Maison Hall are having a ball !
Photo credit: Rylee Olsson
Australian Indie rockers Maison Hall have released their newest offering, Montreux, a letter of love to the connection that exists with the left and the right sides of the brain and the struggle musicians face between everyday life and creative life. Montreux is their first release since their debut album It Was Never About Me in 2017 and is the precursor to the lads east coast tour in February. The duo, made up of Ben Byron and Joe Kneipp, have also created a colourful, eccentric video that accompanies the track beautifully. We sat down with Joe to ask him about the reformation of Maison Hall, the new single and about their first show at Ric’s Bar.
For those that haven’t heard your music before, how would you describe your sound?
Eclectic. All over the shop. Bombastic.
Tell us about your new song, MONTREUX?
I made the demo for Montreux back in 2019, and it sat on the shelf for almost two years. I thought it was going to become a song for my solo project, ‘Dumaresq’, before Benny and I had the idea to create some more music under the ‘Maison Hall.’ name. I showed him the demo, he loved it, and we went from there.
What does the song mean to you?
The ‘meaning’ of a song for me personally isn’t really to do with the lyrical content. From that perspective, the song (for me) is about the tensions that musicians working day-jobs have between their ‘real-life’ obligations and their art. But the great thing about songs is how they become intrinsically linked to a place/time - if we’re lucky enough for listeners to make those connections with ‘Montreux’, I don’t particularly mind if our meanings diverge.
Who came up with the concept for the video? Any memorable moments during the making of it?
That was me! Ben and I both wanted something colourful and silly, and we needed to work on a tight schedule/budget. I’m fortunate that I have some talented and giving friends who were willing to kill a weekend to shoot with us. James (our live bassist, who stars as the ‘artist’ in our video) is such a live wire - we knew if we put a camera on him and gave him some paint there it would be an interesting time.
The memorable moments for me were the scene resets. The set kept getting more and more slippery as we kept sloshing paint around. In the final cut you can see both Ben and I slipping over a bunch!
“Montreux is the first taste off of a second LP that’s finished”
Can we expect an album out soon? If so, what can fans expect?
Relatively soon - Montreux is the first taste off of a second LP that’s finished, but we’re probably going to release a few more singles first. You can expect a bit of variation on the straight-up-and-down ‘rock’ of Montreux - there’s some shoegaze stuff, some electro-pop, some acoustic cuts.
It’s been six years since Maison Hall’s last live show and you have both worked on other projects since, what propelled the reformation of the band?
I was on a UK tour as a session musician in 2019 - I was in London and looking for something to do. Somehow I found out that Ben and his partner were living there. We caught up in Shoreditch and talked about how much fun we had doing shows when we both lived in Brisbane, and it planted a seed in my mind. Later in the big 2020 Melbourne lockdown I found myself on a good songwriting streak for what I thought would be another ‘Dumaresq’ record (my solo project), but I quickly realised I was actually writing a follow-up ‘Maison Hall.’ album. The second the hard border came down I drove to Ben’s home in Canberra and we jammed on it for a few days. The energy was there, and we agreed to give it another crack!
Has the break and working on the solo projects enhanced your skills and abilities as musicians/artists?
Great question - I definitely think it’s given us both space to recontextualise. I know that, personally, my skills and knowledge feel very advanced from where we were back in 2015, particularly from an engineering/production perspective. After moving to Victoria in 2018 I’ve also had the opportunity to play/tour for a bunch of wonderful artists down here, and that has helped me improve my ability instrumentally. And I think that space from each other has also reconfirmed for us how special it is when we play together.
“I think post-COVID as well, we’re trying to appreciate the freedom of traveling. We’ll be playing a bunch of places we never have before”
Your tour of the East Coast starts in February so what’s your favourite thing about touring and being on the road?
I love traveling around! We’re a multi-state band, so it’s really heartening to connect with friends in different states. I think post-COVID as well, we’re trying to appreciate the freedom of traveling. We’ll be playing a bunch of places we never have before as well, and playing new venues is always a highlight.
What's the worst part about touring and being on the road?
For me – being away from my partner and not being able to eat my ‘regular’ foods (I’m extremely picky). For Ben, I’m going to guess it’s being stuck with me in the green room haha
Do you play a part in the production side of your music?
Yep! So, the way we work is – I usually write the music/lyrics and track everything myself at home. Then I’ll send those demos to Ben, and he’ll cast his judgment, particularly on my drum tracks, and we’ll make changes. Occasionally, we’ll be lucky enough to co-write some stuff in jam sessions.
Montreux was co-produced by me and David Quested. I’ve known Dave since 2019 when played together for (Blue Mountains artist) Fletcher Gull, and we still play together as part of (Melbourne artist) Harper Bloom’s backing band. He’s a supremely talented drummer and producer. Tracking Montreux was interesting – Ben was happy with my drum part, so instead of ‘chasing’ the demo like we sometimes do, we started again with a live take of Ben and I playing together at the Aviary Studios in Abbotsford. Then later I tracked the guitars and vocals in a hall in Mucklesford (in regional VIC), and finally we added some keys/production flourishes in my bedroom!
Who do you credit as your musical influences?
My taste is all over the shop – I think my solo stuff (Dumaresq) exposes a broader array of influences. Maison Hall. is a bit more constrained (in a good way). I’d say we take a lot of inspiration from indie-revival bands like Interpol, The Horrors, and Foals. I also try and incorporate dreamier elements from artists like The Radio Dept. and Beach House, but also harsher stuff from the likes of Deftones and QOTSA. That’s a whole lot of names for what is essentially rock music, but you asked!
Where was your first gig as Maison Hall? Was it a success or flop?
I think it was ok! It was in the front room (aka – absolute scrub part) of Ric’s Bar in Brisbane. There was about 20 people there, all close friends and well-wishers, and it was SO loud. I think everyone had expected a pretty low-key affair, and they were instead treated to some inaccessible post-rock/noise-rock. But everyone was really nice about it!
“ I always have to shout out Benny – in a duo you don’t get a bunch of personalities to bounce off. He takes me as I am and makes doing this fun. ”
Who in your crew or team deserves a shout out but never gets one? And what is it they do that keeps your world turning?
My partner has recently been helping me out with social media – I’m a digital hermit, so they’ve been a total lifesaver re: getting word out about press/gigs/etc. I’ve also been incredibly lucky to work with Emily Cheung from On the Map PR for this single campaign, and that’s been a refreshingly easy experience so far (music industry types are a scattershot bunch). And really, I always have to shout out Benny – in a duo you don’t get a bunch of personalities to bounce off. He takes me as I am and makes doing this fun.
What's next for Maison Hall? What can we look forward to in 2022?
More music, more shows - more in general. We’ll keep you and your readers posted – thanks for being cool enough to ask 😊
THURSDAY 3rd FEBRUARY - BLACK BEAR LODGE, BRISBANE QLD 18+
Tickets available from https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/maison-hall-montreux-single-launch-tickets-219745323177
Tickets available from Eventbrite Outlets
FRIDAY 11th FEBRUARY - THE RETREAT HOTEL, MELBOURNE VIC 18+
Tickets available from https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/maison-hall-tickets-242537585447
Tickets available from Eventbrite Outlets
SUNDAY 13th FEBRUARY - GANG GANG CAFE, CANBERRA ACT 18+
Tickets available from Oztix
Interview by Michelle Symes
February 2022