Name: Simon McKenna
Band: NEONCITY
Based: Australia
Genre: Rock
Image sent by NEONCITY
Can you tell us your name and what instrument you play?
Simon McKenna. I play electric and acoustic lead guitars during gigs and recording. I also experiment with keyboards and electric drums when creating new music.
Where do you get your ideas for songs?
Lots of different things drive the inspiration for our music. It can be an idea the band has talked about; one of our personal experiences; something that we hear about on the news, care about and so want to share our thoughts through our music. From there, it’s just about just sitting in my home studio trying out a new riff or melody on one of my many guitars or the keyboards until I’ve got enough down to get the rest of the guys helping to develop the track.
What do you do when you lack inspiration?
Have a break, if something's not working it's best to go out and do something else. But most of the time the inspiration just comes randomly and the creative juices ramp up. There’s plenty of inspiration around to write songs, just listening to what’s going on in other people’s lives is enough for me.
When did you decide you wanted to be a musician for a living?
When I was lucky enough to stumble across an ancient classical guitar in my mother’s cupboard. I started guitar lessons soon after and just knew straight away this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I really got super serious after my dad drove me and a couple of mates six hours to see Joe Satriani live at the Enmore Theatre in Sydney. My sister came with us and had some contacts, so we got to go backstage after the gig, meet Joe and get an autograph. Very cool! I left the old man sitting in the car park the whole time but I’ve got him convinced. It’s all been worth it!
What was your first performance as a group like?
It was great! We were surrounded by friends and family. Everyone worked really hard to get the songs to the point where we knew we had something to share.
What drives you forward when you have tough times on the road?
To live the dream you have to imagine what the end result will feel like. It’s not as tough then because we have a great following supporting us and waiting for us at our next gig. You just can’t beat the experience of playing live in front of your fans who are really into your music.
We love your sound, what singer/musicians inspire you?
The current ones are 30 Seconds to Mars and bands like Anberlin and The Script. As my guitar playing got better growing up, I really enjoyed experiencing and learning new sounds and styles mainly influenced at various stages by Joe Satriani, Stevie Vai, Dream Theater and Andy McKee.
Do you have any plans to come over to the U.S.?
Definitely! We’ve already got some fans who follow us from Texas, so we owe it to them to get to the US and play. We’ve also developed a great supporter base in Canada, so hopefully it will be a long tour when we do. We just have to find a stopover where we can play between Houston and Toronto!
What derails you from performing and what helps you get back in the game?
Stressing about paying the bills! It would be a lot easier if money really did grow on trees. You just have to keep remembering to keep on track and be patient.
Is there anyone who’s career you’d like to emulate?
30 Seconds to Mars would be the big one. I Love their music and Jared Leto is such a cool accomplished dude. His drive and professionalism to his craft makes him and his band a really good role model.
Who supports you the most?
Our friends and family are our biggest supporters. They are always there at our gigs.
What song/album this year do you wish you had written?
The Script, Six Degrees of Separation. Love that song.
What is all of your most awkward moment on stage?
It’s actually the moments before you begin playing; will this crowd like us? What if a string breaks? What if our keyboard player starts running around amongst the audience playing his wireless keys and gets lost? It's Just nervous energy. Once you hit the first note, it’s all gone. There will be days when something during a performance becomes a bit awkward, but luckily enough we haven’t had too many dramas yet.
What is your ultimate goal?
To have enough loyal fans that allows us the opportunity to continually develop our music over many albums, and can therefore have a long career performing for our fans and enjoy living the dream.
What truly makes you happy as a band?
Performing live onstage with our brothers! Nothing else makes us happier.
What job would you have if you weren’t a performer?
Probably a sound engineering. That's something that also interests me and it would still be in the music industry.
Is there anything you want to tell the American audience about yourself?
We cannot wait to get to the US! People tell us our sound is very American and could be really popular.
Do you have an album or EP that we should look out for?
Our debut album is due for release in early May 2013. People who have heard our self titled EP released in 2011 and now the first two singles from our album, The Moments & Forever (radio edit) are giving us really positive feedback and reviews on our development. Given our fans reaction to the singles we hope they really enjoy the range of songs we have tried to include in the album – soft, hard, fast, slow. It's just the way we like our rock music.
Want to follow their career?
Their EP and two singles are available on iTunes!
