's not like we tour a lot either so I think before um before all the COVID stuff we're

actually supposed to do the Sound Awake anniversary tour. And we hadn't played maybe half the material for quite a while. So going back to try and relearn the album start to finish, I guess in 10 years, you're playing evolves quite a bit. So a lot of the, even just the stickings of some of the stuff, I couldn't wrap my head around. I couldn't remember how I'd done it. So I was playing things going, I mean, it sounds right, but feels horrible.

It took ages to kind of just try and remember the patterns for it. Do you find that a lot with like songs over time the way they they silently change from the record and you don't realize and then you listen back to the record? Oh yeah, every tour we do. So we'd probably tour what we've toured once last year and this one this year. Each tour I have to go back and like revise whatever set list we're doing and I always forget how the songs go. So I have to go and relearn everything every time. but the last, so we did this monolith festival with a bunch of prog bands back home in August last year

and prior to that we hadn't toured in a couple of years so in my head I'm playing like oh yeah this is how it goes and I went through and every song I was like I'm so far off like it was incredible and in my head I was like no this is how it goes but it was way off so do you ever like chart anything out can you sight read? Not well so I can read but

I'll write out like cheat sheet notes but I try and do it as little as possible so I basically just commit to memory if I can what's your musical upbringing like when did you start I started playing seriously started playing drums probably when I was like 13 14 um kind of got my parents

to buy a drum kit or my dad said he'd whatever I could save So I was probably about 15 at the time He'd put in the same amount So I think the first kit I had Was like this shitty little pearl Wood Fiberglass thing Oh I know the ones

Like this blue Still pearl there Oh yeah Still pearl Yeah for you I mean I did have a yami in there too But I don't discuss that Yeah

So the you know It was just shitty hardware I think I'd saved up and bought some Headliner symbols Fucking hell yeah Yeah that was the first proper symbol I had, if you can call it. Yeah, yeah.

Yeah. And then... Did you have lessons? No. Self-taught. Yeah. Motherfucker. So I used to just play at home every day.

You never had lessons? I had one lesson about five years in. One lesson. Sometimes I feel like I shouldn't have had lessons. Every time I get someone on here who's fucking really good, and you know what, it's always the prog guys. by and I'm like so who was your drum teacher

that I didn't have one Jay from Tessarack didn't self-taught yeah and you're all like doing the octopus shit that's funny so what sort of what we doing just playing along to songs yeah so when I

got my kit I used to just set up the stereo put the headphones on my dad was into like zeppelin stones like all the old rock stuff so I'm gonna just play along to all that and then I used to spend

all my pocket money on CDs and everything so I just go buy random styles, random artists, play along to that and kind of I ended up

when I was at the drum shop because you know you have all the books and everything there so I just started buying them and taught myself how to read

so I could actually because it's just so much material I was like well if I can read then I can use it so so you kind of taught yourself

yeah nice I like it yeah and then And so what, the first band? What kind of style? I'm trying to get a glimpse of like the stylistic,

like how you end up in Carnival. First band was, God, I did a music course at TAFE. Convente your passion in a business with Shopify and bathe records of ventas with the form of pay with a better conversion of the world. Has heard of bien? The mejor conversion of the world. The incredible system of Pago of Shopify

Facility the Compras on your site on the website and the website.

That's music for your ears. No, you're going to des more your

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and records. It was a really like new metal this is like early

2000 nice proper new metal terrible but like fun at the

time and I remember how tight was your snare tuned. Oh, as tight as it could. That was my tuning technique. Just crank it all the way up and hope that it doesn't pop. Yeah, when you go past the noise of the head and it starts going,

you know you've got that lug work in too. You can see the edge of the rim of the head kind of just bending a bit. Perfect. Yeah, yeah. That's where I liked it. Yeah. So I, God, I remember the first show we did was at this bar in Perth. So I would have been like 18, 19.

And my parents, so my parents are basically coming all, all, they've been coming to all the shows since I've been playing. And that was the first one they came to. And they were like, kind of politely nodding along. Yeah, son. It was just so bad. Like, what kind of bad though, like? Oh. Like, give me, give me your influences.

What is the name of the band? Beside the point. Fuck, yeah. That's a new metal name. It's a new metal name. And we used to do Snot. Remember that bad?

Oh, yeah, fuck yeah. You used to do a snot cover. Boy, you need the snare tune fucking hard for that. Oh, I had to replicate it. Was it the first track on the fucking snot album where he just goes, Snott? That song fucking rules.

I used to love that song. Yeah, that song fucking rules. Yeah, I can't actually remember which one it was now, but I know we did a snot cover. So it was all basically that. I mean, that's kind of, I feel like snot is a more credible. influence.

Yeah. I mean... I don't know what the members of snot are up to now. They might be fucking peterpiles.

I don't know. I'm not saying I'm not saying anyone who snots to be a biterfile but I just don't know it's saying they're credible well you're not

going to get me. That's, I think that's enough said on them. Big influence at the time. At the time we don't know what they're up to now. Yeah, yeah.

So, yeah, we kind of... We're a long, lines and I just remember seeing my parents at the gig like I'm very good son that's nice well well done and then started playing in another band it was probably more like at the drive-in glass jaw with like proggy riffs and then I think it was probably around that time that the Voolguys had just recorded The Marta. You weren't on that?

No, so I joined. So Drew played on that. I didn't know that. So they'd recorded it. This is the end of 2004, I think this was. Fuck me, you love a gap in between albums. Jesus Christ, boys. Well, it was four years every time until this tenure, right?

Fuck me. We were thinking we're on the Olympic cycle. Oh, nice. Yeah, we've punished that now. But yeah, so he played on that. They'd recorded the album. obviously needed a drama and then Kenny and

I think it was just Kenny actually was coming to a couple of the shows from the other band I was playing with and then the guitarist I was playing with at the time was like well they're gonna ask you to join were you just the best part of the band come on yeah yeah yeah

look I'm not the one saying that I've said it I don't even know and then yeah we did a show and Kenny was like we're after a drummer do you want to come have a jam And I was like, yep, sure, we'll have a jam. And then that was kind of it.

