INTERVIEW: CREO
Interview with Jorgee Hayman – frontman of Sydney band CREO
Up-and-coming indie alternative rock band from Sydney CREO are gradually gaining momentum amongst the local music scene after the release of their first single Monday Mourning from their debut EP The Memo. With their emotional melodies and dramatic sound, their music feels like powerful progressive rock meets the melodic sensibilities of pop, and frontman Jorgee Hayman’s unique vocals are almost reminiscent of the American Punk bands who heavily occupied my iPod throughout high school (alright it was a discman). CREO was born a few years back when the four best friends – Jorgee (vocals/guitar), Brett Fox (electric guitar), Alex Milano (bass) and Daniel James Tsoltoudis (drums) – met during high school and soon realised their jamming sessions could be something more. Ahead of the release of their second single Forever More, I caught up with frontman Jorgee Hayman to chat about playing live, weird pre-show rituals and funny things that happen on tour.
CST: The EP is sounding great. How long was the writing and recording process?
JH: We had a solid ten to fifteen songs we had written from 2010-2011 to choose from. From there we narrowed it down to the songs that we thought worked best together, then actual recording process took just over two weeks.
CST: Were there any disagreements amongst the band about what songs would make the EP?
JH: To be honest, not really, we all saw eye to eye with what we wanted to be on the record.
CST: The EP shows off your diversity as a group; Monday Mourning has a powerfully dark and melancholic feel; Forever More is much more upbeat; and Blue Valentine unites both of these styles without sounding brash or disjointed. How difficult is it to try and showcase everything that CREO is about in just five songs, while trying to maintain a flow?
JH: There’s not so much of a conscious effort to show the diversity to be honest. It just happens. We have so many influences between the four of us that the songs all take on lives of their own and turn into something unique. In saying that, there are also natural consistencies in our playing and vibe that make them all still sound like they fit together in one package.
CST: What is your favourite song on the EP?
JH: Personally my favourite song is Blue Hearts on Valentine. Recording it was less conventional to the others where we had a lot more space to just improvise and add layers and mess around with a bunch of different sounds. I felt like the studio captured something awesome there in the recording process, plus it’s also a wicked tune to play live.
CST: Which artists have mostly influenced the group?
JH: There are heaps! Everyone has their own individual influences that they bring to the table. Daniel (drums) listens to a lot of hip hop and draws a lot from artists like Odd Future, Game and Techn9ne. Whereas I have drawn more influence from artists like Stevie Ray Vaughan and Bruce Springsteen. We all have common ground influences too, such as the Smashing Pumpkins, The Bronx and Queens of the Stone Age.
CST: Who writes the band’s songs?
JH: I write the music and lyrics then take it to the studio, and from there the whole band jam it out, play around with arrangements and contribute our own ideas.
CST: You’ve been playing shows all over the country, how does it feel to finally be playing a tour with the release of your EP?
JH: It feels amazing. Making music with each other is so much fun and playing the music live is the pinnacle of that. We love working in the studio and the creative territory it comes with, but we’ve always said we are a live band. We’re all really proud of these songs, so playing them to people around the country puts us right in our element.
CST: With the indie-pop, folk and electronic genres having become much more mainstream amongst Australia’s live music venues, has the fact that you’re sound is more rock n’ roll been an issue when it comes to getting gigs?
JH: I don’t think so. We’ve found that because our sound is quite diverse we can fit the bill with all different types of bands without sounding too out of place.
CST: What do you think of the rock scene in Australia now? Do you feel as though it has changed since you first started playing shows a few years ago?
JH: The scene hasn’t changed much other than the style of music which is trending. We accept that you’re always going to have those types of things, we just choose not to sit right in the middle of those trends and rather take what we can from it without changing who and what we are. If anything, we need more people to support the local scene and get out to your live venues regardless of who’s playing.
CST: What’s the best moment you’ve had on tour?
JH: There are so many, touring in general is the best! We’re all best mates and super tight so road tripping it in a bus everywhere is a treat. Nothing beats the feeling of playing to a full room, those moments always top the list.
CST: Do you have any pre-show rituals?
JH: Before a show I always try to keep my voice quiet and rested then have a shot of vodka to warm the vocals. For us as a group, it’s not so much as a pre-show ritual, but more something we always do on tour. Every time we’re on the road – without fail – we always put on our best Fred Durst voice and rap the entire Limp Bizkit album, “Chocolate Star Fish and the Hot Dog Flavoured Water!”
CST: So should we expect to see any Limp Bizkit covers at yours shows anytime soon?
JH: Haha I think we’ll stick to our own tracks for now.
CST: The video clip for ‘Monday Mourning’ turned out great. Did you have fun filming your first video clip?
JH: Shooting the film clip was awesome. It was a totally new experience for us and it was really exciting. You don’t realise how much work goes into it…we had to play to our own track what it felt like 100 times for 4 minutes worth of footage.
CST: Why have your chosen Forever More as the next single to release?
JH: It’s funny because we initially were going to push Forever More as our first single off the EP but decided to opt for Monday Mourning instead. Forever More is more upbeat and in your face track compared to our first release. It shows our diversity, and I’d say we are more an in your face band anyway.
CST: What’s next for CREO from here?
JH: Gigging religiously everywhere we can, and we’ll be heading in the studio in December to record some new material for our next release.
CREO tour dates:
FRI 6TH SEPT – GOODGOD SMALL CLUB (SYDNEY) – TIX
FRI 13TH SEPT- RIC’S BAR (BIG SOUND) (BRISBANE) – FREE
THUR 19TH SEPT – OXFORD ART FACTORY (GALLERY BAR) (SYDNEY) – FREE
THUR 3RD OCTOBER- FRANKIE’S PIZZA (SYDNEY) – FREE
FRI 24TH OCTOBER- RIC’S BAR (BRISBANE) – FREE
WEBSITE: www.creotheband.com
FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/creotheband
Itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/au/album/the-memo-ep/id558812179
