She’s one of Aussies rising rock talents and we predict rocker Laura Wilde is already on the way to becoming Australia’s Joan Jett. Planet Loud had a chat to Laura to find out more about what the future holds in store for the Australian.
Planet Loud – So, how are you today?
Laura Wilde – Well, I just had 4 wisdom teeth yanked out this morning so I’m a bit sad and sorry but the ice-cream and jelly diet is more than making up for it!
Planet Loud – A lot of people won’t know who you are. Tell us a bit about yourself?
Laura Wilde – I’m a 19 year old guitarist from Melbourne, Australia. I also do lead vocals. I am totally instrument obsessed. I used to work in a guitar shop which was great as I was surrounded by awesome guitars all day. On stage I play a Gibson Flying V, but my other fave is the Gretsch Silverjet.
Planet Loud – You’re making a bit of a name for yourself. How are things going for you at the moment?
Laura Wilde – I’m really happy with how things are going at the moment. I’ve had some generous press and the opportunity to play some great gigs in a short space of time. I’ve done about 20 gigs in the last few months and it has been a massive learning curve. I think back to earlier in the year when I hadn’t even done a gig yet and then I got to do my first headline at HiFi Bar last week, which was great fun! It’s awesome that some people believe in me enough to give me a shot.
Planet Loud – I believe you’re heading out to LA at some point. What’s that for?
Laura Wilde – I have some meetings lined up with some ‘industry people’ and a few writing sessions. I won’t have my band with me, so unless I can rustle a few boys together I doubt I’ll be doing gigs. I’ve saved up enough money to buy a nice bass guitar, so I’m looking forward to having a trawl around music shops.
Planet Loud – Have you been to America before? What are you expecting from it?
Laura Wilde – Yes, I’ve been about half a dozen times. My dad works out of a New York based firm so I have been lucky to tag along on some of his business trips. I’m excited to go, but it’s a tough industry. I hope to meet some interesting people and make some good contacts.
Planet Loud – Tell us about your music then…
Laura Wilde – Well, my music is mostly in the rock genre but it’s evolving. Ever since I’ve started using ProTools and recording by myself, I’ve been dipping into a whole lot of other genres. I’m really enjoying writing more punk stuff and even a few ballads have managed to creep in.
Planet Loud – Who and what inspires you musically and lyrically?
Laura Wilde – Musically, I almost have to live in a vacuum to be inspired. The more I hear, the harder I find it to come up with something that is entirely my own. I’ll spend all night on a track and then excitedly show my brother in the morning and he will just shut me down by saying ‘Hey that sounds like the start of Blah Blah!!’ Crushed and disappointed, I’ll have to go back to the drawing board with my tail between my legs! It’s amazing how something can sink into your psyche and you don’t know where you’ve derived it from but it is so obvious to someone else. Lyrically, I am inspired by my life’s experiences. I write about relationships I’ve had and a lot of my tracks are a kind of social commentary on people I have met or come across. If I’m seriously angered and have something to say I can fully write and record a whole track in a couple of hours.
Planet Loud – What made you pick up a guitar and how supportive were your family?
Laura Wilde – Apparently, and I can’t remember this, my older brother was given one of those annoying press-button toy guitars when I was one. I grabbed it, hugged it and if anyone tried to coax it from me I would scream and cry. Since then I always wanted my own electric guitar, but my parents refused to buy me one until I was 12. They would only let me play the piano. That Christmas, there was a square box under the tree that couldn’t possibly be a guitar. My mum hinted that the box contained the whole set of Harry Potter novels! Because I love reading so much! (not). It turned out to be an amp, and a guitar was hiding behind the curtain. Best day of my life! I can’t say that my parents were that supportive, until this year. They freaked when I left university to pursue music. They are still struggling at the thought, but they are really helping me out now.
Planet Loud – What are your goals as an artist?
Laura Wilde – I’d love to write a song that people can really identify with…. a song that really speaks to them and helps them through something difficult, or revs them up or makes them happy. There are many songs by so many brilliant artists that really do all of these things for me. So to write a killer song is one goal. Also I’d love to be proficient on all instruments. At the moment I can play guitar, bass and drums, but I’ve finally come around to liking the piano. I’d really like to be better at all of them. So another goal is to be the best musician I can be, and to be respected by other musicians. I’d also like to be an entertaining performer and be able to whip a crowd up into a frenzy for an entire performance, where everyone is on it, in sync and the chemistry all just works.
