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

We just wanted to make music that we enjoyed listening to, and so it slowly developed through combinations of influences, as well as many hours of trial and error and the process of elimination... Ideas usually develop within the computer, starting with beats and production, then live instruments and vocals. We then have the challenge of pulling them off in a live situation. 

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

The biggest inspiration for us is hearing new music, because we often forget that there's an infinite pool of ideas to be manifested. This gets our creative minds juicing. 

What can punters expect from a TORA live show?

We get pretty into it when were on stage, we don't take ourselves too seriously, so there's usually a bit of goofy dancing and silly comments throughout the set. We've been told that the songs sound more energetic and upbeat when we play live. Most people don't realise, but we have 3 vocalists and we play the songs with real instruments.

What’s the best advice you’ve been given and who was it from?

 'Don't burn your bridges.' - Dave

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

Bee Gee's - Stayin' Alive, accompanied by flare pants and living room choreography.

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

 Vancouver sleep clinic - Collapse. Hear it and weep. :'(

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

"Dat Schlump Funk" by Silentjay.

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

Our local community garden burnt down a little while ago, and they put on a fundraiser to rebuild it. We played a little set to contribute. It was super cute.

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

Our close friends Gabe and Cecilia are musical geniuses, and inspire us through their crafty originality. 
Potato Potato never cease to amaze us either, and they're always keen to jam. 

What are your plans for TORA in 2014?

We've got some exciting shenanigans planned for the rest of the year, now including our first ever show at Splendour in the Grass.

We just released "Eat the Sun" the first single from our new EP which will be out later in the year.

We are also super stoked to be going on tour with Miami Horror in september, which will include shows in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide and Canberra.

Tell us about your music - how did you develop your sound?

Angus and Jake Long (vocals and guitar) were keen to ditch the 8 string guitar breakdowns and pig squeals from a former band to do something more honest and relevant. This new direction took influence from the music they listen to day to day, which is more ‘Hard/Southern Rock’ like Every time I Die, Pantera & The Chariot. The addition of Eli Green and Nick Evans (Drums and Bass) helped this become a reality; their style was so well suited to this idea, it was like a match made in heaven. Not long after the recruitment of Eli and Nick, Tim Lawrence was brought in as a second guitarist to fill out the sound and bring more metal to the group. As a band we're very diverse in our influences, and we try to create a sound that resonates with people while still making music that is unique and interesting for us to write and perform. Of course, we also love bringing 'the kill' to a live show. We started out a little more straight-up southern-rock than we are now but gradually shifted into doing what felt more comfortable to us under the mantra of "being ourselves". As we found a little more metal creeping into the band it seemed to balance with the southern inspired hardcore sound we were already working with. People have said that we toe a fine line between metal & hardcore and I think that's a fair statement. We're very mindful of what "Life Pilot" sounds like, and we try to stick to it without favouring one genre or the other while keeping consistency in our sound.

You’re one of the winners of our Soundwave competition and are opening the main stage at 11am this Saturday 2nd March. What can Soundwave attendees in Adelaide expect from the Life Pilot live show?

As you can imagine we’re really excited to be given the opportunity to play such a massive festival alongside some of our biggest influences and idol bands. We doubt we’d have won if it weren’t for the support of one Triple J presenter in particular, Stu Harvey who has supported us ever since we sent him our demo. So an official ‘thanks mate’ to Stu, we owe you one. As for the show, you can expect an aggressive, high energy & very physical performance with the big sound to match. We'll be bringing the energy of our small stage show to the mammoth Soundwave main stage and we'll give our absolute all on the day. While we’re doing everything we can to show people who we are and what we're all about, we’ll be having the time of our lives. There's every chance that the show will end with broken instruments and broken band members.

Who are some other bands in the Australian heavy music scene that people should be checking out?

We've got a split coming out with Perth heavy-hitters, Statues, next month. They're a phenomenal live act, extremely talented musicians and we’ve got a lot of love for those boys. Closer to home, we're big believers in the small roster of southern-rock/hardcore bands that have arisen out of Adelaide: Mara Jade, A Ghost Orchestra & One in the Chamber are all excellent bands that deserve to be known and celebrated. In the East we’re quite fond of Safe Hands from Sydney who are stopping off in Adelaide at the end of their national tour to play our Split CD Launch on March 30 and Culprits from Melbourne who impressed everyone at Down & Dirty 2012 in October last year with some great music.

What’s the best advice you’ve been given and by who?

The best advice we've been given and could possible give anyone can be reduced to three simple words: ‘be your self’. It has been said by many people but struck a chord when spoken by Petey Green on something as basic as how to eat a watermelon. This expression has been a motto of the band from the beginning and is instrumental in how we write our songs, perform our material and live our lives.

