Stephanie Crawford chats to Nick Papadakis from Melbourne band One Kind on the eve of the releasing their first full-length album Mono/Stereo at The Spanish Club, Fitzroy.
One Kind’s music has been described as modern pop rock meets the sounds of the 80s. Nick shares with us a little of their musical journey and details of their first full-album Mono/Stereo.
Who are the lads behind One Kind?
Mick Rowan – vocals, guitars, keyboards, Viv Mitre – percussion, Nick Papadakis – bass, vocals.
When did you each realise your passion for music?
I guess we were all very young, I remember listening to music and thinking, “This is for me”, back when I was only 6 or 7 years old. I started playing in bands when I was 14, so yeah, a very early age.
What genre would you classify your music as?
I would describe our music as “melodic pop/rock”.
Who are your major musical influences?
Wow…there is a lot of music that has influenced us all individually, and there is such a diverse range of artists that we have all listened to over time. Anything from Dead Kennedys and The Clash in the early days, through to Nirvana, Soundgarden, System of a Down, Muse. Even though our music is not really in the same genre as these bands, I guess this is what influenced our playing and our musical education.
How has your music evolved since forming in 2005?
I guess our music has evolved organically, we didn’t consciously try to change directions or styles, we let it take a natural progression. I suppose our skills in writing songs have improved. I think this shows on our new album, if you compare it to our previous demos etc.
Have there been moments where you’ve wondered about the success and future of One Kind?
Never.
What’s been your biggest challenge as emerging artists? How have you been able to overcome this challenge?
I guess the biggest challenge as emerging artists has been to improve and to get our music heard. It’s one thing if your music is great, but if no one hears it, you’ll never get the recognition you deserve. So getting our music out there and heard has been the biggest challenge for us.
Congratulations on the release of your first album Mono/Stereo. What can listeners expect from this album and its 8 tracks?
Thanks very much. Well, I guess listeners can expect a “feel good” album, it’s good to drive with. There are a couple of “darker” numbers, but all in all it’s a fast tempo, sing-a-long kinda album.
What’s a stand out track on the album for you?
For pure pop, the opening track Good Vibrations is a stand out, it has a catchy chorus and a great rhythm to it. My own personal favourite is the album closer We Could Be Anybody. It’s a very meaningful song, with a great chorus and it’s great to play live.
All lyrics are penned by Michael Rowan, what are the main themes or topics for your songs?
The main themes of the songs from the new album are hope, positivity and progress. Moving on from a previous relationship, putting things in perspective, having a great time…all these sorta themes are what this album is about. Michael has really grown as a songwriter, and his lyrics are frickin’ cool.
Can you tell us about your best memories of recording Mono/Stereo?
There are a lot of great memories that I have in making this album, I guess the times locked up in the studio with Rob Long our engineer are among the best. Putting some basslines dow will really stick with me, because I felt it was really coming together at that point. When you are working with a guy like Rob, he will always give you straight-up feedback, and when he says something is great, you know it is. So yeah, just liaising with Rob on my basslines and sound is a great memory for me.
What’s the ultimate direction for One Kind? What are your plans for the future?
Well, I guess we want to keep gigging, and get our music out there as much as we can. We will be doing a film clip in the near future also.
How can fans access your music? Do you have a Website, Facebook page or Twitter account? Are you on iTunes?
All of the above! www.onekind.com.au is the website, from there you can click on our Facebook and Twitter pages. And yes, our music is available for purchase on iTunes.
