We had a quick Q&A with Luke Frizon, the frontman from Melbourne band Jack The Stripper. You can keep up to date with all the happenings with the band here: www.jackthestripper.com.au. The guys will be heading out on a huge national tour at the end of June, so check out the dates below and get along and support your local bands!
The Band
How did the band first come to exist?
It started off with our ex-drummer and Julian assembling a brigade of jerks who could play some form of riff while being as physically extreme as possible. Over time the sound matured and we didn’t.
Is there an interesting story behind the name?
Jack the Stripper was the moniker attached to the person responsible for a string of unsolved murders throughout the 60’s, and I’m pretty sure the appeal sat in the irony of the media machine attaching such an irreverent title to a total psychopath. I joined after the name was chosen so I don’t have the full story, but I do think it’s a lot of fun when I hear of people complaining about our music after mistaking it for the Black Sabbath song with the same name.
What’s your most recent release?
Raw Nerve is our debut album, released in the closing months of 2013. Our guitarist Julian runs Legion Studio Productions in Melbourne, so we constructed it there over 2 years. It’s a nasty trip through a lot of bad times lyrically reinforced with plenty of equally nasty riffs. It’s been a very satisfying album to tour and has had a great reception which we really appreciate. It’s available at JB Hi-Fi if you’re in Australia.
What’s the one must have item on the rider?
I always wind up asking for a gross energy drink which always ends up being puked out at some point during the night. Often it’s during the set recently. I gotta work on that.
Any pre-show rituals?
Plenty of stretching. An old bass player didn’t follow the stretch, dislocated his knee mid-set and had to finish the show propped against his amp. Obey the stretch.
What do you think is the hardest aspect of being in a touring band?
For us it’d be listening to 311 albums on constant rotation when it’s Julian’s turn to drive. That’s punishing.
What’s on the cards in the next few months for the band?
We’re touring in a few weeks across Australia with some great bands, then throughout August we’re performing a string of shows in Europe including a couple of great festivals, called Brutal Assault and Rockstadt. Then we’re off to Japan for our second time and playing with some fantastic bands there too. We’re all really looking forward to it. We are also working on new music, some of which will be played for the first time on this upcoming tour. Expect a new album start of next year. It’s crueler than the last one, both sonically and lyrically.
The Music
Any band, album, or song that you personally credit as a major influence?
The influences are so far removed from the actual music but we all jam Far Beyond Driven (Pantera) constantly so surely that’ll be impacting on the music.
Most prized music related item you own?
I’m a sucker for collecting stuff I can’t afford- cassettes, vinyls, crappy 90’s horror movie soundtracks- I bought this Manowar box set from the mid-80’s that came with a VHS documentary about how they believe they’re Vikings. Best moment is when the drummer is coerced into burning his old drumkit on the beach before being worthy of joining the best band in the world. It’s called Secrets of Steel and it’s awesome. That little box is the star attraction in the red carpet of my mind.
Last album you picked up?
Sing It Ugly by Those Poor Bastards. Those guys make the most frightening music I’ve ever heard. The Plague is still their best album but this latest one still rules.
What album is currently on high rotation?
It’s cold so A Furrow Cut Short by Drudkh has wound up being the soundtrack most days. Beautifully crafted album. I was recently sent a CD by a band called Wombscape from Japan, called New World Specimen, and it’s a hell of a release. The chaotic hardcore/post-hardcore scene over there has mastered bleak, it’s a really exciting movement. So intense but introspective at the same time.
What do you think of online music sharing?
I’m a massive advocate of it as long as it’s supporting the artist. If I’m going to Spotify the shit out of a band then I’ll make the effort to see them when they play and I hope that’s the case for a lot of other people.
The Man
Who are your non-musical influences?
HP Lovecraft, John Carpenter’s horror movies, Wilfred Owen, artists like Otto Dix or Francis Bacon. I always keep abreast of whatever new terrifying material Junji Ito and Nakayama Masaaki publish too. I swear their novels open neural pathways to entirely new realms of horror. I also listen to a lot of podcasts at the gym about nerdy lore and myths. Always on the hunt for new ideas to swallow and throw out later.
What are some of your pet peeves?
People on the phone checking their news feed while at a show, in the crowd. That’s really lame. Don’t do it. Or everyone do it, I’m not the cops. But it sucks. If you’re going to bring that vibe to the show then at least bring a desktop computer, office suite & an open fireplace and do it with class. It’s what GG Allin would have wanted.
When you’re not with the band, what are you usually found doing?
I’ll either be at home frowning at the computer with my dog, at a local show or down at Gin Lane in Belgrave rendering myself stupid. Probably scrolling through Facebook on my phone looking at memes while a band plays. Memes are so much better than all music ever.
The Final Say
We are releasing a film clip for our song ‘Nibiru’ and you should watch that on Youtube. Then you should come to one of our shows in June/July. We’ll be making this one to remember.
Jack The Stripper: Australian Tour 2016
25 June – Enigma Bar, Adelaide
w/ A Ghost Orchestra, Life Pilot
02 July – Crowbar, Brisbane
w/ Humality, Drivetime Commute, Siberian Hell Sounds
03 July – The Lab, Brisbane (AA)
w/ Season Unending, Drivetime Commute, Promethean
08 July – The Basement, Canberra
w/ Inhuman Remnants, Honest Crooks, Gvrlls
09 July – The Factory Floor, Sydney
w/ Daemon Pyre, Witch Fight, Gvrlls
16 July – The Workers Club, Melbourne
w/ Earth Caller, Hollow World, Drivetime Commute
17 July – Wrangler Studios, Melbourne (AA)
w/ Dregg, Make Way For Man, Drivetime Commute
Tickets are available HERE.
