Frente the 'anti rock band' from Australia composed of singer Angie Hart, guitarist Simon Austin, bassist Bill McDonald, drummer Alaister Barden and keyboardist Fraiser Brandly, were recently in town promoting their new album Shape, where we hooked up for an interview. Shape, not being as acoustic as Marvin, has caused the band some heartache. Says singer Angie Hart "It's funny because in America I think we are known as a much more acoustic band, because of what we have released here. But we have released stuff that is not so known, so it's a natural progression for us, but for Americans it's a bit of a shock."
Amid streetcars and ice water Angie and I sat down to discuss the finer points of punctuation.
Pheiff: Why did you drop the exclamation mark?
Angie: It's not really important but... just because it's not supposed to be there. We just started off and it kinda stayed.
Pheiff: Wasn't it your artwork that put it on there?
Angie: Yeah, but then it never left. Which it should have, it's not like it's part of the name or anything.
Pheiff: Do you think the media pays to much attention to silly things like exclamation marks?
Angie: I think people want them too. A lot of people like it. Think about the whole Prince phenomenon.
Pheiff: You've toured around the world in support of Marvin, and now Shape. What is your favorite place to play?
Angie: I don't know, its all different. We really loved the UK, we were just there doing promotional stuff and a few small shows. I am really getting into being in London at the moment.
Pheiff: Do you like small shows more then bigger venues?
Angie: Yeah
Pheiff: Does the band portray themselves better?
Angie: It's just easier to connect with people. You get eye contact with people and you can read a small audience and make something happen.
Pheiff: How did you get involved with the Alanis Moressette tour?
Angie: We're not sure exactly, but our old tour manager whose first tour managing job was with us, is now doing Alanis. A bit of a step up!
Pheiff: Is the age difference between you and Simon and Bill, an issue in the band?
Angie: It kinda evened out a lot more. We all seem to be of similar walks of life, we changed bass players obviously. A friend of mine is on the tour now, my best friend Nadi, was travailing around and hooked up with us. We have a fifth member, to play live with us at the moment, and he is like 22.
Pheiff: Trevor?
Angie: Fraiser (Laughs)
Pheiff: It seems whenever you record you record a few cover versions of songs. Why?
Angie: We just started doing it for b-sides, and it wasn't an issue until Bizarre Love Triangle, and it was just like an extra sort of thing for people. It was just something different. We always started off with our original songs, and then just started having fun.
Pheiff: In North America, MTV has a show called MTV Unplugged, does Frente ever do a really LOUD show?
Angie: I don't have the vocal capacity to actually do that, but we have one song on the record that we really did like that, What's Come Over Me. The day that we recorded that, which I CO-wrote that with Cameron, we sort of had a deal, I got to write Sit On My Hands, and he got to have What's Come Over Me.
Pheiff: You said in an interview a few years ago, that you became big in the Australian scene, but then became "dagy". What is the response now?
Angie: Now I think we have earned respect, cause we have been in the dog house. We have done our time, type of thing. It's been good.
Pheiff: Silverchair got big here and changed the way North American's thought of the Australian scene. Did that effect the scene within Australia?
Angie: They are one band! Not really though, it's like grunge is sort of mainstream thing now, so it's like someone going around the world and selling millions of records. But that's FM radio, that's another world!
Pheiff: Because Australia is about equal distance from England and the US, do you think it's a good environment for experimentation?
Angie: There is a lot of bands in Melbourne coming up. It's very competitive because it's so small, and it's like a lot of small venues and people doing what they want to do. So if you are thick skinned you can really get around and do some great stuff.
Pheiff: Why did Tim O'Connor (old bassist) and Mark Picton (old drummer) leave the band?
Angie: Well Mark was kicked out. (Laughs) Tim just got sick of it, sick of touring and he just wanted to stay at home. He wanted to be with his own band.
Pheiff: Did you feel pressure for Shape to appease Marvin fans?
Angie: No, it's kinda on my own musical journey. I would like for people who like our records to understand what we are doing. It's something that I have to do for myself anyway. But if they do that's great.
Pheiff: You had a very unusual childhood, has that effected you lyrically?
Angie: I don't know, I'm like any artist, gotta be different. Yeah, I feel a need to be honest.
Pheiff: Do you ever have problems of being to honest?
Angie: Yeah. Mostly, I feel its funny but you can be as honest as you want to be, and that's often when you get misunderstood. Some people are really good at lying, and they get such a good image together that people kinda question it. Being honest doesn't make much sense because people have so many sides to them, and people become confused when they tell you everything about themselves.
Pheiff: I once read that you had a nervous breakdown when you first moved to Melbourne, is that true?
Angie: No. We moved to Melbourne when I was ten, and I lived in the community with my family. The only time I went really nuts was in the band. Simon and I went out at the start of the band, and straight-away we went on tour for like two years basically after we broke up. That was really hard times, that was the craziest I have ever been. My nervous system just sort of packed up and I cried all the time.
Pheiff: There is no lasting effects now?
Angie: No, I think it was really strengthening. It was a really fast learning curve.
Pheiff: If and when you have children, would you recommend music as a career?
Angie: I'd recommend any form of Art. Every child is born with a purpose in life, and some people I know, their parents don't seem to give them any sort of ambition in their lives. But I think you have to have your own personal spirituality, and art is defiantly an internal thing.
Pheiff: Does being a pretty female hinder your attempts at being known as a serious singer?
Angie: Being called cute is the most damning thing in the world.
Pheiff: You have been quoted as saying you support the legalization of marijuana. How has marijuana effected you?
Angie: It's funny because since that time, a lot of my friends have been through really dark times, and I attribute it to marijuana. It's a chemical thing, I think people should have the choice, to find that out for themselves. I don't think it's something you should have to do time for or have to pay money because of. Alcohol is just as bad. I've really noticed how some people can really get into a psychosis because of it. I have a friend that was committed because she smoked so much, and became unbalanced.
Pheiff: Do you have an official Web Site?
Angie: We had a page, but at the moment it is taken out, because we are with Atlantic now, and they are going to do us a proper set up. We have given them tons of artwork, and we are going to do soundbytes and all that.
Frente are doing the Canadian tour with Alanis Moressette in August, and then doing a North American tour sometime in the fall. If you want music you can dance to (though you hate dance music) check out Frente, they are fun.