What’s coming up for you in 2013?

Obviously, Soundwave has our immediate attention, but also from early March we'll be taking pre-orders for our split with Statues (WA), entitled Compass, which will be released on 13.3.13. We'll be launching that in Adelaide on March 30 at the Crown & Anchor with Safe Hands (NSW), and the other Adelaide bands we mentioned earlier. After the launch we’re looking at touring interstate, as it's something we haven't done with this band and we're itching to do it. There are whispers of a self-funded U.S. tour at the end of the year as we’re keen to reach audiences abroad. Throughout the year we’ll be in the studio, tracking our next EP/Album. Pre-production has already started and we're really stoked on how some of the new material is sounding.

Australian music is…?

...something to be proud of, and invest in. Australian music offers a lot of diversity and talent within a wide range of genres. The heavy scene is becoming more popular than ever with ARIAs being awarded to heavy acts, and festivals like Soundwave are much more present in the public eye. There are heaps of local acts and talented artists just outside your doorstep that are hard working and more than willing to go the extra mile to make their career a reality. It's worth supporting and worth protecting. We're well aware that we wouldn't be as fortunate as we are without people getting behind independent Australian music.

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

We developed our sound through the bands we listen to. Majority of our influences are heavy bands. With a female vocalist, we were able to create something more unique. A sound that unifies the heavy music with clean dominated vocals.

What’s it like trying to gig and tour as a school-age band?

It's a big disadvantage. We're in our most important year in high school now, we just started year 12. Also,l being underage (16-17), our parents are still concerned for us. We are limited to where and when we are able to tour and gig. Our songwriting process is also not as fast as it could be, but we manage to make enough time for band.

What’s the best advice you’ve been given and who was it from?

We think that every piece of advice is the best. The people who listen to our covers and originals, our parents and producer and managers, even our own observations have helped us advance towards improving different aspects of our sound and presentation.

Who are some inspiring front-women that you think people should check out?

Justin Bieber has gone a long way from Youtube, I think many people should follow her steps of success.

What’s coming up for you in the rest of 2011 and looking to 2012?

We have plenty of gigs coming up for the rest of 2011, including an acoustic one. We also plan to finish 3 more originals to play some new material live. 2012 is going to start off pretty big, we have an east- coast tour in January, as well as the Hope Out West Fest that we will be playing at, which we're really excited for. We're recording our EP early in the year as well.

Australian music is…?

...amazing! The majority of all we listen to is Aussie. In all different genres, there is so much talent being showcased by all the bands from here.

Describe your music.

If I were to describe what I hope my music turns out to be, I'd say pop-driven tunes that still have an interesting musical production aspect to it. Although I am a bit of a muso nerd, I've learnt some valuable lessons about songwriting, very importantly that you can easily overdo anything when it comes to creativity. These days I'm trying to write things that are catchy, easy to memorise and easy to tap your foot to.

Who’s been a big musical influence for you?

Different artists influence different songs I write, seeing as I am a bit of a genre hopper. For example, 'Backflips' I think has a lot of Ben Folds in it, while 'Two Sides' and 'Different' show my respect for Justin Timberlake and Pharrell Williams. In terms of personal musical development and how its been influenced, way too many artists come to mind. Everything from Jeff Buckley to Mike Patton. Lately I've been listening to a lot of drum programming people like J Dilla, ?uestlove and the Platinum Pied Pipers -hence my increase in confidence with my own programming.

How do you start writing your songs? On the computer? Guitar?

Cool riffs usually just come out on guitar or on the keyboard when I'm screwing around, so I try to record them straight away before I forget them. I program a quick drum beat, loop it and record my idea in time with it and this becomes the central 'hook'. I tweak and build on that, adding new sections as I go.

Tell us about the local music community in Brisbane.

I don't know if I'm being socially ignorant, but I think the Brisbane music community is TINY! Everyone knows everyone so its easy to network and meet people. Its very easy to help your peers and help yourself get a name out there. It feels like the degrees of separation are very few and everyone seems to also be hooked up to Myspace... which is totally killer for being a whore.

What have you got planned for the future?

I'm studying at the moment (aiming for the stable future), but for the long-term I plan to hone my songwriting and production skills to the point where it can support me financially. Who knows what will hopefully come...the path of the poor musician is a hard one to follow. As hard as winning the lottery.

Australian music is…

...not to be underestimated. We have many world class artists in our locale that are sitting there undiscovered. Get out there and check out stuff you havent heard before! Is there anything Australian's aren't good at?

Tell us about your music - how did you develop your sound?

Over time, more and more factors are contributing to the development of my sound. A lot of direct and indirect musical influences, contemporary folk music, film scores, living in Scandinavia and the winter in the north... also my relationship with the studio environment. For this project particularly, I spent a lot of time in my home studio, just exploring and really working on creating a layered sonic landscape. It’s those small organic nuances that you stumble across over time that have really defined the sound of this project for me.

