The Oyster MurdersFrom: Brisbane, Australia
In the midst of flooding on a biblical scale in Queensland and despite the loss of electricity for over a week Grant Redgen, lead singer with Australian alt-rockers the Oyster Murders (first featured a few weeks ago Oyster Cult), managed to find time to chat to the Devil about embarrassing crushes on Martika and the literary influences that shape their music among other things.
The Devil: Why The Oyster Murders? What other names did you ponder before deciding it had to be The Oyster Murders?
The Oyster Murders: The band's name is a reference to a scene in Lewis Carroll's Through The Looking Glass. The particular passage involves the walrus and the carpenter who lure small oysters away from there mother's before eating them. I'm sure there were other names, but this one just stuck.
The Devil: Who are the biggest influences in your life and on your music?
The Oyster Murders: George Orwell, reading his book Nineteen Eighty-Four for the first time had quite a big impact on me, more so than any album ever has. Aldious Huxley's Brave New World had a similar effect. And directors David Lynch and Michel Gondry have also influenced the vision of the band. Musically the band is influenced by quite a broad range of artists from Brian Wilson to Trent Reznor.
The Devil: What was the first record you owned and what was the first record you ever bought with your own money?
The Oyster Murders: Before I admit this, I would simply like to say I was a very young boy when I asked my parents to buy this record for me. Anyway the first record I owned was Martikas debut album. I wish it was something cool and ground breaking like the Pixies Surfa Rosa but no it was a very short lived top forty pop divas only successful album.
The Devil: What makes The Oyster Murders stand out from the millions of other bands across the world? What makes you unique?
The Oyster Murders: As individuals we have varied tastes. And we are always pushing our music away from any one influence, to form a sounds that is uniquely our own.
The Devil: Which bands or artists on the current music scene make your spine tingle?
The Oyster Murders: Grizzly Bear and Foals. Two of the better bands that have come out in the last few years.
The Devil: Favourite song?
The Oyster Murders: It changes all the time, at the moment my favorite song is A Day In the Life by the Beatles
The Devil: Favourite book?
The Oyster Murders: I did mention Nineteen Eighty-Four earlier, that would be my all time favorite, but my current favorite is Stephen King's The Dark Tower series.
The Devil: Favourite Movie?
The Oyster Murders: Fight Club and Donnie Darko tie for this one (good choices, The Devil)
The Devil: Favourite word?
The Oyster Murders: I'll field this question to Wendy, our resident word freak, who says her current favourite word comes from Dr. Johnston's Reliquary of Forgotten words: Absquatulate, meaning to make a hurried departure, with a usually unsuccessful attempt at doing so secretly (I think we've had this experience after some of our earlier gigs).
The Devil: Tell me something that you've never told anyone before
The Oyster Murders: Shaun our drummer has a very dark secret, yes even darker then the fact my first record was a Martika album. Alas, I can say no more....
The Devil: If you weren't in The Oyster Murders how would you keep yourself occupied?
The Oyster Murders: I'd still be writing music, I think I'm just mentally prepossessed to music, no point fighting against these things.
The Devil: If you were interviewing yourself what would your killer question be and how would you answer it?
The Oyster Murders: Who did it? It was Miss Peacock, in the conservatory with the rope
The Devil: Is there anything else you'd like to tell the Devil Has The Best Tuna readers?
The Oyster Murders: Grizzly Bear and Foals. Two of the better bands that have come out in the last few years.
The Devil: Favourite song?
The Oyster Murders: It changes all the time, at the moment my favorite song is A Day In the Life by the Beatles
The Devil: Favourite book?
The Oyster Murders: I did mention Nineteen Eighty-Four earlier, that would be my all time favorite, but my current favorite is Stephen King's The Dark Tower series.
The Devil: Favourite Movie?
The Oyster Murders: Fight Club and Donnie Darko tie for this one (good choices, The Devil)
The Devil: Favourite word?The Oyster Murders: I'll field this question to Wendy, our resident word freak, who says her current favourite word comes from Dr. Johnston's Reliquary of Forgotten words: Absquatulate, meaning to make a hurried departure, with a usually unsuccessful attempt at doing so secretly (I think we've had this experience after some of our earlier gigs).
The Devil: Tell me something that you've never told anyone before
The Oyster Murders: Shaun our drummer has a very dark secret, yes even darker then the fact my first record was a Martika album. Alas, I can say no more....
The Devil: If you weren't in The Oyster Murders how would you keep yourself occupied?
The Oyster Murders: I'd still be writing music, I think I'm just mentally prepossessed to music, no point fighting against these things.
The Devil: If you were interviewing yourself what would your killer question be and how would you answer it?
The Oyster Murders: Who did it? It was Miss Peacock, in the conservatory with the rope
The Devil: Is there anything else you'd like to tell the Devil Has The Best Tuna readers?
The Oyster Murders: Thom Yorke is a robot and Johnny Greenwood knows.... think about it.
Go Try
MP3 - The Oyster Murders - The Water In Your Blood
MP3 - The Oyster Murders - Ghosts In Our Wake
These tracks are linked direct from the Oyster Murders Last.FM site and are therefore already freely available so please don't claim breach of copyright
Go Visit
The Oyster Murders - Myspace : Last.FM
Go View
The Oyster Murders
This Town Won't Sleep
and as a special treat here are a couple of video's from the bands that are currently making Grant's spine shiver...
Grizzly Bear
Ready, Able
Foals
Spanish Sahara
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