Brisbane-based Jimmy Watts and his band of misfits have been described as a “monster hybrid of Xavier Rudd, Tom Waits and Ash Grunwald”, which is an awfully nice thing to have said about you.
If someone was to say something like that about me, I would print in on a t-shirt. But Jimmy and co. don’t play like that. They just prefer getting on with the business of soulful, blues roots. Their new EP is February’s Drought, which features the track ‘Grid’.
A band that knows how to budget, Grid’s accompanying clip was shot on $300. Jimmy: “We’ve always shot and edited our own clips. It’s a bit of fun for us, but also a bit of a challenge to see what we can make for next to nothing. Our underwater clip for ‘January’ off the last album took four days to shoot in a friend’s salt water pool. I couldn’t see for a day afterwards because the salt balance wasn’t right … The clip for ‘Grid’ was inspired by the trashy TV shows that depict “prepper” families in the US. I thought they were hilarious, and I also secretly wanted to dress up and play army.”
The Loft, Warrnambool – May 14 & Apollo Bay Hotel, Apollo Bay – May 15.