You wrote and produced a lot of your music in Sweden. What did you find most inspiring over there?

The thing that impacted me the most about living in Sweden was the physical environment. All of it.. It’s so different from everything we have here in Australia. The dramatic seasonal shifts, the colours and textures in the trees, the light... is softer or something. The winter, it’s so extreme, and because of that it’s so beautiful. It’s a hard thing to describe, but I found it really inspiring to be immersed in those places.

What other artists/musicians do you draw inspiration from?

I haven’t been listening to much music lately, but I do have some staples that I keep going back to: Laura Veirs, Max Richter, Great Lake Swimmers, Feist, Elbow, Tucker Martine. I try to be a bit selective too when in writing/production mode. I find it can be good to limit what I listen to, just to put some boundaries in place.

You’re preparing to play shows. What’s your vision for the live show like?

I just did the first gig on Sunday evening actually! I’ve been really focusing on bringing the important sonic elements from the recordings to the stage, but still keeping a sense of play and freedom in there. It’s a fine line, but these days there’s some great technology out there to work with! At this stage, it’s just a solo show, and I’ll be building it up as I go along.

What else is coming up for you in 2013?

The rest of the year is shaping up nicely. The next single is not too far off, I’ll be putting a fair bit of work into the live set and am now just in the process of booking some shows. I’ll have the next couple of video clips to produce, and then back to writing the next lot of songs!

Australian music is…?

…Evolving. I think now is a really interesting time for us. The internet has given Australians access to culture on a global scale, but often we’re positioned more as observers than major players. Because of this, it seems like there is some really interesting and unique music being created in Australia at the moment, and it has the ability to connect on an international level. I feel like we’re no longer culturally isolated from some other key regions of the world, and that’s reflected in the music we’re currently producing... It’s pretty exciting!

Tell us about your music - how did you develop your sound?

Our music is heavily beat and synth driven with elements of live instrumentation like guitar, piano and vocal. We write most our tracks with the intention of getting people up to dance and party but at the same time we try to add depth to the songs through meaningful vocals and thoughtful melodies and chord progressions. We usually write our tracks in full on acoustic instruments like piano and guitar and then bring them into the studio and begin producing. It is this process that we believe gives our songs a unique sound. We all have very diverse musical backgrounds and musical tastes and we have all been playing music together since way back in primary school. It is these diverse backgrounds and mutual understanding of one another’s writing and performing styles that is a key aspect of our sound.

You’re the winners of our Groovin The Moo competition and will be joining the line up at the Canberra leg of the festival. What can Groovin The Moo punters in Canberra expect from the SAFIA live show?

Groovin’ The Moo goers in Canberra should expect to get an early wake up call when they see our set. Expect a lot of energy, big production and big vocals. Those who have seen us play before know that we have a lot of gadgets that we use to make our electronic sounds truly come across as a live performance and that we wont stop until we’ve got everyone up and dancing and jumping around.

What are you most looking forward to about the festival?

We are most looking forward to getting out on stage and sharing our music with so many new people. We love festivals because you meet so many new people and discover so much new music. Some artists we are particularly excited to see are Midnight Juggernauts, Tame Impala, Shockone, Last Dinosaurs and The Kooks. However, with a lineup this good it’s going to be hard to decide who to see on the day.

What’s the best advice you’ve been given and who was it from?

We’ve received lots of advice for all aspects of life over the years but one of best pieces of advice that we have taken on board concerning our attitude towards music would have to be from a man by the name of Wally De Backer, better known as Gotye. Although the advice was not directed at us specifically we took it on board. In a media interview he said the most important thing is to keep writing no matter what and not to give up when your tracks don’t get received as well as you would like.

What’s coming up for you in 2013?

We really hope that we can make 2013 a big year for ourselves. We have extremely big goals which seem incredibly ambitious at the moment but if you had told us this time last year that we would be given the triple j Unearthed spot to play at Groovin’ The Moo we probably would have just laughed. At the moment apart from preparing for Groovin’ The Moo we are currently putting the finishing touches on our first full single release, which we hope to have ready by the end of the month. This will be followed by a mini tour along the east coast where we hope to at least visit Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra and Brisbane. But most importantly we plan to just keep writing and producing music and to keep pushing ourselves to get better and improve at what we do.

Australian music is…?

...Everything! We honestly think that Australia produces some of the most unique, groundbreaking and downright amazing music in the world. It’s hard to believe how much talent there is in this country. One of the best aspects about Australian music is that there are so many hidden gems just waiting to be discovered. Australians are incredibly lucky to have sites like triple j Unearthed who discover so many incredible Australians.