Exclusive Interview with Small Town Heroes
Small Town Heroes is a four-piece pop-punk band from Perth, Australia. Their YouTube channel features videos of them doing covers of bands such as 5 Seconds of Summer and All Time Low. The band (in its current lineup) came together in 2015 and includes Stephen Beerkens (Bass) and Mike Bono (lead guitar and vocals) who do a lot of the songwriting as well as Josh Raven (lead vocals and rhythm guitar) and Sean Tighe (drums).
Their debut EP, Set Free, was released in August 2015 and was an immediate hit with their fans while at the same time attracting new fans with their unique sound and catchy songs. The band is currently working on their second EP however no release date has been set at this time. Fortunately, Talk Nerdy With Us was able to grab a few minutes with the band this week to learn a little more about them and what they have planned for the future.
Will you share with us how you guys came together as a band? Your creation story?
It started off with Stephen and Mike writing some grunge/metal music for a school project and then Michael’s mum came into the study and suggested that they form a pop-punk band. From there, the rest is history. Stephen was mates Josh from school so he was happy to join the band, and Sean was introduced to the band in early 2015 as the rest of the band found him via his drum covers on YouTube.
We all had the calling to pursue music from early on in our lives, but in different ways. For example, Mike played in bands from as early on as primary school, Josh would stay up until 4am practicing singing in year 7, Stephen started playing the piano at the age of 7 and Sean never listened at school as all he could think about was drumming at Wembley Stadium.
Why Small Town Heroes? Is there any special meaning behind your name?
The name Small Town Heroes represents all the people from small areas that may not have the opportunity to become well-known for their passion or trade, yet continue to pursue it because of their love for what they do. Music has always been a major part of our lives, and to us, the name acts as a constant reminder of where we came from and the reason why we do what we do.
Which members are responsible for the bulk of the songwriting? How does your creative process work?
Mike and Stephen collaborate together to write the musical aspects of the songs, which Mike then spends hours on end editing and quantizing, especially when Stephen records the demos and plays out of time. Josh, Mike and Stephen all work together on the lyrics and use visual inspiration like videos or movies to help source lyrical content.
Will you let us know where can we find your music and on what are you currently working?
Yes, we released our debut EP ‘Set Free’ in August 2015 which had a great response throughout the fandom. It’s available on iTunes, Spotify, YouTube and Google Play. We are also anticipating the release of our second EP, for which the release date is yet to be announced.
From where do you draw your inspiration?
As mentioned above, we seek lyrical inspiration from visual sources and also our own life experiences. Our musical inspiration comes from bands like Paramore, All Time Low and State Champs.
If everything goes to plan, where do you see yourselves in 5 years? 10 years?
Hopefully touring the world and writing more music!
What has been your best moment on stage and where did that take place? Conversely, will you share your most embarrassing or worst moment on stage?
Our best moment on stage has to be at Hyperfest on the 20th of Feb 2016. We all had so much energy on stage and our passion for the music that we were playing reflected in the great sound and the awesome response from the crowd.
We’ve had a few embarrassing moments on the stage, the funniest ones being when Josh has a mental blank and either forgets the lyrics to our own songs or forgets that he actually needs to sing into the microphone for people to hear him, as he sometimes has a tendency to sing from 5 metres behind the microphone.
I’m at one of your shows and I offer to buy y’all a round of drinks… what am I buying?
For Sean, either a Coke or tea, both of which are his biggest obsessions. The rest of the band would simply enjoy a hearty beer after a set.
We call ourselves Talk Nerdy With Us and we all identify with the label in different ways. What do you do that would qualify you to Talk Nerdy With Us?
How nerdy is Small Town Heroes? Well, Mike has a prescribed FIFA obsession, Stephen has a picture frame of Snorlax in his room and is a massive classical music nerd, Sean wants to meet an alien and Josh prides himself on his knowledge of skin care.
You can connect with Small Town Heroes on social media at: