It's My Kind of Interview - Kahl Wallace (The Medics)

The Medics!

Brisbane based four-piece, The Medics are undoubtedly in the midst of the biggest month of their career. Just last week they began winning rave reviews for their debut album, Foundations, after it secured itself the highly coveted placement of JJJ's feature album. With their debut set for release on Friday we were lucky enough to have a virtual chat with The Medics' lead vocalist and guitarist, Kahl Wallace about the debut LP, their incredible music videos, Splendour In The Grass and more.

Q. Foundations, the debut LP from The Medics is out May 18. How would you sum up what the album offers to a listener unfamiliar with The Medics? 

Kahl: It's an emotional record, a lot of light, shade and deep heartfelt moments. Epic at times, textured guitars and drum driven tracks. We tend to wear our hearts on our sleeves when we write lyrics, we try to give the listener a message to think about. 

Q. Many years have gone into getting to the point you are now, on the verge of releasing your debut. You've packed up your lives and moved from Cairns to Brisbane, released EP's, toured and more. What have been your favourite moments since starting the band?

Kahl: Being on the road are always fun times, getting our music heard, playing live shows. We played a show in the back of a pub in Townsville, Charles was still seventeen and we were all eighteen. We were just about to start our show when we were told Charles had to get out because he was underage. So we plugged a few leads together and he played the entire show outside the venue while the rest of us played inside.
 

Q. Your promotional videos for 'Beggars' and 'Griffin' feature some fantastic cinematography. How involved are you in the creative process for your clips and how important do you think  music videos are today? What are some of your favourite music videos?

Kahl: We are always involved with the creative process. It's something we are passionate about, it's as important as writing music for the band. A lot of videos today have lost meaning and true quality. We always try to have a story or visual impact with our videos. Something that can take the song to a whole new level. Some of my favourites are...

Coloured Stone - Black Boy

Jonsi - Go Do

At The Drive In - OneArmed Scissor

Pink Floyd - The Wall

Q. Congratulations on securing a spot at this year's Splendour In The Grass! You're not strangers to festivals, with well received performances at Groovin' The Moo and Big Day Out, but what are you going to bring to the Splendour set to make the best impression.

Kahl: We haven't really thought about it yet, I guess the main thing is to play the best we can. Just enjoy ourselves and have fun. We love playing live, I can't wait!

Q. What does the rest of 2012 look like for The Medics and are you setting your sites on any international markets?

Kahl: We're just going with the flow, playing a few national shows to support the album later this year. Just staying grounded, anything is possible at this stage. 

Q. Who has shaped your views on music the most and who would you name your biggest musical influences?

Artists such as Bunna Lawrie, Bob Dylan, Daniel Johnston, Jonsi Birgisson, Jimi Hendrix, Omar Rodriguez Lopez, Cedric Bixler Zavala have really influenced me over the years. 

Q. Five years from now, where do you want to be? Are you pursuing any interests outside of music?

I don't think I ever could do anything outside of music. I just got a little job writing music for a small play at QPAC. It's a children's play about the life of Oodgeroo Noonuccal, a well known indigenous poet. I would love to get into more of the kind of work in the future. 

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A massive thank you to Kahl for taking the time to have a chat with us. You can pre-order Foundations right now over on iTunes. If you heard it on JJJ you already know that it's one of hell of a debut and a sign that Australian rock has a very bright future ahead.  Hankering for a physical copy of the CD and you're close enough to Brisbane next Tuesday night? Black Bear Lodge is hosting the official album launch with a live performance from The Medics. Included in the ticket price is a signed copy of the album! Head on over to OzTix and be a part of the fun!