To start with, how did you discover music and how come you ended up playing the guitar?
I was always into my Mum and Dad’s music growing up. Neither of them were musical, but we always had music from their era playing in the house. I was at my cousin’s house at the age of eight and they had an old beat-up acoustic that I somehow grabbed a hold of. I think my dad saw the connection I had with the guitar and decided to buy me one after that.

The Amity Affliction is coming up on two decades as a band. You’ve been with them since 2013. Looking back on your own journey in the band, what are some of the absolute stand-out moments so far for you?
Stand-out moments for me are obviously some of the larger shows we’ve done in stadiums etc. Also doing nostalgic tours with bands I grew up listening to as a teenager. But, being able to see a big chunk of the world while touring is my collective stand-out moment.

Do you still practice your instrument regularly? If so, what does your routine look like?
Honestly, I practice my instrument less and less these days. My main focus is writing new material and honing that craft. It’s great having virtual instruments to do that with while on tour and at home.

Your latest album is the first one you self-produced. What lead you to this decision and what was the process like?
We have worked with many producers over the years and it has been great to learn all the tips and tricks from them along the way. But after being a band for such a long time, we are very certain of the sound and writing style we want to achieve. Thankfully we can do so within the band itself. I myself kind of take over the producer role as I’m the most audio savvy when it comes to tracking and editing etc. We have a writing system that works for us too and.. “if it ain’t broke…” We may work with producers again in the future, though.

This album also saw you returning to your heavier roots. Was that a conscious move?
Yes, absolutely! Like most heavier bands we wanted to explore our melodic side there for a little bit but came to realize that those songs don’t really translate to a live setting that encourages a fun environment with lots of crowd participation. So, we have written – and will continue to explore – how heavy we can take the “Amity” sound and in turn enjoy playing those songs live.

We’ve read you always travel with your computer and that you’re a touring musician who can write while on the road. Not all can! Do you feel you do your best work on tour or when tucked away in a creative bubble at home?
Haha, I like that maybe I have that reputation! Yes, I always, always, always have my laptop with me and I find it easiest to write while touring or traveling with the band. There’s something about being immersed in the music touring world that helps and inspires me to write. I imagine it being like a chef creating ideas in a kitchen, not a garage. Having virtual instruments has been a huge part of my writing process too, because I can’t always have the instrument I want set up or with me.

Walk us through your own and the band’s creative process! Where in this does Toontrack come in, which programs do you personally use and how do they help?
Joel, our lead vocalist, writes all the lyrics in a poetic form. I write all the music. Then Ahren, our bass player will come up with ways to put Joel’s poems over the music I have written. My job then is to edit and “produce” what we have all put together to end up with a final product. Sometimes I do a lot of editing and make a lot of changes, sometimes everything clicks together much more easily. Toontrack is a huge part of the writing process for me especially where drums come in. I use Superior Drummer 3 every single day of my life. The best part for me is never having to commit to a drum pattern that has been recorded by a human until I am 100% certain that is how I want the drums to be. Tempo changing, drum patterns, drum sounds… it’s all interchangeable at any stage and that is very freeing while writing for me.

What is the most rewarding part of making music for you? Is it the actual writing process, recording and refining the songs in the studio or taking them to the stage? Or all of them?
The most rewarding part for me is hearing back mixes after we send out our session to a mixer. It’s when the thousands of sound files turn into music in my ears. I enjoy all stages of creating music, but hearing final mixes is a great pay-off for all the hard work.

What’s has been the most unexpected source of inspiration for you as a songwriter?
I look to always be open to any inspiration. But the most unexpected for me recently has been younger bands that have been on some of our tours. Not so much the music they are playing but more so the excitement they have about touring and playing music. I can see a younger version of myself in them that is so full of energy and still learning about the world while navigating what it is to be a touring musician. There’s an energetic crazy innocence in that and it has inspired me to try to keep capturing that in our own songs.

What’s next on the agenda for the band?
Next for us is our Australian headline tour celebrating 10 years since releasing one of our most popular albums “Let the Ocean Take Me.” We re recorded the entire album and will be playing it in full along with more recent hits. After that we have a US tour early next year – and on it goes…