When Windang mates Billy Fleming and Zach Stephenson headed to Seattle to record an album, the boys had no idea they’d end singing into the same microphone once graced by Kurt Cobain and Dave Grohl.
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Known as Hockey Dad in the music world, the duo enlisted the help of US producer John Goodmanson who asked them if they minded where they laid down the tracks for record number two.
“We’ll just go wherever you think,” they told him. Though the pair had no idea what they were walking into when Goodmanson replied “I’ll just book this place down the road then”.
Robert Lang Studios was where it was at – a frequent haunt of many legendary rock musicians.
It was where Nirvana’s last known recording was recorded before Kurt Cobain’s death and where the Foo Fighters debut was also created.
“Oh man, that was honestly, it was such a spin out,” Fleming told the Illawarra Mercury.
“When you go on [tour] and stuff you never really spend a few weeks in one spot … so I was just happy to be there.”
Since the duo released their debut album Boronia (named after the street they grew up on) last year the pace stepped up a notch.
Opportunities to tour popped up all over the world, welcoming the surf pop duo to their band rooms.
“The people that do come [to gigs] overseas are genuine fans, which is cool, there may not be as many … but if they do come out they do really like the band,” Fleming said.
Their new album Blend Inn is set for release early in 2018 and is said to be a bit “sadder” than their previous vibey tunes. A taster has already been released in October with the new single “Homely Feeling”.
"In a way the lyrics of this song reflect on trying to find that 'homely' feeling all the time, and we're always comfortable when we're back home,” Stephenson said.
The past 18 months have seen the pair play at Falls Festival Lorne and on the main stage at Splendour In The Grass, plus tour extensively across the US, Canada, New Zealand, Europe, the UK. Returning home, they hit the road as main support on a 25-plus date tour with iconic rockers Grinspoon.
Currently the pair are back touring North America before heading home in December to play at Berry’s Fairgrounds Festival.
But they still don’t regard themselves “rock stars”, especially as they’re technically still living at home.
“Honestly we don’t feel like that at all, we’ll just keep doing what we’re doing … there’s nothing like a bit of manual labour to keep you humble,” Fleming said, noting they’d been sanding back Stephenson’s pool on their last stop home.
Hockey Dad play Fairgrounds, Berry Showgrounds. The festival runs December 8 and 9 – www.fairgrounds.com.au