andPOP - Pop Culture With Substance

Turntables are becoming as much a part of a touring rock band these days as a guitar or the lead singer’s skinny blue jeans. But it’s still a novelty when someone actually knows how to use them.

Kid Koala is no rookie. After four solo albums all promoted with elaborate interactive tours, and opening slots for the likes of Radiohead, Bjork, RJD2, DJ Shadow and Beastie Boys (on their Hello Nasty tour, no less), the man knows his way around the booth.

By association, then, Kid Koala’s project called The Slew was a guaranteed success from the outset, despite the outlandish nature combining his fusion-jazz turntable leanings with a hard-rock rhythm section.

Making up The Slew is Wolfmother’s rhythm section (bassist Chris Ross and drummer Myles Heskett), as well as Koala’s frequent collaborator Dynomite Dan (Dylan Frombach), under the studio direction of Mario Caldato Jr. (who produces the Beastie Boys).

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If you visit Wolfmother’s MySpace page, there is an appropriate band listed under their influences.

Right at the top of the list are The Muppets – that band with Animal on drums. It’s appropriate because the word that best describes Animal is chaotic. Check out a review of the self-titled Wolfmother album and odds are you’ll come across that very same description.

Wolfmother, the Australian trio, have hit it big right off the gate. The album is already five times platinum in Australia and the song “Woman” earned the band a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance. Wolfmother became the first Australian band in 25 years to win a Grammy.

andPOP caught up with Wolfmother drummer Myles Heskett to talk about the big Grammy win, international success, the band’s Muppets influence, the next step, and much more.