Exclusive Special Interview: Buchanan

theaussieword.com meets with the very talented Buchanan for a very special blog interview!

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What can you tell our readers about you? How and where did it all begin?

I guess it all started after a trip to England in 2009 when I wrote the first Buchanan track. I got back and realised I wanted to further pursue that kind of ‘sound’ so I started looking for a band, and we’ve been building a team around that ever since.

What had you first interested in music?

I come from a family of music industry vets so it was probably a given that I would gravitate towards music. Certainly exploring some of that heritage when I was in the UK in 2009 gave me a kick in the ass that I probably needed in order to approach it in a more serious way!

Who motivates or influences your quest to make great music?

Anytime I see an act on stage killing it, or hear a song that inspires me, I rediscover my drive to want to do this full time. I’m listening to a song right now by The Vaudeville Smash that is making me so hungry to write again… and that’s what it’s kind of all about. Being inspired, time and time again.

Do you have any planned tours coming up?

Absolutely – we’re doing a show in Melbourne on June 6 at the Curtin Hotel… a kind of launch show. We’re also going to do a Sydney launch. Keep your ear to the ground!

What are some of your biggest goals you hope to accomplish as an artist?


Playing Glastonbury… but before then, just selling enough CDs so that we can make Album 2!

What can fans expect from you in the coming months?

Well the album release of course. Definitely some live shows and then we are looking forward to letting people discover the band properly… Spending time with the record and delving into our whole aesthetic hopefully and really engaging with the band. Is that a lame answer?! Oh well, it’s true!

Success, what is the secret to it and what has been your biggest career highlight so far?

I’m not sure what success is… For me, success would be doing this for years to come, while keeping happy and being able to support a basic lifestyle. I’m not even close to THAT yet, so perhaps I shouldn’t be the one to offer any secrets as to how to obtain that! But a career highlight was playing Laneway festival for sure – and hearing the band on the radio every time we release a single is still one of the greatest buzzes in the world!

Which stars of the music industry do you find inspiring?

Bruce Springsteen, Jimmy Iovine, Kanye West

How would you best describe you and your music to your fans?

I think our music is usually just referred to as pop rock or indie rock, but I think, at least with this new album, we strived to make relatable upbeat songs, and kind of threw the notion of genres out the window.

What can you tell us about your latest album?

It’s based on this story idea that we came up with in the studio. We wanted to write a cohesive album thematically and sonically, so we had a list of themes that were related to this short story we wrote, and we based the lyrics on the album off some of those emotions. We also designed all the artwork around this story. We’re very proud of the cohesion of the record.

Are there any new exciting projects in the works?

I have a couple of demos and new song ideas kicking around. But first we really want to nail this album campaign and see if we can take it overseas. We worked on the record tirelessly for 18 months so now it’s time to really show it off and see what people think!

The music industry is huge, where do you see yourself a few years from now? 
A few years from now?! Probably talking to you about the challenges of following up the first blockbuster smash!

Name a few of your favourite Aussie artists. 
British India, Tame Impala, The Middle East

The shape of the music industry has changed significantly over the years, including the use of social media, how do you feel about the industry as a whole and what does it mean to you in getting your records out into the public eye?

I think our industry here is incredibly small, and in some ways that makes it easier to get noticed if you’re half decent, but in other ways it’s incredibly incestuous. There is also less money in the industry now and so the pressure is now back on the artist to establish a fan base before anyone is going to throw any money at you. Makes it challenging for sure.

Thank you for the interview! What can you leave fans of theaussieword.com with here today?


Please check out our music – you can always download something for free from our website… and if you hate it, you wont even have to ask for a refund! How good is that?!


Website: http://www.buchananband.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/officialbuchanan
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/buchananreal

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