 Photo by JayWar Name
Julia Bebenek Where are you from and/or where do you live now? Melbourne born and still living here. How long have you been playing drums? And what initially drew you to the instrument? I started at the age of 16 and chose drumming mainly because I love all genres of music. Do you play any other instruments? I sing, play guitar, and am currently learning a South Indian Instrument called the Mridangam. What bands/projects/collaborations are you involved in right now? Lijuka (Contemporary Jazz) FierceMild (Cinematic Art Rock) AK3 Bone Patrol (Jazz Sextet) West Of Progress (Ambient Post-Rock) Rhythms of Grace (South Indian Ensemble) White Goat Band (Australian Rock) What else have you previously been involved in (bands/shows/projects etc)? Nothing really too serious, I played in a few grunge rock bands when I was younger. Do you write music or develop your own shows? What are they about/how have they come about? In the project with Lijuka, we as a trio contribute equally to the writing process. We develop our shows around the context in which we will be performing. At times we use projections to symbolise the stories that our compositions tell. What are your thoughts on collaboration in music and in the projects you’re involved in or the projects you run? I absolutely love collaboration, especially with artists that are motivated, humble, hard working, inspiring and committed to their passions. The result being new friendships, lessons and teachings learnt which I am always so grateful for. Who are you listening to/whose music are you enjoying right now? Currently I’m listening to Tom Fryer’s album Dirty Math, incredible. Do you have any favourite drummers? Or other musicians who inspire you? why? My Drum Teacher: Adam King Incredible drummers/musicians such as Simon Barker, Tony Floyd, Mark Guiliana, Sam Evans (Tabla) and Ysk Lightspeed Chamber. All music lectures at Melbourne Polytechnic who have made a great impact on me as a musician. How would you describe the kind of music or projects you’re mostly involved in? And what kind of unique perspective/sound do you bring to these gigs? I have always aimed to be an open-minded musician; the most important thing for me when I collaborate and dedicate myself to a project is if I can sense that the music that I am playing has a purpose. Then I ask myself the question, can I connect with that purpose to bring it to life? Do you have a particular warm up or practice routine? Or favourite exercises? There are so many! Lately I have enjoyed warming up with double strokes rolls - voicing them in various different ways whilst grooving along with different foot patterns. Lots of fun ☺ Does social media play a big part in how you promote yourself as an artist and your various projects? Do you promote your work in other ways? Social media plays an incredibly big role; I use it all the time. You can reach so many people at the touch of your fingertips. I am also very conscious that it is important to network and make friends without the use of social media. I feel it brings a different level of authenticity to what you’re trying to do with music. Do you make a living from music? What different types of work does this comprise? I do. I teach, and gig regularly. Somehow all ends meet. It never feels like work, what a gift! Where’s the coolest place that music has taken you? Playing at the International Women’s Jazz Festival last year with my trio Lijuka. We won a recording prize. This has been a moment for me that I believe has been a turning point. If you could give your younger drumming self some advice what would it be? Don’t wait until you’re 26 to take drums seriously! Haha Website http://www.lijuka.com
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 Photo by Amber Bateup Name: Anetta Nevin
Where are you from and/or where do you live now? I grew up in Perth, and made the move to Melbourne in late 2014. How long have you been playing drums? And what initially drew you to the instrument? I started learning the drums about fifteen years ago, which seems a bit crazy to say. As a teenager playing the drums just seemed to be a fun thing to get into, and it happened to be a really good outlet for all of my angst. It still is! Do you play any other instruments? A little bit! I play the autoharp, it’s a really fun songwriting tool, although mostly that is just for me. It’s nice having a secret instrument. What bands/projects/collaborations are you involved in right now? Right now I play drums in Dianas, Narcopaloma and Junior Fiction. All three bands satisfy a very different perspective to the kinds of music which I enjoy playing, and I am continuously learning from the musicians I surround myself with. What else have you previously been involved in (bands/shows/projects etc)? Ah! So many things, but not all of it is recorded. Fucking Teeth, Catbrush and Like Junk are three long term bands who I have been involved with who also have some recordings freely available online. Old good buddies! What are your thoughts on collaboration in music and in the projects you’re involved in or the projects you run? The more open communication is, the better the project can be. It’s also super important to be open about ideas, and to facilitate an environment where people feel comfortable adding and sharing what they think freely. Who are you listening to/whose music are you enjoying right now? So much! I adore Totally Mild, Body Type, Au Pairs, ESG, Hachiku, and Spike Vincent! They’re probably my go to artists at the moment, and I