Where did the name ‘Till Dawn’ come from?
Dan – Shaun and I were playing the nightclubs all the time and we weren’t getting home until the early hours of the morning, sometimes not till dawn, so this is where the name originated from. The band has been going for about five years now. We started the band, and Josh joined us two years ago.
Who are your main influences in music?
Dan – Definitely bands like Kings of Leon, Matchbox Twenty, Boy & Bear, and INXS
Josh – For me it was Aussie Crawl, INXS and Silver Chair.
Shaun – I liked Powder Finger, Matchbox Twenty and Stereophonics.
What are your memories growing up on the Fraser Coast?
Dan – I have been playing guitar since I was ten years old, and I kind of stuck to it. As I grew older I saw lots of live music and went to lots of band nights. While I didn’t really come from a musical family, my dad doesn’t mind the Harmonica, especially after a few drinks.
Josh – I grew up listening to music, and I remember one year that all I wanted for Christmas was a Drum Kit, and I was thrilled when I actually got one. As I grew older I played in bands with friends in High School.
Shaun – I remember growing up that I did lot’s of fishing around the Fraser Coast. They were definitely great times. Fishing is something that I still enjoy when I have time off.
How often, and for how long do you practise?
Dan – If we have an event we practise for about three to four hours at a time, once a week. We are lucky as we built a soundproof room in our shed, this is great to jam in on a regular basis.
Do you get many regular gigs?
Dan & Shaun – Last financial year we played nearly fifty gigs, it was our biggest year so far. Probably a quarter of all of our work is for private gigs. We have also travelled for gigs at Bundaberg, Warwick and Tin Can Bay.
Do you have day jobs, if so what are they?
Dan – I work for FCRC.
Josh – During the day I am an Accounts Clerk.
Shaun – I am a Builder.
How do you handle mistakes during a performance?
Dan – Just keep on playing and hope that no one notices, ha,ha. A cheeky smile doesn’t hurt either, mistakes happen all the time.
How would the band describe its music style?
Josh – We play Pub Rock, 70’s through to 90’s, we cover everything.
The song that we are requested to play the most would be Joelene.
How does the Internet help in the music business?
Well as we are all young things the internet has always been there since we have been working. It makes life easier for us. We find that it is much easier for people to find us and to book gigs.
Do you get the chance to write your own songs?
While we don’t get a lot of time between our day jobs and our gigs we do dabble in writing and have written a couple of our own songs, one we play regularly at our gigs, it is called ‘The Tradie’, about a young bloke out on the town on the lookout for women.
What are your long-term music career goals?
Dan – Over time I would like to transition into doing more of our own songs and less covers.
Josh – I agree with Dan, producing more of our own music. I wish we could make a living doing the pub circuit that would be awesome.
Shaun – I am happy to take it as it comes, to expand on what we are doing, and to always look to improve. Collectively we all agree that we would like a lot more gigs on the Fraser Coast.
To find out more about ‘Till Dawn’ check them out on Face-book at:
https://www.facebook.com/tilldawnband/
Photo and story by Kim Parnell
