It’s safe to say that Brisbane’s own Jeremy Neale is on the rise in Australian music.
The solo artist, who also spends a good deal of his time as frontman in the 12-piece garage pop band Velociraptor, has had a whirlwind few years that’s seen him gain regular Triple J airplay, as well as being a part of Australia’s BIGSOUND music showcase, and more than a few national headlining tours.
With the release of his latest stellar track “In Stranger Times”, Neale has announced a headlining East Coast tour alongside being a part of Ball Park Music’s “Thank Ewe” national tour.
With Velociraptor not shy to touring and his solo project only adding to his hectic schedule, Neale’s musical life seems to be as prolific as could be. Despite all of this, though, he explains that an active music lifestyle is all about compromises.
“It’s funny, because up until maybe two or three weeks ago, I wasn’t enjoying the hectic lifestyle I had. I ended up deciding to make some cutbacks because I was working for minimum wage way, way too much and my time felt more valuable spent elsewhere,” Neale states.
“This result basically stemmed from a philosophical thought, where, if you were at the end of your life you’d pay so much more than minimum wage for an extra hour of life,” he ruminates.
“My finances have been set back, but I’m appreciating everything I spend time on a decent amount more ever since.” “[I was] in a theme song cover band in high school. We’d play stuff like the Mortal Kombat theme and the Pizza Hut commercial jingle.”
With Neale’s music stemming from simple bedroom songwriting at the young age of 21, it was not until the guitarist had developed a bout of self confidence before hitting the microphone in a serious live setting.
“I started writing all these songs when I was around 21 or 22, and the only experience I had prior to this was being in a theme song cover band in high school. We’d play stuff like the Mortal Kombat theme and the Pizza Hut commercial jingle,” Neale enlightens.
“Looking back at it retrospectively, my songs were actually pretty good – despite what I had thought back then – and all I really lacked was the self confidence to get up there and play them to a crowd.”
Ball Park Music’s recently announce national tour will see the indie rockers bringing both Eagle & The Worm and Jeremy Neale himself nationwide; playing the largest venues the artist has played before. With Neale often sticking to the smaller venues – his East Coast tour hosted at Melbourne’s Workers Club, Sydney’s Beresford Hotel, and Brisbane’s Alhambra Lounge – a larger crowd capacity may be a prime setting to rake in as many new fans as possible.
“I guess I’ll have to do something crazy, like be a tantrum throwing diva, to get attention,” Neale jokingly suggests. “Don’t be surprised if I refuse to go out on stage when it’s my time.”
“I doubt I will though – I may be too nervous to be ill-behaved,” he corrects.
“It’s very unfortunate, but I’ve only really got a budget to bring along three band members alongside myself for the Thank Ewe Tour – I need a few more than that for each show to really perform well, though.”
The Brisbanite says he’s been trying to “tackle this problem head on,” the result? “I’ve worked up the idea that I’ll try to use the connections that I have to source local artists in each city.”
“For example, my latest single ‘In Stranger Times’ I did with a four-piece girl group called Go Violets. They’ll be helping me out on my Brisbane leg on stage as singers, but I can’t bring them anywhere else. I’ve then got a saxophonist in Sydney, and the rest I’ll have to plan accordingly.”
Having released just four songs – each more acclaimed than the last – it seems that the garage rocker is taking a more unorthodox route to success.
With an EP “on the way,” and no immediate plans to release a full-length, Neale’s stretched-out method of releasing singles is justified by his funding.
“It’s a very behind-the-scenes way to look at it, but the costs in producing even just one song is immense. You’ve firstly got the time and labour in creating and refining the song until it’s at the finished product,” he explains. “I guess I’ll have to do something crazy, like be a tantrum throwing diva, to get attention. Don’t be surprised if I refuse to go out on stage when it’s my time.”
“Booking recording studios and tracking takes a really long time, as well, and it can cost around $1,500 to record, mix, and master a track. That’s a lot of money for such a small release, so you have to also factor in the time to work those hours to fund the whole project,” he details.
“So, with me trying to use the income I have wisely, I’d like to have every song I release reach as much potential and exposure as it possibly can.”
Despite his meagre catalogue, Neale is a seasoned songwriter, being one of the primary ideas men in Velociraptor, alongside drummer James X Boyd.
While Neale tries to divide the time fairly between musical endeavors, the unique 12-piece collective often brings him away from his humble bedroom songwriting.
“Back about five years ago I was playing in a band or two in the local Brisbane scene. I had a bunch of friends in other bands, and we all sort of joked about being in some ridiculously huge rock band that’s based all around having a blast on stage,” Neale says of the maxi-sized group’s origins.
“Anyone who’s come to a Velociraptor show knows exactly how drunk we get, and how much we party on stage, but I think we do a pretty good job of keeping it together. And it’s always awesome when all the 12 members can do a show. It’s like an epic gathering for us,” he enthuses.
It would be wise to pay close attention to Jeremy Neale’s undertakings. Though he’s still in his up-and-coming bedroom rockstar stage, recent events – including opening the Brisbane leg of Laneway, as well as exponentially increasing activity on Triple J – are simply increasing the tension of the slingshot he’s in – ready to fire into the Australian music mainstream.
Jeremy Neale plays headline sideshows in Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane this May in conjunction with being opening support on Ball Park Music’s national tour. Dates and details below.
Jeremy Neale 2013 Australian Tour
Thursday 2 May – The Workers Club, Melbourne
tickets available via The Corner Hotel
Friday 3 May – The Beresford Hotel, Sydney
Free entry
Friday 10 May – Alhambra Lounge, Brisbane
with special guests Go Violets, tickets available via OzTix
Ball Park Music 2013 Australian Tour
with special guests Eagle and the Worm and Jeremy Neale
Friday 28 June – The Tivoli, Brisbane
Tickets available from www.ticketek.com.au | 132 849 | All Ticketek Outlets
Friday 5 July – The Forum, Melbourne
Tickets available from www.ticketmaster.com.au | 136 100 | All Ticketmaster Outlets
Saturday 6 July – Enmore Theatre, Sydney
Tickets available from www.ticketek.com.au || 132 849 | All Ticketek Outlets
Thursday 11 July – HQ, Adelaide
Tickets available from www.oztix.com.au || 1300 762 545 | All Oztix outlets
Friday 12 July – Metropolis, Fremantle
Tickets available from www.oztix.com.au | 1300 762 545 | All Oztix outlets
Tickets for Ball Park Music’s The Thank Ewes Tour will go on sale Friday 22 March.