know as soon as this is done I’ll regret not mentioning more of my favourites. Do you have any favourite drummers? Or other musicians who inspire you? why? When I began laying drums I spent a lot of time learning beats from Autolux, PJ Harvey, The Birthday Party and Black Moth Super Rainbow. I guess I’m drawn to a mix of styles, but most importantly the drums need to have some kind of intensity to it and compliment the other instrumentation in an interesting way. Most recently I’ve been really impressed by the drummer from Tropical Fuck Storm (Lauren Hammel). I love hearing interesting beats which incorporate other parts of the kit in more unusual grooves. OH! Also, discovering Boredoms absolutely blew my mind. If I could meet Yoshimi one day my heart would explode. After hearing 77 boadrum for the first time I got a gang of drummers together and we’d play at each other in the bush near Perth for a while, kind of like the freedom of a drum circle, but with full kits. If anyone is reading this is keen and in the Melbourne area, let me know and we can... do this! How would you describe the kind of music or projects you’re mostly involved in? And what kind of unique perspective/sound do you bring to these gigs? I find this really hard to define. Mostly the acts I’m involved with focus on organic instruments, and the full spectrum of human emotion, and I tend to stay away from over indulgent tech music. Usually there are guitars, but I also love playing with pianists. Ah - my unique perspective is probably my reckless enthusiasm, hair whips, cry laughing, and occasionally some howling. Do you have a particular warm up or practice routine? Or favourite exercises? Mostly just drumming on my kneecaps, or yelling if I’m particularly anxious. This is something I need to work on! Does social media play a big part in how you promote yourself as an artist and your various projects? Do you promote your work in other ways? It does, but I feel a lot of anxiety constantly sharing things online. It is very easy to fall into social media fatigue. I really love the idea of doing a poster drop to friends sharehouse fridges. Fridges are the new newsfeed. Where’s the coolest place that music has taken you? Recently Dianas played a show in a little record store in Thirroul called Franks Wild Years. There were big blue butterflies everywhere and since the space we were playing in was so small we had to play real softly, so much so that our laughter was louder than our music. That was a real joy, and something that’s totally out of my comfort zone. If you could give your younger drumming self some advice what would it be? Probably to stretch more, to play with less worry about what other people think, and to learn as much from other musicians as possible. Website I don’t have a personal website, but if you’re interested in having a listen to some bands I’ve been involved with over the years, here are a few links! https://dianasband.bandcamp.com https://soundcloud.com/narcopaloma https://catbrush.bandcamp.com https://fuckingteeth.bandcamp.com http://likejunk.com  Photo by Lauren Bamford Name
Monika Fikerle Where are you from and/or where do you live now? I am from Hobart, Tasmania and I have been living in Melbourne since 1999. How long have you been playing drums? And what initially drew you to the instrument? I’ve been playing drums for a long time, since 1994. I have loved every minute of it. I started playing as soon as I began going out to see bands in Hobart as a teenager. I was instantly drawn to drummers, mesmerized actually, and I knew instantly that I had to do it. So I taught myself and joined my first band, Sea Scouts. The band scene in Hobart at the time I started playing was very exciting, there were some great bands around at that time and it was a friendly and encouraging group of people to be around, which was inspiring. Do you play any other instruments? Yes. My first instrument was piano, I had lessons for about 4 years from age 7. I also play bass guitar, which I played for 10 years in my previous band, Baseball. Right now I really want to learn guitar! I find myself blissing out over guitar sounds in bands I like, so that’s some unchartered territory that I want to travel in. What bands/projects/collaborations are you involved in right now? Right now I play drums in 3 bands. Stationary Suns (with members of Glovv), a newer band called JAZZ (with members of RVG, Lalic, Gregor), and my longest running band Love of Diagrams (with members of Beaches). Love of Diagrams are on a break at the moment but will hopefully be playing again in the near future. I also play occasional shows with one of my previous bands, Baseball (with members of Ninetynine, Pikelet), and that is always fun. I am also planning a solo project, which is exciting, different, and terrifying all at once! What else were you previously involved in (bands/shows/projects etc)? My previous bands (other than mentioned above) have included: Sea Scouts (TAS), Surgery (TAS), 1001101 (TAS), The Bites, Jihad Against America, Library Punks… all on drums. I have been involved in many other shorter term collaborations over the years too. What are your thoughts on collaboration in music and in the projects you’re involved in or the projects you run? Collaboration has always been at the centre of my involvement in music, without a doubt. I have always played in bands with other people, and that has always included either improvising in the jam room to write new material, or working closely with band members to construct and arrange