Heavy Mag interview with Shane Davies from Electric Universe
HEAVY: You are gearing up for a tour. Where will you be playing and when?
SD: 29th May Jack Dusty’s Tauranga with Jimi Kara and the Blueso’s, The Ultimate Jimi Hendrix Tribute.
05th June Thames Rocker Box with Jimi Kara and the Blueso’s, The Ultimate Jimi Hendrix Tribute.
18th June Christchurch Cassels Blue Smoke with Stonehurst
19th June Auckland Ding Dong Lounge with Afterforever. The premiere NZ Black Sabbath tribute
31st July Hamilton Nivara with Afterforever. The premiere NZ Black Sabbath tribute
Which show are you looking forward to the most?
We are definitely looking forward to the hometown show (Tauranga). Our crew, friends and family all mean so much to us and have supported our individual careers for decades so it is very important to us to share our live show with them.
These are some great lineups.
We are super stoked to have After Forever and Jimi Kara and the Bluesos performing what are truly the best tributes NZ has to offer in regards to their respective acts. We were elated when they could both confirm. NZ is small so we are very challenged when it comes to creating complementary lineups and for us, this is just perfect.
I also forgot to mention Checaine are joining us for the Hamilton show. They are not classic rock but they are one of the best modern hard rock bands the Waikato have ever produced.
Classic Rock Revival Tour, what’s that all about?
That idea came about because we know for a fact that there are thousands of classic rock fans out there. Over the years the classic rock bands have hung up their hats or moved onto straight blues and Jazz but the audience is still there. The rock radio networks that play classic rock are still hugely popular. We wanted to make a statement… Classic Rock is still here! Let’s resuscitate her and get her back on the dance floor!
This is the last single scheduled for the record. Any other plans for the next few months?
We have national tour dates coming up and our label (MR Records) are chomping at the bit to get us to AUS and then possibly Japan so really we are just taking it a month or so at a time. We are constantly writing and refining new music so don’t be surprised if we drop a few more singles by the end of the year or at least a video or two!
What are you most looking forward to on tour?
Just sharing the record with people. It is one thing to record a record but the real joy is playing it. The music takes on its own identity and entity live.
You guys have really exploded into the limelight and have gone from being a relatively underground act to racking up some huge exposure and massive view counts online. What do you put that down to?
We were fortunate enough to get some backing. We have an angel investor who came onboard. He gave us the opportunity to open some doors which had never been opened and now we are charging full steam ahead. We also have had incredible support from our label and also from Heavy Mag which has just been mind-blowing.
What has been the best part of this album cycle to date?
Just to see the hard work finally manifest itself into some amazing results. Countless hours rehearsing, writing, recording, mixing and then more rehearsing takes its toll but it’s all worth it when you get to see the fruits.
Would you change anything about the process behind the creation of the record?
No, not at all. As much as it was hard work it was all very enjoyable. We set some really high goals in terms of quality and turnaround and we honestly nailed it. We all learned a lot about what we were capable of and now the bar is so much higher. We have become better musicians and friends through this process.
Where can people find more about Electric Universe?
https://www.facebook.com/electric.universe.music
