While fans back in The Temper Trap's dual homes of England and Australia can pick up "The Temper Trap" right now, Americans will be waiting until June 5th to pick up the band's sophomore album. The eponymous album brought The Temper Trap to Los Angeles for recording sessions, a strange echoing of their travels from Melbourne to the UK before releasing their first disk. With all this moving about, we chatted with drummer Toby Dundas about their tour preparations.
Ian Doreian for melophobe:
We're glad to have The Temper Trap back in Boston next month, quite a step-up from your first visit!
Toby Dundas:
Thanks, it's been really great getting to play for a larger audience. Yeah, it was hard all of us squeezing on the stage the last time. We were at a little Irish bar for a radio station [WFNX] show happening right in the middle of St. Patrick’s Day. There were definitely calls for a few cover songs that night.
melophobe:
Oh man, that station was just sold to Live Nation. We don't really have a major independent radio voice in Boston any more. How have you found the relationship between the band and radio, and the difficulty with the American market?
Toby Dundas:
In Australia, Triple J has really been behind us, and we're even heading a festival called One Night Stand they're hosting in June. With BBC1, once we got airplay it was suddenly that we could fill up a club. But in the states, there are so many local stations it’s been tough to cover them all. I mean we do a some sessions with the local stations; it’s important since these are the places where people can get new music. It can be taxing to go and do these things, but we quickly realized just how important it is to connect with each city. There’s a few places where we have ongoing relationships: Boston, and Columbus Ohio. We’ve played there three times.
melophobe:
How have you gotten ready for the summer tour?
Toby Dundas:
Been having a few days off before starting the tour here night in London. For me it's just going round to some favorite record spots, coffee shops, hanging out with my girlfriend.
melophobe:
Is there a certain perception of Australian music right now?
Toby Dundas:
Becoming more common, right? Goyte is number one all over the world, and it seems there is a calling card for Australian music. Cut Copy, Jezebels- they all have made the jump across the ocean.
melophobe:
What do you need as an "Aussie care package" when you tour?
Toby Dundas:
Vegemite and coffee; I am continually searching for good coffee.
melophobe:
Our site encourages people to get out and not fear new music. Is there anything that you fear?
Toby Dundas:
Well, I have a strange phobia of swallowing tablets. They don’t want to go down, so I need to cut them into little pieces. The rest of the band knows about it, and they all laugh when I’m trying to take vitamins.
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Catch The Temper Trap on their June tour through North America!
6/5 New York City, NY [Terminal 5]
6/7 Boston, MA [House of Blues]
6/7-10 Manchester, TN [Bonnaroo]
6/10 Dallas, TX [House of Blues]
6/11 Austin, TX [Stubbs]
6/13 San Diego, CA [House of Blues]
6/15 Los Angeles, CA [The Palladium]
6/16 San Francisco, CA [The Warfield]
6/17 Portland, OR [Roseland Ballroom]
6/18 Seattle, WA [Showbox]
6/19 Vancouver, BC, Canada [Malkin Bowl]
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