10th May, 2023
What is Dead Kelly’s mission?
To be the best Aussie metal band in the fucken world.
Have you submitted “That Cricket Song” for consideration as Australia’s entry for Eurovision?
No I haven’t. It would be funny, though!
Is there any more Legend of Borry tunes and vids in the works?
Yes there is. Part 5 has been written and the music bed has been recorded, we just have to do the vocals and the video clip.
Have Peter Jackson or Baz Luhrmann contacted you yet about making The Legend of Borry into a film series?
No, however we have considered making a full, open-world computer game, similar to GTA, but all Australian, and you’re playing Borry, going around being a general sick cunt.
Which actor would you pick to play Borry?
Nathan Jones.
How would you personally describe Dead Kelly’s current sound?
Aussie fucken metal.
Why heavy music? What is it about this style and sound that attracts you to it?
I love the power and drama it has. There’s nothing like it.
How did you first discover and get into metal?
I loved KISS when I was a kid. I fell in love with the guitar sound and it all went from there.
I hear a definite Damaged (specifically the album, Do Not Spit) influence in your tracks – unbridled, manic, and full of rage. Who were/ are your music heroes? Who inspired you to want to play this style of metal?
I’m old school. As previously said, KISS were a huge inspiration for me to want to learn to play the guitar. As I got older, I got into heavier music like Metallica, Iron Maiden, Slayer etc. The 80s heavies. Then John Petrucci from Dream Theater really inspired me to shred hard, but tastefully, and write good riffs with odd timings that still groove.
Was there a defining moment that made you decide to play guitar?
Once I heard that guitar sound on an old KISS cassette I had, that was it. I was hooked.
How did you learn to play guitar? Formal lessons, self-taught, online?
I started with school music classes, got right into metal, then went on to study classical guitar for several years, and applied a lot of that knowledge to metal.
Where did you meet Pine Cone Throat?
I met him while he was working at a music shop here on the Sunshine Coast.
How often do you and PCT get to practice and write songs together?
Usually once a week.
How often do you get to practice guitar, and is it playing along to songs,
working on specific techniques, etc…?
Before I lost my finger, I practiced 7 days a week for approx. 3 – 4 hours each day. I would work on all sorts of exercises and techniques, then apply that to writing music and jamming/ improvising over backing tracks. Now I try and put in about an hour a day.
Can you tell us about the accident where you lost your pointer on your left hand finger?
I was cleaning a spray gun and it blew a hole in my finger, and injected paint into the finger. FARK it hurt!!!! I had 3 surgeries to try and save it, but it was too far gone, so it was amputated.
What’s the best fake story your mates came up with for how it happened?
I collect knives, so I got drunk and cut it off as a dare.
How difficult has the adjustment been to learn to play with only 3 fingers after the accident? Have you been able to play the old riffs?
It has been REALLY hard. I can’t play at least 95% of the old songs, it’s just a physical impossibility. I’ve had to pretty much reinvent the way I do it.
How are Dead Kelly songs conceived? From jamming ideas at practice,
working individually, music first then words, etc…?
Sometimes jamming, sometimes I’ll have a cool riff that we build on, or PCT will have an awesome drum groove that I’ll write riffs to.
What artists, old or new, are you listening to currently?
I’m right into dark ambient stuff like Kammarheit, along with bands like
Meshuggah, Choir, Convulsing, anything dark really.
What have been some of your most memorable shows to date?
I saw Opeth at The Metro in Sydney a while back. Best show I’ve ever seen.
What job do you have when you aren’t being The Stanley Knife?
I’m a creature concept artist for horror films, and also work in a mental health ward a couple of days a week as a peer support worker.
Is there a reason Dead Kelly hasn’t toured this great land yet?
We’re lazy and old.
What’s the last show you saw?
The last big show I saw was Iron Maiden on their Book of Souls tour.
Specifically, what gear do you play? Guitars, amps, pedals, strings/ gauges, picks?
Guitars – Oni, Suhr, Carvin
Amps – Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier Roadster, Yamaha G100, Seymour Duncan Powerstage 700
Cabs – 2 x Mesa 2x12s, 4 x Marshall 4x12s
Strings – NYXLs 10 – 46, Ernie Ball 10 – 74
Pedals – Boss Noise Supressor, Mesa 5 Band EQ, Fortin 33, SansAmp Para Driver, MI Audio Megalith Delta, and some shit tuner
Picks – Jim Dunlop Tortex Jazz IIIs
Tell us about your custom Oni Essi 8 string. What made you choose Oni?
A friend of mine had one made and brought it over one day. I was instantly sold. I went down to Oni and put in an order. The Essi 8 is a dream to play. It’s the Lamborghini of guitars.
What’s your dream gear?
I’d love a big wall of Mesa/Boogie stacks. I love the Roadster amp I have, so I’d just get more of those, haha!!
Thoughts on U18 venues/gigs?
I reckon there should be more of them. Metal is for everyone.
Cats – lovable family members or Satan’s spawn?
Loveable spawns of Satan. Seriously, I love them. I love all animals.
What does 2023 have in store for Dead Kelly, and The Stanley Knife?
More writing, more jamming, more practicing.
Dead Kelly : @deadkelly333