Planet Loud – Do you remember the first time you got on stage?
Laura Wilde – Hells yeah! I was totally shit-faced at a pub when I was 16. I had lied to my parents as to my whereabouts. A friend I was with told the guys from the band playing that night that I could play guitar and before I knew it, I was up on stage playing ‘Are You Gonna Be My Girl’ by Jet on bass with the band. The crowd went nuts because it was mostly people from my school and at that point I knew that this was really what I wanted to do. I was on a high for the rest of the night. I got home and excitedly told my parents what had happened. They totally smashed my vibe to smithereens when they grounded me for lying to them.
Planet Loud – If you could talk to any musician alive or dead who would it be and why?
Laura Wilde – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. He was a true rock’n’rolla even back in the 1700’s. He had it all goin’ on, I’d love to go back in time and party with him.
Planet Loud – Being a female in a notoriously male industry, are you concerned about your image being given more emphasis than your music?
Laura Wilde – Not really, there are 44 million bands on Myspace and I’m just thrilled to be given any emphasis at all. I’ll just keep doing my `thang’ and hopefully people will like it.
Planet Loud – You’re still quite young as well, what lessons have you learned so far about the music industry?
Laura Wilde – I guess there are very few people that you can trust. Everyone is desperately pushing their own agenda. I’ve been bitterly disappointed with people who I thought were my friends… oh well, I guess it makes for good songwriting material! I also keep my expectations in check so that I am not constantly let down. ‘Hope for the best, but expect the worst’.
Planet Loud – Tell us about the music scene in Aussie. Some great rock bands have come from Aussie, what is it that makes Australia a home of great hard rock?
Laura Wilde – I’m from Melbourne, where we have a very active and well attended live band scene. We have a huge number of very talented, fantastic bands that are coming through at the moment. I think Australia is the home of the working class, rural pub culture which is very ‘blokey’ and conducive to writing hard rock. I notice when I leave Australia that other countries place less emphasis on alcohol and drinking, which is a pretty big part of our leisure time. I guess that whole scene is pretty rock n roll. There is also an adventurous freshness about Australia that lends itself to creativity.
Planet Loud – Who would your ideal gig be with?
Laura Wilde – Kiss. They put on a great show and they are a bit of a performance benchmark. It would also put me in an ideal position to steal Ace Frehley’s smoking Les Paul.
Planet Loud – What does Laura Wilde’s daily routine consist of?
Laura Wilde – I get up around midday, run for 4km, have a very late breakfast around 2pm, have my daily meetings with various people I’m trying to set things up with or songwriting sessions, then rehearsals till late, then mess around on ProTools until about 4am. Yeah!
Planet Loud – I hear a lot of Joan Jett’s hard rock attitude in your music/look. Would you agree with that?
Laura Wilde – Yes, she’s amazing. I’m also a big fan of Suzi Quatro, Chrissy Amphlett and Wendy James. Ma gurls.
Planet Loud – What records did you listen to growing up?
Laura Wilde – Growing up I loved Limp Bizkit ‘Significant Other’, Korn ‘Follow the Leader’, Silverchair ‘Freakshow’ & ‘Neon Ballroom’. I loved anything by Blink 182, the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Nirvana and the Foo Fighters. My friends subjected me to Hanson, and I wanted to rip their fucking heads off.
Planet Loud – When and what can we expect from your debut album?
Laura Wilde – I hope to have an album out early next year. It’s a surprise… good things come to those who wait!
Planet Loud – Okay Laura, aside from the album, what are your plans for 2009 and beyond?
Laura Wilde – I feel like a lot of this year has been focused on the establishment of administrative crap (photo shoots, artwork, web pages, merch store, etc.), so from here I’d love to just concentrate on writing and performing. I guess I’ll just see where the wind blows me!
Planet Loud – Thanks for your time. Anything else to say?
Laura Wilde – Thank you Graham. It’s been an absolute pleasure.
Interview by Graham Finney
