Let’s get one thing clear: Grand Perceptor don’t do sweetness and light, so don’t even ask.
Grand exponents in “terror rock”, GP’s vocalist Old World Sparrow, drummer Dean “Deano” Stanton and menace-on-the-bass Mick Fitt, you can safely accuse the boys of having something ultra earnest to say with their music.
“Grand Perceptor don’t sing songs about girls, cars or beer,” Sparrow says.
“They sing about Big Brother, evolution, parallel dimensions and alien invasions. The important things in life.”
They also bring some fair local talent to the table.
“Mick Fitt provides the menacing bass tones, and has a reputation for being one of the most solid, no-nonsense bass players around,” Sparrow says.
“For this very reason he is a perfect addition to the band, providing stability to an otherwise unpredictable and dangerously chaotic energy."
Deano agrees: “I love the way he (Sparrow) strings words together. It’s very precisely composed to just, like, slap you in the face and snap you out of a stupor.
“I am really excited about this project. These guys are great musicians, I’m really fortunate to get to play with them.
“We seem to intuitively know what energy we want to project, and manage to do so with a minimum of difficulty.
“It just seems to happen very naturally, which is an important factor for me, for all of us really, when it comes to making music.”
So what is this terror rock then? Sparrow, the “creative matermind” behind GP’s gritty and explosive feel-driven style, takes up the story.
“Obviously rock was far too broad, and the themes explored in the music needed a term that was contemporary and descriptive of the very real and immediate threats we face as a species,” he says.
“Environmental catastrophe, terrorist attacks, nuclear war or alien invasions.
“These things are all potential threats to our survival as a species, and Grand Perceptor is a response to the fear, confusion and anxiety these possibilities provoke.
“All explosions, fiery and chaotic, and very raw, drums, bass and guitar, with lots of distortion, but very little reverb.
“It’s these vocal performances and the lyrical content that give Grand Perceptor their signature sound.”
Yep, vocals. Vocals Sparrow describes as “psychotic yet highly controlled”.
Forming just under a year ago, Grand Perceptor have not mucked around. They’ve already put together a very professional looking video clip (Daylight Homicide), and gained some important Triple J airplay.
“I still can’t quite believe that, we were pleased as punch,” Deano says.
“I think we should thank all our friends and family that had a listen to it on there, it seems to have helped. Thanks everyone!”
They’ve also recently acquired management, through Fitt’s contacts with his former band Sender, which has helped enormously in recording their new EP and putting the Daylight Homicide clip together.
“It seems the band is really getting some lucky breaks,” Sparrows says.
The EP recording process was a major hoot.
“The recording process was great!” Deano exclaims.
“We were so lucky to record where we did. It was fast and effortless.
“Well, compared to some of the stories I’ve heard, it seemed all too easy.
“Sparrow has always been adamant that the music should be fairly raw, unpolished, a bit gritty, real sounding.
“And that’s what we captured, performance wise, but through really high end recording equipment, with an incredibly professional engineer.
Sparrow agrees.
“Recording the first time around was surprisingly easy and without hassles,” he says.
“I think because we had been playing those songs live for a while, they were well solidified in our brains.
“Solidification, but with plenty of room for improvisations, is the master key to quick and wild energy recordings.
The second time round was more frightening because we hadn’t worked on the songs much.
In fact we hadn’t really finished writing the songs at all, and I finished the lyrics while in the studio. Yet the result was fantastic!”
Grand Perceptor launch their debut EP at The Tote February 16, the Newmarket Hotel on February 17, and the Barwon Club Geelong on February 18.
SOME GRAND PERCEPTOR FUN FACTS:
• Not even the band members know if Old World Sparrow is really his name!
• All three band members attended the same high school, at three completely different times!
• Deans arms have the unfortunate tendency to dislocate from the shoulder socket. It could happen on stage at any moment, so watch for that!
• Sparrow is an accomplished vegetable gardener and enjoys fresh seasonal homegrown vegetables all year round!
Comment