City Riots Creating Chaos

By Jade Kennedy

There are a few Aussie bands I will always have a soft spot for. Not just because I love their music (that's a given!) but because of my first experience of meeting them. City Riots is one of those bands.

When I first saw these four twenty-somethings from Adelaide burst out on stage in support of Something With Numbers I was immediately taken by their ridiculously catchy sound and high-energy stage presence. The guys mentioned to the crowd that they had nowhere to stay in Townsville, so a spare bed or couch would be hugely appreciated (which at the time I thought was equal measures insanity and desperation!). So after meeting the boys after the show and ascertaining that yes, they were serious, and no, they didn't really fancy the idea of sleeping in their van, I found myself driving home with a van full of bleary-eyed boys in hot pursuit.

Ricky, Dan, John and Matt, also known as City Riots, have gone from my breakfast table to showcase performances at SXSW in Texas and recording a full-length album in Chicago. I caught up with City Riot drummer Dan Kradolfer last week to give you the lowdown...

Okay Dan, give us a brief history of the band so far...

"The band is so busy playing live that it took over two years before we found time to record a full-length album. In May 2009 we flew to Chicago to record with producer Bjorn Thorsrud (Smashing Pumpkins, Dandy Warhols, Billy Corgan). We based ourselves in Chicago for four months, living bundled in Bjorn's two-bedroom apartment in downtown Chicago, sharing beds (Rick and I shacked up together on a futon, but we're brothers, so it's okay right?!) and others sleeping with their heads in a wardrobe when not at the studio. City Riots featured at SXSW 2010 in Austin, Texas, whilst also performing at the Aussie BBQ parties in Sydney, LA, New York and Austin. 'She Never Wants to Dance' is the first taste of our debut full-length album, and is currently being played exclusively through Triple J.

In late 2008, our self-released Socialize EP earned the band a nomination for the Triple J Unearthed Artist of the Year award. From it, the single 'Burning Me Out' was our sixth song to be picked up by national radio. The track was recorded in-between US tour dates at Dragonfly Studios on the outskirts of Washington D.C. We have made festival appearances at Big Day Out and Soundwave, and were invited to showcase at The Great Escape Festival (UK) after Martin Elbourne (former agent of New Order and The Smiths) immediately confirmed the band while watching a performance just a few weeks beforehand. Following the three-week UK tour, which included sideshows at the Camden Barfly and the International Pop Festival in Liverpool, we returned back for a brief Australian run of dates before heading across the Pacific to play a five-week tour of the United States, taking in Milwaukee's Summerfest with The Bravery, Wave Gathering Festival in Asbury Park, New Jersey, and a load of shows along the east coast. That was our second tour of the US in the space of eight months."

A lot of Aussie bands travel to the States to record in New York or LA - why did City Riots choose Chicago, of all places?

"Well we met Bjorn, our engineer, through a friend of a friend - you know how it is - and he is based out of Chicago. He had heard some demos and was keen to work with us. He was excited to get us over to record in a new studio he was putting together, and when we heard he had worked with the Smashing Pumpkins, and was a good friend of Billy Corgan, we felt it was a great opportunity to work with someone with plenty of experience. The initial thought of recording in the USA excited everyone in the band. We found out that the studio was full of vintage gear we couldn't get hold of in Australia. Plus, Chicago was one of the places that none of the guys had traveled to and it seemed like a great excuse to experience four months there!"

So when is the album out?

"It's currently being shopped to different labels, agents, etc. in the USA, so the album isn't out just yet, however the single 'She Never Wants to Dance' is available for free download on the Triple J website." (get it here)

Describe the sort of sound we can expect to hear...

"The album is a mixture of sounds generated by a mixture of influences that each member in the band brings to the table. There's certainly an 80s edge that's saturated with dark, grand, brooding and pulsating indie rock. The quote from LP33, which was an interview we did in Austin for SXSW, is also good: "the band, whose sound is something between a more streetwise Kaiser Chiefs and OK Go with a seriously saucy attitude".

Will you be touring nationally for it?

"We will be doing an extensive tour of Australia and the USA later in the year, but we will be going on the road hitting Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane for a short run of dates in May, in support of 'She Never Wants to Dance'."

For those who don't know, what the hell is SXSW, and what's so great about it?

"SXSW (South by Southwest) is an international music festival/conference which showcases up and coming bands. It's one of the biggest dates on the music industry calendar, with influential industry professionals from around the globe attending. It's a great way for breaking bands to perform in front of key figures."

What did you guys do there this year?

"2010 was the first time for City Riots at SXSW. We performed five times across different music venues in Austin, and took part in several interviews over the weekend. We also ate a lot of sushi and greasy pizza, and certainly had our share of Lone Star, which for all of you yet to experience American beer at its best... it's a local Texan beer... and it's actually not bad in comparison to other American alcoholic beverages like Bud and Miller Lite, which taste similar to diluted orange cordial)... We also experienced the harsh cold and windy weather Austin has to offer - say no more, we come from beautiful sunny Australia!"

Did you meet anyone amazing?

"Yep, sure did. There's a small town located between Austin and Dallas called Mt. Pleasant. Here we met some cool people. We stopped here, at first, against our will, because our van just stopped working. We later found out we had blown our transmission on our gunmetal grey 80s van, with salmon-pink interior. And it was the people at Holt Transmission that we found to be the coolest. They not only fixed us up with a new transmission in less than 24 hours, but proceeded to take us out on the town... they took us out for Cajun seafood and margaritas... it was an amazing experience! Later that night they took us to their friend's house, which had a huge back room added on that was turned into an adult theme park... basically it had cars cut in half and filled with alcohol, pool tables, and every animal this guy had ever shot hanging on the wall."

What's the number-one thing you learned?

"Always remember to ensure the rear doors of the van are closed properly... it ain't pretty when you see your road cases rolling along the I-95."

Would you recommend Aussie bands trying to get their foot in the door, so to speak, register for SXSW? Is it worth the trip?

"In one word: absolutely!"

Did you do any cheesy touristy things in the States?

"Ahh... yes, of course we did! We visited the Flight 93 Memorial just out of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania. You know, where the plane in 9/11 went down. We went to Graceland in Memphis, Elvis' home, and did the full tour. I've also done the really touristy boat ride from Manhattan to Staten Island where the Statue of Liberty is. Oh, and I've also been to the top of the Empire State Building - that's got to be the biggest touristy thing I've done."

Have you, as a band, gone home with any random strangers since the night you crammed into my spare room?

"I don't think so actually. We usually hang out with them for one night before we ask if we can stay at their place the next night. So by that second night, you're no longer a random stranger!"