Airbourne

Warrnambool rock fans 'bourne to be wild

 

Warrnambool Standard July23rd, 2013-


Airbourne band members Justin Street (left), Joel O’Keeffe, Ryan O’Keeffe and Dave Roads soak up the Warrnambool atmosphere before performing
WARRNAMBOOL audiences might not be as overwhelming as the crowds of 90,000 Airbourne has become accustomed to, but they’re still the wildest. The band, which has reached international success since its formation in 2003, returned to where it all began to perform for 500 people at the Whalers Hotel on Friday night. It was the opening of their five-show Australian tour to promote their third album Black Dog Barking. Frontman Joel O’Keeffe said the group’s last gig in Warrnambool, at the Criterion Hotel in 2006, was one of the wildest shows they had ever played. “One of Ryan’s friends climbed to the top of the PA and jumped up through the ceiling fan and cut his head open … and kept rocking out,” Joel said. “Ever since we first started playing in Warrnambool it was always crazy crowds.” Drummer Ryan O’Keeffe said the band, which also includes David Roads and Justin Street, was often asked what gave them their intense energy on stage. “We kind of say it’s probably because the town we come from is very sports driven. Everyone is very pumped up and loves a drink,” Ryan said. The group returned home a few days before their performance to spend time with family and visit one of their favourite venues, The Cally hotel. “We had a few cans with the uncles (uncles Mick and Gerard), watched a bit of cricket so that was good,” Joel said. He also said it was disappointing to see the Criterion Hotel gone. The venue was reopened for the band while it was working on preproduction of its second album, No Guts. No Glory. released in 2010. “It’s kind of like when the Lady Bay got torn down — a place where you miss it because it’s kind of like a friend in a way. You’d see bands there and had such good times there and now it’s all gone, it can never happen again,” Joel said. The brothers said they were looking forward to performing at the Whalers Hotel even though it was a smaller space. “It’s been a long time since we’ve played with just one stack a side,” Ryan said. Whalers Hotel venue manager Nic Cogger said the band put on a high-energy show and the audience responded well. “It was very loud but they (the crowd) embraced it. It was a small space for them but they definitely had a sound system to blow everyone away,” Mr Cogger said. In 2013 Airbourne has been busy touring festivals in Europe and prior to that it was performing in the US. One of its biggest shows was at Germany’s Rock am Ring festival to a crowd of 90,000 people. “There’s that many people you just can’t take it in, you just think ‘don’t f... up’. It really is overwhelming. You can’t let it get to you though, otherwise you would just freak out,” Joel said. While the boys are now based in Melbourne, Ryan said they were mostly on the road “living out of a suitcase”. For the remainder of the year they will be touring in the US and Europe, but want to make it back to Australia next year. Next on Airbourne’s agenda is to tackle countries where it hasn’t yet performed.

Warrnambool rockers Airbourne to make flying visit home?

Warrnambool Standard Apr. 10th, 2013-

AIRBOURNE look set to return to Warrnambool to play their first gig in their home town in more than six years.
While nothing is locked in, drummer Ryan O’Keeffe confirmed discussions are under way that could lead to the hard rock band playing at the Whalers Hotel in July.
“I can’t confirm or deny that,” he began with a laugh.
“Let’s just say nothing’s been put on paper yet but it’s been discussed.
“In this industry stuff gets moved around a bit but (a Warrnambool gig) has definitely been talked about.”
If it did happen, it would be the first time Airbourne has played a gig in Warrnambool since December, 2006, when they rocked a crowd of 200 people at the Criterion Hotel.
“I still remember that gig — that was one of the gigs that really sticks in your head,” O’Keeffe recalled.
“I clearly remember Scott Patten climbing on to the PA, jumping off and doing a somersault into the ceiling fan,” he laughed.
O’Keeffe said there was “a small window (in July) for us to pop back (to Australia) and do a few shows before we go (overseas) again”.
Airbourne is about to return to North America to play 17 shows in four weeks ahead of the release of their third album Black Dog Barking, which is due out May 21.
Then in June, the four-piece — O’Keeffe, his frontman brother Joel, bassist Justin Street and rhythm guitarist David Roads — will be back in Europe to play a series of major outdoor festivals, including Metalfest, Impact, Rock im Park, Rock am Ring and Sonisphere.
Airbourne has been off the road for almost a year-and-a-half, during which they spent a lot of time in North America recording the album with Brian Howes.

