It’s hard to talk about Tasmania without being asked who the connection is, and it’s inextricably harder to find there’s no connection at all. With a population of a quarter of a million, Hobart, particularly the Tassie punk rock and hardcore scene, is small, despite originating as the second oldest city of Australia. It’s no surprise then that when you grow up playing music, friendships that establish over decades from school age result in comforting musicianship that often need not rely on words; the space between notes mimicking the way friends’ interactions can so fluidly re-engage amidst the pull of life experience.
For those who follow, there will be a familiarity with the faces from acts: Luca Brasi, Ride The Tiger, Speech Patterns, Départe, Trespasser, Resilient, and even to older beloved Tasmanian bands like The Scandal, but as wonderful as these acts are, the desire to create something more dynamic, ambient, and melodic has been precisely the catalyst to realign the paths of these members, who have already shared countless stages in respective bands.
Settled firmly in the instrumental post rock genre, follow will appeal to fans of Caspian, Explosions In The Sky, sleepmakeswaves, Tides Of Man, Vasudeva and Tycho.
Cherry Blossoms in the Front Yards, Forever - Tom’s Words.
My brother and his wife planted a cherry blossom at the front of their house after the loss of their daughter Maeve, who was with us for only 5 short days. I’m not a homeowner as of yet. But I do know what I’ll be planting in my front yard when I am. I like the idea of when my brother and his family see the flower bloom it’s like Maeve has popped down to check-in on them and say hello. Good thoughts are tough to come by in sad times. A few plucked guitar notes aren’t going to take much of the sting out of losing Maeve. But I had her on my mind, as I often do, while I had a guitar in my lap one evening. And after a few months of the usual late night tedium that comes with writing, recording, and mixing a follow song, this is what I ended up with.
