INTERVIEW: Sweetspot
I: Hi, welcome to this week’s Something Something interview and with us today, we have the lovely Sweetspot. So, if you’d just like to introduce yourselves, and what you guys do?
J: I am Joe Andrew, and I’m always at the back, I am the drummer.
A: I’m Alana Hauraki, and I play the bass.
P: I’m Philip Kim, I play rhythm guitar and I sing sometimes.
Z: G’day, I’m Zar Naylor and I play lead guitar.
How’s it going guys?
J: Oh, I think its going pretty good, we’ve just been taken mid practice and we’ve just been having a bit of a jam, having a bit of a good time!
I: Oh yeah, nice and sweaty from the practice room.
J: Absolutely, a little sticky, but that’s part of our brand and we’re okay with that.
I: How has 2021 been for you guys so far?
P: It’s been a little bit chaotic, as all years you know? There was the big Coronavirus scare and we were scared we weren’t gonna play, but we got gigs and stuff and things and yeah that’s good fun aye.
J: I just think we’ve been having a good time so far and there’s a lot of good times ahead personally!
I: On the topic of 2021, what’s the rest of the year gonna look like? We got any big releases coming up do we?
A: So, we are working on releasing a single… Two? Double? What do you call it? A-side B-side single, probably later in the year around September, so that’s gonna be pretty exciting. And later after that, working on some EPs.
P: And the EPs are like, all connected so it’s gonna be really cool so just, keep that in mind.
I: If you were on a desert island, completely stranded, nothing but water around you and you could only bring one record, what would it be?
J: Bad Hagrid’s Planet of the Androgynites, local plug, fantastic, if you have not heard it, go and listen to it, it’s good shit.
P: Joe is the biggest fan of Bad Hagrid.
J: I am the unofficial biggest fan of Bad Hagrid, um, don’t show this to them.
I: Oh they’ll see it.
J: Show this to them.
A: Maybe like, A Night at the Opera by Queen, I feel like there are some bangers on that, and I couldn’t get sick of it.
P: Personally, I think Jeff Buckley’s Grace, he has some good vocals and I aspire to be like him, he’s pretty cool.
Z: I’m gonna have to go with Obscured by Clouds by Pink Floyd.
I: Pineapple on pizza?
A: Yes. Yes. If you think no, you’re wrong.
P: It’s okay, like, I wouldn’t prefer to have pineapple on pizza but-
A: You’re wrong.
P: If there’s pineapple on pizza, I’m not gonna say no, its pizza, y’know?
Z: Probably leaning towards the no, but it’s not as bad as onion on pizza.
*whole group yelling about onion*
Z: Onion is the worst, just get it the hell away from me.
J: You don’t like onion?
A: Zar doesn’t get the microphone anymore.
J: You’ve lost your privileges, man!
I: How do the four of you stay motivated and excited to keep playing music?
J: I wake up every morning and I look at Philip Kim. It’s a mixture between passion and lust, I’ll be honest. But like, that man could get me to walk to the ends of the earth, because I just look at his face and I’ll do anything for that man. That keeps me motivated, that’s what I aspire to be, that’s what I aspire to want to have.
P: I feel scared if I’m not doing anything.
Z: Maybe just, I just keep playing music, y’know like, if you’re not feeling it, just pick up a guitar and I find that just re-sparks what you’ve been missing.
A: I just enjoy like, playing my bass. Just playing with people. It’s just fun.
I: What is in your pockets right now?
J: A phone.
P: A phone.
Z: A phone.
J: Headphones. But like, Apple ones because, fucking adapters these days, right kids?
Z: Phone, wallet, keys. The classic.
I: Very simple, chapstick,
Z: Yeah you know I gotta keep that thing on me.
J: Um, keys, good shit.
P: yeah nah, Alana doesn’t have pockets.
A: Yeah women just don’t have pockets. Women just don’t have pockets. So I have absolutely nothing in my pockets. That’s why I have that one. *pointing to Philip*
P: I keep her keys.
A: Yeah that’s who carries my keys and my phone, since I don’t have pockets.
P: Where’s your phone right now?
A: It’s on the bench.
J: I’ll be honest, I’m not actually wearing pants, I’m wearing togs here so like, they’re not the best for like, little things because there’s holes.
A: Why are there holes, Joe?
J: Oh no, they’re, no, they’re like, yeah like, you have to have your pockets able to dry quickly when you’re in togs. And like, y’know it’s just not necessarily the best form of containing things. I don’t know, I’ll leave that up to you, the audience.
I: Tog reckons.
I: What are your goals and plans other than of course, these lovely releases for the rest of the year?
Z: We’ll take the spotlight away from Sweetspot for a bit, I’ve got big plans with my flatmate and good friend Xuzz, were gonna be doing some duo things, hoping to release some singles and eventually an EP very soon, and I’m actually looking to leave Sweetspot unfortunately, so I can’t talk too much about their future, but I’ll hand it on to Philip Kim.
