Californian experimental duo The Garden don’t have time to muck around. Having formed in 2011, the band have been touring relentlessly since 2013. Twins Wyatt and Fletcher Shears, who make up The Garden, saw their debut EP The Life and Times of a Paperclip to international acclaim.
They’ve since released two more full-length albums – 2015 saw the release of Haha and 2018 Mirror Might Steal Your Charm. The Garden are performers just as much as they are musicians; their onstage presence is something that can only be seen to be believed. Heading to Australia for the second time, we asked The Garden to sit down in between shows to chat quickly about fashion, jesters and making music with your twin.
Cali duo The Garden took a two-minute break out of their busy schedule to give some short and sweet answers to the questions we’d been dying to ask.
HAPPY: Could you explain the concept of “vada vada” for people who aren’t in the know?
WYATT: Free creative expression
FLETCHER: Less of a concept, more of just a simple mindset. Basically what he said.
HAPPY: Who do you look to as creative influences, music or otherwise?
WYATT: My influences change all of the time. Old punk, ’90s jungle. Whatever sounds good at the time.
FLETCHER: It’s always changing. DnB and Jungle are a big influence and have been on us.
HAPPY: You’ve used the court jester character for the past few years as a symbol for entertainment. Is there another analogical character in the works?
WYATT: No:)
FLETCHER: No :)
HAPPY: Do you feel like The Garden ever gets in the way of your respective solo projects (Puzzle and Enjoy) or vice versa?
WYATT: They all get in the way of each other, it’s just about being able to separate them and keep the projects feeling different from one another.
FLETCHER: They get in the way, but it’s not really that important honestly. And it doesn’t really matter at all.
HAPPY: Have you found that your experience working in fashion has had an impact on your music, positive or negative?
WYATT: Negative in outside perspective at times, but mostly all positive gain for us. Different crowds at live shows, and more of an audience.
FLETCHER: Yeah, he summed it up well enough.
HAPPY: Do you have any favourite Australian acts?
WYATT: No :(
HAPPY: You’re both super into hockey. Are there any other sports/secret talents no one knows about?
WYATT: I feel like I’ve talked about them all already, so on that account, probably not.
FLETCHER: I can shoot clay plates out of the air with a shotgun pretty well.
HAPPY: Do you get sick of people asking you what it’s like to work with your twin?
WYATT: There is no way to stop repeat questions… they are just going to keep coming. But I’ve talked about it in a lot of interviews since 2013, so it’s out there.
FLETCHER: It doesn’t matter in the grand scheme. Nobody reads our interviews anymore anyways. We always get asked the same questions. I wouldn’t read them either.
HAPPY: What’s next for The Garden?
WYATT: Broadway, and a big ol’ top hat.
Catch The Garden live at any of the following dates:
Feb 21st – The Curtin, Melbourne
Feb 22nd – The Brightside, Brisbane
Feb 23rd – Sol Bar, Maroochydore
Feb 24th – Miami Shark Bar, Gold Coast
Feb 28th – Mojo’s Bar, Fremantle
March 1st – Paddington RSL, Sydney
March 2nd – Farmer & The Owl Festival, Wollongong
March 3rd – The Phoenix, Canberra
More info here.