Check out their Official Site
Like their Facebook
Follow their Twitter
Simon McKenna. I play electric and acoustic lead guitars during gigs and recording. I also experiment with keyboards and electric drums when creating new music.
Where do you get your ideas for songs?
Lots of different things drive the inspiration for our music. It can be an idea the band has talked about; one of our personal experiences; something that we hear about on the news, care about and so want to share our thoughts through our music. From there, it’s just about just sitting in my home studio trying out a new riff or melody on one of my many guitars or the keyboards until I’ve got enough down to get the rest of the guys helping to develop the track.
What do you do when you lack inspiration?
Have a break, if something's not working it's best to go out and do something else. But most of the time the inspiration just comes randomly and the creative juices ramp up. There’s plenty of inspiration around to write songs, just listening to what’s going on in other people’s lives is enough for me.
When did you decide you wanted to be a musician for a living?
When I was lucky enough to stumble across an ancient classical guitar in my mother’s cupboard. I started guitar lessons soon after and just knew straight away this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I really got super serious after my dad drove me and a couple of mates six hours to see Joe Satriani live at the Enmore Theatre in Sydney. My sister came with us and had some contacts, so we got to go backstage after the gig, meet Joe and get an autograph. Very cool! I left the old man sitting in the car park the whole time but I’ve got him convinced. It’s all been worth it!
What was your first performance as a group like?
It was great! We were surrounded by friends and family. Everyone worked really hard to get the songs to the point where we knew we had something to share.
What drives you forward when you have tough times on the road?
To live the dream you have to imagine what the end result will feel like. It’s not as tough then because we have a great following supporting us and waiting for us at our next gig. You just can’t beat the experience of playing live in front of your fans who are really into your music.
Image sent by NEONCITY
We love your sound, what singer/musicians inspire you?
The current ones are 30 Seconds to Mars and bands like Anberlin and The Script. As my guitar playing got better growing up, I really enjoyed experiencing and learning new sounds and styles mainly influenced at various stages by Joe Satriani, Stevie Vai, Dream Theater and Andy McKee.
Do you have any plans to come over to the U.S.?
Definitely! We’ve already got some fans who follow us from Texas, so we owe it to them to get to the US and play. We’ve also developed a great supporter base in Canada, so hopefully it will be a long tour when we do. We just have to find a stopover where we can play between Houston and Toronto!
What derails you from performing and what helps you get back in the game?
Stressing about paying the bills! It would be a lot easier if money really did grow on trees. You just have to keep remembering to keep on track and be patient.
Is there anyone who’s career you’d like to emulate?
30 Seconds to Mars would be the big one. I Love their music and Jared Leto is such a cool accomplished dude. His drive and professionalism to his craft makes him and his band a really good role model.
Who supports you the most?
Our friends and family are our biggest supporters. They are always there at our gigs.
What song/album this year do you wish you had written?
The Script, Six Degrees of Separation. Love that song.
What is all of your most awkward moment on stage?
It’s actually the moments before you begin playing; will this crowd like us? What if a string breaks? What if our keyboard player starts running around amongst the audience playing his wireless keys and gets lost? It's Just nervous energy. Once you hit the first note, it’s all gone. There will be days when something during a performance becomes a bit awkward, but luckily enough we haven’t had too many dramas yet.
What is your ultimate goal?
To have enough loyal fans that allows us the opportunity to continually develop our music over many albums, and can therefore have a long career performing for our fans and enjoy living the dream.
What truly makes you happy as a band?
Performing live onstage with our brothers! Nothing else makes us happier.
What job would you have if you weren’t a performer?
Probably a sound engineering. That's something that also interests me and it would still be in the music industry.
Is there anything you want to tell the American audience about yourself?
We cannot wait to get to the US! People tell us our sound is very American and could be really popular.
Do you have an album or EP that we should look out for?
Our debut album is due for release in early May 2013. People who have heard our self titled EP released in 2011 and now the first two singles from our album, The Moments & Forever (radio edit) are giving us really positive feedback and reviews on our development. Given our fans reaction to the singles we hope they really enjoy the range of songs we have tried to include in the album – soft, hard, fast, slow. It's just the way we like our rock music.
Want to follow their career?
Their EP and two singles are available on iTunes!
Check out their Official Site
Like their Facebook
Follow their Twitter
