Q: Hey, can you tell us a bit about where you come from, and what made you want to start a career in music?
A: I’m Argentinian, and I’ve been living in Melbourne for over twenty years. Initially, I got into music simply as a means of self-expression, firstly as a drummer. Later, it became a way of complimenting my visual art pieces, as well as a means of critiquing and engaging with the scene around me.
Q: Did you have any formal training, or are you self-taught?
A: Self-taught. I learnt piano when I was younger, but I didn’t really write my own music until I was 21 and I bought my first drum set. That led to me teaching myself guitar, then vocals, then synth, and eventually…. to me finally leaving the garage (but still making garage rock, go figure).
Q: Who were your first and strongest musical influences?
A: Heaps of hip-hop like Living Legends, pharcyde, d12, the roots. This was followed by John Mayer, Earth, Wind and Fire and heaps of Argentinian rock such as Charly Garcia. I didn’t get into the kind of music I play now until way later, though.
Q: You have just released your new album, ‘WAR ON DOLE!’. Is there a story behind it?
A: WAR ON DOLE! is a statement, it’s a band cementing its sound as well as its presence amongst its peers. It’s eight tracks fighting against indifference; picking and choosing (and fighting) battles. From the shortage of scoop necks to hedonism night-time surfing – nothing is safe.
Q: What is the message of your music?
A: To create a diverse, fun, energetic, and open community of creatives through music and art, as well as to push sonic boundaries in new and exciting ways. We never want to get bored – or even worse, disconnected.
Q: What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?
A: The surf-rock drumbeat is the backbone of Dole. So between that and my vocals, the extremely niche yet relatable subject matters that accompany them, and the way we draw from a variety of genres, you get the fully-developed, distinctively Dole dance-punk sound we captured with this record. It’s unique, it’s upbeat, and we’ve been working on developing it nonstop for just over a year now, pumping out (well-produced too!) tracks until we got it perfect.
Q: Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfillment as the amount of work you are putting into it, or are you expecting something more?
A: I feel fulfilled once I’ve put certain ideas out into the world. The more I release and express, the more I feel I’ve contributed to the musical landscape around me. It helps if the audience enjoys it too, as we do make music with them in the forefront of our minds, so really that electric back-and-forth exchange of enthusiasm and energy is enough for me to want to keep on creating.
Q: Could you describe your creative processes? How do you usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song?
A: Usually from a joke idea, really. Like, ‘Imagine if I made a song about this or that…wait, nobody ever has? Alright, then I’ll write a demo and bring it to the band’. From there it really depends how clear the initial idea was as to whether it’ll stay close to the original material or not, but it always comes out fresh and exciting. The art I design for the covers are usually like, a representation of the titles, a process that takes months and involves me heading somewhere new, getting inspired, and inevitably going for a quick run to the nearest Officeworks.
Q: What has been the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure in your life or music career so far?
A: Getting your music out to the general public is always going to be a difficult endeavour with its own sets of unique challenges. People tend to like things that are already seen as established or professional, things that have been around for a long time. Being a young and ambitious band we want to give people a reason to care about Dole that revolves around our sheer creativity and relentless perseverance, even if we’ve only been around for a year or so.
Q: On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?
A: Taking the band on tour in April and May is a highlight. Forming the band in the world’s longest lockdown is another. Releasing an album (my first album ever after three projects) is yet another huge accomplishment for me personally.
