Heart Beat of City: Rocking on the edge of the razor

What band do you play in: The Madcoats, Side Effect, The Stringers, Nev3r, Chaddy Mac

What was your first experience with music?

I can't exactly pinpoint my first experience, but I think it was around five years old. I remember there being two significant moments. I used to listen to a cassette my dad had called America's Least Wanted by the band Ugly Kid Joe.

Fast forward 25 years and I had the privilege of meeting the band, where I took dad's original cassette along with me for the whole band to sign.

The other being around the same time, dad had brought a CD home. It was called The Razors Edge by AC/DC, the first song I heard was called Thunderstruck, and from that moment I was hooked on everything AC/DC.

If you ask anyone, they would still say that I'm a little crazy for them. From that moment, I knew I wanted to play guitar, mum and dad had been given an old beat up Stratocaster copy, which I still have to this day.

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Who inspires you?

There's so many people and bands that inspire me, not just guitarists but all sorts of musicians.

Mum and dad were a huge support and had gotten me to lessons at an early age with my first guitar teacher Peter Oliver.

A few years later I moved onto Ali Ratcliff. Ali helped me carve my own guitar style. I found love for guitarists like Stevie Ray Vaughan and a lot of other blues players.

I soon moved on to sing, much to everyone's disgust. A few people told me I shouldn't sing. So I worked hard at it with the help of local vocal teacher Rosanne Jones.

I now I sing in a band with one of the people that said "I shouldn't sing". Not naming names but he knows who he is.

Do you have a favourite song or style to play?

Being in so many different bands. I find I play a lot of different styles. From acoustic/laid back with my solo and duos.

Grunge/alternative with Side Effect to 100 per cent Oz Rock with The Madcoats, if I had to pick a favourite song to play it would have to be Alive by Pearl jam or Let There Be Rock by AC/DC.

I just love the feel and energy of those two songs

Who do you listen to?

I listen to a lot of Oz rock. The Screaming Jets, Grinspoon, Jet, The Angels to name a few but alternative rock, sub pop or grunge as some people like to refer as, is still my choice of music.

Bands such as Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Tool, Alice in Chains, Stone Temple Pilots as well.

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Favourite Gig and why?

I've been lucky enough to see a lot of touring bands and to play before some of Australia's best acts.

Attending Such gigs as Foo Fighters, AC/DC, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Alice In Chains.

But my favourite gig to attend would have to be seeing Black Sabbath in 2016 with my good mate Luke Beltrame.

For me it was just a special gig. I've wanted to see Ozzy for as long as I could remember. It was also their last tour of Australia.

My favourite gig that I had played at was called 'Rewind in the Vines' I got the chance to play before and to hang out with The Angels, Diesel, The Radiators, Choirboys, and The Black Sorrows,

How do you feel about the music scene in Griffith?

When I first started playing, every gig, it didn't matter where you played or what you played, you always had a healthy crowd where everyone would enjoy themselves and it was easy.

These days, since COVID, it's a lot different, The Madcoats are playing out of town a lot nowadays, but every chance we get to play in Griffith we do. It's generally a pretty good night. See you at the Griffith Leagues Club on August 26 (Wink, wink).