Im Jamie and I play bass. We are a hard rock band in a similar vein to AC/DC, ROSE TATTOO and Motorhead.
2.When did you decide you wanted to be in a band?
wanted to be in a band when I heard Elvis and Bill Hailey. Then I discovered AC/DC and that was the kicker.
3. What is different about being a musician than you imagined?
Being a muso is exactly as I imagined. Lots of fun......lol. Use your imagination!
4.What gear do you use and why?
I use Mesa Boogie gear and a custom built Marshall JMP head. They're all valve amps and extremely loud and robust . I just like the sound of valve amps. I run all sorts of combinations, depending on the venue. My Bass 400 is an original that I bought new 30 years ago. I run it now with a 4x10 powerhouse box. It's awesome. My main guitars are a Rickenbacker and a Fender Telecaster bass that used to belong to Ian Rilen , the original bass player from Rose Tattoo.
5. What music do you listen to that would surprise people?
Johnny Cash.
6. How do we find your music and merch to buy?
We have a website, spotify, itunes, facebook, twitter etc.
7. How did you get a record deal? Or do you want a record deal or are you DIY?
We got our deal via Metalmoose !
8. What bands do people compare your music to?
See above for comparison bands !
9. Are you pro Spotify / streaming services ? Or do you think it hurts sales?
Same , see above for spotify etc
10. What’s the ultimate goal for the band?
My goal is just to keep making music folks like. And to keep enjoying doing it.
11. Will we see you tour?
We are going to Europe next May. Hopefully the States later in the 2019. But Europe is locked in.
12. Who would you love to tour with?
God, anyone cool. I love so many bands, if I had to pick 1 Texas Hippie Coalition
13.What is your favorite song of yours and why?
Probably Rat Town. Easy to play. Not many notes....lol
14. Why should people take the time to listen to your band over the thousands of other bands?
Because we are the best band you have never heard of.
15.What are your favorite music websites labels podcast etc?
Anything you do mate ! * Editors note I am assuming he is talking about me Wes J , If so thank you sir
16. Is imagery important to you? Do you judge albums by the cover?
17.If you could choose a cover song your band mates would hate what would it be?
Jackson by Johnny Cash, the boys have no taste....
18.Is the record or live show more important?
Both have equal weight I think. A great gig is fleeting, but can be intense. A recording needs to be great because it lasts for ever. You dont want to leave a shit legacy.
19. Name 3 people dead or alive you would want to play your music for.
Lemmy, Bon Scott, Elvis
20. Lemmy Ozzy Dio and Rob Halford in a cage match who wins?
No contest. LEMMY
Dirty Rats were originally a 5 piece rock band that were very active in the Melbourne pub rock scene from the mid to late 1980's. The band released a 4 song EP in 1987 and played extensively throughout Victoria, as well as interstate festivals such as Ponde 88 until internal pressures caused the band to implode and eventually fold in the early 90's. Smashcut forward 25 years and the Rats are back, with a new line up, but still playing “old school” hard rock, trying to stay faithful to the sound the band had in the 80s when we were all fresh faced and optimistic, and had hair and stuff.
This current line up is a leaner and meaner 4 piece with original member, Jamie Beovich on bass along with Wayne (Richie Rat) Rich on vocals, Anthony (Chooka) Chapple on guitar, Andy Thomson on drums and has brought the Dirty Rats kicking and screaming into 2018, while still retaining our hard rock roots and sound. Dirty Rats are a little older and worn around the edges, but still produce some of the best rock coming out of Melbourne today, and always give one of the best live performances you’ll see in this town.
We started seriously writing and arranging for our current album, Rock n Roll, around mid 2016 and recorded later that same year for release in 2017. Jamie and Andy came up with the idea that the album should just be recorded “live”, just go in and play as if we were doing a gig, and I reckon that was the best way to go, as it gave the album that rough and ready feel that we were after. We have always been a tight band musically with a good feel for how we each perform, so most tracks were recorded in just one or two takes. We had to do some overdubs with the guitar parts due to some changes in guitarists, but otherwise we just got stuck in and got it done.
We have always primarily been a working band, so we are still gigging in venues around Melbourne, playing original sets with other original bands. We recorded our performance at the Bendigo Hotel in Collingwood Victoria in February this year and a selection from that set has been put together for a four track EP called Dirty Rats – Live at the Bendigo Hotel (imaginative title eh?) The EP is being released on Itunes and Amazon on the 13th of April and will be a nice little treat for fans until our new album is ready to go.
We have been writing new material for probably the last 6 months or so and working a couple of the new songs into our live sets to see if they go over, and so far that hasn’t been too bad. There have been more hits than misses, and we will more than enough to record our new album by the middle of the year. We have been madly arranging to get them to where we want them, and there are some absolute crackers, so we cant wait to get them into the studio. Hopefully the new album will be out around late 2018 and we can build on the audience we have both here and overseas with maybe a couple of small promotional tours to raise our profile a bit. Either way, I think more people are going to hear our music, either live or through their preferred streaming service, and I reckon that’s what makes it all worth it.
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