How big were carnival after Thermata in Australia? Well, in, God, they had a big, I mean, Perth, small city, but big following in Perth. They'd done like one or two mini, like national tours. So they had a bit of like a groundswell going, this is pre-Thamata. And then I did a few shows with them. them back home before the record came out. I guess it was more of a like audition, I suppose. So we did a few shows.

The first show I did with them, actually, I got so drunk. The room was spinning. And it was the first time I'd played with a click track. So we took some friends down. You are fucking stressing me out with all these stories. We took some friends down. Everyone was a bit of a party vibe. I was kind of hanging out.

And then I sat at the kit. It was one of the support bands. drummer's kit had a rack and everything and i was like everything's unfamiliar sat at the kit the room started doing this because we'd been under bourbon all night and i was like well this can't be good i just remember john telling me he goes it was funny because all the songs to click were fine but all the songs that weren't to click were like real fast and that's me without booze so that was god that was a bit of a shocker that was the first show the next night we did another one obviously didn't drink as much

and then after the show Kenny was like oh that was pretty good maybe much better maybe we don't drink before I thought yeah sure how many people are these shows too like small 300 maybe two 300

small rooms and then sound awake band blew up yeah well so Thermada the band I don't know if you know much about triple j the radio station back home started playing a few tracks they used to have this net 50

which was like an internet voted countdown and a couple of tracks off the matter started getting in that so we got a little bit of rotation and then I think another band from Australia Cog like a kind of progressive band we did their album tour which kind of coincided with the release of ours

and then basically just started working the touring circuit and yeah took our time with that what was your first overseas tour the first overseas one we did was i think 2007 in the states with nonpoint skinned red and ukrude oh and ukah that's such an interesting tour how was that interesting it was fun but lost a lot of money Oh, 100%. That's the only way to tour at that level.

But I think it was a long tour, man. It was like eight and a half weeks maybe. In a van? Yeah. Yeah. Fun. One of the little sprinter vans. Oh.

No, what? Sat upright? One of the ones with benches. So we were just staying in like Super 8s. Oh, yeah. Motel 6, like all that thing. Yeah. Doing the hard slog.

Could you go back to that now? There's no way. There's no fuck. You can't go backwards. There's no fucking way. It's weird, isn't it? Because at the time, you're like, yeah, this is fucking awesome. And in the minute you taste,

little bit of bus life, bandwagon life. Oh, any step up, there's no going back. Yeah. It's tough, like, when was the last time you'd America? Shit, a while ago. 2012, maybe? Who was that with?

With that, that would have been asymmetry? Before asymmetry. Was that 23rd? Yeah, so the asymmetry was 2013. 2012, I think, was the last time we're over. Fair to Midland, I think, was the band we played with.

Gosh, such a weird, like, you guys get put on weird bills. Yeah, always. It's just super interesting. You ever played B'all? No. Like, that's where I'd put Carnival. Yeah.

Not only just because of the Oval. This is what we get a lot. But, like, do you know what? It's in the name. So what the fuck is the name? Well, we're on the cell show. Oh, this is before my time. Yeah, come on.

So you can throw him under the bus with it. What the fuck does it mean? Don't know. No, well, no. No one knows. Sounded cool. Very new metal influenced. Yeah, I was about to say, sounded cool in 2000 fucking three.

In 99, it sounded cool. Yeah. That's what they went with. I remember when I first joined the band, we were talking on MSN. Oh, wow, yeah. I'm there. I can feel it. I'm talking about, oh, so.

you know, the band name, what do we want to do with it? And I just remember being the only one guy, you should probably change it. That was it. I mean, it's fucking unique. It is. It's funny trying to explain it to people, though. I had a massage the other day.

And the lady was like, oh, so you're playing tonight, are you? I said, yeah. Oh, what's the name of the band? Carnival. She says, oh, like, no. He's got two O's and a K. Oh, okay. And then try to spell it out.

I was like, no, no, with the two-os. What type of massage are you going for on tour? Remedial. What's the remedial mean? Like sports massage, deep tissue. Yeah. I'm like, do you have a specific, what do you look for? Because I'm big on massages when I'm on tour.

Like, I go, always go to a Thai massage because I know they're going to fucking beat the fuck out of me. Yeah. They're so good at it. I hate it. Two things I hate. I hate when you go and they don't go deep enough even though you've asked for deep. Yep.

And you're just getting a rub. And the other way, I hate it when they ask if you want to get jerked off at the end. Because it's like, which doesn't happen in the Thai places because they're like professionals. But I mean, sometimes, particularly in America. It's funny looking up the massage places because, you know, a bunch of the crew guys are all trying to find massages, some of the band guys. And you look up the pictures on Google. there's always a bed. If it's on a bed, you know what you're in for.

And it's annoying because it's like, I just want the massage. But it's either, and obviously this is hypothetically speaking, it's either, there's a great massage and no tug, which is great, that's what I want.

Or it's a fucking awful massage and a tug. But I want the massage to be good. Yeah. I'm yet to find one that's good at both. You can't fight you. You can't find that's two different skills. Exactly. You can't, there's certainly two different grips involved.

Yeah. You can't be putting the same amount of, you can't put a sports massage pressure. No, you're just going to strangle things. Yeah, it's not going to be good. So, I want to get more into why you're so fucking good at drums. Who's your go-to influences? These days?

Give me two Growing up Steve Baby Steve influences New Mel Steve You got a LeBrette piercing No piercing I've managed to avoid that I did think about the eyebrow thing

For a while But I can see it It would have been great It was past fortunately Lucky God I used to love Chad Smith when I was Younger

Bought the snare and everything It's such a Such a great snare Yeah I wish I kind of wish I kept it Do they still make it I think so You're a Pearl Ambassador

I know But I don't use those snares So I remember I had a Chad Smith Pearl Chadsmith back in the day When I was just Playing those things really hard

I mean that was part of it You could fucking really crank That was made for new men I think that was before all of the companies Started like Manufacturing the Lug so they didn't break Like And it was just like

Fucking right I crank that up But for the money That was a great sense Yeah, that's one of my best early pickups, I think. So I used to like, yeah, Chad Smith, Mitch Mitchell when I was younger. Then probably when I just started exiting the new metal phase, I started getting into my sugar.

Yeah, that's out. We'll see you later. There's the buzzword that's in every single episode of the podcast. You got to do it, you know? I think I liked bits and pieces of the stuff. I don't really listen to a lot of heavy music. But at the time, nothing for me was just great. Because, you know, super heavy, but killer grooves on that thing.

And like the production at the time, nothing was like 99. It was like the production was still like, oh, this is real, this is real. Because no one could really fake it properly. I hate the recording. I was about to say that, like I was all excited about it. why I wonder how they'll improve it, but there's no ghost notes. The ghost notes are gone.

It's worse. It's so insane. Someone told me that when they remixed it, supposedly all they changed was they switched to eight string guitars and it was because they said that they wanted to do seven strings. But then someone told me that the drums on the new one are programmed, which I can believe when you listen to it. Yeah.

No, like all of those, all the, ghost notes in like they just kind of suck the life out of it yeah that nice like kind of shitty drum sound not like shitty shitty shity but like yeah

real yeah gone yeah don't do that guy someone else did that recently don't know if you're not into heavy music you're not gonna like dimu ball gear but they did that recently they're like classic album where

the drums sound like a keyboard like in the best possible way like and then they redid it I don't know this sounds It sounds correct rubbish Let me take just an incy wincey spider

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new metal kid? Oh, fuck yeah, it was. A massive new metal kid. I think every fucking trend there was. I was doing it at some point. But the thing was I loved also around that sort of time. My parents bought, when I was like super, super young, my parents bought the Fugis, the score, right, when it came out like 96 or whatever it was.

My parents, like, musically, fucking, they don't play any instruments, but, oh, my dad's mad into music. So growing up, massively diverse, whatever. So Fugis and, like, the dog father, Snoop Doggy Dog, right? So I liked that shit when I was a kid And then I liked Beavis and Butthhead Which then got me into Megadeth and Metallica and shit like that

And then new metal came out And I was like, oh, that's a mix of the two This is perfect And world's colossal! This is absolutely perfect I remember the first time I heard the first corn album It wasn't even the first corn album It was the first one I heard

It was life is peachy Someone had it at school And put it on it was like I'm sorry What is that bass doing? And that was it I was just fucking hooked Great

Loved it Who else Oh my God I suppose we can talk about it The I don't suppose you followed up With the drummer That was in Korn

David Silvera Did a Like iconic drummer Back in the day But he came back With a new band Called Korten Oh

No missed it Good I'm not joking Like It was like sad Like Because I heard he got kicked out

Because he refused to play to a click And it's like I can understand it Like you can hear I mean you can hear it You can hear it But not to throw him under the bus But then

He came out with this new band recently And they launched with like A live And I don't want to shit on it But launched with a live I'll let what I'm about to tell you do the talking. Launched with a live

play through of a song the whole band but like miced up like it was a gig. So you are getting the real band. And the comments were so crazy on YouTube that they took the whole fucking thing down.

And then they released one more single after that. Similar thing happened and then he left the band. Wow. He left his own band. Public backlash. But he was a big influence back in the day for me.

any of those like old always secretly been a tarma kid even when I didn't the second kit was a tarma kit and when I was playing tarma I was mega into it death tones yeah

corn big deaf tones kid yeah I feel like I don't really have any like dark new metal secrets I can't think what's the what's the most embarrassing one

do you reckon the most embarrassing ones to say yeah I really liked or liked that band I don't know, such a terrible era Everyone claims the limp biscuit thing I don't know if that's a good or a bad thing I feel like as drummers we can sort of get away with this

Because some banging grooves and some banging drum sounds On almost every new metal album Very slick production on a lot of them too Luckily, one of the key mainstays Of such a terrible genre of music Is that the drums have to sound and be great Yeah. Our P-O-D?

We were just, so, dressing room conversation the other night, I was trying to remember, fuck, something popped into my head. It was a P-O-D, so what was their big single? Youth of a Nation was one of them. Alive? Alive, yeah. They had one other one.

Anyway. We are, we are. Youth of the Nation. That's a fucking banger. I walked into the dressing room. I hadn't heard this in forever and started whistling it. And I was just like going about my business. This is post show.

That's the new metal kid. Just coming out. And I'm like, getting my drinks and stuff. How many drinks? Oh, this is post show. So I'm on the waters now. Grabbed a couple of bottles. And Kenny was like, I think he was in the toilet next door.

He pops out. He's like, is that a POD? Yeah. When did you hear that? I haven't heard that in forever. How weird. He's like, oh. Yeah, what other songs?

And then I had to look them up. They're the three that came up. I saw them like relatively recently. And they were so fucking good. It was crazy. The drummer was unbelievably good. Like in the pocket. I knew all the songs,

even though I couldn't name you one. It was like every single one that was on. And then I was kind of a, I was weird because I like punk as well. So I was like, I kind of like ranted and all of like punk punk bands. Legit punk. Yeah.

And then I can't. I guess I just loved music more than I do now. No, it's fine, I like it. Now I need to be like, I feel like I need to be mentally tickled by music. I mean, it's a different game now. Like I remember, you know, as everyone does, you're a kid, CDs, cassettes, whatever you're into. But there was just a different way of consuming music. You know, you'd kind of buy something, you'd be investing in the product.

You're going through all the line of notes and everything now. It's just you might listen to one song on Spotify and don't even know who it's by. I think it's just too accessible and easily consumed these days. So you're saying we should gatekeep it more, gatekeep music more? 100%. There's less investment in the product, I think. Do you know what? There's a big debate, and it's probably carried over three or four episodes,

so I see how you feel about it as someone who hasn't released the album in 10 years. Since there were CDs readily about it. Fuck me, yeah. But realistically, like, what you're seeing now these days, and it's exactly like a spin-off of what you're explaining, is bands are releasing six singles out of a 10-track record. And it's the only way, other than buying plays or buying playlisting, by selling your royalties,

then it's the only way you can keep the fucking Spotify monthly listeners metric high enough. to get playlisted and to get all this other stuff. You're just trying to maximize engagement, aren't you? Yeah, but I feel like we're in the same generation of like, I need an album. Yeah. But I'm really trying my hardest to get out of that mindset

because I know it's not the future. Oh, no way. I mean, you see it now. As you say, a lot of bands are just drip feeding singles until there's an album's worth of material out there anyway. So, again, just comes down on the way. people are consuming it and how to generate more engagement for the band. But for me, I'd prefer to listen to an album by a band than, you know, drip-fed singles.

