Wooshka
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Wooshka

As in the world of originals, you need a few things to fall your way if you want to be a successful cover band. Arguably, you need a little more. Playing songs people know and love can be a gamble, as we tend to be protective of songs we hold dear. Wooshka seem to be doing things just right.
Welcome Wooshka. Can you tell us a bit about your history as a cover band? How did you guys come together?
Jade was a guitarist and had been in bands before; I had always played guitar, but only in my bedroom. We knew Nath could sing, but it wasn’t until a group of us went to Karaoke one night, Nath got up on the microphone – we were blown away by his voice! Jade had a couple of friends who played bass and drums, so we thought we would get together for a jam and a bit of fun.
We played one gig together and then kinda fell into a Calling All Coverbands competition. We had no experience and were not ready but we ended up coming second out of 48 bands.
We loved being on stage and we wanted to see where this could go. We booked a gig at the Tigers Club and we were rapt when a huge crowd showed up. We started playing fortnightly gigs there and continued to build our following. Since then there have been a few line-up changes, but we are very settled now.
What sort of covers can one expect when you guys perform? Do you incorporate any originals?
We try and cover all bases to entertain everyone who is watching us – classics, rock, rap, reggae, hip hop and everything! If people like a song, we will play it.
You guys are from Melbourne but you play all over the place. Tell us about some of the different locations you have performed.
I’m actually from Geelong and the rest of the boys are from Werribee, Altona and Airport West. Our home ground is Tigers Clubhouse in Hoppers. We play there twice a month and have a big following there. Now we are making ourselves a home here at The Max!
We all know life on stage can be crazy, particularly after patrons at a pub have had a few to drink. Got any crazy stories?
We are actually the furthest thing from crazy rock stars! We don’t drink during gigs and after a gig you’ll find us at the nearest Maccas or Hungry Jacks, having a coffee and a burger to wind down!
A few silly stories…
Back when Gangnam Style was huge, I learned the lyrics and sung it in Korean. One gig there was a group of Asians in the crowd and when I started singing, they all started looking at each other and talking. I had no idea what they were talking about, but I was pretty worried that I could be offending them!
Driving to a gig in Mulwala, it was 30 degrees; we were all wearing shorts and thongs. Our stage get up is always black shirt, skinny ties, black pants and dress shoes. Halfway to Mulwala our singer realises he forgot his shoes. He is a size 14 – good luck finding size 14 dress shoes on a Saturday night in a place you’d never been before!
What do you find is the one song that gets everyone going more than any other?
We have stacks of good songs and only play songs that are guaranteed to get people dancing. We play a fair bit of rap and hip hop and find people go berserk to songs like Jump Around and Baby Got Back etc.
You guys are coming to Geelong soon for the Easter weekend to play at The Max. What is in store?
A massive party! Everyone dancing and singing all night long. Our last few gigs at The Max have packed the place out. I would recommend everyone come down early in the night to make sure they get in.
For anyone who hasn’t seen a Wooshka show, what can they expect?
Plenty of energy! Songs for everyone whether they are young/old, male/female. The dance floor will be full and it will be stacks of fun. We wanna send people off with a smile on their dial.
Anything you would like to add?
Hit us up on Facebook to see where and when we are playing and have a chat. We love our fans and we really appreciate them. We have a really big, loyal fan base. They have even started a Facebook group called the Wooshkamaniacs! They are awesome!

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