Rockwiz Orkestra Hits The Road

Yeah, sure, TV talent shows like The Voice and Australia's Got Talent showcase our  local artists, but you've got to admit, they're a little Las Vegas aren't they? Whereas our friends over at RocKwiz, they're more familiar: more rock'n'roll pub. Which stands to reason because that's where it's recorded, at the epicentre of Melbourne's indie bandland, The Esplanade Hotel. It's also the reason the show has enjoyed seven strong years of production, music fans connect with it. The other reason of course, is the cast: the multi-talented hosts Julia Zemiro and Brian Nankervis, plus a kickass band featuring James Black, Mark Ferrie and Peter Luscombe.

Guitar player, keyboardist and often cowboy-hatted James Black is well aware of the differences between his show and those mainstream TV talent goliaths and is proud of it. “I'm a music lover first and foremost,” said James. “Rockwiz is a mixture of music and entertainment. We're lucky to be on SBS and we're lucky that they let us do whatever we want to do, more or less. We have to make sure people watch us but there is nothing like the pressure of those talent shows on the major networks. With Rockwiz, the producers love music and the band gets quite involved in the whole show. Because we have a tiny band, we have to make songs work without two guitars and a keyboard player and need to add more of our character to the music.”

There's a long history in music of three-piece outfits making big sounds, often defying the limitations of the form. Although the Rockwiz trio fits the show as comfy as a glove, it's a combination that Black found intimidating at first. “I have always been a bit nervous about it because I don't have big-time chops,” he explained. “There's something about the psychology of three musicians that is much more manageable than a four- or five-piece band, we can still improvise. I can go, 'I'll do this now,' and start another part and the bass is the only other chordal or melodic instrument which has to adapt. If there was another guitar player and I headed off in another direction, there's more of a chance of it being a train wreck. Everyone is adjusting to each other. A three-piece is very liberating.”

An important part of Black's sound is his main keyboard, the Nord Stage, which he has come to love due to the sonic options it offers. “I used to use a Hammond and a Nord keyboard,” he said. “The Nord Stage is so flexible that I decided to use the Hammond emulation via a Ventilator pedal. We play four riffs a show over around 150 shows. It's getting much harder to find recognisable riffs. That's a lot of riffs. In the last couple of years I have got more into the synth world and used the Nord. I can layer things up. We did a Nick Cave thing, which has piano, but then I had to mimic the orchestral with strings. I used a sustain pedal with the piano to let them hang more, so it sounds like two instruments. Then I was able to patch a tubular bell out of the Nord onto another keyboard so I could hit that for the chorus. It takes quite a bit of time to prepare sometimes. We have a lot of young kids on the show now who have elaborately produced records. There is less emphasis on band recordings. I have to reproduce that stuff. The beauty of the Nord is that I can pop samples in and treat each sound with its own effects.”

For guitars, Black has always been a Telecaster guy. It may not be as versatile as the Strat but for him, it's more about being comfortable and fitting his personality. “I find the Tele, simple, basic and strong and it suits my temperament.” Black will soon be hitting the road once again with Rockwiz and stage-hand/score card holder Dougal will be entrusted with gear maintenance duties. “Everyone thinks he's just an actor but he's the top tech, stage guy in Australia,” said James of his offsider. “He's been around for years and is across everything, whether it's drums, amps, guitars.”

Black is looking forward to being on the road with the Rockwiz family when the tour kicks off in August.