The Dawn Collective

Things I have always wanted to do in an empty house:

1. Play laser tag or hide-and-go-seek at night.
2. Make an amateur horror film.
3. Camp ‘in’ for the night with friends, pretending to live in a post-apocalyptic world - eating food directly from cans and talking about all the things we would be doing if They hadn’t dropped ‘the bomb’.
4. Film and record some acoustic performances in a lovely checkerboard-tiled room garnished with Christmas lights.

As much as I love horror, children’s games, and dystopian role play, the band opted for number four on this occasion.  One evening a few weeks back, after Greg had cleared his previous residence of belongings, we decided to capture a few acoustic performances of songs from our debut album Save a Place for Us. We know we have not ventured too far into the world of internet vlogging as yet, so we thought it was time we start getting as much of our faces as possible into your face. FACE!

I am constantly amazed by how much is at our fingertips these days. We can vlog confidently from the safety of our lounge rooms, we can make studio-quality albums in our kitchens, and now that ’shaky camera’ indie films are at the height of cool, every person with a hand-sized camera can upload videos without fear of criticism of their technical skills. This is quite comforting as it seems that people these days seem to be more curious and want the raw, freshly-mined sound and look of the world. People are happier seeing their internet peers posting their unedited quirks with infallible confidence. I am not trying to undermine what we think is quite a super attempt at capturing some acoustic performances; I am simply saying that I am happy that people’s viewing needs have changed.

Last year Greg and I were interviewed on FBi radio. In this interview Greg mentioned that albums can inadvertently become a soundtrack to one’s life experiences. I share this feeling with Greg. I am more than happy on request to rattle off many albums or songs that have become the soundtrack to important moments in my life. Recently, when I sing Eat, Drink, For Tomorrow We Die, it reminds me of the way it was captured in these acoustic sessions. It reminds me of Greg’s house in Chippendale and how it was constantly encircled by police sirens. It reminds me of the times Greg and I had promised to work hard on new material in his room and instead found ourselves milking a bottle of Jameson. I liked that house. I liked spending time in it and I thoroughly enjoyed the send off.

So, to the videos…

In the caliginous glow of the fairy lights you see The Dawn Collective, minus a Stacey. I can reassure you that she is still with us and well, just not available for this exclusive closed-off film shoot. *Brushes his lapel.*

Greg had been busy. Not only had he been through a moving transition, he had also been busy with his day job, like most people in the world. So considering his recent schedule, he deserves a golden star for turning up to track the audio for the videos. We all had a bit of exhaustion about us that night but I think this helped relax the scene a little, as we could unwind and do what we enjoy. As we played, I couldn’t help but think of days back in Wollongong. I remember rehearsing the early tunes of The Dawn Collective, armed acoustically, huddled into one of our lounge rooms whenever we could find the time. Jamming in a lounge room or empty house is a bit harder in the big city – houses are closer, walls are thinner, and, if I may speak subjectively, neighbours are more inebriated and uncompromising. So it was a delight to be in Greg’s cleared room, stripping back the songs to resemble their origins.

We have been releasing these videos one at a time and there are still a few more on the way. Please, check them out on our Facebook and MySpace pages or track them down on YouTube. Leave plenty of comments from fake handles, listing all the ways you could have done them better, or preferably encourage us with ‘Keep it up guys’, ‘That’s the way’ or ‘Your use of space and clouded lighting resembles an early Gus Van Sant!’.  In response, we will tip our hats to you in the street and involve ourselves in light conversation at our future shows. The Dawn Collective’s honour.

Now that The Dawn Collective are busy digitally cutting the defense of the vlogging world with our virtual pick and roll we would love to hear what you, the fan, would like to see more of. I could talk shop till the crippled cows come home but maybe you want to know more about our personal endeavors or how Rob keeps his beard looking so lovely. Set us a challenge! Honestly, anything at all; just leave a comment!

In other news, we have been busy recording demos that might make an appearance on our next release. So it seems as though it is a good time to reveal these acoustic tracks and start our exploration into the great beyond. *Cue: Theme from 2001 A Space Odyssey*  You will start hearing these new tracks filter into our live shows and hopefully you will enjoy them as much as we have enjoyed creating them.

Till we see you, take care!