Sydney four-piece Papa Vs Pretty have returned with their first new music since 2011’s critically acclaimed United In Isolation. ‘My Life Is Yours’ has hit the airwaves and is the first single from their forthcoming album White Deer Park, which was is produced by Dave Trumfio (Wilco, My Morning Jacket, Grandaddy) and is set for a early 2014 release. The band also return to the stage this week for two very intimate shows in Sydney and Melbourne.
We caught up with the band to chat about what sort of music they listen to when they cook, what venues they love to eat at in Australia and what their favourite tour van munchies are.
What were your food influences when you were growing up and what kind of food did you eat at home or with your family?
My mother will probably kill me but all I remember ever eating was Spaghetti Bolognese almost every single night. It was very good though. Excellent Bolognese.
What dish or cuisine do you most like to eat on tour and why?
Myers (our drummer) has a rule that if there is a Chicken Parmigiana on the menu – he has to order it. We have a strict rating system for our parmigianas based on a few key factors, the most important of which is the sauce/cheese/chicken/ham (ham optional) ratios. The Corner Hotel, Melbourne has the best ratios in the country.
What is your ideal cooking playlist?
Actually in my kitchen I have a copy of Elbow’s The Seldom Seen Kid, which I basically put on every time I am cooking. It’s a great album.
What type of food do you make sure to avoid before a gig or going on stage?
Jungle Curry. We’ve had some real “welcome to the jungle” experiences with that.
Imagine for a second you can request anything on your rider on your upcoming ‘My Life Is Yours’ single tour. What food do you put on it?
What a thought. I’m not sure what I could say that you wouldn’t get sick of by the end of the tour. Maybe a juicer or a blender? My blender at home is my pride and joy – 3,000 watts of raw power. It’ll just blend anything without even sneezing.
What has been your biggest cooking disaster to date?
My problems seem to come from being too polite when I’m eating other people’s food: “This fish pie is delightful, of course I’d love some more.” That never ends well.
I’ve also seen a prominent Australian musician absolutely slather a meat pie in equal amounts of tomato sauce and mayonnaise backstage at a festival. That wasn’t really disaster but it could have been.
If you were throwing a dinner party and could invite any musicians, living or dead, who would they be and why?
It’d be a big table. Johann Sebastian and Anna Magdalena Bach, total power couple. They could chat with Hendrix, Stravinsky, Elgar, Steve Reich, Blixa Bargeld, and Beethoven. Thom Yorke can hang out. We’ll all have pumpkin ravioli (bound to be some vegetarians amongst them).
What are your both of your favourite tour van munchies?
Once when we were driving in WA our sound guy ate a most amazing snack. It consisted of a chicken sausage, coated in cheese, coated in batter and deep-fried. Unlike anything I have seen before.
Where is your favourite music venue to eat at in Australia?
Well we’ve spoken about the Corner Hotel’s Parmigiana. Amazing Calamari at The Bended Elbow, Geelong. Great food at the Gov in Adelaide, I can’t remember what I had there when we were there with The Vines but it was amazing.
What is your signature dish?
Szechuan Chicken. It’s my thing. Ginger. Szechuan Pepper. Spring Onions, Chinese Five Spice. Very nice indeed.
Papa Vs Pretty ‘My Life Is Yours’ Single Launch Shows:
Wednesday 25th September – Oxford Arts Factory, Sydney, NSW
Thursday 26th September – Howler, Melbourne, Vic
