Jeremy Neale Talks Tour and Plans for 2014

If you live in Brisbane you have probably heard (or even seen) Jeremy Neale. He is a man about town in the sense that he is everywhere at once — and this is a good thing. If there was a competition for 'Mr. Brisbane', he'd probably be the only nominee and the 'sure-thing' winner.

You may have seen Jeremy on stage, singing or shredding (or drumming) in one of his many bands; you may have seen him on YouTube, dreamily crooning and punching bad-guys in his video clips; you may have seen him at Black Bear Lodge where he is slinging you drinks; you may have seen him behind the decks at many jaunts around Brisbane, when he DJs under the moniker Bris Springsteen. I hope you get my point; he is everywhere — but for good reason. He is a supremely talented individual and a super nice guy.

Jeremy Neale is the frontman for 12-piece garage-rock hydra Velociraptor, but he is quickly gaining notoriety for his solo material, earning high rotation on Triple J with songs called 'Swing Left', 'Darlin'', 'A Love Affair To Keep You There' and 'In Stranger Times'. He's played around the country and earned thousands of adoring fans, each one with a story about he was really nice to them and gave them a high-five.

Jeremy is going on tour with equally talented men The John Steel Singers this month. We asked Jeremy about his tour, his music and his love of Brisbane.

G'day Jeremy! How has the past year been for you? Pretty crazy, right?

Scientifically speaking with outdated pop culture colloquialism I guess you could say it was cray cray.

You're a super busy guy. How do you find time for all your projects and still manage to live?

To be honest, last year I didn't really. I butchered myself to get stuff done. Smashed a bunch of work to pay for music and then music took up all of my spare time. It was kind of like working two full-time jobs at the same time, I guess. I didn't really get my personal life in order but like any good coming-of-age movie I learned some valuable lessons and this year I'm looking after myself a bit better, eating well, exercising, y'know? Those kinds of things. I started doing yoga again, playing basketball and indoor soccer and watching TV every so often. Normal stuff that's helping me get out of my head and into the world again.

You're touring with the John Steel Singers. What do you like about them and what do you think makes them a great band?

They're legendary dudes. They've got that band of brothers-style camaraderie that I think any good band needs to have. They're clearly intertwined in each others lives outside of just music. It's beautiful. Their tunes are great too. The evolution between Tangalooma and Everything's a Thread has just been incredible too. What you've got now is a release that is a true artistic statement. For me personally, the new album took a couple of listens to get into but it's a truly magical album and well worth your time.

What can people expect from the Jeremy Neale tour extravaganza?

If some heinous aggressive dance type bro challenges you to a breakdance fight out the front of the venue, you better let them know that I've done nothing but watch the film clip to Run DMC vs Jason Nevins 'It's Like That' for the last week so I've got your back and I'm ready.

Other than that — there'll be some music. Some guest appearances from Jeremy Neale starring as himself; myself and the band playing the songs as good as on the recordings but with this sweet live vibe. The stage banter of a young John Candy. No candy though, I don't really eat sugar. I guess it's cool if you want to though and I could probably buy some if there's a corner store nearby.

Tell us about what else you have in store for us this year?

This year is a mighty year. It seems Tiger Beams is no more, but everything else that I'm an active writer in seems to be making some exciting plans. There will be a new Velociraptor single out in a few weeks with an album coming out in July. I've been recording a bunch of new stuff with Teen Sensations as well.

As for the solo guise after the tour with The John Steel Singers, I'll be heading to play a festival in Wollongong, touring with Loon Lake, hitting up the UK for The Great Escape and subsequent international touring. Come October you should also see the first single from my new generation of club banger tracks too which is what I'm most excited about.

You DJ under the moniker Bris Springsteen so you must have a bit of hometown pride. What do you like about Brisbane as a city?

I think it's just the right size — complete with a very supportive music scene. The weather rules and there's enough good people to live a life that has meaning (if in this instance we are stating that an important testament to the value of life is making meaningful relationships with those you share the world with. Which I am in fact stating in this instance is an important aspect).

There's a bunch of cool stuff you can do and we have a man-made beach in the city. Total victory. Brisbane is a land of opportunity if you apply yourself.

When you are in town, where do you like to eat, drink and hang out?

A lot of the new places I end up venturing to are either through playing or DJing. My staple hangouts are Black Bear Lodge and Alhambra Lounge. As far as smaller bars go I really enjoy Shady Palms in Stones Corner and Jungle and The End in West End.

My favourite restaurant is still Halim's in Rosalie.

Who are some other Brisbane musicians that you think are doing great things for the local scene?

WOODBOOT are an exciting band. Roku Music are an exciting band. Occults are an exciting band. Rolls Bayce are an exciting band. The Good Sports, also an exciting band. I'm super keen to see what Go Violets will do next. I wish Johnny & The Fembots were still playing shows.

As for individuals. Andre Johansson-Walder - the kid can play but he's also just a top bloke who knows how to record bands like a pro boss. And there would be a bunch more but it's 2:40am I'm one sleepy dog, so my recall isn't great and nobody is posting on Facebook at the moment to trigger my memory. We've got a great scene of musicians, writers, venue operators, promotors and all round participants so rest assured, there's a bunch of legendary people doing legendary things right at this very moment. And maybe they're sleeping at this particular moment but they're merely charging their batteries for the most triumphant things to come.

Jeremy Neale and The John Steel Singers are playing two shows this week, both at Black Bear Lodge. More info here.