Bachelor of Arts - Interview

Angus Tarnawsky and Bill Forshaw, the drums and guitar of Bachelor of Arts respectively are leading me down successive Laneways in search of dinner. Angus, tall, assuming and confident hasn’t stopped talking to me and the random strangers who approach us since meeting in the venue ten minutes ago. Bill, quiet, shy and unassuming, looks bewildered by the situation, like he’s more than used to it happening, but that it never ceases to amaze him.

Settling on Thai, we discussed Australia, music and life whilst a waiter kept informing us of the ‘rules√Æ of ordering like we were ensconced in an Orwellian nightmare.

So did how the band form and why?
‘We didn’t have Girlfriends!√Æ Bill quips.
Angus continues, ‘We were in High School in tiny Launceston, where there’s not a lot else to do, we had access to a studio, so just recorded things. As a drummer, there wasn’t much melodic stuff I could write except overly melodramatic material, Bill ended up writing songs that I really liked, more than mine. We played a few short sets locally, and then it came to our first proper gig in town at a local pub that had an originals night one night a week?√Æ

’Hey Bill you recap the ‘Irish Murphy’s story’√Æ

’We turned up and tried to work the PA, we couldn’t hear anything, so kept turning it up. At the time we were only a two-piece, using computers and samplers. The venue kept complaining, there are too many beats, we don’t understand the lyrics, this isn’t generic rock! The crowd didn’t get it and the venue asked us to stop playing, informing us that we wouldn’t be paid as people left during the set and they actually lost money√Æ

After moving to Melbourne the band expanded to a three piece about a year ago adding Kevin McDowell on Bass and the band attempted to recreate and adapt their electro sound with the new three-piece line up. Some old songs were dropped and new ones written, parts were dropped and arrangements changed, i.e. swirling synths replaced with vocal harmonies.

As we are hit by a rogue grain of rice flying through the air from the direction of a gang of drunken revellers, Bachelor of Arts explain to me how the music scene in Australia works and how they fit into it.
‘It’s all about friends, you make friends, you get onto the right bills at the right venues (for you) by getting to know people and setting up networks around the country. We’ve made some horrendous errors in judgement over the past few months, but now we’re getting to know who to trust.
When we were younger we thought you could only book shows only in venues, but we’ve realised that it’s about the people involved with things, not necessarily the place, so sometimes gigs in Art spaces, galleries, Warehouses and the like can be more enjoyable and beneficial. Sometime bands in smaller venues can end up paying to play, as they have to cover costs (Soundmen etc.), you play a gig and you’re $50 down.√Æ

I’m sure you’ve been asked this many times, but where does the name come from?
‘Ah, well, there’s a variety of reasons, I’m Bill, he’s Angus, B and A.√Æ

What about the ‘O’, your bassist is called Kevin.

‘Hmm, well it’s also because we realised we were destined to become Bachelors of Arts.√Æ

’We just discovered a plethora of wonderful conspiracy theories that related back to the same name, I just can’t quite remember what that all were.√Æ

It’s Saturday night; there are 101 bands out in Melbourne playing tonight, why should someone part with their hard earned cash to see Bachelor of Arts?
Well, we don’t really have a solid reason, we’d rather people came and saw us because they want to. In fact, it’s a great line up tonight, come for the other bands instead!

Published in InPress