BENDIGO band Old Violet knows what it’s like to toil for its passion. The group is on the verge of releasing its debut album, In This Weather, two years after its first EP and three years after it formed after a few beers on a balcony in Bendigo.
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“The album is getting nearer,” lead singer Brendan Smith said.
“We have finalised the artwork, we finished mixing last night and now we have to wait for it to be mastered and reproduced. It’s well overdue.”
The Old Violet boys – with Smith on vocals, Nick White on guitar, Simon King on drums, Alex Purtil on bass and keyboard and Josh Nash on guitar and vocals – have been hard at work in the studio and are happy with the result.
“It’s a feeling like no other. Pride is a good word to describe it, because you’ve created something from nothing and done it with the people you have created music with,” Smith said.
“But there’s also a sense of emptiness because you’ve had this thing for months, worked on it, created and shaped and produced it and then it somewhat comes to an end and you have to wait to play it live.”
Old Violet has a unique sound and Smith says its music doesn’t easily fit into a genre.
“For me, bands like Something For Kate have always been something to lyrically and musically set the bar at,” he said.
“But the boys listen to a wide array of music like hip hop, Foals, Bon Iver or the National. We’re all over the place.
“Since our EP, we have matured a lot and become stronger musicians. We used to be a bit more folksy and acoustic but there is definitely a more alt-rock sound there now.”
When the album is launched later in the year it will mark a return to regular time on the stage for Old Violet.
“We’ve been focusing hard (on the album) and we didn’t want to play many gigs until we’d finished,” Smith said.
“There are a lot of great people in (the Bendigo music scene). The Bendigo music community is always willing to help and give advice. At our EP launch we had a couple of hundred people there supporting something we’ve created.” The feeling of support in the Bendigo music scene continues on Sunday when Old Violet plays at the Golden Vine as part of the Ghanaian Support Sunday Session Fundraiser.
The fundraiser was developed by the “Bendigo Supporting Those in Need” Facebook group and will raise money for orphanages in Ghana.
“There are a handful of Bendigo bands playing and Indian Red from Melbourne,” Smith said.
“We are friends with a lot of the bands and really enjoy playing with them.”
The gig will be one of Old Violet’s last before the album launch.
“Once (the album is) finished and we have got the product, it will be put up online for digital download through iTunes,” Smith said.
“Then we’ll play as much as we can and see where it takes us. We’ve definitely been missing live music.”
