Q: Hi! What can you tell our readers about yourself?
A: Hi, I’m, Michael, vocalist/guitarist and one of the songwriters in greenhouse. We are predominantly a guitar band from Geelong in Australia. The band has been around for a very long time but has been away from the scene for many years. Now we’re back full of energy and with a full swag of new music. A new single and a debut album dropping in June.
Q: You recently released your new single ” Here I Am single version ” can you tell us what the song is about?
A: The current single is about inclusion. It’s a comment on how much courage it takes to just be yourself. I think it celebrates that courage. You know, a lot of people spend most of their lives, trying to be something that fits a mold. People try to be what other people want them to be or what they think other people need them to be. I think it takes a lot of courage to live the truth of who you are and to take responsibility for that. Taking responsibility for who you are is the most difficult. It is very important to be accountable for your decisions in life. Here I am is a celebration of the ability to just be. I think the song is an attempt to encourage others to be brave enough to just be. To stand in front of the world and announce ‘here I am’. I think that authenticity has always been incredibly important to me in everything.
Q: What inspirations do you take when writing your music?
A: When it comes to drawing inspiration for writing music, most of the time, it’s not about a process of seeking it out, but more of the music coming to you. Sometimes it is in you and just screaming to come out. So I guess the inspiration comes from within in my case. However, there are times when events or experiences inspire feelings that require processing. I tend to do that through music. Like many others, I find writing music to be a great catharsis. I try to not sensor myself at all when I write. I studied acting and worked as a professional actor for many years and part of my training was to learn how to allow emotions and the language of emotions to pour out freely. Automatic writing and improvised dialogue exercises from acting school have helped my writing a great deal. I’ve always felt the complexity of human emotion and collective Human experience is of infinite interest. It is how we deal with these things and how we expose them or share them that gives me my language. It’s the pool that I swim in. I have an optimism and a begrudging recognition of life being inherently beautiful. So even from the ugliest and blackest of emotions, I find myself trying to explore them with the aim of discovering and exposing some beauty in them. Sometimes it is with more poetic language or sentiment, but more often with melody and accompaniment.
Q: Who are your current favorite new artists?
A: Oh, my current favorite artists. There are many. As far as Australian bands go, my favorite is definitely DMA’s. I really like South Summit. I love Gordi I like the Bouys, Teen Jesus, and the Jean teasers, I love Amyl and the sniffers, and of course King Gizzard and the Wizard Lizard. I’m loving a couple of bands from Britain at the moment. A new Scottish band called the Panhead Sharps and a great guitar pop band called from Wigan? Stanleys. I really want to get over to the UK and tour.
Q: Who would your dream collaboration be with, and why?
A: I really love the idea of doing collaborations. As far as a dream collaboration, I’m not sure. Let me have to think about that. I’m tempted to go straight for some of my favorite artists, but some of them I hear, are notoriously difficult to work with. And I say ‘I hear’ only because who knows whether what you read or hear is accurate in any way. Oh, that sounds a bit cynical, doesn’t it? Now let’s see I would love to collaborate with Gary Lightbody from snow patrol and Dove. Gary seems to have a direct line to raw emotion. He is able to distill complex feelings and ideas into potent and concise language. That is both direct and evocative. Lyrically he is so effective. I could probably use a little of his directness. With doves, it’s their ability to groove in a way few guitar bands can. The dance music background I think. They are able to meld electronic and
traditionally dance-oriented sounds into great indie guitar music. I feel I have a very natural affinity with dove’s music. It really speaks to me on a visceral level. I totally love the way, Jimi Goodwin plays the bass. To have Jimi in the room writing with me is an absolute dream so I guess that’s it. The answer is Jimi Goodwin from Daves. Yeah totally.
Q: What does the rest of the year have in store for you?
A: The rest of the year is looking pretty busy. We have another single called Finally Over that will drop on March 23, and our debut album will release in June. We will be hitting the road to tour and promote the album Hopefully making it to all Australian capital cities and some regional towns. Some more shows are toward the end of the year and fingers have crossed for some shows in the UK and Europe. If there is anybody out there that can help with getting us to the UK and Europe, or
the US…I’m super keen to get in touch. LOL. And of course, there’s plenty of writing going. We are demoing new material at the moment. The band is very excited about getting into rehearsals and working on the new stuff as well as getting ready to get out on tour. We can’t wait to meet the new fans; people who have picked up on Greenhouse through our singles, ‘god-like’, and ‘Here I Am’, as well as all of our old friends. We are itching to meet everyone!