Full metal honour

Warrnambool Standard May 28th, 2009 - 

WARRNAMBOOL'S favourite pub-rockers Airbourne will share a stage with Metallica, Linkin Park, Nine Inch Nails, Lamb Of God and Alice In Chains in August. Airbourne have been selected to play at the open air metal festival Sonisphere at Knebworth, UK on August 1-2. Also on the bill are Machine Head, Bullet For My Valentine, Avenged Seven­fold, Anthrax, Mastodon and Thin Lizzy. Airbourne will also play the huge Wacken Open Air event in Germany on July 31 with Motorhead, Napalm Death, Coheed & Cambria, Lacuna Coil and more.

Rockers run wild again Matt Neal - Warrnambool Standard 13th June 2007

EARLIER this year, it looked like the Airbourne bubble had burst. Their incendiary live shows and a multi-million-dollar international record deal had earnt the pub-rockers from Warrnambool a reputation as the band of 2007 before a single disc had even hit the stores. Then it all blew up, seemingly before it had even started - Airbourne had been dumped by US label Capitol Records just months out from the release of the debut album. ``We found out (we'd been dropped by Capitol) just before we played the St Kilda Festival,'' affable front man Joel O'Keeffe said, speaking to The Standard for the first time in more than a year thanks to a management-imposed media ban. ``We were about to play in front of about 30,000 people... we just thought f... it, we've got a gig to do, let's just get on with it. ``It was a really good show and we felt better after that. It's turned out we're better off without Capitol because they're kind of folding.

``Every interview we've done in the US lately (the reporters) have said it was good we got out of there.''

Not only did Airbourne escape a sinking ship, they jumped with their album under their arms and no debt.

``Yeah, we came out of it really good,'' O'Keeffe said. ``We got out scot-free.''

Their debut album Runnin' Wild - due out Saturday week _ hasn't come cheap either.

The band spent six months, according to O'Keeffe, living in a filthy Los Angeles hotel room and fully embracing the rock'n'roll lifestyle while they worked on the album with Black Sabbath producer Bob Marlette.

``We smashed the hotel room over there,'' he explained gleefully. ``We ripped the mirrors off the doors and gaffer taped them to the wall. We just threw our rubbish in the hotel room and we let the rubbish just build up.

``We had a rat in there by the end of it...  we caught the rat in an esky and just chucked the esky outside.''

In between drunken singalongs of Rose Tattoo's We Can't Be Beaten and security guards bashing on the door, Airbourne carved out the solid rock of Runnin' Wild, which has already had the few critics who have heard it tripping over themselves with praise.

The record looks like re-starting the Airbourne buzz engine, which momentarily hiccupped with the news of their international label dumping them.

O'Keeffe said the band was close to signing a deal to release the album in the US and an unrelated deal has already been signed that will see the  songs end up on the soundtracks to numerous computer games released by worldwide company EA Games, starting with another instalment of the popular John Madden NFL series.

The band's sound would be better suited to an AFL game, O'Keeffe said, adding the band listened to mostly Oz rockers  while working on the record, such as The Angels, Billy Thorpe And The Aztecs, Jimmy Barnes, and Cold Chisel. Some other less obvious influences crept in too.  ``We also got to see (`80s hair metal bands) W.A.S.P., Poison, and Cinderella and that was a bit of an influence.''

But rather than dwell on their almost-released debut, O'Keeffe is focused on the future.

``The day we finished recording the first one, we got back to the hotel room and said, `all right, let's start on the next one'.'' Airbourne, who have been on the road since returning to Australia in November last year, are lining up tour after tour.  They'll do a run of album launches, then a bigger national tour, then probably head to the US and Europe.

ALBUM REVIEW
Runnin' Wild Airbourne (EMI)
AIRBOURNE have landed, fists in the air and  beer-soaked locks blowing in the wind.

The  debut album delivers on the intensity of the Warrnambool pub-rock quartet's live shows.

And rock it does, rolling along on Streety's chugging bass, rock-steady drumming from Ryan O'Keeffe, shout-along choruses, and some of the best riffs AC/DC ever wrote.

Some will object to the heavy Accadacca borrowing, although their songwriting has improved and now includes hints of Rose Tattoo, Motley Crue and The Angels on highlights such as opening mission statement Stand Up For Rock'N'Roll and boozy sleaze of Diamond in the Rough.

But the fact is Airbourne are a hard-rockin', beer-swillin' band that will bring pub patrons to their knees in worship of a past Oz Rock era.

Airbourne have arrived.
- MATT NEAL

Airbourne lands home

Warrnambool Standard Dec.8, 2006  - .  

