Interview with the Little Stevies
With the recent release of their latest EP I had the opportunity to speak with Sibylla Stephen, co-lead vocalist of up-and-coming Aussie folk-acoustic outfit The Little Stevies. Playing a cheeky, raw mix of roots-infused pop tunes, The Little Stevies are a popular 2006 entrant in the Unearthed competition (established by Australia’s national alternative youth radio network, Triple J). The Unearthed comp is a musical institution here Down Under, and has launched the careers of major Aussie acts including Missy Higgins, Grinspoon, Killing Heidi, Endorphin, Sophie Koh, and The Bumblebeez.
CB: As we speak, your new EP is being released in Aussie music stores. How was the recording process? What can your fans expect from the new tunes? Where can we buy your CD!?
SS: Recording the EP was the first time we took our time during the recording process; in the past we’ve had to do rushed jobs because of lack of time and money. But with this EP, we’ve explored different sounds and instruments different to what we do as a trio live, this is an exciting change. You should be able to get Grow Up in most good record stores, if it’s not on the shelf for some reason, you can order it in.
CB: Tell us a little bit about the background of The Little Stevies. How did you guys start to make music together?
SS: We’ve been doing creative things together since we were little kiddies. It started with making up dance routines, then variety shows for our parents, then we moved onto backyard movie sets, and the list goes on. Our poor parents had to watch it all, and still do!
CB: Growing up, what artists had the biggest influence on the emerging musical style of The Little Stevies?
SS: For Beth and me it was Tiddas, we listened to a lot of them and saw them live quite a bit. Robin’s hero is Tim Rogers and You Am I. We love all different styles of music; we really don’t limit our influences to one or two bands within a certain scene.
CB: What do you think of the current state of Australian radio and live music scene? How easy or difficult has it been to get public exposure for the band?
SS: Thank goodness for Triple J and community radio, as it gives local artists a chance to be heard. I think the live scene around Melbourne/Vic is fantastic at the moment, there is no lack of live music venues and excellent festivals, and if you get your music heard by the right people it’s not hard to do well on the live music scene.
CB: In recent months, The Little Stevies entered into the renowned Triple J ‘Unearthed’ competition. From your perspective as a musical entrant, how does this initiative help up-and-coming artists to get there music out there?
SS: It’s been really good for us to hook up with other artists/bands in different states around Australia. We have been in touch with quite a few other bands that we discovered on unearthed and we’ll probably be playing with them around OZ in the coming months.
CB: You guys have certainly tapped right into ‘MySpace culture’ over the past year. What is it like being able to communicate directly with your fan base?
SS: I’m not the MySpace head in the group, but the more I play around with it, the more I’m getting into it. It is really nice to be able to chat with friends of the band, and check out what other music they like, and who their ‘friends’ are. It’s cool to see what songs are getting played the most.
CB: You’ve just been announced as one of the ‘Next Crop’ feature artists for Triple J’s Ausmusic Month. What does this mean for the band? You must all be excited!
SS: Stoked! It means we’ll have our tune ‘Strong and Brave’ featured for a day on the radio, and before each time it’s played there will be a little pre recorded interview by us introducing the band and the track. This means national airplay—that is so important for an independent band such as us.
CB: Your band has had the opportunity to tour across Australia and play at a number of major national festivals. If you could choose any musical acts from over the decades, what would be your ultimate festival lineup?
SS: Beatles, Crosby Stills and Nash, Bob Marley, Queen, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, The Blues Brothers, Frank Sinatra, Billy Holiday.
CB: What are your plans for touring the new EP?
SS: We start a regional Vic tour very soon, we’ll tour up the east coast to Brisbane and back over summer, and we’ll also pop over to Adelaide and regional SA early next year. We’d love to make it to WA also, and we will try, but we may not be able to afford the petrol. Can’t wait for WA, ’cause I lived in Freo for a few months a couple of years ago, right near the little creatures brewery.
CB: Are there any favourite bands or artists that you reckon we should check out?
SS: Matt Walters, Luke Watt, Kate Miller-Heidke, Mal Webb, The Bedroom Philosopher, Anita George, The Periscopes, Austin, The Cat Empire, Rob Sawyer, Simon Phillips, Jason Mraz, Tiddas, Dan Kelly, Darron Hanlon, Gomez, Hazel Brown, Marshall and the Fro, I could go on and on and on…
CB: Where do you envisage The Little Stevies to be in 5 years from now?
SS: Editing together our travel show that we shot footage for overseas on the most recent tour we’d just been on. How cool would that be, “Getaway Tour Style”!
[Interview by guest contributor David Lukins]
