Fat As Butter Exclusive: Our Interview With Wheatus

by Alex Connell on September 20, 2012

 

 

The beginning of the 21st Century was a time of rabid social change: boy bands such as the Backstreet Boys and ‘N Sync had peaked; the popularity of J-Lo, Britney Spears, Beyonce and Eminem was exponentially rising; George Bush was about to take over the world and declare a war on terrorism; and the Internet and social networking was on the verge of revolutionalising communication.

Somewhere amongst this aberrant pop culture stew was a four-piece alt-rock band from Newport, New York, whose quirky punk-pop ditty, Teenage Dirtbag, infiltrated the ears of the masses, anywhere and everywhere.

Along the way Wheatus sold several million of copies of their debut album, and Teenage Dirtbag became the highest-selling single in Australia for the year 2000.

However, after the Teenage Dirtbag storm had passed, Wheatus were dropped by their management and Sony in 2004. They subsequently self-released their ingeniously titled sophomore album, Suck Fony.

Twelve years (since Teenage Dirtbag was released) and several line-up changes later, the completely independent band are far from the overwhelming path to world domination and are instead content to release all of their music on their website, allowing fans to choose how much they want to pay. Their strict independence also means self-financing their own tours and promotion.

Although, when Alex caught up with frontman, songwriter and only remaining original member, Brendan B. Brown, ahead of the band’s appearance at this weekend’s Fat As Butter Festival, it became apparent they wouldn’t have it any other way.

UI: Australia has always had a strong affinity with Wheatus, how did you find your previous Australian tour in December 2000?

BBB: I love it here. I’ve been back a couple of times since then, but never with the band. I’m in Sydney at the moment and it’s such a nice day. Australia really embraced us when we broke, I think Teenage Dirtbag was more popular here than any other country. Over the last year or so when we’ve received emails from various people and places asking us to tour, Australia has always been up there. So yeah, it’s great to finally be back.

UI: In the current digital climate music is in, was the band’s decision to release all 5 albums on your website in the ‘donate to download’ scheme a conscious step away from the “traditional” release and embrace of a “new” and, most likely, future platform for releasing music? Or was the catalyst simply not having a label to release your music?

BBB: Well, both. Above all I wanted to give our fans access to our music without them feeling like they weren’t committing a crime by downloading it. You’re able to hear it before you pay and judge it on its merit. When we came out there was a tremendous amount of music, labels went to extreme lengths with packaging and promotion. We were definitely caught up in all that, now we can do it on our own.

UI: You’ve spoken recently about your appreciation of being an independent band and how you believe art can’t be made by a multinational corporation in a boardroom. When you signed with Sony and Teenage Dirtbag gave Wheatus a meteoric rise to stardom, did you suffer any sort of inner afflictions? Or begin to question exactly what was happening?

BBB: Well, my Dad sells cars. I had no one around me with any kind of music industry experience. We were naive, we didn’t really know. I guess it also happened too quickly to really judge. We had that explosive first single with Teenage Dirtbag but after we recorded our second album it was clear Sony had no plans to release or promote it. I mean, I could’ve given them Sgt Peppers (Lonely Hearts Club Band) and they wouldn’t have released it. However, I believe we really dodged a bullet (after being released by Sony), labels are still trying to figure out things like iTunes and the best way to release music, whereas what we’re doing has really worked for us.

UI: So in a way, do Wheatus adopt a DIY punk-rock ethos?

BBB: Yeah, you’re right. DIY I’m definitely in favour of. Although, I guess all music is DIY in a sense, whether it be the most commercial pop song from Katy Perry or if it’s the most obscure Animal Collective release. It’s always a singular idea in how it’s made or released. Essentially, we do our best and our decisions are made based on what we feel is right at the time.

UI: Is the title of your recently released documentary, Wheatus You Might Die, in any way a reflection of the precarious nature of contemporary music?

BBB: Um, not particularly. ‘You Might Die’ has much more to do with independence. Independence might cost a fortunate, which is where the risk comes from. Independent musicians might be amazing players, but are usually terrible business people. So the title is more a reflection of the risk people associate with independence in a competitive and usually well-financed industry.

UI: After writing, directing and shooting the video for Real Girl, do you have any plans to expand your label into a multi-faceted franchise, similar to what Jack White has done with Third Man Records, or perhaps sign more bands to your label?

BBB: (chuckling)…I think it would be cruel for us to sign other bands or do anything like that. We don’t have the infrastructure to really be signing bands and releasing their music at the moment. In this day and age I don’t see why you’d need someone like me, anyway. You can buy protools, record your songs on your laptop at home, upload them to the internet and iTunes and you’ve essentially released it.

UI: What’s next for Wheatus?

BBB: We’re currently recording an album of post-apocalyptic love songs. We’re aiming to release it in February 2013. We’ll most likely follow this with a sizeable tour. That’s if all goes to plan. Everything is always done based on what we feel is right. 

The Fat As Butter Festival takes place this Saturday, September 22nd at Camp Shortland, The Foreshore, Newcastle. The festival boasts an extensive line-up including Good Charlotte, 360, Grinspoon, Yellowcard, Wheatus & The Mystery Jets.

The annual festival is now down to its last 1,000 General Admission tickets and 100 VIP tickets.

In recent weeks two local acts have been added to the festival: the electronic new-wave of 1929indian won the Triple J Unearthed spot on the line-up and the alternative indie/stoner rock of The Owls took out the Fat As Butter band competition.

Tickets for the festival are still on sale and can be purchased from the Fat As Butter Festival website.

General Admission: $99.90

VIP: $139.90