TWO hundred lucky fans packed Warrnambool's Criterion Hotel to hear Airbourne's first home-town gig since the local band signed a $2 million debut album deal last year. The eagerly-awaited sell-out gig gave a taste of the young group's energetic style which won the attention of EMI music producers. Among the crowd was bassist Justin Street's father, Peter. He predicted a bright future for the band, which has spent much of the year in the US developing the album due to be released in March. However, the band's management held firm on a long-standing media ban, refusing an interview request from The Standard and restricting photographs to the first three songs. The stop-off was part of the group's national pub rock tour. Airbourne comprises Street, siblings Joel (singer and lead guitarist) and Ryan O'Keeffe (guitar) and David Roads (drums).

Sky's the limit for local band 

Matt Neal - Warrnambool Standard 13th Oct. 2005 - 
WARRNAMBOOL rock band Airbourne has signed an unprecedented international deal to make five albums for worldwide label Capitol Records. The Standard revealed in August that the group, comprising brothers Joel and Ryan O'Keeffe, David Roads and Justin Street, was at the centre of a massive bidding war between all but one major label in Australia. Joel and Ryan's dad Denis confirmed yesterday that the band would be flying to the US next month to check out studios and producers for a first album. But the band's manager Gregg Donovan refused to comment on the deal and would not allow any of the band to talk to The Standard. According to The Age, the signing is believed to be worth up to $2 million Ð the biggest contract ever for an unsigned Australian band. Denis said the lads held out for months to get the deal they really wanted before signing with Capitol and locally EMI a week ago. "I'm very proud of what they've done," he said. "For a while I thought they had a certain arrogance about what they wanted. "I would have been quite happy when they could have signed an Australian deal. "But Joel and Ryan had done their research and always had the intention to sign overseas - they knew the creative people overseas do not like getting behind an album recorded in Australia." While Denis said such a deal did not guarantee the band success, it did guarantee Airbourne albums would be given the same backing and support worldwide as albums by Capitol's other bands, which include Coldplay, Radiohead, REM, The Vines and Red Hot Chili Peppers. Airbourne formed in Warrnambool in late 2001 and quickly became regulars at the Criterion Hotel, launching its debut self-funded recording there just 14 months ago.

Airbourne at Meredith

Warrnambool Standard 8th Sep. 2005 - 
 WARRNAMBOOL hard-rockers Airbourne has been named in the initial 15 bands for the 15th Meredith Music Festival on December 9 to 11. The AC/DC lovin' four-piece is being courted by almost every record label in the country. This and acclaimed shows in Melbourne have caught the eyes of Meredith organisers. Also on the bill is south-west connected eight-piece Architecture In Helsinki, which will follow its second overseas jaunt this year with a spot at the much-loved festival. The bands will be joined by The Avalanches DJ show, fair dinkum legends You Am I, much-hyped rockers Wolfmother, ex-Pavement front man Stephen Malkmus and his new band The Jicks, Brit rockers Billy Childish And The Buff Medways, excellent Melbourne electro outfit Cut Copy, new indie darlings Okkervil River, English producer-DJs The Nextmen, funk DJ, Johnny Idem, gorgeous pop outfit Clare Bowditch And The Feeding Set, raucous duo The Mess Hall and Brisbane's answer to The White Stripes, The Grates. Fifteen more bands will be announced soon. Tickets on sale.

Record labels bid to get Airbourne

Matt Neal - Warrnambool Standard 13th Aug. 2005 - 
ALMOST every record label in Australia is engaged in a bidding war over Warrnmbool band Airbourne, according to the group and its manager. The news comes as Airbourne, was confirmed as a support for US rockers Motley Crue when it plays at the Palais in Melbourne later this year. Airbourne frontman Joel O'Keeffe and band manager Greg Donovan, who also manages Grinspoon, said every major label in Australia except Warners was fighting over the band. "I guess you could can it a bidding war," O'Keeffe admitted reluctantly. "Things are buzzing like a bumblebee (but) we're trying to concentrate on the music because that's more important - our manager looks after that stuff." Donovan said it was the biggest bidding war in Australia since Jet, whose multi-platinum debut album sold more than half a million copies and won six ARIAs. "This happens only once every few years. There are even companies from America that are coming to see them play in the next few weeks," Donovan said. The band, which features O'Keeffe, his brother Ryan, David Roads and Justin Street, has been the subject of many rumours since moving from Warrnambool to Melbourne at the end of last year. O'Keeffe said the funniest one was that ACIDC was suing Airbourne because of its similar sound. AC/DC's label Albert Music was among the record companies chasing the group. Before the year is out, Airbourne will support Motley Crue in December and undertake a national tour with .Perth emo-rockers After The Fall. "We're keen to get down to Warrnambool," O'Keeffe said.

