A Chat with Poison Oak (15.07.20)
Australian quintet Poison Oak is to rock music what Glenn McGrath was to international cricket. In other words, they’re unbelievably amazing at what they do. For all those who don’t know about Glenn McGrath or understand cricket, it’s a pretty cool comparison – trust me. Hailing from North Queensland, the five lads of Poison Oak fuse blues with alt-rock. We spoke with band members James Balthes (JB), Ray Pearson (RP) and Lachlan Gleadhill (LG) about their new EP The Living Room Sessions and much more!
OSR: How did Poison Oak form?
RP: Poison Oak formed from a few spontaneous jam sessions after James went through some stuff in his life. The main focus of the band at this stage was about bringing to life James’ back catalogue of original songs in both a studio and live session. Over time, the band has morphed into a more collaborative approach with each member adding their influences to the sound. The original members included James, Russ, Ray and Grant. Grant left shortly after due to family commitments and Chris and Lachie joined to help write the latest EP tracks; thus, forming Poison Oak as it is known today.
OSR: What is the backstory behind The Living Room Sessions?
JB: The living room is basically where we started jamming firstly with Russ, Ray and myself. Originally, it’s where we worked on songs, hung out and where I wrote the majority of the songs. The band originated as a Saturday morning jam in the living room and has slowly progressed into Poison Oak.
OSR: Which is your favourite track from the EP?
RP: ‘A Little Time’ – it’s a pretty song and much more stripped down than most Poison Oak tunes.
OSR: If you could change anything about the EP, what would it be and why?
JB: Probably ‘A Little Time’. We’ve worked on it and now it’s a full band track, so it sounds a fair bit different to the original recording.
OSR: How would you describe Poison Oak to a person who has never heard of you?
RP: A melodic indie/alt-rock band from North Queensland.
OSR: How are you coping with the COVID-19 lockdown?
JB: We’re coping pretty well. Restrictions have lifted where we live in Queensland, so it’s been a good time to work on a lot of songs without the pressure of playing live at the moment.
OSR: How do you remain motivated, particularly during this time?
JB: XXXX gold, hi-fives and bike rides. Lachie does not mind a good KFC feed session either. Russ’ wife just had a daughter so that’s been keeping him pretty busy. All in all, these things are motivating.
OSR: Who would you love to collaborate with?
LG: A live orchestra to get a huge wall of organic sound.
OSR: What makes you happiest?
LG: Blasting some reggae or RnB on the way home from work.
OSR: What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word ‘fidget’?
LG: Fat midget.
OSR: What is your favourite band (signed or unsigned) and why that band?
JB: That’s a tough question. Nearly every two weeks I’ve got a new favourite band. I’d probably have to say for this week, Jake Pinot. He is undiscovered American artist that I accidentally stumbled upon and haven’t stopped listening since.
OSR: What is next for Poison Oak?
JB: We have nearly finished recording our new EP which we hope to release relatively soon. It has six tracks with a bit more of a rock ‘n’ roll vibe to contrast The Living Room Sessions.
OSR: Do you have a message for our readers?
JB: If you’re stuck inside due to COVID and restrictions, get onto Age of Empires II. Honestly forgot how good that game was. Otherwise, if you have no restrictions, go and check out some live local music!
Thanks to Poison Oak for chatting with us! You can find more about Poison Oak on their Facebook, Instagram and Spotify.
