Philadelphia Grand Jury Interview: SXSW 2010

Philadelphia Grand Jury are on an independent label that dreamed up the band's name after hearing the Fiery Furnaces song of the same title -- but don't call them indie. The Australian trio insists they're a rougher version of pop, a sentiment that can be echoed after giving their breakout single, 'Going to the Casino,' a listen. In anticipation of the their SXSW appearance, Spinner spoke to bassist MC Bad Genius about the group's catchy name (Hint: He's never set foot in Philly), harmful stage antics and the need for sunscreen.

How would you describe your sound?

For a while, we were calling it kind of like a mix of indie, punk and soul, but we looked at lots of the music of bands around the world and everyone was kind of talking with themselves like that, so we came up with a new genre. It's called hobo hip-hop. It's just pop music, but it's a bit rough around the edges and it's not clean cut. The three of us in the band all have beards and don't have particularly great tastes in clothes or anything, so it could quite easily be just three hobos, just standing up on stage playing some garage pop music.

How did you guys form the band?

Well, Berkfinger and I had known each other since we were kids, but there was some sort of falling out about 10 years [ago], and we never saw each other until one day he was just busking on the side of the road on his acoustic guitar, and I thought I would join in. So I just started hitting pots and pans that were just sitting there on the street. And the friendship blossomed again and we thought, "You know what? Let's start a band." And so we started a band, and we needed a drummer because I'm not actually any good at hitting pots and pans and whatever. So we had to search around. We tried lots of different drummers, and we actually found this really sweet African-American drummer from Michigan who just happened to be living in Sydney. And we said, "Hey, we saw you play, and you look awesome and you play really well. You wanna be part of the band?" And he was totally into it, so it was all very organic, I guess.

What are your musical influences?

I think there's a lot of older influences, like Little Richard and the Kinks and the Sonics. In terms of more current music, I think one of the biggest influences would be the Eels -- just something about his music sounds really awesome, but it's all very heartfelt and very real. I think that's what we're trying to do with the Philadelphia Grand Jury stuff.

How did you come up with your band name? Did you form in Philadelphia?

I don't think any of us have actually been [to Philadelphia] -- Calvin has probably been because he lived in Michigan. It's actually the first song from an album by the Fiery Furnaces, a band from New York. We all really loved that band and really loved that song. And also, Berkfinger has the hugest crush on the singer Eleanor from the Fiery Furnaces. I think he's hoping that one day we can meet her and he can say, "Hey, I even named my band after you," and he'll give himself a chance. I don't really know how that's going to work.

What's your biggest vice?

I'm pretty "straighty-180," actually. My biggest vice is probably just how stupidly crazy I go when we play a live show. I hurt other people and I hurt myself and I seem to enjoy it, so I guess that would be my vice. It comes from enjoying playing and wanting to give people a good time, and give them something to watch as well as something to listen to. There's times I've seen Berkfinger do something crazy, and I thought, "You know what? I've gotta try to outdo that now," and it becomes sort of like competition to keep everyone in the audience's attention. If I see the crowd's kind of looking to the other side of the stage, I know I have to amp it up a bit.

What's in your festival survival kit?

Suncream is a big one. We forgot that one time, and the rest of the day we were all very, very, very burnt -- and very cranky, I think, by the end of the day. But suncream, lots and lots of water and a hat. Apart from that, that's all you need and the festival sorts itself out.

Who was your first celeb crush?

I've never really been asked that question before! I actually think that when I was a teenager I might have had a bit of a man-crush on Jon Bon Jovi, but I don't really know if I want that known to people. I may need to make up another one [laughs]. I can't remember who she is, but she was the girl on 'Lois Lane' -- the TV series. I had a huge crush on her when I was like 10, I think.

What's your musical guilty pleasure?

It might be more kind of pop music from the '90s, like the Cardigans, kind of? I guess Bon Jovi would still be a guilty pleasure of sorts.

Beatles or Stones?

The Beatles. I think they're a bit more inventive than the Stones. I love the Stones, and I think they have some incredible songs, but I think the Beatles have more of them.

What's the craziest thing you've seen or experienced while on tour?

Probably the time Calvin was doing a drum solo at a gig and we decided to dismantle the drum set and put it out in the middle of the crowd. The crowd went insane, and people [were] falling all over the drum kits and it was this hot, sweaty night. People were jumping up and down, and the whole room was literally shaky, and we were quite unsure how the night would end up.

Whitney Teal is a contributor from Seed.com. Learn how you can contribute here.