Airbourne takes off

Warrnambool Standard 22 July 2004 -
AC/DC famously saluted "those about to rock", which means they should have definitely saluted Warrnambool rockers "Airbourne". The group is definitely about to rock - tomorrow night it will load in the Marshall stacks and unleash its debut album "Ready to rock" at its spiritual home, the Criterion Hotel.
The band, which inserted a "u" into its name recently after finding the moniker attached to groups in Scotland and New Zealand, spent time in Melbourne's Hot House Studios recording the album earlier this year, front man Joel O'Keeffe said. "We did four days and then another day where I had to go back and do vocals because I had the flu and couldn't sing", he explained.
O'Keeffe said the band, which includes his brother Ryan (drums), rhythm guitarist David Roads and new bassist Justin Street had recorded at Motherlode Studios, but decided to take the plunge and go to Melbourne to make Ready to rock, where they got to record through a mixing desk used by their heroes AC/DC.
"A lot of people who tell us about the album say it sounds like AC/DC", O'Keeffe said proudly before conceding "but there's not really many on there other than AC/DC. AC/DC aren't the only rock and roll band, but they're one of the only ones you can put on in a pub and nobody hates them. Today's music we reckon is s***. There are a few hopes, like the Cassanovas and bands like that. (The Cassanovas) are one of the few bands bringing the AC/DC stuff back".
O'Keeffe agreed that they could be perceived as AC/DC clones, but added the band had started diversifying more, listing Queen, Judas Priest, Motorhead and Motley Crue as acts that had influenced the group's newer material. The new work has been road-tested at the endless number of Cri gigs performed since forming in 2000 and will form part of the band's arsenal when it heads to Melbourne at the end of the year.
O'Keeffe said members would finish their education and then relocate to the capital city, with hopefully a few Melbourne gigs under their belts before they get there. "We hope to be there for about 6 or 12 months (so) we want to make the landing easier when we get to Melbourne. We're going to be doing this for the rest of our lives".
Airbourne will be supported at tomorrow night's Cri CD launch by local band Daisycutter and will play launches in Hamilton, Portland and Geelong in coming months. O'Keeffe will also be appearing on 3WAY-FM's Volcanic Rock on Wednesday night next week talking about Ready to Rock from about 9 pm.

Brothers airborne

Warrnambool Standard 13th March 2003 -
WARRNAMBOOL rock'n'roll band Airborne is flying high after being named best musicians at the Push-On Battle of the Bands competition. The state finals, at Melbourne last Sunday, saw the Warrnambool quartet crank-up the volume and blast their way to success. "It came across that we're a pub band. That's where we belong and where we'd rather be — we're obviously not a band for 12-year-olds," lead singer and guitarist Joel O'Keeffe said. "Most of the bands were playing poppy stuff and had the amps turned up to three or four. We came on and turned the amps up to 10 and let them have it." O'Keeffe said the award was good recognitiion for the band. "I guess it means we can play our instruments all right. We've been in a few (competitions) but nothing as big as this." Push-On is recognised as one ofthe most prestigious band competitions in Victoria. Airborne made the state finals after success at a regional level. The band, which also includes Ryan O'Keeffe on drums, Adam Jacobson on bass and David Roads on rhythm guitar, plays original material inspired by the Oz Rock pub scene, particularly AC/DC and Billy Thorpe. And, true to their pub origins, their next two gigs will be at Warrnambool's Criterion Hotel, supporting Rollerball on March 21 and on April 5.

Brothers airborne
Warrnambool Standard 13th March 2003 - ©Copyright Warrnambool Standard  2003 All rights reserved
Joel and Ryan O'keeffeWARRNAMBOOL rock’n’roll band Airborne is flying high after being named best musicians at the Push-On Battle of the Bands competition. The state finals, at Melbourne last Sunday, saw the Warrnambool quartet crank-up the volume and blast their way to success. "It came across that we’re a pub band. That’s where we belong and where we’d rather be — we’re obviously not a band for 12-year-olds," lead singer and guitarist Joel O’Keeffe said. "Most of the bands were playing poppy stuff and had the amps turned up to three or four. We came on and turned the amps up to 10 and let them have it." O’Keeffe said the award was good recognitiion for the band. "I guess it means we can play our instruments all right. We’ve been in a few (competitions) but nothing as big as this." Push-On is recognised as one ofthe most prestigious band competitions in Victoria. Airborne made the state finals after success at a regional level. The band, which also includes Ryan O’Keeffe on drums, Adam Jacobson on bass and David Roads on rhythm guitar, plays original material inspired by the Oz Rock pub scene, particularly AC/DC and Billy Thorpe. And, true to their pub origins, their next two gigs will be at Warrnambool’s Criterion Hotel, supporting Rollerball on March 21 and on April 5