Taine Joso know how to write a seriously formidable track, but who are some of the artists who inspire them? We caught up with the boys to find out…
On their latest single, Taine Joso unleashed an ode to the times. Armoured in bloodthirsty choruses and nearly poetic lyricism, Riots sees the Brisbane four-piece tear down the structures that seek to oppress us and revolt against their very nature. The single is the affliction of Soundgarden wrapped in the musical ambition of Zeppelin and Floyd.
Fresh off the release, we caught up with the group to break down the making of the track, their musical inspirations, and what’s on the horizon for Taine Joso.
HAPPY: Hey there guys, how’s it going? What do you find yourself doing right this moment?
TAINE: Hi, I am studying an online marine science course that I started during the COVID shutdown.
DANIEL: Finishing my last semester of a music degree, most of my free time is spent practising drums and going down YouTube rabbit holes.
CHRIS: Graduated from Uni recently, I’m just happy to have live music back!
ALEX: I’m scoring a Griffith student film but, in all honesty, mostly just playing the video game Hades.
HAPPY: Congratulations on the release of Riots! How does it feel to have it out in the world?
BAND: It’s been a blast turning what was once just a solo performance of voice and guitar into an epic ballad with strings and a hard-hitting rhythm section. The process took over a year to collaborate and finally hearing the finished product, from our engineer Jeff Lovejoy, put a smile on all our faces. Now, finally being able to release into the world is a fantastic feeling, we couldn’t be happier with how it sounds.
HAPPY: Despite the track’s heavier moments, I felt an undeniable reference to the vibrato of Jeff Buckley in those beautiful, mournful vocals. What is it about his music that you’ve drawn from?
TAINE: That’s very flattering of you to say. Jeff Buckley has definitely had the greatest influence upon my songwriting and performing, more so than any other artist. I believe he was a master of performative conviction: you just believe and hang on to every single word he sings. Whenever I’ve watched him perform or listened to Grace, there seems to be this mysterious magnetism that is constantly drawing you in, even making you forget about the world around you entirely. He keeps you in the moment, the now. He was much akin to an actor, just so emotionally and physically invested in the performances he was giving, he was reliving the experiences that made him write the songs in the first place.
You could see the pain in his eyes as well as his honeyed cries, he was a method performer, I believe. Every performance I give, especially concerning singing, I try to immerse myself fully into the worlds of my songs and attempt to give it my all emotionally, à la Monsieur Buckley. Of course, I also strive to improve the technicality of my voice much like he did, compose interesting compositions and write beautiful poetic lyrics, much like he did. “My kingdom for kiss upon her shoulder.” It’s hard to describe the sheer beauty I find in his lyricism, he could have been a poet if he wanted. He’s one of those rarities that just had it all; the voice, the music, and the lyrics. He’s the beacon that I aspire to be like every day, but there is only one Jeff Buckley.
HAPPY: Who else would you signpost as inspirations for your music?
TAINE: Led Zeppelin are a pretty huge influence on us. All super-competent musicians, performers, and songwriters. There’s always so much energy permeating from their music and performances, they’re all constantly hitting you in the face with how awesome they are. They were titans in human skin. We all still get chills listening to Stairway to Heaven when the solo kicks in. Soundgarden is another one, Chris Cornell was such a monster singer. He had so much grit, especially in his high range, and the songs were great.
DANIEL: I grew up with a family who listened to Zeppelin and Floyd, and as I got older, this developed into alternative music along with grunge and heavy metal bands. These bands all influenced and shaped my playing and tastes. As a performer, I respect and admire hard-working bands who are willing to take risks. I remember reading about just how hard INXS worked to be a successful band, all the highs and lows and the dedication they had to make it work, it still inspires me to this day.
CHRIS: Most of my musical influence is from prog-rock. Bands like Tool, Rush, Dream Theater, and Between The Buried And Me were huge influences on my musicality, as well as Steven Wilson. I enjoy bands that challenge the status quo, making interesting and dynamic music, whether that means perfecting a simple idea or devising a complex set of riffs.
ALEX: Devin Townsend is a constant inspiration. The man’s a monster, constantly pushing the envelope in composition and production, creating incredible, ambitious albums, whether he’s got a budget or just in his basement.
HAPPY: Did the four of you have a meet-cute as a band? Where did music start for you all?
DANIEL: The four of us were all in different stages of our lives musically, however, we were all students of QUT Music at around the same time in 2019 and all met organically through that. Taine was performing solo original material around Brisbane, I was in and out of some blues bands, and Chris and Alex were in their own progressive metal bands. A creative performance group brought Taine and I together, we became friends quickly and started recording on each other’s projects, eventually forming a collaboration at the end of 2019 as a collective band. Alex was brought in on bass initially, then switched to lead guitar once Chris joined the band.
HAPPY: And the name Taine Joso, where did that come from?
TAINE: That’s a fairly simple story, it’s just my full name: Taine Josephson, shortened to Taine Joso. Our marketing researchers told us it tested well with 18-29-year-olds. Nah, that’s a joke, we couldn’t think of a name, so we just used my name. I wish we could say a great eagle dropped a golden tablet into our arms and it was inscribed with the titular words but unfortunately, we do not have that liberty.
HAPPY: There are so many different genres incorporated in your music, do you feel like your sound is always evolving? Or do you feel like you’ve settled on something concrete?
TAINE: I think we all strive to branch out of our comfort zones and listen to a more diverse array of genres. I try to listen to a lot of world music and international artists, especially more Eastern genres. We all listen to metal, rock, blues, soul, rap, folk, and funk. The goal of any artist, I believe, is to evolve and branch out over time, so I do not believe we’ll ever settle on something concrete. We’ll always try to bring variety into our music. We’ll always have that ’70s/’90s rock foundation but I think we’ll incorporate more differing influences into our compositions over time.
HAPPY: I have to mention the epic artwork for Riots, is there a story there?
ALEX: For the single art, I had an image in my head for a while that was mostly just splashes of colour, contrasting warm and cool tones. I had the initial idea to paint light and water and, from there, the painting sort of just naturally came together while I played the track over and over. There were a few different concepts I pitched to the guys before we decided on this version, but the key theme that stayed between each iteration was an explosion against the night sky. I think I was able to communicate somewhat how the track makes me feel, so I’m pretty chuffed with how it turned out!
HAPPY: What’s been playing on your isolation playlist of late?
TAINE: Well, I’ve been listening to a lot of gangsta rap lately; Tupac, Wu-Tang, Twista, N.W.A., Ice Cube, and Ol’ Dirty Bastard.
DANIEL: Tool, Plini, Deftones, watching a lot of classic live performances of bands like Dio, Led Zeppelin. I have also been watching a lot of drummer performances from guys like Gavin Harrison and Thomas Lang.
ALEX: I’ve been on a bit of a doom/stoner rock binge at the moment, bands like Red Fang, The Sword, Blood Ceremony, Mastodon, etc. Anything with detuned guitars and lyrics about witches is doing it for me
CHRIS: A bit of a mixed bag over quarantine for myself, everything from Between The Buried And Me, Caligula’s Horse, and The Human Abstract to Weather Report, Victor Wooten, and Trioscapes.
HAPPY: What’s next for Taine Joso?
TAINE: We’re gearing up to go back into the studio and record some more singles over the next few months. We’ll also be playing some more shows and writing some new material as well. Hustlers for life!.
HAPPY: Cheers for the chat!
TAINE: No worries!
Check out Riots here.
