motel void

MOTEL VOID: Your debut album Chipper came out 10 years ago. How has your sound evolved since then?

BEN GREEN (TAPE/OFF): Over the years we’ve found our way of playing together, so maybe we sound more like us if that makes sense. But because of that we go further in each direction that we try, so it covers a bit more ground even in the same song. Also the records and live show sound more alike these days.

MOTEL VOID: You’ve just released a new single ‘Paris, Texas, Queensland’ (I’m a big fan of Paris, Texas movie by the way). Will it be part of your new record? And can you walk us through the creative process of your new material?

BEN GREEN (TAPE/OFF): ‘Paris, Texas, Queensland’ will be on our next album, which we are calling Fort Sensible. This batch of songs started to come together during our last tour, we tried a few out live, then we bunkered down. We write by playing together, starting with someone’s idea – some words or music – then feeling our way through it. I think this song started with the title, which seemed to capture a lot of things that we wanted to dig into.

MOTEL VOID: You’ve played alongside international acts like Royal Blood and Kurt Vile. Have these experiences influenced your music or your live shows?

BEN GREEN (TAPE/OFF): We’ve probably taken something from everyone we’ve played with. McLusky was a thrill, their energy is something we’d like to carry on. Shouting along inappropriately to the delicate, poetic music of Sydney band Aerial Maps might have informed a song like ‘Paris, Texas, Queensland’. We are just into a tour, heading to Sydney and Melbourne next, and one of the best parts is getting to play with some of our favourite bands down there.

MOTEL VOID: How do you see the Brisbane music scene evolving, and what role do you play in it? Do you have any favorite local venues?

BEN GREEN (TAPE/OFF): It’s in a good place community wise. Tape/Off members play in other bands (Terra Pines, Total Pace, Gold Stars, Ghost Notes & more), volunteer at community radio station 4ZZZfm (which is where to really find out about Meanjin/Brisbane), put on shows like That Sound Over the Fence and Magic Mile festivals… and that’s the vibe a lot of people bring. Venues everywhere are doing it tough – we recently lost The Zoo, a mainstay for decades that we played a bunch, and we felt that one. But people keep cracking on, and incredible music keeps happening. We just played a sold out launch at The Bearded Lady, with The Stress of Leisure, Craning, and Blue Diner and a lot of friendly faces, and that felt like peak Brisbane excellence – people should look them all up.

MOTEL VOID: You’ve performed with a wide range of bands, both international and local. Are there any collaborations in the works?

BEN GREEN (TAPE/OFF): On the album we have a bunch of guests playing horns, keys, singing. On ‘Paris, Texas, Queensland’ you can hear the voice of Maddie from Renovator’s Delight and Dumb Things, and if you like our song you’d definitely dig them. We’ve contributed a song to the next House Keys compilation, on which local label 4000 Records gets “south east QLD artists paying tribute to south east QLD artists”. We’ve covered a song by our friends and favs Sekiden. That will be out in September.