Festival Focus: RTRFM's In The Pines

Our favourite annual RTRFM event, In The Pines, returns to Somerville Auditorium, UWA, on Sunday April 24. Bob Gordon chats to RTRFM Operations & Volunteer Manager, Chris 'The Chief' Wheeldon about this year's installment (the 23rd, no less).

Chief, you're an old hand at In The Pines, but this is the first time you've programmed the bloody thing. What was it like putting it together and what did you want to achieve or evoke with the line-up?

It is pretty surreal, to be honest. As a cardigan-wearing 15 year-old spending my weekends at 78’s and House Of Wax and then seeing shows at the Grosvenor and Planet Nightclub I always wanted to work for RTRFM and be in charge of something like Pines... now I am.

Putting it together is a collaborative process. I put together a team of WA music heads to discuss whom we like and who would fit the line-up and then we work from there.  It’s a combination of who our presenters have been playing on the station and who has been exciting Perth audiences around town.

I don’t think we try to evoke anything with the line up other than making sure we give a snapshot of the WA music scene over the last year and for a bit of fun we chuck in some old bands to get the old buggers out of their house for the afternoon.

There's a few classic Perth acts on the bill, how do you work those sorts of reformations, given timing is everything?

All you can do it ask. Caitlin (Nienaber, Breakfast host) does a great segment on Tuesday mornings called The Land That Time Forgot, where she and Ross Chisholm - legend - go back in time and talk about some older Perth bands. They did an episode on Bucket which received a bit of attention so I thought I may as well ask. Bucket were a band I just missed as a kid but loved them from afar. So I asked and Andy (Powell, vocals/guitar) was more then happy to see if it could work. Took him about a day and we were sorted.

Similar to Kim Salmon, we got very lucky that he was in town for his album launch at the same time and was more then happy to come along and play. I know we have been trying to land Kim for a few years but timings just didn’t work - I got lucky.

What do you think it means to an artist/band to be invited on to the In The Pines line-up?

I would hope that it is a massive privilege to be asked. I’ve never been a musician but if I was, Pines would be the one I’d want to play.

More so than that, though, I hope they take it as a sign that what they are doing as artists is resonating with people.  I know it can be tough as local musicians, playing to small crowds and fighting the good fight but not quite being able to ‘crack’ it. Pines, for many, is the pinnacle and I think it is a hell of a good pinnacle.

For those that have cracked it and come back, that means so much to the station to tell us that what we do is important for this scene and the people that make it.

For those who are new to the Perth music scene, what acts would be your go-to's on the day?

All of them! Come on Bob, don’t ask me to choose.

I'm not asking...

I’m really keen to catch the Merindas in a setting that is a little different for them plus they are debuting a whole heap of new songs with Guy Ghouse on guitar. Verge Collection have been a favourite of mine since they kicked off, so they will be grand. Bucket and Radarmaker of course. HeebieJeeBees have something amazing lined up and it has been great to see Hayley Beth progress as a musician. Hussy will be a heap of fun, if not very nervous and The PissedColas may make a few people pay attention.

It’s all going to be good. I’d say if you don’t come to Pines, see all these bands anyway. Better than watching TV.

Other than new stationery, what does In The Pines mean to RTRFM?

It means a lot. It is very important in terms of financial budgets and cash flow half way through the year but that is all boring stuff.

Mainly it is a celebration of what we do as a station. Our mission is to support and make sure local music is championed the way it is supposed to be. That sounds like strategic planning talk of someone who has worked in a not-for-profit for five years, but it is true.

RTRFM changes weekly and what we do as a station needs to constantly evolve. Events come and go, shows come and go, staff come and go but for 23 years In The Pines has been the one way for us to get out of the studio and put it into an event.

It’s also a great chance to hang out in a very cool setting, a space we activated long before it was a buzz word.

What else is coming up for the station in 2016?

Now that would be telling.

Well you're not here for a haircut, Chief...

We have some really cool things coming up in terms of events, including something in June that we are very excited about. We are also always doing new things on air. We have new presenters coming through all the time who bring something new to the station with their music tastes and personalities.

We have had a number of presenters move on in recent months which is always a blow but we have new people coming through making sure the station is in good hands.

I urge people to keep listening and supporting us through our events and subscriptions. Perth is and always has been pretty bloody amazing and I like to think RTRFM is a big part of that.

In The Pines happens on Sunday April 24, from 11am-10pm, at Somerville Auditorium, UWA. It stars the Benjamin Witt Band, Bucket, Davey Craddock & The Spectacles, Fat Sparrow, Grace Barbe Afro-Kreol, HEEBIEJEEBIES (Hayley Beth), Helta Skelta, HUSSY, Jacob Diamond, Joni in the Moon, Kim Salmon, Merindas, Peter Bibby, The Pissedcolas, Radarmaker, Skullcave, Tired Lion, Turnstyle, Verge Collection and The Wheelers of Oz. Pre-sale tickets are available from RTRFM.com.au, Highgate Continental, Diabolik, 78 Records, Mills Records and Noise Pollution Records.

Originally published in X-Press Magazine