Los Angeles-based band Mini Mansions – Zach Dawes, Tyler Parkford, and Queens of the Stone Age bassist Michael Shuman – hit our shores next week for a slew of live shows. We catch up with Shuman and he unpacks five things about the band we need to know.
1. Brian Wilson is a private guy
When asked what it was like to work with the legendary Beach Boy, Shuman replies, “I’m sorry to disappoint.” Bassist Zach Dawes had appeared on Wilson’s album, No Pier Pressure, so his appearance on the track Any Emotions was to return the favour. “He did all of his takes at his own studio. I think he’s a very private guy. It was awesome to work with him though. You’d send him something and he’d send back a big five part harmony.”
2. Adjustments need to be made for their tunes to translate live
“I write the songs on guitar, but we don’t have a guitar player in the band,” Shuman says. “So for a song like Creeps, there’s an electric and an acoustic guitar on the track, but when we play it live Zach plays one of the lines on the bass.”
3. Alex Turner of Arctic Monkeys is a friend
“Al has been a friend for ages,” Shuman remarks on their collaboration on the tune Vertigo. “He was working in a studio not far from us while we were working on the album. We had that part in Vertigo, almost like a rap part, but we couldn’t figure out who should do it. It wasn’t till we were basically done with the album that it clicked. He came and wrote his lyrics and did it.”
4. Shuman isn’t a fan of SXSW
“I’ve been going since I was about 17 and it’s a harsh environment for an artist,” Shuman recounts of his Texas experiences. However, he is much more optimistic of other festivals: “Glastonbury was really good. People were singing our songs and we were kind of like, ‘maybe people actually like our band’.”
5. They get sweaty on stage
Being such fashionable, well-dressed gentlemen, I asked Shuman if he gets sweaty in a suit on stage. “Yes,” he laughs. “I had a custom suit made and they asked if I wanted cotton or polyester and I went with polyester. I don’t know what I was thinking.” Shuman also remarks on his scent. “My girlfriend says I don’t smell though. I get really sweaty, but don’t smell.”
Mini Mansions are playing shows on Sunday November 8 at the Ding Dong Lounge in Melbourne and Thursday November 12 at Goodgod Small Club in Sydney. Plus support slot for Tame Impala. For full tour dates and tickets, head on over to their website.
Want to win tickets to their Melbourne and Sydney shows? Head over here!