The Wasted Wanderers are fast becoming an institution within Adelaide’s close-knit rock and blues scene. Having met at Billy Bob’s Barbeque jam at the Grace Emily the trio have gone from strength to strength and have landed a slot at WOMADelaide on the back of a fantastic local reputation. Glam caught up with frontman and main songwriter Dusty Lee.
GLAM: How did the three of you go from jamming at the open mic night at the Grace to forming your own band?
DUSTY: It all just kinda lined up really. My other band ‘Angels of Gung Ho’ went on a bit of a hiatus while two of the guys went over seas for six months. I’d been really getting into the Southern soul and blues style tunes I’d been jamming out at the Grace every Monday night with Ben, Matty B and the dozens of other great musos that head down there. I guess I just felt it was time for a new project that reflects my song writing inspired by that style. Benny, Matt and I had been jamming a couple of my tunes there for a while and just decided to make a record, which needed a band name so we became ‘Wasted Wanderers,’ as our genre hopping meant we actually had no clear idea of what we wanted the band to sound like. Then gigs and everything else that comes with being a band followed.
GLAM: You’ve played in a number of different bands prior to forming the Wasted Wanderers. Can you talk is through your history as a musician and describe what makes this act special for you as a songwriter?
DUSTY: In 2003, 13-year-old me formed a band with my Brighton High School year 8 buddies that in a stroke of genius we named ‘Grannyflat’. Our first gig was a band comp that we won, then Today Tonight got around it, then that led to more band comps, then interstate gigs and recordings. Heaps of cool stuff happened from 13 to 17 with that band.
I left high school and that band behind to put on a Sgt. Pepper suit and try make some real money playing George Harrison in the Fab Four. Good times! Then I formed (hard rock band) ‘Angels of Gung Ho’ once I realised I was starting to hate the Beatles and needed to get back to playing my music. We released an EP and toured a bit. I still love that band and we still play every now and then. Billy Bob’s BBQ Boys has been a hoot for a few years. I also was a big part of Valkyries for a while.
Wanderers is probably my most organic project, I’m trying complicate it all less and make really collaborate with Ben and Matt on the songs. Some of them I have fully fleshed out when I go into rehearsal and others not so much but I always know they’re gonna take these songs to another level. Its a cool vibe.
GLAM: Wasted Wanderers seems like an act influenced by blues, rock and perhaps a bit of soul. What bands are your main influences and that you think have shaped your sound?
DUSTY: I grew up on my Dad’s and my older brother Dillon’s musical tastes. Dad had me on Status Quo, Deep Purple, Creedence, Cream and The Kinks. Dillon bought me Led Zeppelin remasters, Hendrix ‘Are You Experienced’ and gave me his copy of Sound gardens ‘Super unknown,’ which was the most badass thing I’d ever heard at the time. So I loved my rock n’ roll. At this time I was also learning guitar from Chris Finnen, playing heaps of blues. He gave me a Robert Johnson box set for my birthday once.
We would tape the Old Grey Whistle test marathons that Rage used to play late at night, from this I discovered Little Feat, Dire Straits, The Eagles and Lynard Skynard. I guess I’ve always been drawn to that Southern American sound. That was magnified when I started going down the Grace Monday nights, then I dived right in by joining Billy Bobs band. That dude’s shown me some cool shit!
Through high school through friends and being hungry for new music I found Josh Pyke, Lior, Sufjan Stevens and got massively into Jeff Buckley. I began to love beautiful song writing. These artists showed me that men don’t always have to be loud angry dudes, they can sound beautiful.
I think all of the above influences have reared their heads in my song writing from time to time.
GLAM: Having met through the Grace Emily house band you guys are understandably some of the most professional musicians in the local scene. Can you talk us through your line up and what each member brings to the band?
DUSTY: Matty B is a killer drummer and a quiet achiever. He engineered, mixed, mastered and played on our EP. He’s set up his rig to record our live gigs as well as practically managed the band at points. He’s a total guru. And he has the best sounding drums, every time. Every band needs a Matt Birkin.
Ben Morris is a ridiculously talented guitarist and singer but in this band is a ridiculously talented bass player, backing vocalist and co writer. He has a freak ability to anticipate and predict everything I’m about to play on guitar. He’s also the most poker faces bluntly hilarious dude to be around.
Together they make a dynamite rhythm section. It’s pretty freakin’ unreal to watch them in action.
GLAM: Sometimes you guys play as a trio and at other times you have an expanded line up with backing vocalists. What line up can audiences expect at Womad?
DUSTY: Well it’ll be the three of us, plus the two backing singers (Soph and Brit McKay, The Wanderettes) and our mates Logan Watt on keys and Anthony Callisto on acoustic. So we’ll be a 7 piece that day! We performed like this for our EP Launch and the most recent gig we did at Jive. We like to amp it up for bigger shows. It means I can perform more and stress less filling all the sound out with just my fingers. It also means the songs are presented with the full instrumentation intended for them.
Catch the Wasted Wanderers at WOMAD at 4pm on Saturday.
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