Tell us about your music. How did you develop your sound?

I've been playing music and writing songs since I was 10. So the sound we have now has been a long time in the making and has gone through a lot of stages. I've spent a long time listening to all different kinds of music. But the songs I've recently written have definitely been influenced by all the local music that's been happening all around me - living in a sharehouse with seven other people that also make music. The music we write as a band now is pretty collaborative. We usually drink a few beers, get a bit tipsy, go to the studio (Peter the drummer built a recording/rehearsal studio called Audile Design in Marrickville) and jam and things tend to happen organically from there.

What’s your greatest source of inspiration for making music?

A long neck of Coopers Red. Jokes! Nah I'm not sure I've always just had to make music - it's a lot of fun, it's therapeutic, it stops me going insane and that's a pretty big source of inspiration in itself. I get very angry about stupid things like politics and the state of the world and if I didn't have music to deal with it I would probably be dead by now.

You’re one of the winners of our NIDA competition and had the opportunity to work with a NIDA directing student to create a film clip for your track ‘Just One Night’. Could you talk us through that process?

It was really fun and we were lucky because we live in Sydney we got to kind of become friends with the director and the designer of the clip. They came to a few of our live shows to see what kind of personality we have I guess. We drank a few beers together and chatted about stuff. They asked us to send them music videos we absolutely hated. Which was good. They asked us "What is a definite no go zone" and I said "No lame party scenes with red cups." Then they went away and came up with a concept which they pitched to me the day before I left for Sri Lanka for 5 weeks. While I was away we emailed each other and then we filmed the day I got back. Filming that day was a lot of fun. I was buzzing from jetlag/excitement at seeing all these people working together to create something.

What can punters at a JuliaWhy? live show?

Really, really fast drumming.

What Australian track would you play to cheer up someone who was crying?

'Stay at Home Dads' by Beef Jerk followed by 'Sun Up' by Day Ravies.

What Australian track would you play to someone to make them cry?

'Cotton' by Beef Jerk (unreleased yet) and definitely 'BalladHEAD' by Mope City.

You’re the DJ at a party. The dance floor is pumping. What Australian track do you put on next?

'Lick the Pip' by Housewives.

What was the last local gig you went to? How was it?

My friend put on a festival at the Marrickville Bowling Club called 'Building Bridges for Refugees.' Dick Diver and Holy Balm headlined, Roamin' Catholics played, as did Day Ravies, DAG from Brisbane, Destiny 3000... so many bloody great bands it was bloody fantastic. In fact here's the link. It sold out and they made about $8000 to donate to Bridge for the Asylum Seeker Foundation so it was amazing!!!

Tell us about the bands or people in the Newcastle music community that inspire you.

We don't live in Newcastle haha but there are some great bands from there - Bacon Cakes is my personal favourite. The Sufferjets too. But my local scene is based mainly around Marrickville in Sydney. It's ridiculous how many good bands are coming out of there. In fact my friend and I are starting a record label EXXE RECORDS and putting out a mixtape that has a song from each of the 13 bands from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane that started at the share house we lived in together, or played shows there, or slept on our couch while they were on tour etc etc. So yeah it's pretty amazing to be kind of part of it and I feel it needs to be documented some way - hence the mixtape.

What are your plans for the rest 2014?

In terms of JuliaWhy? we're going to try make ourselves a video to release another single and then put out the album digitally and on cassette by the end of the year. Then we'll tour and then it's world domination... obviously.