Ian Kenny has been travelling a lot lately.
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So much, in fact, that when asked where he is calling from, his response is: “I’m in Melbourne ... no, wait. I’m in Sydney.”
Evidently, Kenny’s life is a whirlwind of touring and recording.
But that’s nothing new for the humble rock singer with the soaring voice, who divides his time equally between two of Australia’s biggest acts – Karnivool and Birds of Tokyo.
Today’s subject is the former.
Karnivool – the louder, abstract and more progressive of Kenny’s two musical outlets – are celebrating the 10th anniversary of their debut album, Themata – an ambitious album that cemented them as one of the country’s most exciting live acts.
“We’re aware 10 years has passed, but it doesn’t feel like it,” the singer says.
“The world of music has this suspension about it, where time only applies at certain times.
“I think rock ‘n’ roll keeps you young, in a sense.
“Thankfully, we don’t have to listen to the clock too much – though there’s times when we should listen to the clock because it can take us three or four years to make records.”
A decade on, Themata still sounds like a modern and ambitious rock record.
Fans will get to hear the record performed live, from start to finish, when Karnivool embark on their Themata Decade Tour.
At the time of Themata‘s creation, Karnivool were very independent and made the album on a shoestring budget with producer Forrester Savell.
“We were just a very young band and we had nothing apart from the guitars in hand and the abilities,” Kenny says.
“We would just wing it the whole way.
“We just shacked up at [guitarist Drew Goddard’s] parents’ house, they had a backyard that had a little art studio out the back.
“We basically took that over and wrote as much as we could and played as much as we could there to get the record happening.
“It was the first record we’d made, so we just threw it together – thankfully, by the time we had the material we had Forrester on board and his production and direction on there.
“In conjunction with the band having a clearer picture of the final stages we got the record to sound and be what we wanted it to be.”
The band’s approach to songwriting has been consistent since Themata, with the band often feeling their way through new songs in the studio without a clear plan.
“We don’t always know what we’re doing,” Kenny (pictured) says.
“We’ve really got to go in there and commit and write whatever is coming out of the band at the time and following it in the dark until it reveals itself.
“That’s always how we do it, we never start out with a clear picture of what we’re going to do.”
Musicians are often their own worst critics, but Kenny remains proud of what Karnivool achieved sonically on Themata.
“I hadn’t listened to the record in the longest time, I haven’t had much reason to, but listening to it now with the tour coming up, the record sounds good,” he says.
“The whole presentation of the record feels good.
“It’s bringing a lot of things back for the band.
“It’s just hitting home that we did create something that is so important to fans of the band.
“That’s something we try to honour and respect as much as we can.”
Kenny’s busy schedule is set to continue for the rest of the year, as he travels back and forward between studios to work on new albums with both Karnivool and Birds of Tokyo.
Karnivool have already toured Europe this year, where they remain a big drawcard, and also returned to their fanatical fanbase in India to perform at University festivals.
“It’s our third time to India,” Kenny says.
“Somehow Karnivool, I think a lot due to filesharing, has a following in India.
“Great shows, man, really passionate music fans over there.
“They’re really into heavy music – very opinionated and up to date.”
Kenny says Karnivool’s European fans are equally enthusiastic.
“We really enjoyed being on the road, Europe is such a crazy place to tour because of the fans,” Kenny says.
“They’re absolute fanatic fans for Karnivool.
"Luckily we’ve struck a chord over there with a bunch of people who like what we do.”
Karnivool’s Themata Decade tour visits Newcastle Panthers on Friday, May 1.
Tickets are available from Moshtix.com.au.