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Jack, Roving reporter

FReeZA Presents: For Our Hero

 

Social media has played a massive part in the success of March's artist of the month. Since starting out almost five years ago, For Our Hero gained massive popularity through the use of Twitter and Facebook establishing a solid launch with their debut LP Afterglow reaching no. 7 overall on the Australian iTunes charts.

Since then they've toured with massive acts like Fall Out Boy and 303 and are now gearing up for their all ages tour in April/May to support the release of their forthcoming album Strange Days. I spoke with Geoffrey Taylor.

Congrats on snagging FReeZA Artist Of The Month for March 2012. How does it feel?

Thank you for the recognition! FReeZA events played a critical role in our band as we were starting out, so we have always been very appreciative of what FReeZA does do for the local music scene in the way of opportunities and reach.

How and when did For Our Hero start out?

I actually met Beau on a Blink-182 forum back in 2007. He was talking about getting a band together called "The Playground" and sent me some demos he had recorded with his brother Jay and friend Leon. I started doing some design work for them before inevitably being asked to play bass.

We actually played our first ever show at a battle of the bands FReeZA presented at EV's in Croydon. Looking back now it's a surprise we even lasted five years because half of us could barely play an instrument, haha. Dave and Nax joined in 2008 and we've been For Our Hero since.

Since starting out you really got into the social media with Twitter, Facebook, Myspace and Youtube. How much do you think that's helped propel your band?

It's certainly been a pivotal platform for our band in terms of reaching a broader community of people who may be interested in our music. In the ever-growing digital world the internet has seemingly become the medium between fan, band, and industry, so I think an online presence helps us communicate and project ideas to these people. It's the 21st Century's word-of-mouth.

Before 2000 there wasn't a massive seen for punk-pop (Panic at the Disco, Jack Ladder, etc.). Were you always listening to this music growing up or is this something you just enjoy playing?

For sure. I grew up listening to bands like Blink-182, Sum 41 and Fall Out Boy, so the appeal of For Our Hero to me has always been reflective of the idea that this is music I both enjoy listening to and playing. When we first started playing shows there was such a surge in hardcore bands that we barely fit any bill, but these days pop rock bands seem to be at least equal in rotation.

Do you all have input into the writing or is most of it done by Jay?

Dave and Beau write all the songs in For Our Hero. When we go to track them we might play around with the arrangements, but 90% of the time what they pen is what comes through.

You released a clip for "Don't You Dare" midway through last year. What was that like to film and who came up with the concept?

That was a crazy night. I remember we filmed it in a forest at night, and it was something like nine degrees.  It was a new experience to us as none of us were really familiar with the process, but our director Pete Seamons is a champion and was able to do something with our sub-par acting abilities. Beau and I came up with this concept that we were all entities of the forest (statues/ghosts/elves/wonderlanders/lost boys) and we had been invited to meet with the "queen". The whole premise of the clip was to metaphorically showcase the duplicities of love and its respective pursuit. We had a snake in it too. Just 'cause.

You've got some very loyal followers too. Is it still strange when people come up to you in the street and ask for an autograph?

Very strange, yes, it's not something I completely understand because I just play in a band, you know?  I am infinitely appreciative and humbled by the idea that our music is able to reach these people in some way though. That's all that we really care about.

For more about For Our Hero, check out facebook.com/forourheroband (new window). For more Arts & music articles, check out our Articles Archive. For more about FReeZA, check out www.freeza.vic.gov.au (new window).

 

Lyrics: "Like Clockwork" by For Our Hero

touch down, take off again
spinning circles
eyes are red
find me undercover seeking lovers
- i don’t need them yet

my heart’s not beating
it’s just stuttering
and when i down those bottles
i be all up on the ceiling

oh oh oh oh oh oh
oh oh
i be all up on the ceiling

round the clock
we’re bright eyed and loosed like dogs
on evenings like this
when the back of my head’s leaking
no the stereo’s not bringing me down
all the way
we never stop ‘til we take the stage
we just getting started
‘til the back of my head’s leaking
no the stereos not bringing me down

tell the doorman i’m in love
with Jack, with Walker,
line me up
down, down we drink them down
now put your glasses up

i see those baby blues
black dress, dancing shoes
every time I look back yeah I think I spy you

round the clock
we’re bright eyed and loosed like dogs
on evenings like this
when the back of my head’s leaking
no the stereo’s not bringing me down
all the way
we never stop ‘till we take the stage
we just getting started
‘till the back of my head’s leaking
no the stereos not bringing me down

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