After travelling more than 1,200 kilometres co-headlining the Goldfields-Esperance Touring Circuit less than six months ago, Esperance three-piece Grand Casual are preparing to hit the road again.
Grand Casual member Kyron Smithson said the band would be taking a tour of the South West later next month, performing in Albany and at Settlers Tavern in Margaret River before heading to Perth and then Bridgetown.
It has been a busy year for Mr Smithson and fellow members Matt Cooper and Joe Franzone, who have recently been nominated for ‘Best Regional Act’ at this year’s annual WAMAwards.
Mr Smithson said the regional circuit with the state’s peak music body is what had inspired the band to get out on the road.
“The positive feedback that we got from that tour and how much we all enjoyed it definitely would have been a catalyst for getting on the road again,” he said.
“It’ll be fantastic just to get out there and play to a really varied audience, a lot of people that haven’t really heard us play before and sort of see what the reaction is.
Mr Smithson said the band were pumped to bring their material to the South West, having rehearsed up to four times a week for the last two months in preparation for the tour.
“The more we jam, the less nervous we become,” he said.
“There’s just that real feeling of excitement – you set yourself up for a tour like this and it just allows you to have that real focus.
“All of our new material has been written in the last six months.
“Joe [Franzone] has only been with us for a year now and a lot of the material that we were playing was stuff that had been written prior – all of the new material has been written by all three of us.
“The sound has evolved quite a bit from what it was originally.
“I’d say it’s a lot more experimental in a lot of ways – there is a lot of variation in the sound as well and some real experimenting with sound, tones and effects.
“There is some wacky sort of stuff in there but it’s really cool and I’m really looking forward to having some people hear it and getting some feedback.
“We’d love for people to come along if they’re keen to hear our new material.”
Grand Casual will perform at The White Star Hotel in Albany on Friday, October 26, and Settlers Tavern on Saturday, October 27.
The band will then perform in Perth at WAMFest on November 3 before playing at Bridgetown’s Bluesfest from November 9 until November 11.
Grand Casual will also be performing at the Nannup Music Festival in March 2019.
For more info visit www.grandcasual.com/home