song ideas. I’m always impressed by musicians out there that write, play and produce everything themselves, those people that seem to have a complete vision and take total control. I guess that’s why I want to try playing music independently in a solo project, so see how it feels compared to playing in a band with others. Having said that, I love playing music with other people so much, there’s nothing like it. I have played in bands where we know each other so well musically from endless jamming, that we can write songs on the fly and improvise changes with each other on the spot without the need for words, which is very special. Who are you listening to/whose music are you enjoying right now? As always I listen to a lot of local music, Melbourne has so many amazing bands there is often more than enough inspiration here in our own backyard. Favourite Melbourne bands right at the moment are Bitumen, V, Taipan Taiger Girls, Glovv, Zond (long term favourite), Spit, Treehouse, RVG, Synthetics, Ov Pain, Crasssh… and so many others. The last couple of weeks I’ve been listening to a lot of Einsturzende Neubauten and Lydia Lunch, in anticipation of seeing them at Dark Mofo in June. Do you have any favourite drummers? Or other musicians who inspire you? why? When I was growing up my favourite drummers were Steve Shelley from Sonic Youth, Phill Calvert from the Birthday Party, Stephen Morris from Joy Division, Patty Schmersal from Hole, Lol Tolhurst from The Cure (in particular the drumming on the Pornography album), Colm Ó Cíosóig from My Bloody Valentine, and Mo Tucker from the Velvet Underground. All these drummers happened to play in some of my favourite bands, but also they are all unique, creative drummers that have their own style. I have a tendency to love drummers that use a lot of toms, and I like drummers that attempt to play somewhat unconventionally, with obvious idiosyncrasies. Some other drummers that I love are locals Evelyn Morris (of Pikelet and True Radical Miracle), and Cameron Potts of Ninetynine (who has been a big influence on me), and I have always loved Sean Bailey’s drumming (Lakes, Tol etc). I also have a huge respect for Jim White of the Dirty Three, and Janet Weiss of Sleater-Kinney. How would you describe the kind of music or projects you’re mostly involved in? And/or what kind of unique perspective/sound do you bring to these gigs? I would describe most of the bands I have played in as post punk, indie rock, noise rock and goth rock. The earlier bands I played in before I left Tasmania (Sea Scouts, Surgery, 1001101) were a lot darker and would be described as noise rock/goth. In those earlier days my drumming was more stripped back and tribal, with mostly tom toms. In all the bands that followed (especially Love of Diagrams), my drumming style developed and became more complex and now is a mixture of those earlier influences, as well as the 90s shoegaze bands I love like My Bloody Valentine, Ride, Unwound, and Sebadoh. Stationary Suns has sounds reminiscent of post punk and goth, and my newest band JAZZ is harder to describe, but there are definite echoes of very early punk and very early post punk in there (Wire, The Fall, Joy Division, Suicide etc). Do you have a particular warm up or practice routine? Or favourite exercises? Not really, I am usually very nervous before every performance, which is something that has not diminished over time, so I tend to smoke a little cigarette and do some little stretches just before hand which helps! I like to think the nerves are part of the adrenaline rush of playing, and are there to remind me that it is important to me. Does social media play a big part in how you promote yourself as an artist and your various projects? Do you promote your work in other ways? The bands I play in use social media in a huge way to promote shows, it’s really taken over from the previous methods of postering and gig guides in street rags. Those things still exist, but events on social media are the primary method. I can’t remember the last time I taped a poster to a street pole which is kinda sad! Do you make a living from music? What different types of work does this comprise? I do not make a living from music, as far as I know it is not an easy thing to achieve. I work as a librarian/archivist which is great, but music is my one true love and I have to do it, I am never happier than when I am playing drums. I have thought about trying to make music a job... maybe giving drum lessons or doing sound work, but money is not something I consider when thinking about music, it is a passion above all, and I think I’m pretty happy being able to make the music I want to make without thinking about anything related to money. However, I have endless respect for people who persevere with music long enough to be able to make a living from it, they are few and far between. Where’s the coolest place that music has taken you? I have been on several international tours over the years, particularly with my bands Love of Diagrams, Baseball and Sea Scouts. Touring the US, Europe and Japan with these bands has been incredible. I have particularly loved playing in places like the Czech Republic, the Baltic States, Poland and Russia, and obviously the US because of the intense amount of great bands and places to play. My first tour of the US and Europe with my first band Sea Scouts really changed my life. Other highlights have been recording with the great (in my opinion) Steve Albini in his studio (Electrical Audio) in Chicago, with Love of Diagrams