The Chemist is one of the bands to watch out for on the alt-rock scene in Australia. They claim to be “Perth’s best kept secret” and if you listen to their music you’ll definitely find yourself agreeing with that statement. We recently had the chance to ask singer/guitarist Ben Witt about his thoughts on the Internet, media, and the future of his band.
When/How was the band formed?
To cut a short story shorter, we all met through university where we all studied music. James has a degree in Jazz – respect. It happened like a snowball. I played around solo, started with Elliot, then Hamish and then James. Elliot & me started jamming in the shed towards the middle/end of ‘06, Hamish started jamming too along the way and James joined in the beginning of ‘08 – where I guess it really started.
What’s the best gig you ever played?
We launched our debut EP in Perth a couple months ago and we had a trash-man percussionist, horn section, backing girl singers & a violinist. We sold the place out, which we were stoked about (had some intense phone bills to pay).
How has social media effected the way you market/promote your band?
We don’t know a time without Myspace/Facebook, etc. However, it is integral in keeping people in the loop and providing easy access to audio for people to decide if they like/despise us. Being that a band at our level doesn’t make money, free marketing is the boss.
What’s your prediction for the next big advancement in how we find/listen to/share music?
I’ve heard about a concept in development where there will be this gigantic online jukebox and people around the world will hook it up and hear whatever they want, whenever they want, for free. The money would come in from the advertisements posted on the jukebox site. I don’t know… but all we do know is that the Internet is going to play the lead role. My only fear for this will be the extinction of album artwork. I’m sure this will still be covered somehow, however.
What’s your next big gig coming up? When/Where?
We are playing Coaster Festival in NSW towards the end of September. It’s going to be a load of fun, heaps of fun bands and Cypress Hill! If I get the chance to sneak past their entourage & have a drink with Cypress Hill, that would be like praying with the pope.
Be sure to check out all things The Chemist here.
