Domino: Geographically Schizophrenic Rock!
Sydney band Domino have a lot to live up to. Any band that is of the self-proclaimed “experimental” genre usually has to be a bit trippy at the very least. A complete mind-fuck is what you really want, though. Luckily, Domino have it in spades. They also have a bizarre self-invented genre in which to place themselves: Geographically Schizophrenic Rock. Huh?
My first question for the band was, of course, what the hell is “geographically- schizophrenic rock” anyway?
“The notion that it’s restricting to declare allegiance to one genre isn’t a new one by any means. Artists have been drawing on worldly influences forever. We’ve got an entire world of sound around us. We’re reaching out and pulling in influences from everywhere: the Middle East, Russia, Latin America, and Home. But it’s all rock. We’ll submit to that kind of self-restriction: after all the theorising it still all comes down to what you like! That’s about the only mainstay we’re willing to admit. We’re a rock band first, and a World-Rock band after that.”
I like their moxie. Beginning in 2004, as a two-piece, they sprawled into four-piece world- rock monster. In the best possible way, mind. Guitarist Simon Owen maintains that he and singer Erica Bowron “always had a big rock sound in their heads”. Erica’s background in musical theatre has clearly altered the shape of the group’s music- how, you may ask...?
“The most direct influence was actually a massive frustration at having to, or trying to, sing a certain way. They’re someone else’s songs that so often come with a whole set of expectations, the frustration and pressure from this eventually drove me mad and into the waiting arms of rock. The freedom is brilliant, you make your own rules and do so with other freakishly talented- and if you’re lucky, funny! - musicians. I guarantee you there is no better feeling in the world than blowing the roof off a gig with your band’s own material when the audience are losing their minds”.
Domino are attempting what many bands try- and, more often than not, fail: to give the music scene a new sound. Well, a newer sound. It’s difficult to do something truly remarkable in this day and age, but in my eyes, there’s never harm in trying is there? Luckily for us, Domino are trying their little cotton socks out; “We have some ‘songs’ that run over 20 minutes and use techniques borrowed from classical, Cuban, heavy metal… all in the one piece of music. In one particular piece that’s really getting our audiences going at the moment, we manage to get three of us playing the one drum kit simultaneously, before launching back into some 1920’s swing. We are trying to inspire the same kind of surprise we felt when we went to see our first big live band. There’s almost no feeling quite like being surprised by something because you take certain things for granted”.
After working with legendary producer Jeff Cripps on their EP Shadows and Dust (“Once we were in the studio he seemed like the kind of guy who could record a death-metal band on Monday and the Wiggles’ theme tune on Tuesday…and he is!”) and their overtly eclectic musical influences (from Tool and Mars Volta to 1930’s swing and Deborah Conway), I can’t help but wonder how they feel about the burgeoning trends within the modern scene; specifically, those less desirable but utterly uber-cool (read: ultimately disposable) flights of fancy: “With more venues shutting their doors, massive competition and limited exposure this was never going to be easy. But we’ve worked so hard over the last couple of years and we’re not disappointed with our progress by any means. It also comes down to the fact that we love what we do”. Dedication, I like it!
