After almost two years in the studio, Jobstopper are ready to release their very first, full length album, – It Was Like That When We Got Here!
Recorded at Big Sister Studios with Dal Smart and mixed and mastered at Moathouse Studios (Less Than Jake, The Menzingers) with Roger Lima, the lads are rightly proud of their new baby! It Was Like That When We Got Here features twelve tracks, with some crowd favourites and a whole bunch of new material unheard by human ears.
Getting a member of an internationally famous band like Less Than Jake to record your album is no easy feat for a band based in Cairns, Jobstopper frontman Wil Carroll explains “We wanted to go with somebody who lived and breathed ska/punk. Roger Lima obviously is most famous for being the vocalist/bass player for Less Than Jake. We just asked him man. We emailed him our demos and he was keen. It’s quite an accolade. We’re stoked.”
“Basically, Roger would send us a mix and then Jobstopper would get together, make notes and then email him our changes. We worked him pretty hard I think, but he wasn’t afraid to tell us when something was a bad idea. He was very involved. He even tracked some guitar parts.”
Jobstopper have been on the scene for a while now, I asked Wil how their music has evolved with the new album, and how their writing process works “We’re just better at it. We have a lot less “silly” songs now. I reckon we’ve moved away from “silly” and kind have matured a bit musically. Theres a couple of pretty heavy tracks on the album. They’re still really fun tracks though.”
“We are absolutely not a band that has a song writing process. Sometimes we purposely write a song, sometimes songs come from random jams. But everyone is always involved. We’re all really concious of each other.”
Jobstopper are certainly one of the more popular bands on the local scene with their last CD launch at the Pandamonium Room being a sellout. I asked Wil about that show and their enduring popularity. “That show was amazingly flattering! People like us because we are obviously having fun when we play. We’re not trying hard to be anything or to play a perfect show. It doesn’t bother us if we hit wrong notes or slip over in the liquid from self provided bubble machines… Rock and roll is really funny when it’s serious. Rockstars are just plain embaressing. No ego’s here. We just want to have a bunch of fun. Plus we’re reactive. We watch the crowd and get them involved with them. We just want everybody to have a good time.”
Jobstopper will be launching “It Was Like That When We Got Here” at the Grand Hotel on Saturday the 30th of Jan at the Grand Hotel in Cairns and the bands Tropic Roots, Odius, Meat Bikini, Hungry Lungs and Peyote will also be playing sets to help the boys launch their new baby.
TICKETS: $15. Tickets include five bucks off at the Jobstopper merch table!
AVAILABLE: You can grab your entry-scroll from the Grand Hotel from January 4th or at the door on the night if not sold out.
Ticket numbers are limited. Get in early to avoid dissapointment!
DOORS OPEN: 6:00pm
BANDS START: 6:30pm
BANDS FINISH: Late.
DOORS CLOSE: Even later. Stay and buy a few last schooners at the pub that supports the best live music in Cairns.
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