Yeah, like at the gym, I like a playlist or something. Oh, man, I have the worst gym playlist of all time. Why, what's going on? R&B, slow jams. Really? You're deadlifting to, like, fucking DiAngelo. Oh, 100%. Want some of your pressure.

I remember being at a gym One of the guys I used to play with We'd go to the gym together on tour And he'd like have his heavy music Yeah And then he took his headphones off He's like You listen to Ariana Grande

I was like Yeah gets me going bro nice and relaxed Can you do it? Yeah 100% Ariana Grande You know respectfully gets me going But the I actually had an idea for a sketch

I've got a folder in my phone of sketches I want to do a sketch show at some point and one of the sketches is so close to what you're explaining there is two guys at a gym and they're like training and they're both got headphones on and take their headphones off

for whatever reason or they've got the headphones off but they do have big headphones no one still this idea by the way and then they just start talking and like man glad we brought our headphones like I can't really you can't get there's no atmosphere in the gym

and it's like boring, like club music or whatever. There's no atmosphere. And one guy puts his stuff on and it is really heavy and whatever. And then the other guy puts his headphones on. And he's like, yeah, I fully agree. Like, you can't, how are you supposed to train to this? Put it on and it's a crazy frog. I mean, we could have lived out that scenario today.

By accident. You're actually just listening to Crazy Frog. So you can't tell me you got an album out because you haven't got an album out. We don't have an album out. So the single, what's the single? what's the single all it takes I should know this

yeah so you all got together to record that in a studio no we recorded it all separately where did you do the drums I did the drums

shit we did good things festival yeah the end of 2019 I think it was and then I hung around in Brisbane with Forrester

and recorded it in Brisbane is he? I can't remember the name of the studio. But I recorded drums as Fari then. Just on whatever he had? No, we hired gear. And then probably a month after that,

they recorded some of the other stuff. But it was all demoed by this point. Oh, yeah, we'd kind of, that was one of the, I guess, more finished thing. So basically, tracking for that was just playing it, start to finish a couple of times and then just do it little fix-ups in the middle and some fill options and stuff yeah super fucking easy what symbols you're playing

I thought you played Sabian you don't play Zildren what am I playing yeah talk me for this setup you got anything anything spicy in there no I did actually bring the wrong China on this tour because you know we're trying to save money on Chinas well everything at this point

So we had, we're trying to cut, basically bring the essentials only. So I brought symbols and that was it for this tour. Nice. The dream travel, though. Yes. But I had two of the same china back home, but one had a massive body crack in it. Oh, no. And I just opened the symbol case and saw the edge of it went, yeah, it's in there.

And then when we got to the first show, I hit it, went, gosh, that's quiet. It's a massive crack. And you've only got one? Well, we swapped it out, but. Oh, okay. Problem solved. But there was a few shows. I played it for the first four shows.

So by the end, you know, big bits like... Oh, yeah. I'm hitting it as like... It'd be perfect for the end of change, though. Yeah, I'll bring it back tonight. Yeah, bring it back before that. So what? You had a spare?

You didn't have a spare or you just got one sorted out? Sort it out over here. It's going to say I could lend you some... We'll get in trouble. Yeah. Can't switch brands. You can't. It's part of the whole thing.

And you're playing, you've got, what's your kit set up? Come on, people love drums. It's a... It's a... It's a... Well, they're not mine. But they're nice. It's a reference.

Do you... Everyone knows I'm fucking Tamer through and through. Reference is the best thing Paul's ever made. The reference is nice. I actually play a masterworks back home. What's the masterworks? That's the one where you can just do whatever you want. Yeah.

What would is it? So I did a maple mahogany blend. Ooh. And I kind of fucked up with kick drum. I put a bit of birch in it. What happened? That sounds fine. It doesn't happen as much of the bottom end carry as I wanted.

Sounds great, though. The rest of it is amazing. What finish? What finish? Because Masterworks is the one where you could go, oh, Spider-Man, and they go, okay, Spider-Man. It's a, God, I couldn't even think of it. It's a bluey white finish.

Bluey white? Yeah, bluey white, I think it's the official. Bluey white, is it spiky? Is it spiky? Sparkly or? No sparkles. No sparkles. Gold hardware, though.

Oh, gold rims. Gold, bluey, whitey. Yeah. Very regal. Isn't it? Yeah. The Commonwealth. I feel very precious playing.

They're lovely. Yeah. And what's your symbol set up in terms of like how many things you got? Because I did a reaction video for you And there was a lot of shit Yeah, I saw Did you say it? Did you hate me?

No. I was very nice about you But I'm just, I'm aware, I'm very annoying. My, yeah, one of my friends said it to me.

Actually, Brody told me about it as well. So we were watching it And he was like, check this bit out. And he's like, the bit about the steroids. And he's like,

Hey? And I was like, I was just huge at the time, bro. Oh, yeah. I remember you were fucking Jack. What did I say about steroids? Something about doing a,

a cycle. Oh, yeah. I thought that was quite entertaining. There was Steve Jack. Because I think I maybe switched through like two or three different videos and I was like, whoa, hold on a minute.

It's going on one of those fucking, pre-work out. It's going on one of those fucking belts, bro. Yeah. I, yeah, there's a good... You've already got the needles.

The perfect crime. I know. I've got the insulin. Yeah. Just fucking load it up with a double. Man, I should be selling that at the gym, to be honest. Yeah. Extra coin on the road.

Yeah. You can kill some people, though. Yeah, got to crack a few eggs, I guess. Yeah, true. To get fucking jack. For the protein. Yeah. Yeah, symbols, man.

On tour, I'm running 8, 10 K splashes. I just, I was running on the last tour of 16 inch sweet hats. 16s. Because I don't really play a lot of doubles. And the pedals are too far apart. So normally when I'm playing at home, the hats are right there. the space with the doubles obviously the hats are further away

so I just got bigger hats I thought that would solve the problem so I was running 16s it does solve the problem to an extent it does but your feet are still quite far apart and you're not playing the sweet spot of the symbol so my drum tech actually cut his the arm of his double kick pedal

down so you'd have them closer so you did want to them for me do you play with your kick straight in front of you kind of semi-angled. Because I play with mine quite a lot angled so I can have my pedals really tight to each other. Yeah. But sound guys hate it.

