Season 2, Episode 5 | Hammers | 28-09-22

Consistently armed with a wink and a ravishing riff, Northern Rivers quartet Hammers are the quintessential Aussie band with just enough grit to set them apart from your average pub rocker.

Solidifying their current lineup a few years back with vocalist Leigh 'Fish' Downling, bassist Ricky T, guitarist and vocalist Lucas Stone and drummer Ryan 'Ruckus' Lucas, the evolution from stoner rock-tinged blues, metal and punk into an amalgamation of Every Time I Die mixed with The Bronx, He Is Legend and a tantalising Aussie twist has seen the group become a sturdy fixture in festival and headline capacities.

Releasing their debut EP Homeblokes back in 2018, Hammers have since gone on to score a nomination for Best Video at the Gold Coast Music Awards for their Dead Set clip, drop a B-side Pocket Soup in 2019 before kicking sonic goals with their 2020 sophomore EP; the aptly titled Kicking Goals. Releasing in August of 2020 while the world was steadily going mad, the ongoing plans to finally tour their latest EP hit significant snags, but the band still persevered to bring their raucous live show to the masses, including recent appearances at Blacken Open Air and Wallapalooza. And now, over two years since the release of Kicking Goals, the band have finally laid down concrete plans to bring it on home for Kicking Goals, with seven dates lined up into November in Tasmania, the Gold Coast, Sunbury, Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney for the official Try Again Tour.

With mini-festivals, house parties and hometown shows on the horizon, what better time to grab Hammers axe king Lucas Stone for a chat. From live show memories to the Hammers secret sauce, plenty of "kicking puns" (my bad) and some insight into the current state of the music industry, grab a listen to Lucas joining host Tiana Speter on the latest episode of The Soundcheck's podcast Behind The Soundcheck. Tickets for The Try Again tour are live right now: beatscartel.com/showtickets.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• How Hammers are feeling in the lead up to their The Try Again Tour.
• The making of their 2020 EP Kicking Goals; creative goals, growing as a band and galvanising the Hammers sound.
• Some of the real life and reality-adjacent tales behind tracks on Kicking Goals.
• What fans can expect from the upcoming Hammers shows, including some of Stoney's key highlights that he's looking forward to most.
• How Hammers get "gig fit" and the secret behind their front-facing camaraderie.
• Hammers' ongoing attempts to tour amid the pandemic, and rediscovering their passion amongst the hurdles.
• What makes a Hammers live show moment particularly memorable after all this time, and the invigorating experience that was Blacken Open Air 2022.
• Stoney's personal musical influences that have played major roles in who he is a musician today, his creative signature and some of the common threads between his four major musical projects.
• What music Hammers collectively love, and Stoney's role in having Cardi B as the Hammers walk on song of late.
• Stoney's take on the current state of the music industry and Australian music community, and the ways punters can help artists.
• What celebrities would play each of the members of Hammers in the Hammers official Hollywood motion picture.
• Stoney shares a guilty pleasure in honour of the Kicking Goals single Guilty Pleasures.

Try Again Tour Tickets: www.beatscartel.com/showtickets

Hammers Info: www.beatscartel.com/hammers

BEHIND THE SOUNDCHECK

HOST & PRODUCER: Tiana Speter

GUEST: Lucas Stone from Hammers

THEME SONG: Hall Of Shame by Osaka Punch

AUDIO EDITING: Luke Palmer