Airbourne: Interview with Joel & Ryan O'Keefe

In-person interview with Joel & Ryan O'Keefe of Airbourne

By Aniruddh "Andrew" Bansal

September 17th 2010, Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, Irvine CA

Andrew: How has this festival been for you guys?
Joel: Yeah great, you know, just getting around the U.S, doing the do. It's a lot of fun, meeting a lot of people and it's been really good overall.
Ryan: It's good to get back and finally be on the road again in the States. We've been playing lots of shows and we're sort of trying to work out a tour for coming back!

Andrew: You're probably the only classic rock band on this bill. How has the response been from the crowd in these shows?
Joel: Yeah great! Everyone loves rock 'n' roll. It's been a good time and everyone's been having a lot of fun.

Andrew: You guys just got confirmed for Wacken next year. How do you feel about that?
Joel: Yeah very excited mate! The news came out just a couple of days go. Geez you're quick! We're really pumped about it mate. We've already started on what shows we're going to play, and with this the wheels are in motion.

Andrew: Ryan, you commented on the recording of your new album 'No Guts No Glory' that you kind of lived in the studio throughout that entire process. What was that like?
Ryan: Yeah, it was good. I slept behind the drum kit and in various rooms of the studio and just lived and breathed the album, and got it done that way! We'll probably do that again the next time as well.

Andrew: You also said in that comment that rock 'n' roll bands should work like that. Do you think it's the best way to go about it?
Ryan: For us it's one of the best ways. The sort of way we work, we want to be involved in the album as much as we can. So that's a good way of doing it, for sure.

Andrew: Is there a story behind the album title, or is it just about the attitude?
Joel: Yeah, with us it's pretty self-explanatory. No guts, no glory. That's what we're all about!

Andrew: You guys have gotten some kind words from people like Slash and Alice Cooper. What did you feel when you read about that?
Joel: Yeah we were pretty honored. We've looked up to those guys since we started. I remember when I first heard 'School's Out' and things like that. Songs like that and 'You Could Be Mine' get you into playing. They get you into music and into rock 'n' roll. It's on a full circle and we're really honored!

Andrew: You also toured with Slash in Europe this year. What was that like?
Ryan: Yeah in Europe we caught up with Slash a few times, at Donnington and various festivals in France and so forth. We met him, had a beer and it was great. He's a good guy!

Andrew: You often get featured in movies and soundtracks and stuff like that. One of your songs just appeared on the NHL '11 game soundtrack. I guess it must be great that it works out like that.
Ryan: Yeah it's just a different sort of format of getting music out to fans. People love playing the games, specially the sports games. They like having a few beers, playing sports games and having some good rock tunes along with it!

Andrew: Yeah, specially because these days the album sales are not as good as they used to be, so this is a good outlet.
Joel: Yeah, it gets people down to the show to see the band. So this is a great way to do that.

Andrew: Talking of names, what was the motive behind 'Airbourne'?
Joel: Airbourne is about the airborne division when you jump out of a plane, and all you've got is your mates. You're gonna have to cop a lot of flack. You make it through all the flack, you've got to regroup on the ground and go take some fucking hilts! So that's what we're about.

Andrew: You did the previous tour in the U.S with Bullet For My Valentine. How was that overall?
Ryan: It was a good little tour. It went around for a month and we made our way across the States, played a few territories and it was sort of like this one where we're doing the same thing and getting ready to come back again to do a headline tour I guess.

Andrew: So next time you come here, will you be headlining?
Ryan: Yeah hopefully headline, but may be it could be a support tour. We're still getting all of 2011 together.

Andrew: Doing these multiple tours has obviously helped you building it up to a headliner.
Joel: Oh yeah, it's always a step forward for any band I think. This is the way every band is dogging for gigs, just finding a way to play out there. That's the way forward.

Andrew: What's your favorite thing about doing these outdoor festival gigs?
Joel: There are lots of favorite things. Like today when we woke up, we saw these gum trees outside. That's an Australian plant. The first ever trade between Australia and the U.S. was gum trees for grain seeds. So, to wake up and see a dry desert sort of thing with burned out grass and a bunch of gum trees is pretty fucking Australian. So to have a sniff of home was great, but touring in general is a lot of fun.

Andrew: You guys are with Roadrunner Records. Just out of curiosity, how did you get signed to them?
Joel: We did a show down at South By South West, just after Capitol fell apart and then we signed with Roadrunner. Ron Burman was the guy who was there. He is our A&R guy in the U.S. here. We talk with him a lot. Basically that's how it works. You sign to a record label and then you put an album out, make plans to promote it, tour it. The management, agents, record label, the band and everybody work together to get this thing going. I think some people overlook that. There is a whole bunch of management and agents involved. That's how you get signed, through good management and good gigs.

Andrew: It's much more than just the music.
Joel: Yeah, people have to hear it and for that you have to get the music across the table. You have to get all the other things across the table. So you know, that's what we do, make a big fucking noise and see who comes!

Check out Airbourne's official website.

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