Dune Rats And DZ Deathrays Captivate SoCal

DUNE RATS

DUNE RATS play Soda Bar Nov. 7, The Echo Nov. 8, Constellation Room Nov. 9; photo Nick Parkinson

If you consider yourself a resident of Southern California, are a fan of upbeat, Australian garage punk rock, then brace yourself for some stellar news: Dune Rats are coming to town(s). Touring all over the SoCal coastline with DZ Deathrays, they will be stopping first at Soda Bar Nov. 7, driving up to The Echo Nov. 8, before finishing up their SoCal residency at Constellation Room Nov. 9.

Filled to the brim with fast, moshpity rhythms, fuzzy, enveloping guitar distortions, and catchy melodies sung with vocals that often break with the sincerity of true, balls-out passion, their music is made to sweep you up and make you move. With lyrics that speak to the counterculture inside all of us, their 2015 self-titled release bursts with the various, delighted sounds of three guys who would rather everyone just calmed down and stopped taking everything so seriously. Which will no doubt make for a rollicking good concert, but you already knew that.

Taking a moment out of their tour-time antics, many of which are filmed and put on their YouTube channel, filed under Dunies TV (check it out, they’re over-the-top hilarious/awesome), drummer/vocalist BC Michaels gave Concert Guide Live a little look inside the mind of a Dune Rat, complete with a variety of answers to a variety of questions, and, more importantly, an explanation of “Dalai Lama’s” inexplicable lyrics.

CONCERT GUIDE LIVE: So when can we expect a new album?
BC MICHAELS: Next year I reckon. And what can we expect from it? A step up from the boys!

CGL: As an Australian band, do you prefer to play in Australia? If not, where has been your favourite place to perform?
BCM: South Africa, Prague, Bangkok and Canada are all awesome! Nothing compares to Australian crowds though.

CGL: What do you want people to feel when they listen to your music?
BCM: Happy.

CGL: What do you love most about touring/being on the road?
BCM: Not working a day job.

DUNE RATS

Dune Rats; photo Nick Parkinson

CGL: If you could go on tour with any band, living or dead, who would it be and why?
BCM: Probably Blink 182 or The Beatles because it’d be unreal.

CGL: What inspired you guys to start Ratbag Records? How would you describe the whole process of starting a record label?
BCM: Just to help out our friend’s bands with cash and a bit of a platform. It’s quite the process.

CGL: How did Dunies TV come about? Does one (or all) of you have an interest in filmmaking?
BCM: We all just thought there was so much classic shit happening around us that it’d be mad to show anyone who was up for a laugh.

CGL: I have to ask, what is the meaning behind the lyrics of Dalai Lama?
BCM: Danny once asked the Dalai Lama a question in person on stage in Brisbane when we visited, grew up in Coffs Harbour where the big banana is from and we were smoking fuckloads of pot.

CGL: Given that your music is consistently high energy, raunchy, garage punk, do you guys listen to any artists that might surprise your fans?
BCM: Brett listens to pretty much everything. Danny doesn’t listen to much and I’m listening to Frenzal rhomb at the moment. Yew!