Formula Indie Sessions : Interview with Mandemaker
Dusty: Guitarist and Songwriter
Pez: Drums and Production
What is your earliest memory connected to music?
Dusty: My earliest memory connected to music is of listening to Treaty by Yothu Yindi on repeat as a small child. I was obsessed with the song.
Pez: Playing my Dad’s record collection on the turntable when I was around 6. He was an event DJ, so he had a pretty sick PA set up in the living room. I was mainly playing the Grease soundtrack, The Beatles, and Eagles tunes.
How did your passion for creating music begin?
Pez: I first started writing tunes with my high school band back around 2008. In 2010 I started learning the ropes of recording and producing music and that’s all I ever wanted to do since.
What’s the story behind your current music project?
Dusty: It’s an old project that’s found new life. A few years ago, I had to walk away from the band due to some pretty severe mental health struggles. Even though I isolated myself, Pez was persistent and stayed in touch. He would always tell me how good our songs were, how much potential they still had, and how we should do something with them. I was reluctant at first. Over the time I softened to the idea and threw out the idea: “If we find a new vocalist, I’d be keen to give it another shot.”
And that’s when Pez found Dan. From there, it was all them who put in the work and made the project a reality.
How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard your music before?
Dusty: A little post-punk a little dream pop.
Pez: Yeah… like if The Gaslight Anthem were playing alongside Gang Of Youths, but all the gear set up was left behind by Joy Division.
What is one thing you’ve learned that completely changed the way you make music?
Dusty: How to accept that it’s never going to sound exactly the way I want it to. Learning to let go, and say “this is enough.”
Pez: It’s never too late to pick something back up.
What tools, instruments, or software are essential in your creative process?
Pez: Amp tones and pedals… We used a nice clean amp with plenty of headroom with a T-Rex Mudhoney drive into the front, along with a Flux Effects reverb. Between that and XPand! 2, we’re over 90% done in naming the important gear. Transient shapers are handy too, to soften the attack on the guitar.
Which indie artist or song are you loving right now?
Dusty: Ninajirachi’s I love my computer, Rochelle Jordan’s Through the wall & Model/Actriz’s Pirouette have probably been my 3 favourite records this year.
What emotions or messages do you hope listeners take from your work?
Dusty: I don’t hope for listeners to take any particular message from my work. I’m not trying to push an idea or shape how anyone should feel. If someone connects with it, great. If they don’t, that’s fine too. I think everyone brings their own story to what they hear, and I don’t want to interfere with that. Feel whatever you need to feel, or nothing at all. There’s no message, no hidden meaning.
Pez: I just hope they have a good time!
What’s the most important lesson music has taught you so far?
Pez: Persistence, resilience and discipline. That and letting go of perfection… Because the most important thing is to be authentic.
What is a dream venue or festival you would love to perform at?
Dusty: I hate playing live shows, but if I had to pick a dream venue, it’d probably be X Convenience Oval. I’ve always been a fan of Central Districts Football Club, so getting the chance to perform there would be pretty fun.
Pez: Wherever My Bloody Valentine is playing.
If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?
Dusty: It’s a tie between Cold Chisel and Kylie Minogue. Cold Chisel are hometown heroes, they really capture what my community is all about and shine a light on the best parts that people don’t always see. And Kylie Minogue, well, she’s my all-time favourite artist.
Where can our listeners follow and support your music? (Website,Spotify, IG, links)
https://open.spotify.com/artist/3hLsIdS1yMWJYXyPwnNW5M?si=UyQoS-AuSju4EYcqsEjavw
https://mandemaker.bandcamp.com/track/beyonc
https://www.instagram.com/mandemaker_sa/
Looking toward the future, what’s your dream for the next chapter of your musical journey?
Dusty: I’d love to make a song like One Day in September or All I Want for Christmas Is You , something that gets thrashed once a year. It’d be the dream: a nice payday that rolls around annually, and you’d only have to work hard for a couple of weeks to make it happen.
Pez: At this stage? Maybe finish this EP that has been sitting on my PC since 2018.
What do you hope listeners will discover about you along the way?
Pez: I hope that listeners discover that I am just a chill guy.
