April Fish Newsletter Interview

April Fish

Interview by Lisa Jones // 5 November 2013

April Fish, the avant-garde duo, is made up of Katie Morton, spritian keyboard virtuoso and lyricist extraordinaire, and Wellington Warr guitarist John Costa. They answered the following questions for muzic.net.nz:

Which one of your songs are you most proud of, and why?

Katie: My favourite songs on our album are Fido and A Darker Shade of Dream. It can be challenging to make music that matches the sounds in my head, and these two recordings come pretty close.
John: The as yet unreleased Carrot & Stick. There’s something dark and lateral about it and I am so amazed I am in a band that plays this song.

How would you describe April Fish’s music in one sentence?

Katie: Alternative jazzy chamber-pop-rock proggy stuff that’s often challenging, sometimes pretty pretty, and usually unusually convoluted.
John: Chamber Rock.
Katie: Ask again next week and get different answers from both of us.

What has been your most memorable show to date?

John: Amanda Palmer.
Katie: We opened for her three months after meeting and starting the band. It was surreal and amazing.

What sets you apart from other bands?

John: What doesn’t?
Katie: We make an impressive amount of sound for just two people.

What can we expect to see from April Fish over the next year?

John: Stuff!!!
Katie: New music, another album, a music video, miscellaneous secret side projects. Basically, what John said. Stuff!

What advice would you like to give to other aspiring musicians?

Katie: Learn the “rules” then decide which ones are for you. Not all advice has to be acted on. Whatever you do, do it mindfully.
John: Get a real job.

Tell us about April Fish’s next release.

John: Mind-melting lateral music from a composer and a lousy builder living with a clinically insane dog.
Katie: In the words of 4 Non Blondes: Bigger, Better, Faster, More.

April Fish is Katie Morton (vocals, piano) and John Costa (guitar, vocals).

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April Fish

About the interviewer Lisa Jones

I’m Lisa, Muzic.NZ’s founder and manager. I also manage the Aotearoa Music Industry Collective as well as the Aotearoa Rock Community and the Gig Space Facebook groups. I’ve been interested in music for as long as I can remember – I grew up listening to my parent’s records and watching the Top 40 Countdown on TV every weekend. I also played the drums and guitar in high school, and wrote lyrics for some of my friend’s bands. I come from a musical background; my Granddad was one of the main founders of country music clubs in Taranaki. Rock is my favourite genre of music, but I enjoy a huge variety of genres from old school hip-hop through to metal, punk, pop, folk and EDM. My advice to NZ musicians’ is to build yourself a great support network, never be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and talk to

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