Studio guys hate it. The rest of the band hates it because it just looks weird. Yeah. So might have, I mean, you know, they're pretty flat, I guess. But because they're closer now, I've gone back to the 15s. So I'm running the 15K suites.

A 19 and 20 projection. Actually, just a 28 custom. Big 19 projection. 20 Crash of Doom. 22. Big boy shit. I like it. Got to take a bit of punishment.

Yeah. 22. Yeah, what's your ride? K custom dark. I'm looking forward to seeing you play tonight. Yeah, that thing's fucking awesome. So I used to, I used to, I used to run a K-21 crash ride.

I know the ones. Yeah. Switch them out during the set. Oh, I did that in the reaction video. Someone comes over and switches your symbol out. Yeah. I was like,

the fuck is going on that. Yeah. So I, because I used that for a bunch of tracks on Sound Away. So for the tour, I was like, I'll just switch them out. You know,

people switch guitars or switch rides. And then... It's weird how it's not a thing. No. Our manager was like, why are you swapping? was it because they're two different sounds

but it was like blowing it as mine it's like why don't you just use one yeah it's weird but guitars it's fine so for ages I was like no we use both and then I can't

why don't you just use the acoustic guitar it sounds different it's the same instrument so then I ended up just getting trying a few different rides that I can do both on I suppose so the 22 dark crashes really well

so I kind of give that a bit of a beating and sounds great and then the next 19 hybrid, K-hybrid, China. That's a fucking China, that is. Especially without a crack. Without a crack, lovely.

Sounds beautiful. Not saying that they do crack, but all fucking symbols crack. Especially with China, I find the Chinas that sound good, they're going to fucking crack. I could tell you a China that is not going to crack, but it's not going to sound fucking good. Something about the way a China needs to be made. That needs to be thin.

The point where you strive... kit at an angle needs to be thin as fuck yeah and then i've got my little stack happening which kind of just varies tour to tour where is it on the kit underneath the 20 crash but between that and the china how how the times you got for so 10 12 16 18 so it sits between the 16 18 what a big lovely drum kit what snare what's snare what's Yeah, you got on there. I usually, I'm actually using the, on this run, the first time I've used it, the 14, 6 and a half reference. Brass.

Wood. Oh, the wood bone. This is a 20-ply wood. Big, big thick one. I never was a big fan of the wood stuff, but that's kind of held up through this tour. I feel like, sorry, Karen. Normally I use the brass, so this might go to, the brass reference. It's a fucking beast.

It's very loud. which works for this band. Three millimeter brass, can't fucking beat it. Tamabell brass, Pearl Reference, there's a bunch of others, but DWE makes one.

Oh, stop talking about other companies. Like, they could fuck off. What's your snare? I have a Tamabell brass. That's my, like, goaded fucking snare, but I was touring it, and then it was just like,

it's now, like, they sell for 10 grand, on eBay and I'm like... I keep seeing Dave Eulich flogging them off. How many that motherfucker got? Had too many. Yeah. So like I had...

That was my go-to and then now I've got... Actually, Alan from VK drums made me a 5-mill bell bronze. Shit. And it weighs 42 pounds with the bell bronze hoops. And it's like... I was like, yeah, that'll be my touring snare. Number one, I don't want to carry 42 pounds around everywhere. Number two, Tamara were like, why aren't you?

you playing a tamer snare. I was like, okay, fair enough. So at the moment I'm playing the steel, it's like stainless steel

Tama SLP, 14 by 6 and a half. And it sounds like Abe Cunningham, even though he didn't play a metal snare, he played the one with the holes in it.

It just sounds like white pony. Nice. So that's my fucking go-to. I wish there is that Tama makes, I don't know the way it looks. Sorry to fucking,

sorry to be critical of a company. but like because it's a signature drum obviously everyone's got a signature people probably don't like my big fucking pink ugly logo so it's like you don't have to comment

but it's nice thank you that would do but like it's got JT for John Tempesta and it looks a bit like a NASCAR which I'm sure like Americans love it aside from that it's two millimeter

brass so it's like a bit thicker than a normal one bit thinner and lighter than other one it sounds fucking incredible but I haven't got one but I'd like one please after that ad for it I'd actually really like one

they're very good we'll take two what pedals you mean uh just the eliminators what cam that's what the word on everyone's lips cam I've just switched to the white cams

actually I used to run god back in the day don't say it don't say it back in the day I used to run a blue on the right and a red on the left. And then I used to wear, I used to be like... That's like wearing fucking, like, shoes, different shoes.

Yeah, that's what I did. I used to wear chucks and I'd have a blue chuck on the right, red on the left. And to match the camps? I mean, that's actually sick. I'm up for that. That's fucking insane. I used to be like quite anal about all the setup stuff and... You're quite stylish man.

I noticed that when you were walking to my car. I was like, oh, Steve's got the drip. Yeah, I mean, I have been in trackies the entire tour, so that's been good. I mean, you can still be, you can have tracky drip. Yeah, it's a good look. What do you do, right? And it's going to sound slightly insulting. But I don't mean it to be slightly insulting.

Like, but obviously, if you haven't put... album out of so long. What are you doing when you're at home? You've got a job, job, job. I do.

I hate to smash the reality of musicians for everyone, but most of us have jobs. I do a little bit of mental health support work. Really?

Like maybe one day a week, two days a week, tops. And then I've just started doing a bit of teaching again. Teaching drums? Yep. And I do a lot of

like freelancing back home. So a lot of cover gigs, some sessions stuff. Yeah. So you're well in the music world then. Yeah. What's the men, talk to me about the mental health support work? I, God, I started doing that the end of 2018, I think. Um, it's pretty simple stuff. You kind of, I just did a little court like it was a six month year, a one year course. Um, and you just, yeah, I kind of, you just, yeah, just do individual support work so you're out doing community engagement stuff taking them to appointments

yeah that kind of thing nice yeah good for you is it food for the soul yeah a little no yeah depends on the day it's like any other job you probably have good days about this yeah save as a music thing you know

love it um speaking of music I don't know if you know but at the end of the episode which we should be now got to because you don't have an album to bug. Great. Which is great for all of us. In 2025, well,

no, don't say that because they'll be annoyed. You can have the last sip if you want. Oh, I will take it. Gracious host. The, I mean,

if you want an oat flat wire, I can go and put the special machine on it will be heated up by the time you finish the podcast and I can make you an oat flat wire. Would you like that? Sure. I'm going to do that.

