Elvis Costello, Death Cab for Cutie, The Postal Service, Elliott Smith, The Cure, Sandpit, Bright Eyes, Fiona Apple, Gillian Welch, Last Days of April, ABBA, The Blow, Boards of Canada, Cinematic Orchestra, Cat Power, Fiest, Flaming Lips, The Go-Betweens, Mirah, Dear Nora, Mogwai, My Bloody Valentine, Pedro the Lion, Beck, Cursive, Blonde Redhead, The Jesus & Mary Chain, Joan As Policewoman, Knapsack, Deloris, Kylie Minogue, Laura Viers, Madonna, MGMT, Bon Iver, Bluebottle Kiss, Idlewild, Interpol, Teenage Fanclub, Tilly & The Wall, Something for Kate, Bob Evans, Sealifepark, The Pixies, Jets to Brazil, The Arcade Fire, Phoenix, Pinback, Broken Social Scene, Radiohead, Ratcat, Rilo Kiley, Autolux, Veruca Salt, Electrelane, Screamfeeder, Sekiden, Sleater Kinney, The Smashing Pumpkins, Youth Group, Imperial Teen, Archers of Loaf, The Organ, Tegan and Sara, Sonic Youth, Superchunk, Silversun Pickups, The Bites, The Breeders, The Shins, The Thermals, You Am I, The Weakerthans, Weezer.
Disco Nap recently won the Triple J Unearthed competition to play the 2009 Sounds of Spring festival in Brisbane.
“Everything. Everyone. Everywhere. Ends”. So says the catchphrase for seminal series Six Feet Under. Funnily enough this was the TV show that Ross Hope immersed himself in after his former band, Iron On decided to take time out and explore other projects in early 2008.
While Kate toured and recorded with her band An Horse, and Ian with No Anchor, Ross took some time off from music altogether and spent many hours lying on the couch watching the box set of Six Feet Under. Sound uplifting? Well no, it wasn’t, but the major themes of the show – life, death, love, family, and rebirth – helped clear the way for a new musical venture.
A “disco nap” is best known for its regenerating abilities - a quick sleep before heading out to party. Given that the project was born during this downtime, it seemed like the perfect moniker.
In between DVDs Ross started playing around on his acoustic guitar, trying out new ideas and exploring new styles of songwriting. Using only an iPod and a micro-memo Ross recorded some very basic acoustic versions of these songs that eventually became the demos for Disco Nap.
With the help of Darek Mudge (or “Darek 11,000” when he’s producing) Ross started fleshing out these demos in the studio in September 2008. Darek and Ross embarked on a recording road trip collecting ideas along the way and building songs up piece-by-piece in the studio. The rule was there were no rules, apart of course from Ross’ moratorium on vocal auto-tuning motivated by his irrational fear of Cher.
The guys picked up some friends along the way: Dean Shwereb on drums (Screamfeeder, The Whats), Pip Branson on violin (Something For Kate, Pip Branson Corporation, Infusion), Scott Bromiley on trumpet (The John Steel Singers), Seja Vogel on backing vocals (Sekiden, Regurgitator), Jane Elliott on the cello (Ed Kuepper, The Gin Club) and Disco Nap began to take shape.
The end result is a batch of 12 songs, each with their own unique story. So here it is – a taste of the forthcoming album Running Red Lights by Disco Nap. These tracks were recorded and mixed by Darek 11,000 at his studio The Flying Sorcerer in Brisbane from September 2008 – May 2009. They are yet to be mastered.
Hey, thanks for the friend request. You should sign up to the email list as well for give-aways and updates in the lead up to our album launch. Cheers, CB HQ
Haha, Yeah well after i sent that comment i thought i'd probably come across as one of those people who count down the days until one of their all time favorite bands play a gig or somethink! And are like OMG 13 more days! OMG i cant wait! hehe. But i'm really looking forward to seeing Disco Nap play! yayaya... Hope all is good. ox
cheers ross, im gonna try and make it to the powerhouse on the 22nd, i want to hear it live, but you'll have to excuse me if i dont make it, the 21st is a big night for ol' huey
Hey Ross! it's great to hear you too! I officially crown you 'anthem writing hero' I absolutely love it! I sitting by the fireplace inking tunes in Thunderbolt country...but soon to be further south! 'Would love to have a beer with Rossco'... anywho- all in good time. Keep in touch all my ♥ beckxx
Cool, I look forward to a video next year so. I bought my sister tickets to Soundwave in Melbourne so if you get added to the bill I'll demand that she goes to see you. I've already told her she has to go see you guys at some point when she's in Oz.
hehe thats so cute that your cats have pet grasshoppers! (reading from your twitter) be careful that they dont eat them.. haha! what breeds are they? and their names? you super lucky you have cats! i really really want one! I could just steal one from work! hahaah
Yeah. It would make sense for us both to do a show together sometime. We'll see what the future holds....If we plan on going up your way sometime, i'll get you guys on a show with us.
hey, cool. how was performing? nxt time ur in brissy or sunshine coast give me a heads up cause i would love 2 c u :) also when do u think u will b on the gold coast, cause that would b awesome :D yeah the suns really nice here and the beach
No, sadly I'm here in Dublin. My sister's moving to Oz for a year in January so I've been telling her to go see you. If I go over to visit and you've any gigs I'll defo come down and see you!
and the beach