Life’s A (Michael) Beach
Californian expat and freshly minted Australian citizen Michael Beach is no stranger to the Melbourne music scene.
Since first setting foot our shores in 2002 during his first year of university, and slowly being moulded by the likes of the early days of MTV in his hometown and the early 2000’s Triple J in rural Victoria, Michael tentatively toed the pool of what the Melbourne music scene had to offer, spurred on by the support and the influence of the team around Homeless Records and the Northcote Social Club.
After quickly falling into the fold of Electric Jellyfish and touring nationally (as well as internationally with the band) Michael’s debut solo record arrived in 2008, but he also has made a name for himself as part of such bands as the abrasive Shovels, and more recently as a floating member of Thigh Master.
Experiencing the to-and-fro of trips back to his homeland due to Visa issues hasn’t stopped Michael from bunkering down when he’s got the time and pondering the existence of the human condition with either his guitar or piano in reach, and the latest result is DREAM VIOLENCE, Michael’s forth and most realised album to date.
A record that tackles existential dread of consumer ethics in the age of late capitalism, the rigmarole of an endless life to-do list and things that go bump in the night while musically backed by contrasting sombre piano ballads through to dirgy rock opera guitar suites.
In the lead up to playing at the Vic On The Park on the 1st May with Feedtime, Michael took some time out to have a chat on The Band Next Door about growing up in a US smalltown, reflecting on songs in the limbo from recording to release and why his albums are “all over the place”.