And I'll tell everyone I'm going to edit this and they will listen to it and go, didn't edit. One minute. Seven seconds. One minute seven. I just put it on here. I mean, that's basically a cold drip now.

Oh, delicious. Tell me how bad it is. Because the podcast will be finished by the time I'm going to make it. Okay. The Dream Festival. It's the end of the festival. The end of the podcast. Yep.

Which is going to be interesting. Because you said you don't listen to much heavy music. So we're going to get a glimpse into Steve Judd's. musical brain here. We're going to do, these are the rules, and I'll talk you through the whole thing, kind of in reverse order. It is a dream festival. By that, I mean, it can be as absurd as, I just woke up from the craziest dream.

We were playing a festival, and this happened, right? So, I want you to just imagine anything goes. We've had people come back from the dead. We've had The audience were Different breeds of dogs Like it goes It goes nuts

It doesn't have to go nuts But it will There'll be a point in this Where I get you on board The only stipulation Is the carnival Are playing Because that's going to

Change some of your answers Okay So question number one Is The Steve Judd Dream Festival Where in the world Is it happening

if you had to play a festival, where you get the call, we've been offered this festival, it's here, and you're stoked. I haven't been to Japan. You've never been to Japan? It's at the top of my list of places to go.

So, in Japan. I can't believe that. You're not even that far. I know. We're going to Australia this year, leaky, Craig. And we're going to Japan. straight afterwards.

Yep, that's very smart. I can't believe you've never been. I know. I don't even think we've had, I think we've had one offer of shows in Japan. You didn't take it? I don't think we could do it at a time. I'm almost jealous that you've never experienced it

because the first time Japan is... I've heard only good things. I mean, I've been most other places just not there. So somewhere in Japan. Nice. I'll take it. Also North Lanes was in Japan. Oh, here you go. Great taste. Quite a lot of people's is in Japan. Do you find, see, the reason this part of the podcast, everyone at home, fucking annoyed,

why do you keep explaining the fucking Dream Festival to the guest? Because he doesn't know. We go off and segues because of the answers that you've done, and it's part of the musician experience. Like this question, I'm about to unleash right now. Do you find, and I don't know what your cohabiting spouse situation is at home, but do you find, because you travel so much as a job, it takes a lot for you to want to go on vacation

or pay money to go visit somewhere, or are you pretty good at it? I guess, well, the last few years, we haven't really been doing much touring, so it's kind of... redundant i guess at this point and i have probably just after covid before we started touring again i just met my partner so this is the first tour we've we've done where i've been away for any extended period how's it going i thought it would be easier but i never easy we check we could face time every day and

yeah it's fine kind of fine ways to stay in touch but oh it's No, it sucks. I was chatting to one of the other dudes about it yesterday. I was like, dude, we've been away for, what, three and a half weeks, and I'm already, like, itching to get back. So I can't imagine doing an extended tour without trying to fly her over or do something because we were actually going to do that at the end of this tour. So she hasn't been to Europe before.

So we were going to fly her over for the end of the tour, and then we were going to do, like, a three-week holiday. but then we got a show in Dubai on the way home so it kind of put a dent on those plans. My least favourite place on earth. I've only been once and it was fine. I threw my fucking toys out of the pram the other day because there's one rule about me being in a band

and it's that I do not transit through Dubai because I've previously been detained in Dubai and had people look down my dick hole and asshole for drugs. They find anything? Nope. Not this time. No, but like, it was fucking like, I was in there for like, I was basically in jail for like six hours.

And the guy was like, you are going to go to jail. We're going to find something. They were going through like the tread of my shoes and stuff. But then I get, we've got this Australia tour coming up, which will probably be announced by now by the time this comes out. I might see you there. Yeah. And I get my flights through

And it's like flying on my own transit in Dubai Labor in Dubai. I was like, I literally, I got to a diva mode I was like, boys, I'm not going. I'm just not doing it. I'm just not doing it. Great. But I go the wrong way around the world now

to go to Australia. So where do you stop? So this one, I think, luckily I'm Singapore. But last time, I went UK to San Francisco to Australia because I wanted to avoid Dubai. How long was the trouble? That was like 42 hours. Too long.

And I had to leave... You have to leave the airport in San Francisco because when you transit through America, you have to go as if you're getting to America. Do all that and then check fucking straight back in. And then I've got... Then I haven't got divorced. It was a great week.

It's a great fucking week. All that extra hassle for the end result. Oh, it was lovely. Probably gave her enough time. Yeah. Okay. So it's in Japan. Perfect.

What is your accommodation? You don't have to think specifically Japanese here. It's like you're playing a festival. What do you fucking love from your accommodation? I like a king's-ey's bed and a bath. I love a bath until. And a gym in the hotel. Love it.

That's it. What kind of bath? The deeper, the better. Big deep claw foot number. Yeah. No spa, no jets necessary. No? Just a big bath.

Big soaking tub. How far from the festival are you? Oh, as close as part. I'm staying on the festival site. Perfect. So there is a hotel. If I have to walk further than 50 metres, it's not my dream festival. Perfect.

Okay. So you're, I mean, that's pretty, anything else you like in a hotel room? Anything specific from a hotel? No, pretty easily pleased with that. One of those good hotel gyms, though, not the little shit ones. I want more than a treadmill. Yeah. And maybe 10.

Kilo dumbbells. Like when you stay, the best ones when you stay at a casino hotel in America. For some reason the gym's always like fucking stacked

some sort of money laundering going on that. The one show we did in Russia like maybe six, seven years ago. Maybe six, seven days ago. The hotel gym

was like two levels, full day spa, everything. That's the kind of hotel gym. Roids. Yeah. All the rides you get. As you got in there.

Free doggy bag on the way. Lovely. Training up those fucking. Training up those Olympic athletes. That's on my dream festival. Tremblone acetate. Anyway, enough about my drug use. That's the rider.

Actually brings me another next question. What is catering? Your dream catering. You're like, Steve Judd wakes up in his hotel room in Japan. He's just soaked in a tub, and then he gets there, and Drew goes, you're never going to guess what catering is. Well, catering, I want all meals. So I don't want to leave the festival.

Yeah, that's fine. I'm doing breakfast there. What's for breakfast? Dream breakfast. Man, my dream breakfast is boring. It's, I would have oats. Mm-hmm. Banana.

Nice green banana. Green banana? Yeah, green-ish. Cream? I like my banana, like, hard. Really? But there's no sugar in it then? It doesn't taste nice.

Yes, good for me. Oh, there we go. Yeah. brought it back round. Some berries, maybe. Does it affect your diet quite a lot then? Yeah, it's just something you've got to be conscious of. My friend who's diabetic is a literal food critic on TV, and I've seen him eating

like fucking cakes and shit. Oh, you can. You can, but you just will die if you don't have the... Yep. You just got to prepare for it. He's a rock and roll of the... Living on the edge, man. Fuck me.

Good for him. Anyway, yeah, so... Eggs, all of the coffee. How are you having your eggs? Poached. But then what are they on? They're not on the oats. You just got poached eggs on their own.

Yeah, 100%. That's what I do. Really? If I go out for breakfast, I'll always get a couple of poached eggs on the side. Psycho. Maybe three or four poached eggs on the side of the bag on. I feel like we're very similar in our ordering food and drinks. But I'm a multi-drink guy.

I'm an eggs on the side guy. I love to hear. When you cut that, it's just going on the place. I don't cut it. I just spoon it. Yeah, slur it up. Slat that up. Yeah, it's disgusting, but, you know, it's effective.

That's fucking interesting. Yeah. Nice. That's my dream breakfast. Lunch. Anything with a bit of sweet potato and chicken. No wonder you're looking fucking juicy on those videos. You got that bro fucking, that bro diet.

Sweet potato chicken. Yeah. Some veg. I really want to go to this festival. I'm going to get jacked. I'm just going for the food at the moment. It's good. Yeah.

Fuck, yeah. The comm's good. We haven't even got to the music. Dinner. Can't treat yourself. Treat yourself. Maybe a curry then. Some rice heavy.

What's your go to? I had a chicken corma last night. It was quite tasty. There's a lot of good curry in Glasgow. Yes, a lot of good curry in the UK. We do love a curry. Yeah, so we'll probably try and make the most of that while we're here. I don't care.

If you need any recommendations tonight. I'll take them all. I know all the curry ones. All right. Comer, you got a narn with this or you... Oh, garlic narn. Fuck, yeah, garlic narn. It's the only way.

Coming to this fast. Okay, and then you told me recently, T-Total. Yeah. Sober or California sober? No, sober since, so before my birthday last year, maybe the week before, I thought as a gift to myself, I would stop drinking. For a week?

Well, I planned for a year, but I haven't even thought about it since then that was seven eight months ago any noticeable benefits drawbacks no i guess it was just i mean drinking as a diabetic it's just another variable for me to try and get around so by not drinking it's one less thing to worry about so how would it affect it like if you get pissed up on tour. Yeah. It plays havoc because any, I guess any alcohol has sugar in it. So you have to adjust for the sugar content.

But then there's like a window post-drinking sort of six to 306 hours, I think it is, where the alcohol will actually drop your sugar levels. So you have to try and time the food around it. And it's just a bit of a gamble. So one less thing to worry about. When did you find out you were diabetic? God, I was 16 at the time. Wow.

happen i had the full like heroin cheeks super gaunt was peeing all the time just lost a ton of weight um went to the doctor they said it was a stomach infection i think the first person we saw and then the next time like it was maybe a day later i was like look i don't feel right and then the gp was like you got to go to the hospital too high to give a reading oh really yeah I was in hospital for a week and that was it. And then it's just a little fucking subcutaneous jab in the stomach. Bunt up, yeah, in between cycling, you know. I was going to say.

You could do it so easily just fucking load that up. Little fucking little CC. Yeah, got the reps up, so it's fine. Everyone's at home like, Craig seems to know quite a lot about that. Just you wait till the next photo of me and my shirt off. It's going to be fucking mental. Yeah, shreds city over you. Just wait till I fucking beat the shit.

out of everyone. Okay, so we've done that. We've got lovely three-course meal. Let me just throw my little dream festival, what I would do if this is my dream festival as well. You can have dinner whenever you want, and it's just as good. It's not like, oh, lunch is set from this time to this time.

Post-show curry. Agreed. I want something else post-show too. Oh, okay. Post-show meal. Okay, we'll come to that because there is going to be a post-show section. Okay. But we're finally on to me.

music. Who's headlining? Who's headlining? Carnival is playing. So who are, who, you can give me one, you can give me two. Big, this is where people say who their favorite artist of all time is, essentially. I would probably go with DiAngelo. Really?

Despite what I, even like me just saying it for a joke. Yeah. 100%. I'm glad the minute you said R&B slow jams, my brain went Deandro. So he said the same page. Yeah. we go. Yeah.

Fuck yeah. Yeah. Who else we got? Is this a slow jams festival? I guess it's going to be a bit all over the place. How many acts am I allowed on the festival? How many do you want to give me? You can give me, just give me like, let's do it as if it's a three-day thing.

So, DiAngelo's headline in one day. Give me two other headliners. All right, we'll mix it up. So DeAngelo headlines day one. Yeah. Day two. I'll put my sugar in there. You want to see that?

