The underdogs
An exclusive interview with Jay Bovino of Australian band Sheppard
‘I think most people feel like the underdog. We wanted to write music for those people, like us — something that would give them hope and lift them up. In another way we are the underdogs back home; being an independent band, we’ve worked very hard to get where we are.’
I n 2014, Pharrell Williams’ Happy — the best-selling song of the year — was knocked out of the number one spot in Australian charts by the equally infectious
Geronimo. The artist behind the new hit? Six-piece Australian band Sheppard, composed of siblings George, Amy and Emma Sheppard, Jay Bovino, Dean Gordon and Michael Butler.
On August 11, the band will once again say, Geronimo! as they land on the Philippines for a one-night show at the Mall of Asia Music Hall. Before hitting the theater, get to know this up-and-coming act better. Here’s guitarist and songwriter Jay Bovino giving us the GIST on Sheppard.
GIST: You mentioned on your website that Sheppard songs are “music for the underdog.” Do you guys personally feel like underdogs? Where does the positive energy we hear in the album come from?
JAY BOVINO: I think most people feel like the underdog. We wanted to write music for those people, like us — something that would give them hope and lift them up. In another way we are the underdogs back home; being an independent band, we’ve worked very hard to get where we are.
Can you tell us more about the concept behind “Bombs Away”? What inspired the album and what are your goals for it?
The concept of the album, if there is one in there, basically revolves around hope. Love lost and found. The inspiration just came from the collective experiences from the three writers. We feel we’re just like everyone, going through the daily struggle, and we wanted to write music that could connect with other common people, and perhaps give them hope.
Having diverse musical influences must be an advantage in terms of creating new sounds, but do the six of you ever fight due to creative differences during songwriting? How would you know if you’ve finally got a song “right”? What are the criteria?
Out of the six, only three are writers — me, George and Amy — and we all tend to work really well together, despite our varying influences. We will never knock back anyone’s ideas, instead we give everything a try and then sit on them. If we still feel unhappy about something a few days later we’ll work on fixing it, but nine times out of 10 we find our minds have changed. We know we’ve got something good when the three of us are extremely excited about it. If we like to hear/ play it, we assume others might.
What’s the most challenging aspect of being a start- up band?
So much goes into kick- starting a band — dedication, time, money. You have to be willing to give it your all for many years and expect nothing in return. The hardest part is realizing that. But you do it because you love it, and that’s what’s important in the end.
How’s the tour so far? What’s your biggest discovery when it comes to life on the road and performing live in cities you’ve never been to? Tour has been wild so far. We’ve been all over the US, Europe and the UK. We discovered life on the road isn’t as glamorous as we once thought! Haha. But we love seeing how fans react in different parts of the world. The crowd’s vibe always influences ours, so in a way, our performance is a different experience from city to city.
Have any of you been to the Philippines before? What have you heard about the country and do you have an idea how big your fan base is here?
Manila was actually the first place the band toured, back in the very early days, when it consisted of just George and Amy. So it will be interesting to go back. We have no idea what sort of fan base we have there. We’re not really ever told these things. We’re always surprised when we arrive in a city and people know who we are.
What do you expect from the crowd on your upcoming Manila concert in August?
I’ve heard the Filipinos love live music so we’re excited. If they get into it, we sure will!
What can the Filipinos expect from you?
A lot of energy, loud music and good times.
Where would you like to play in the future? Your dream venue? Madison Square Garden. Let’s think big! Any dream collaborations? Coldplay. Top 3 pieces of advice to bands that are just starting.
Write a lot. Rehearse. Rehearse.
What’s next for Sheppard?
We’ve got one last tour to Brazil in September for Rock in Rio, which we’re incredibly excited about, and then we’re heading home for a good few months to start working on the next record.