The Jackets have performed worldwide, with Australia and New Zealand next on the horizon. What are you looking forward to about your upcoming gig in Oamaru? Have you been here before?
No, we haven’t been to Oamaru before — and actually, I haven’t been to New Zealand at all. I did take a little tour of your town on Google street view though, and it looks absolutely beautiful. I’m really excited to finally experience it in real life . . . we can’t wait to see you all.
Gearhead described The Jackets as ‘‘one of the most exciting bands going today, holding one of the most exciting frontwomen of this generation.’’ You founded the band with drummer Chris Rosales and have been going strong for 18 years with bassist Omar Fra who joined the band last year after Samuel ‘‘Schmidi’’ Schmidiger left. What are you most proud of?
That we stayed true to ourselves and remained independent all these years, while building our own audience and network. Today that’s incredibly important, and also incredibly hard, especially for young bands. We grew slowly and consistently, never trying to make it the fast way. I think that’s why we still love what we do and why we’re able to grow in a natural, healthy way. Not many bands survive this long — it’s a demanding and tough field, even though it’s also fun and deeply fulfilling.
You’ve played garage and psych festivals like Tokyo’s Back From The Grave Halloween Ball, Spain’s Funtastic Dracula Carnival, and Seattle’s Freak Out Festival, what can audiences expect from your gig?
Pure rock’n’roll energy and music — a vitamin pill to help you stay silly and sane in a crazy world, and of course, a lot of fun.