We all want to see that. Day three. They can be dead, right? They can be dead, but you have to stipulate how they're back. So tell me who, and then I'll guide you through the resurrection process. I've been, probably Mac Miller. Nice. Loved swimming and was a bit disappointed, obviously, the timing of it,

because it was just, you know, preparing for the tour with Thundercat. Yeah. would have been a weapon tour so I'd like to see that so you can you've got options here you've got he never died you've got

hologram or you've got obviously this isn't going to happen in real life so don't feel bad about putting the energy out the two-pack options probably not for me no okay so no hologram or you've got someone recently did

you know groundbreaking reanimation techniques I can't remember who's festival it was it might have been Jack from Voidavision Another Australia I've got all the Australians on at the moment

I think he said there was a bit like being groundbreaking like basically zombies and they could come and they could perform but what would you like? I would like to see a zombie Mac

actually that would be good so we're going for that so he can perform as he were human but every other interaction is zombie-like that's literally yeah

we had that before yeah that makes sense he's uh make for some fun backstage antics. Yeah. So a weekend at Bernice. The between song banters are probably not that great.

Yeah. But the songs are good. Thundercat can do that. Yeah, he can just play some noodles in between. Okay, so where's Carnival? Which are these days and what time you're playing at? Oh, we're playing on the first day. So then I can just kick back at the hotel, go and watch the show.

Yeah. You know, I want to play early. I want to get it over and done with. How early? Well Dream Festival Think about it Think about it

You're there You're there Okay I'm there It's 7pm Nice Not early So it's a little dark

We can get some lights Full crowd There's a full laser show You know All the cool stuff Full crowd Yeah Then I'm straight off stage

Into dinner Get my curry Get the curry Watch the headliners So you are Who's gonna be main You're one before main support or you are main support to DeAngelo?

No, I need a break. Okay, so who's the break? So who's in the break? Well, it's obviously something I don't see. Yeah, exactly. So give me something, give me your least favorite band of all time. They can be in the break while you're eating in a curry.

We've never had that on the Dream Festival. Someone's saying a band they don't lie. Oh, there's a lot of them though. Maybe, who do I? You know what? I would give Corey Feldman a chance. Really? Yeah.

I'll let him assemble his own band. Nice. And he can have that slot. He can have that slot. And I'll just catch the end of it. I was going to say, you're going to want to see the end of it. You're going to check it out. You have your curry.

Come watch the last song of Corey Feldman and co. Then it's DiAngelo. Yeah. I need to see him moonwalk a couple of times and then I'm in DeAngelo. Okay. So what is your ideal post show? We've been doing post show pizza. Love it.

Love it. real high carb content for me. But if I could... Does that fight you real? Yeah. Because I'll eat a whole pizza. Yeah, same. It's too much.

Especially late at night. Because you're not... I'm going to bed after that. You're not burning any fuel. So your body's pretty dormant. Sugar's through the roof. So if I could portion control, I would have half a pizza.

Wait, it's your dream festival. You can have four days off. of being diabetic if you want. All right. I don't have diabetes for the festival. Yeah. And I'm having two pizzas. Two pizzas.

What's on your pizzas? Now we're talking. All right. So I always... Now it's something impossible. Yeah. This is never going to happen. Yeah.

So I always get the funny look. Are you a pineapple on pizza person? I don't mind it. Like, everyone's like, oh, you even love it. It's like sometimes if it's there, I'm going to have it. It's quite nice.

Great. Love it. So I'm happy. It's very refreshing in the slice. Yeah. Do you know what my least favorite thing about pineapple on pizza is the people whose personality revolves around the debate of pineapple on pizza.

Like every time I do a Q&A thing on Instagram, pineapple on pizza question, my brother in Christ, get a fucking question. It's always a yes. That's all you need to know. Yeah. All right, pineapple. So I'd get a thin crust, vegetarian, barbecue sauce, barbecue sauce. Barbecue, barbecue base?

Yeah. Chicken, pineapple. Chicken and pineapple? that's one that's pizza number one that's an insane pizza no stuff crust no and then what's pizza too pizza two i would get chicken and pineapple fat crust meat lovers i want to get pizza tonight it's a really good pizza place around where the venue is actually yeah we'll probably do pizza as well it's good pizza

oh i kind of want the pizza now um so you do the post show yeah that's your food do you you fuck with any alcohol free beers what are you filling your mouth with liquid wise. No, usually, God, it's coffee or water. And I do a bit of, my God, soft drink. In Germany, I had the fritzkola. That can't be fucking good for you. Well, sugar-free.

Sugar-free. Sugar-free. I'm a sugar-free drinks guy anyway, regardless. Everyone always, like, if I get crazy fast food, and then I get a diet drinking, it's like, oh, why are you getting the diet drink? And I'm like, because it's fucking 800 extra calories. I don't need.

Yeah. You've seen the calories in the burger. Yeah. I have a legit excuse to do that. Yeah. Oh, maybe I'll just start playing that car. Just like, yeah. Yeah, sorry.

Not sure the fucking three burgers counts. Yeah. That's it. That's the podcast. It's a good festival. And a good podcast. It's a great festival. And a great sign.

But you like, thank you very much. What, uh, you got a name for your fest? Uh, name for the festival. Oh, I actually had a question for you. came from Nolly because I was talking to Nolly and I was like, got Steve Judd on the pod, do you got any questions for him? Yeah. He said, are you left-handed?

No, right-handed. Do you play open-handed? No. Oh, no, you know what he was talking about? He was talking about the way you hit crashes with your left hand. It makes it look like your left-hand on the look. Yeah, you'll see later my 19-inch crash. Yeah.

So I kind of just come around and with it, but I hit quite heavy on my left side. Yeah. And there's every 19 I've had the symbols bowed. Really? So the 19 projection, as it comes around, there's a big bow on it from where I just swip down on it. From where he just fucking swipe down. Yeah.

He literally mentioned, he was like, I need to know if he's left-handed because he boots that left crash. I look forward to seeing it later on. This will come out at a point when you're back off tour. So I'll liaise with you what we need to plug, if anything. Sure. We'll be much closer to having a record. hopefully

I will have already with some sort of news and if you haven't heard Carnival I would have already said this at the beginning and you can get past the name which I can personally it's fucking unbelievable unbelievable drummer

unbelievable band one of the only bands it actually came up in conversation the sort of you know like how and again it's not because of the OOL but like how tall is like tall and it sounds like fucking tall

carnival is Carnival and it sounds like Carnival. I can't think of another band that even tries to copy and sounds anywhere near the same genre. Genre. Genre benders. Yeah, genre benders. Thanks for coming on the downbeat. Pleasure. I can't wait to see you play the drums. I'm going to press stop. I hope everyone has a lovely day.