q&a: pear shape

Congratulations on signing to General Pants Co.’s Major Label! Could you explain a little about how it works and what kind of support Major Label offers?
They do digital singles distribution, so people all over the world can hear our music via the intrawebs!

With the members of Pear Shape coming from different bands around Sydney, have you had different expectations about actually being in a band? Has it required much adjustment?
It actually required very little adjustment. The other guys in the group are consummate professionals. It was so easy and natural playing music with them.

Describe your sound in five words or less.
Catchy, poppy, melodic, playful, sex-ay.

Was there a particular moment or artist that made you want to pursue music when you were growing up? Who were your early influences?
Beatles, Stones, Dylan. You have to start at the greats and work forward chronologically. I feel like it’s early days for Pear Shape. We’re writing jangly guitar music that we can play in our warehouse rehearsal space. As we develop I’m sure we’ll start adding more musical elements. But ya gotta know the rules before ya break ’em. We’re having heaps of fun now writing in this garage jangle pop style.

What are your live highlights to date?
We played a great show with Jinja Safari and Husky, two of our favourite Australian groups. It was so much fun being on the bill with these great songwriters. The audience was very responsive to us, thankfully!

How do you find the music community in Sydney – both the industry and the audiences? Have they been very receptive to your sound?
Despite there being a huge clubbing scene at Kings Cross and Oxford St which has kind of replaced bands somewhat, there is definitely a strong community of punters who want to see what local bands are doing, and finding what kind of sound our city makes. I think we make a pretty distinctively Sydney sound, and people have commented that it’s fresh and fun.

Who do you most admire?
People like David Byrne, Paul McCartney, Neil Finn and Thom York – people who still manage to write great pop songs and at the same time, push the envelope in terms of what new sound constitutes a “pop song”.

Greatest achievement to date?
Funding our forthcoming EP completely out of pocket! Independent FTW.

A song I wish I wrote/played is…
“White Christmas”, Bing Crosby. God, I’d be rich.

I couldn’t live without…
My overdrive pedal. Love playing a gentle verse that builds, and then slamming on ‘rock mode’ in the chorus.

The best advice I ever received was…
Art comes from adversity. You can’t make excuses for not writing and creating if you don’t have computers, hi-tech gear etc. You can still write hit songs on crappy guitars and tape recorders.

Do you think the music industry treats female musicians differently to male musicians? Do you think it’s more difficult for women to establish themselves?
That’s a tough question. None of the members of Pear Shape are female, and we rarely play shows with female artists, so our experience and knowledge of chicks in rock is limited – but perhaps there’s your answer! I think the old stereotype of bloke = rockstar, girl = groupie is becoming outdated though and more girls are getting into the thick of the scene.

Is there anything you’ve always wanted to be asked?
“Will you take tea on the verandah or in your office, Prime Minister?”

Keep up to date with Pear Shape on their facebook page to hear their tunes and find out where they’re playing next!