in 2013, as well as playing support slots for some of my heroes including Sonic Youth, Sleater Kinney, Sebadoh, Bikini Kill. If you could give your younger drumming self some advice what would it be? The advice I would give myself would be to practice more! Practicing is something I have never done alone, I never had lessons or learned rudiments, and I have played in so many bands over the years that band rehearsals have felt like enough practice. I have never been a particularly technical drummer, I think my drumming is quite intuitive, which is good, but it would be interesting to see the result that a bit of practice might have. Website Love of Diagrams: https://www.facebook.com/loveofdiagrams/ https://loveofdiagrams.bandcamp.com/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMbhGTu2c0E Stationary Suns: https://www.facebook.com/stationarysuns/ https://soundcloud.com/identicalrecords/sets/stationary-suns-7-inch-1 JAZZ: https://bankrecords.bandcamp.com/album/jazz-1000 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lu8443zfAjg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BpQUgq2VjI Sea Scouts: https://zumaudio.bandcamp.com/album/beacon-of-hope https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6e1YBZM-_4  Name
Anne Harkin Where are you from and/or where do you live now? I was born at St Vincent’s in East Melbourne – and still live in Melbourne – though I have lived in other places for extended periods eg Tokyo, Paris, Guinea Conakry and Darwin. How long have you been playing drums? And what initially drew you to the instrument? I started by playing Arabic darabuka after seeing it played in busking sessions in the Metro in Paris. I came across one in a Lebanese cake shop in Brunswick in 1992 and after hitting it, knew I wanted to play it. After a few years, as interest in belly dance grew, I started producing teaching products and taught in every state of Australia, and performed in a duo, “Harkin & Larkin” with Anita Larkin, then founded the group Ta’esh Fa’esh. A few years after that I started playing djembe…and eventually stopped playing darabuka altogether. Do you play any other instruments? I play other West African ensemble instruments like douns, (bass drums), krin, (log drum) and various kinds of shakers. I used to play piano as a kid, and folk and rock guitar in my 20s and 30s…eg in The Kevins… (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5X0g635gBo), and would like to learn bossa nova style guitar. A project for this year? What bands/projects/collaborations are you involved in right now? I don’t play in bands any more. I did quite a bit of that kind of playing when I played guitar, including residencies, touring, film clips and TV. These days I play for Mitzi Mcrae’s (Melbourne Djembe) West African dance classes, I do occasional gigs as a hired hand and I love just jamming. I go to quite a few drum camps and travel to djembe countries to study - and play alongside people who play better than me. My aim in this is not to collect rhythms, but to assimilate microtiming and solid groove. Who are you listening to/whose music are you enjoying right now? I like any music with a funk element Eg funk, soul, r’n’b, ethno-techno, hiphop, Latin, Arabic; various African diaspora styles like afrobeat, gnawa, rai, reggae, soukous, bossa nova; acts like Prince, James Brown, Electric Fields, Khaled, Nuru Kane, Salif Keita, Baba Maal, Youssou N’Dour, Rokia Traoré, Oumou Sangaré, Mory Kante, Issa Bagayoyo, Carlos Jobim and many more. Right now I’m listening to a series of CDs, called Lost Maestros, featuring older generation Malian musicians. The solos are thoughtful, spacious and tasteful – not the raketa-racketa-racketa noisefest (with very little musicality), you hear all too often in current djembe playing. Do you have any favourite drummers? Or other musicians who inspire you? In Australia I first played African percussion with Chris Lesser – a master of Ghanaian percussion, and I first went to Africa with Guinean Mohamed Bangoura and learned from him and “Lopez” Soumah (RIP). Lopez had beautiful technique and sounds. In Australia I love listening to and playing with Malian Mady Keita, (who I call “The Funkmeister”), Senegalese Boubacar Gaye– beautiful technique, clear sounds and interesting musical solos. Bassidi Kone and all the Bwazan players are simply amazing with their accuracy, technique and tight ensemble playing. Last year at Camp Fareta in California I met some other great drummers – Babara Bangoura, “Bongo” Sidibe, Moussa Traoré, Monette Marino and Mangue Sylla among them. Do you make a living from music? I did make a living for a while when a guitarist. I’m retired from all employment now and play just for fun and enjoyment. Art (music, textiles, photography) and travel are my life. Where’s the coolest place that music has taken you? Mali for sure. The people of Mali are just naturally cool & elegant, stylish, warm & friendly - and welcoming – and they have the most sophisticated forms of music around. Amazing singing, breathtaking drumming, groovy rhythms – and it’s all around you constantly…wedding parties in the street, music coming out of markets and shops and taxis, concerts, festivals… it’s impossible to be in a bad mood in Mali! If you could give your younger drumming self some advice what would it be? I didn’t start drumming till I was into my 40s…(I’m now 67.) I’m grateful I found drumming then. I swim to stay fit and hope to keep healthy and drum as long as possible. |
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