A Q&A with My Pet Rhino

Alt-rock grooves and raucous hooks, from Syndney…

What’s the title of your latest release, and what does it mean to you?
‘Knots’ is a song I wrote about the feeling of trying your best to achieve something but falling agonisingly short at the final hurdle. It was written as a reminder for me to do better next time – it didn’t work, but at least I got a cool song out of it.

What was the hardest part about putting this release together, and why?
Co-ordinating between two different countries for the vocal performances. LeeLoo, who did the vocals for the album, is based abroad, so I needed to record in such an order that I was able to provide her with a full backing track and a vocal scratch track in order for her to be able to put down her vocals in her own time. She would then send these files back to me in Sydney for me to add back into the main track.

Who produced the release – what did they bring to it? If you produced it yourselves what do you enjoy the most about producing your own material?
I produced this one myself. To be honest, I didn’t even really know what a producer did while I was recording – I genuinely had to Google it when it came to putting together credits for the album and found out I’d been doing it all along! Because a lot of my tracks have been written for a long time and all the parts were pretty well established, there weren’t too many decisions which needed to be made in-studio. When there was though, having the freedom to decide for myself what I liked and what I didn’t was really amazing. I kind of like being a bit of a dictator in that sense!

What do you want the listener to take away from listening to your music?
That it was a fun, enjoyable and unique listening experience! I love writing songs that find unique ways to be catchy and get stuck in your head, all while not really sounding too much like anyone else.

How does a track normally come together? Can you tell us something about the process?
I generally just start by sitting around with an un-amplified electric guitar and strum away until I find something that catches my ear. I don’t like plugging in or using any effects because I don’t want anywhere for the song to hide – if I can make it sound good while the guitar sounds its worst, then I know I am onto something. From there, I generally just try and hum a melody of some sort over the top, and bit by bit build the other parts and lyrics in my head until the song is complete.

What band/artists have influenced you the most since you started this project, and why?
Bands like Queens of the Stone Age, The Killers, Radiohead, There Will Be Fireworks, We Were Promised Jetpacks etc. have been the biggest influences. I love music which is bold, bright and hard hitting, and most importantly has a unique element about it that makes it sound like no other band could possibly ever come up with that sound.

What countries would you like to tour? Are there any standout venues you’d like to play in?
At the moment, My Pet Rhino is a recording-only project. I would love to fill out the band with some permanent members sometime soon and get to playing some live shows. Given the state of the band at the moment, just a single show at a tiny venue in Sydney would be a massive achievement! But thinking more ambitiously, I would love to play somewhere like Red Rocks in America, or even do a big multi-stop tour around the UK and Europe, which is the kind of thing that isn’t really possible in Australia given the large distances and sparse population between cities.

If you could pick one track for our readers to listen to in order to get a taste of your music, what would you pick, and why?
‘Knots’ is a great track to start with as it is a bright, energetic tune with a good raucous attitude, and some super catchy hooks put together into a unique song structure. It really encapsulates the ethos of our songwriting and sound very well.

What ambitions do you have for the band/your career?
I would be stoked if I could just find my full audience. If that’s 10 people or 10 million people, I don’t really mind, but I just want to make sure I have done everything I can to allow anyone who might like our music to have an opportunity to hear it and enjoy it.

Finally, as you leave the stage, what are your parting words?
Save the Rhino’s!

Find out more about My Pet Rhino at facebook.com/my-pet-rhino