Melbourne favourites New War rose out of the ashes of Seattle-based Kill Rock Stars act Shoplifting several years ago. They’ve since garnered acclaim for their straightforward brand of minimalist art rock.
After Shoplifting collapsed, singer Chris Pugmire and bassist Melissa Lock hibernated for a couple of years, before linking up with Steve Masterson, drummer for Bird Blobs, and mutual friend Jesse Shepherd, the Gainsbourgian keyboardist for Sir.
The band are currently gearing up to record their next album and preparing for a very special Melbourne Music Week performance (see details below). To celebrate, we caught up with Steve Materson to find out what gear New War couldn’t live without.
The Essentials
If I had to tour in a small car and could only bring a few piece, it’d be a bass guitar, drum kit, and a keyboard, because our lineup consists of bass guitar, drum kit, keyboard, and a singer. Without the equipment we’d have to put out a spoken-word record.
The Rig
I use a 1965 vintage Ludwig Super Classic drum kit with Zildjian cymbals, including a Native Instruments Maschine Mk2 (DAW with midi controller).
Mel uses a 1961 Gibson EB2 bass running through a Lab Systems head and cabinet and Jesse uses a cheap and nasty Kawai keyboard along side a 1975 Korg 900PS analogue Preset Synthesizer, all running through some pedals into a Roland JC120 amp.
Our singer Chris manipulates his vocals through a nondescript Soviet era-looking delay unit.
Evolution
We’ve all gone through our own trial and error processes to find things that work within the sonic context of the band. Chris has tried various pedals and effects units on his voice.
Mel spent a long time looking for a modern robust bass amp that she could take on the road that complimented her Gibson like her previous acoustic amp did.
Essentially, our setup is the same as it has been since the beginning, however our most recent additions are the Native Instruments Maschine Mk2 and the Korg 900PS synth.
Back In The Day
My first kit was a random mixture of old cheap drums from other kits, and I had no real understanding of tone or how to tune or maintain a kit. At 12 years old the only thing I knew was that Bonham and Ringo played Ludwig’s and Lars played a Tama.
Gear Vs Song
Throughout the songwriting process for the next album, the NI Maschine Mk2 has probably been the most influential piece of gear we have been using.
It gives us the opportunity to work on ideas outside of the rehearsal room, email them to each other, and have a platform to work from the next time we catch up to jam.
Some songs have developed to the point where the Maschine is no longer a valid voice and have decided to exclude it, so it’s been a useful creative tool regardless.
Developing Style
From my own experience, a person’s style is something that develops naturally over time and cannot be forced. You only have to look at Ebay and Gumtree to see the graveyard of broken dreams for aspiring Angus Youngs, Skrillexs and Dr Dres.
I think the best advice has always been to make to the most with what you have or can afford, learn it inside out and challenge yourself with its limitations, and move forward when you are in a position to do so.
Getting Weird
Jesse has a Roland GR300 Guitar Synth. I’ve never heard it and not sure what it does but I’m sure there is an entertaining instructional video somewhere on YouTube.
Our oldest piece of gear is probably Mel’s 1961 Gibson EB2 bass. The majority of our gear dates between the 1960s to the 1980s.
Solving Problems
I guess you could say the biggest problem solver in our rig is our ears. New War’s setup is deliberately minimal so we face more challenges rather than problems, and if something isn’t working we just let it go.
New War will perform on Sunday, 15th November at the former Royal Women’s Hospital as part of Melbourne Music Week – check out the details here.
