Posted by Danni Le Toullec on February 24, 2010
You could say that Brisbane band Last Dinosaurs have had a pretty successful start to their music career. Despite the band’s relatively new arrival on the scene (they started playing together in late 2007), they’ve managed a Triple J Unearthed win, a tour of Japan, recording sessions with Lost Valentinos’ Jono Mar and a signing to the Dew Process label.
Kluster’s Danni Le Toullec managed to track down bass player Sam Gethin-Jones down for a quick Q&A ahead of Last Dinosaurs’ debut EP release at the Old Museum on February 26.
Covered: Pillows, being unearthed, Jono Ma and happy gooey feelings.
Danni Le Toullec: How and when did you guys come together as a band?
Sam Gethin-Jones: I was actually the latest addition. Sean and Dan went to the same school as one another. Then Lach (who is Sean’s baby brother) was recruited on guitar. I met the guys through the Brisbane music scene and when they asked if I was interested in joining, I jumped at the opportunity.
DL: What inspired the band name?
SGJ: There is a Japanese band called the pillows that we all like, and they have a track called 'Last Dinosaur'. Dan heard the track name and thought it rolled off the tongue perfectly, so, lo and behold here we are.
DL: Whose idea was it to enter Triple J’s Unearthed comp?
SGJ: I guess it’s a sort of an unspoken understanding that if you are in an Australian band, you enter Unearthed. It’s a great way to get noticed and to have your music accessible to the people who are interested in uncovering bands for themselves.
DL: How has everyday life changed since winning?
SGJ: It’s definitely been responsible for a lot of the good things going on right now. The exposure that Unearthed brought us is responsible for our gigging opportunities multiplying tenfold, and I think it is responsible for getting us on Dew Process’s radar, which we are forever grateful for!
DL: What were some of the highlights of recording with Jono Ma from Lost Valentinos?
SGJ: Definitely when he introduced Tabasco sauce into the recording ritual (he thought rubbing it on guitar strings would give them a bit more bite). That
was a pretty memorable experience. We all learnt a lot about recording techniques and about the process of making a record through Jono.
DL: Are you happy with the outcome of the EP Back From the Dead?
SGJ: The end result has surpassed all our expectations. We are really excited for people to hear what we’ve come up with.
DL: What is the song writing process like for Last Dinosaurs, do you write together?
SGJ: Someone will usually bring in an idea, and then we work on it as a band and it will either result in a song or an argument, but a song will usually follow the argument anyway.
DL: What is the story behind the name of the opener ‘Honolulu’?
SGJ: I guess Honolulu is associated with paradise, and happy gooey feelings. So it seemed the perfect place for a fictional love story to take place. But none of us have actually been there - maybe one day!
DL: On that track you say, “the future stays true”. What does the future hold for the Last Dinosaurs?
SGJ: A lot of touring and hopefully making another record before the year is out. Hitting the road is always an experience, and once you’ve been in the studio, it’s hard not to want to go back as soon as possible. So yeah, hopefully we will be kept very busy with band-related exploits.
last dinosaurs, the pillows, dew process