My Life as a Musician in Australia
My Mum was a singer, I have memories as a young boy sitting in the corner of small country town pubs while my Mum would sing to make a living in the evenings with a band. So it was in my blood.
At the age of 14 I purchased my first electric guitar from a second-hand shop, I sat in my room for hours on end with that old beat-up guitar and watched music videos on VHS tapes trying to follow along and figure out how to play the songs, I never had a formal guitar lesson. It was 6 months after I purchased that guitar when I was playing my first local gig with a band I put together with mates from school.
I was the lead singer and guitarist, the band was called Zayus.
That’s me with the glasses on (15 years old)
HEAD FILLED ATTRACTION
Year 2003 – 2012
Years later I would move from rural country Australia to Perth city to form the band “Head Filled Attraction” with my brother as lead vocalist. This band would go on to be a big part of my life with a journey that spanned over the course of about 9 years.
Lj Esquire far left and my brother Corey far right
Dreadlocks and nose piercings. My appearance would change dramatically throughout the years
Playing the Big Day Out festival in 2005.
The Big Day Out was the biggest music festival in Australia in the early 2000’s and landing a gig here was big moment in my ealry music career. The 2005 lineup that we played also included Slipknot, Beastie Boys and the Chemical Brothers. After I played my set at the festival I found myself backstage amongst these music giants, bearing witness to all kinds of weird and wonderful things.
Relocation to Melbourne
After many years of headlining shows around our home city of Perth the band would eventually move across Australia to the city of Melbourne where there were more opportunities. Our final show in Perth seen us play to a sold-out crowd.
Playing Live concerts was always the highlight for me, the crowds, the energy, the adrenaline. The music we created was filled with passion and intensity and playing a live show was a way to express all of that.
Determined to Stand Out
Playing in a band takes extreme dedication and hard work, there are literally thousands of bands out there all trying to get noticed by managers and industry people and gain the admiration of the fans.
We were driven by our passion for music and performance and we poured our heart and soul into the songs we created.
We were always determined to stand out by creating intelligently produced songs that people connected with and a live show that would blow people away.
Jamming in my home studio in Melbourne, most of the music production and recording was done here
The lineup of the band would change many times over the years with my brother and myself always in charge of the management and creative process.
Head Filled Attraction Music Releases
Working as a Live Sound Engineer
Year 2009 – 2011
While I wasn’t playing in a band on the stage, I was working behind the scenes as a front-of-house sound engineer. My main gig was working at one of Melbournes most famous live music venues – The Esplanade Hotel or often known as The Espy, this was a very rewarding job, sometimes high pressure, some nights mixing 6 bands in a row.
In addition to mixing in the live environment, I also put together a live recording setup where I could capture a professional live multitrack recording. This was an additional service I would offer to bands I was working with.
The Jarrah James band
Year 2007 – 2010
My time away from rock music happened during a period when Head Filled Attraction was on hiatus. With a passion for pop and house music, I was looking to fulfill another creative part of myself and then formed the Jarrah James band. In just a short time this band went on to do some great things, from playing packed shows in some of Melbournes funkiest clubs to releasing music that charted in the top 10 of the iTunes dance charts.
Acoustic Duo Cover band
Year 2010 – 2011
Around 2010 I was in a relationship with an Australian girl that was a very talented singer, we formed an acoustic duo and played all the classic hits dating back from the 80’s to current. During this time we landed some cool gigs at pubs and bars around Melbourne.
Bellusira
Year 2008 – 2011
Thats me on the far left
Bellusira was an already well-established band in Melbourne, playing some pretty big shows and making a good name for themself. I had worked with the band previously helping out with some demo recordings.
One day I received a phone call from one of the band members asking me to come and play guitar for them, they already had some big concerts booked so it was a great opportunity for me to get back on the big stage. And at this point, I was craving to get back into the rock scene so I jumped at the chance, I would spend the next 3 years going all in with this band – touring, writing and recording.
Bellusira – Closer to me (music release)
This song was demo-ed in my home studio and later recorded at Melbourne’s famous Sing Sing studios, the tracks were sent to the USA to be mixed by Grammy Nominated Engineer Michael Barbiero, who had worked on releases for the likes of David Bowie, Madonna and Guns and Roses. The result was a beautifully polished song and video that received much praise and airplay from Melbournes Triple M radio station and many others.
Bellusira Touring and Live shows
The tour schedule with Bellusira was probably one of the hardest I have been involved in, with regular trips interstate crammed in a minivan as well as a country-wide New Zealand tour. It was often intense but a great life experience that I was privileged to have.
DJ Esquire
Year 2010 -2012
After years of establishing myself as a credible engineer and producer in the Melbourne music scene, a promoter approached me with the idea of hosting a nightclub that would plat a unique collection of remix pop/electro/rock and metal. He asked me if I could produce such a sound as a DJ. I had always wanted to get into DJ’ing and this was the perfect opportunity for me to showcase my skills once again in front of a big audience. Then spawned the birth of DJ Esquire!
I began working tirelessly on a collection of remixes, the results were awesome and had me playing shows across many venues in Melbourne city! Some of my tracks below.
