Page 28 - Black Velvet Issue 89

BV89 pg26,27,28,29 Hands Like Houses_BV89 pg28 28/06/2016 03:01 Page 3

BlackVelvetMagazine.Com - 28

the track ‘I Am’ suggests fear of conformity weird to say?” He laughs in amusement. back to it as well, we go off tour and go back
or pressure into conforming. Trenton high- With influence comes great responsibil- home, we get on with life outside the band
lights that colour is a common theme ity, even more so as a frontman of a band and I think that’s our biggest connection
throughout the entire album, and where the that are known worldwide. Trenton gives point to what’s real.”
lyrics sit within that. “I would say definitely Black Velvet an idea as to how and why he
an idea of conformity. ‘I don't want to sink likes to keep himself grounded and why his ay was Mental Health Awareness
into a sea of grey’ is that I don’t want to dis- life outside the band remains just as impor- MMonth and bassist Joel Tyrrell took
appear into this backdrop that’s not positive tant as ever. part in a Yoga For Hope campaign alongside
but not negative because the song is talking “We try and keep in touch with what we Jenna McDougall from Tonight Alive and
about black and white and things. We go into do, like social media is a strange beast and Woody Woodrow of Our Last Night.
that war in ‘Colourblind’, but yeah, just say- we have a love/hate relationship with it. I Trenton tells us how Joel doing yoga has
ing I don't want to disappear into that area think at least being, you know, we read helped him in the band’s journey. “Joel’s
of, I guess, there but not there at the same through everything, we look at all our tags, been doing yoga for a long time. He medi-
time.” through all the different social media exten- tates every day. He wakes up early, so when
Part of not wanting to fade into the grey sions and there’s just too much to keep up I wake up he’s just sitting with his eyes
is displayed in Hands Like Houses’ person- with as far as communicating directly goes. closed. I might say something to him, but
ality and vocalising in their opinions. Trenton I think that absorbing it all and letting it settle then I realise he’s off, he’s not really
often posts his thoughts about things on In- in our minds does give us a cool perspective around.” Trenton laughs. “But yeah, Joel’s
stagram. He once re- always been a very
called that he feels healthy dude, be-
like the band have cause he was playing
‘woken a sleeping volleyball for the
giant’ in a post. He Australian develop-
tells us why he used ment team for the
that metaphor and Olympics and stuff
how it came about before he committed
from the influence of to the band, and he’s
the American rock always been very ac-
scene. tive. I think he’s defi-
“I think we’re al- nitely become a lot
ways second guess- more sure of himself.
ing where we’re at. I He’s a very quiet
think it’s what the dude, he only chimes
Americans call the in when he’s got
‘active rock world’, something very
so we’re playing worthwhile to con-
alongside bands like tribute, only when he
Deftones, Rise needs to, or when
Against and Five Fin- he’s asked as well, I
ger Death Punch. In think he loves being
that sort of main- asked. He’s definitely
stream rock festival become more sure of
world, that kind of his place in the
Warped tour commu- world, and his place
nity, which is not in our band, because
necessarily us musi- you know when you
cally, but that’s have 5 people to-
where we’ve created gether there’s going
our niche, I sup- to be politics of how
pose… Going into things actuate and
that world, and first how things are done.
of all having that re- He’s been a lot more
sponse but also the balanced, and
recognition that was worked really hard,
there from so many but really quietly.
more people with the He’s definitely be-
radio recognition come secure in how
with Octane and the he relates to the
new album, or what- world through it.”
ever, or people just Upon the subject
getting into it be- of mental health,
cause they love rock Trenton opens up
music. There was about his own issues
something there that wasn't before and I still on how it is. That, and we’ve always set out with mental health as a musician, what he
can’t quite put my finger on exactly what it to be very grounded. The first album is called thinks of stigma around the subject and why
was but it felt like we were doing something “Ground Dweller’ for that reason.” mental health needs addressing more in the
meaningful. It wasn’t necessarily something He goes on to add, “We’ve been a band music industry.
huge, powerful or successful but just mean- of very small and continuous baby steps “I think it’s always going to be a discus-
ingful, and that was just a really humbling every step of the way, pardon the pun… but sion in this industry. I make no secret of the
experience to play to that many people. So yeah, we’re all normal guys. We all live with fact I’ve been through pretty bad bouts of
saying we feel like we’ve ‘woken a sleeping our parents or partners and we get to do anxiety and depression through the begin-
giant’, is kind of a very ambitious ego-driven such crazy stuff, like playing these huge ning of the band, and even at the moment I’m
thing, when really it’s something we can’t shows, whether it’s supporting or it’s the trying to figure out if I’ve got a diagnosed
quite understand but it’s bigger than us, the biggest headline show we’ve ever done. And form of Autism or Asperger’s syndrome,
band and what we’re doing. Whether we’re I can see how it goes to people’s heads, but which would make a lot of sense, but it’s
just one contributing part to this thing that is because we have so much of ourselves in- good to have that old conversation without
rock, it feels like we’ve tapped into some- vested in what we do, it’s impossible to sep- the stigma. I think the stigma is dropping
thing bigger than us. It’s given us a…” there arate what we do from our perception of away because as much as people do use it
is a slight pause, while he thinks, “… a spir- ourselves. It’s simply being us and coming as a crutch and on the flip side, almost
itual experience, if that doesn't sound too from where we’ve come from, which going abuse it, to say ‘oh, pity me and buy my

HANDS LIKE HOUSES