Having spent a little over a year jamming, writing and playing gigs around Sydney, Rufflefeather are ready for you, and trust us – you’re ready for them too.  Consisting of four very chilled-out looking lads, this psych rock outfit come alive on stage with their atmospheric sound and gravely, Jeff-Buckley-esque vocals.

With the release of their debut EP and a string of shows in the wake, The Flog takes a walk inside Rufflefeathers’ collective mind.

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Edwina (Flog): Could you tell me about the band dynamic – who plays what and who’s ‘in charge?’

Rufflefeather: The band consists of: Zane Thompson – Vocals and guitar; Jonny Steiner – Guitar; Tom Gray – Bass; Alex Sullivan – Drums.

Our band dynamic is more of a democracy, everyone has an equal say.

E: How would you describe your sound? 

R: Atmospheric. Every song has an individual meaning when it’s written and we try hard to express that through our sound. Essentially, we are an indie/rock band with strong influence from early 90s grunge and psychedelia, but we try hard to bring out the right mood that the song presents whether it’s uplifting or just swaying and getting lost in the sound itself.

E: What goes down at a Rufflefeather gig?

R: We just have fun being on stage and playing together to people.  We often modify the set to match the vibe of the place. Although, even at some of the more laid back venues, we’ve managed to get most of the crowd out of their seats and on the dance floor.

E: And what goes down at a Rufflefeather jam session?

R: It’s usually pretty laid back to begin with, your typical booze and banter, followed by a warm up jam of new ideas and half-finished songs. Then we start to get down to business running through the important things at hand like set lists for upcoming gigs, potential recordings and who’s driving the drummer home. 

E: Besides making music, what occupies your time?

R: The daily grind, just like everyone else. It takes up most of our time and we wish it didn’t. We’d love to be in the category of being able to write, travel and play to eager crowds for a living. Hopefully people will enjoy our sound enough to make that a reality. Apart from that, we all have our separate interests and commitments like making art (Jonny illustrated the cover art for the EP) and going to Uni.

E: Misanthropy is your debut E.P, do you have a favourite track or is that like asking a parent to name their favourite child?

R: Yes and no. We all have our individual favourites, but it’s hard to find a track we all love more than the others. We do agree though, that the song we chose for the single, “The Cute Ones” has been the favourite among fans and listeners.

E: What’s next?

R: Our Next show is a headline gig on the 13th of March at Brighton Up Bar on Oxford Street. We’re playing with some cool bands and it’s pretty cheap drinks ($3 tinnies) so it should be a good night for everyone. Other shows coming up are:

23rd March – “Grow the Music” event – Wollongong

4th April – The Beach Hotel, Byron Bay

5th April – The Joynt, Brisbane

Apart from that, we are focusing on really pushing ourselves into the music scene, so we can build a fan base and get our music out to as many people as possible. It would be great to hear one of our tracks on the radio; hopefully 2013 can be a good year for Rufflefeather.

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Stream Misanthropy here, or buy it for $7 on Bandcamp.

WHAT: Rufflefeather w/ The Carraways

WHERE: Brighton Up Bar, 1/77 Oxford St Darlinghurst

WHEN: Wednesday 13^th March

HOW MUCH: $5 Entry