We have moved! Our blog is now at www.paper-deer.com.
How do you stand out in the over-saturated music world? Create your own genre. Melbourne band The Madness Method coined the term Spock for their musical leanings, and while its name suggests it may be related to a certain pointy-eared fellow, it's actually a fiesty blend of ska, pop and rock. There may be madness to this method, and it is definitely working.
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| Debut EP Better Without You now available from JB HiFi |
Paper-Deer deciphered the wacky world behind The Madness Method's singer Mandy Joan Meadows.
Is there a method to the madness?
Sometimes I wonder!
How did you come up with the name?
I wanted to tell people that my project wasn’t a pointless and frivolous pursuit. Perhaps I was even trying to reassure myself. Either way I was saying that there is a method to my perceived madness!
How did The Madness Method come about?
My background is in classical and jazz singing, but ultimately I want my idea out there, no those of someone who kicked the bucket hundreds of years ago! So I moved from New Zealand to Melbourne with not much money, absolutely no friends but grandiose ideas. I asked everyone I knew and trawled the net for the eclectic bunch of musos that stand here today.
There’s definitely a tip of the hat to the UK ska scene of the early 80s, to the likes of The Specials and Madness.
Paper-Deer had a listen to your debut EP Better Without You, and the songs got stuck in our heads for hours. How do you write such catchy tunes?
The secret is simplicity. I don’t claim to write intellectual music. With respect, it’s music for punters, not journalists. So I don’t work it to death – I start with the hook, work in the idea of the lyric, and the rest is just arrangement.
Tell Paper-Deer all about Better Without You?
We call it SPOCK – Take ska, add a hint of pop and mix with a sprinkling of rock! We were lucky enough to work with Lindsey Gravina (Magic Dirt, The Living End, Thirsty Merc) on our first release.
If someone was trying to decide whether they should part with fifteen dollaroonies for a copy of your EP… what would you say or do to them to convince them otherwise?
If you’re sick of indie band after indie band lining up against a wall to look moody, why not try something refreshingly light-hearted and give TMM a spin. It’s fun and it’s playful. If you’re happy with moping and wailing, keep your money!
What is TMM TV all about?
We’ve put together some spectacularly low budget footage of a few of our recent adventures. TMM TV goes behind the scenes of our first photo shoot, video shoot and even touches on Jon’s preoccupation with worms. Yuck! You can find it on our MySpace site www.myspace.com/themadnessmethod
So part of the band getting married… Did they meet through The Madness Method? Will the band be playing at the wedding?
They came as a package. I was after a sax and ended up with both The Hornies, as we call them. They’re getting married in December and, as yet, they haven’t asked us to play. I await the call ...
Any embarrassing secrets or funny stories about the band you can divulge?
Only Jon’s age – you’ll have to ask him about that! And while you’re at it, ask him about the time he got naked on stage with Cat Empire! Then there was the incident involving the pumpkin...
UPCOMING SHOWS:
- Thursday November 18: The Vineyard
- Thursday November 25: The Toff in Town
LINKS:
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