P: Yeah, just get heaps of gigs. I like playing, I like being on stage, I crave the attention, you have no idea, like, I am an attention whore and I’m proud sort of thing. And yeah, I just wanna play heaps and get like, integrated into the Wellington scene a little bit. Like, that’d be nice because we’re still newcomers, so yeah.
A: I’m just looking to survive the uni year honestly. It’s rough but yeah, just looking in Sweetspot terms to get kinda situated in the scene.
J: What we’re looking for, I think for Sweetspot is, we’re looking to do some new gigs in some new locations, I think we’ve got a cheeky Eyegum coming about y’know? I don’t know, like, we’ll see, we’ll see. But we’d love to play in some of the new, well, the newer to us Wellington venues and things and get some serious vibes out there. Personally, for my own goals and things, I think I just, I don’t know, keen to try a Brazilian wax. I don’t know, something new, something new, I’m keen to change it up.
P: Can I do it?
J: Oh yeah, I mean go for it man!
P: Can I wax you?
J: We could do this across Something Something, we could make it a livestream. Surely.
P: Can we wax Joe?
I: A Something Something Brazilian wax livestream.
J: Yeah!
I: What do we reckon guys?
P: Something Something is branching out.
I: Branching into body modification.
J: Body mods, piercings, tattoos. Something Something, we’ll do it for you.
What was your main drive to start Sweetspot?
J: That lies between like, me and Phil. Like, it was the first day of uni and like, Phil and I both just wanted to be in a band and we were doing like, speed dating?
P: Yeah, yeah, the speed dating thing! Yeah, that’s how we fell in love. Yeah. No, I just saw Joe and I was like “He seems like he’ll be pretty cool to start a band with.” And then I was like “ Hey, you start a band with me.” And then he was like “Yup.” And then yup, it happened. And then Alana just kinda came along with Joe, because they were neighbours. And then Zar, we just picked him off of the street.
Z: That’s about right.
A: Y’know we had the white van and everything. He was just y’know, bicycling home,
Z: Can’t say no to that candy.
A: With his little bicycle helmet, and then we just snatched him up in our little white van.
J: But yeah, basically it’s just been like, Phil and I just had a desire to try and make it in Wellington, and we’ve picked up other people who are also keen to make it.
I: I think I already know the answer but, who is the biggest diva in Sweetspot?
Z: Philip.
P: I am not the biggest diva in Sweetspot. I AM the biggest diva, ok, like, that has to be said. I am just the biggest diva.
J: I would like to contest, I would like to put myself forward as the biggest diva, in that Phil and I clash in terms of our diva-ness.
I: Like right now?
J: Right now.
A: I gotta say, they’re divas, but in very different ways. You crave attention *pointing at Philip*, where you are just automatically the centre of attention in everything *pointing at Joe*.
J: Zarek? Your thoughts?
P: I think Zar’s the biggest diva.
A: Yup, actually.
Z: Next question please?
What’s an instrument that you can’t play, but you wish you could?
Z: its gotta be cello for me, I just think its a beautiful sounding instrument and I would love to learn it one day.
A: Actually, quite similar, I always wanted to learn cello, but cello was always too expensive of an instrument, so that’s something that, or like, violin, also pretty fun, just any stringed instrument.
P: I reckon something brass, like a trumpet? Or like, even like a reed, like a saxophone, or just something shiny and big. A trombone! You could do the *trombone noise* I think that’d be fun. I think that’d be fun.
J: That would be a good time. Personally I would always like, love to see a brass section in any band. And I feel like if Sweetspot had their own brass section, that would be killer. And I would love to play the saxophone like, I know it’s very like, “oh y’know, saxophone” but like, you can’t beat it in terms of sex appeal. You can’t beat it. You can’t-
A: A sexy sax man!
J: A sexy sax man, and like, anyone who can move their hips and play the saxophone at any given point, at any given time, has nailed it in life.
I: Yeah I’d agree to be honest. And like, everybody else that we’ve asked that question to has said saxophone as well.
J: Exactly. Do you have your own personal instrument though?
I: Saxophone honestly, yeah.
J: See?
P: Sexy sax! Sexy sax!
I: You just can’t beat it. I’d watch like, the senior band sax players play when I was in high school, and I was just like the B guitarist and I’d sit behind them and be like “nah, I can’t do it.”
I: Before we wrap up, is there any final thoughts, anything you wanna say to the Something Something audience?
Z: Enjoy the rest of your day.
P: You guys should totally come to CubaDupa, it’ll be really good fun.
A: How’s it going.
J: I’m Joe Andrew, this is Alana Hauraki, this is Zarek Naylor, that’s Philip Kim, we are Sweetspot. Have a lovely day.
