If you ever ask me about my biggest dreams in the music world, I’ll always list three things. They are chatting with artists, having my show on the radio, and running an independent record label/management company.

While the latter is still awaiting its turn, I’ve been very fortunate with the other two.

I partially owe it to Peak Park. Because my last episode on Cultural Popcorn is entirely dedicated to the band.

PART 165 OF “AM I EVER GONNA SEE YOUR FACE AGAIN?” A RANDOM COLLECTION OF UNKNOWINGLY OBVIOUS FACTS ABOUT AUSTRALIAN MUSIC SCENE

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Before starting my blogging/podcasting adventure in the music biz, I always wondered what it’s like for journos to meet bands, interview them, and then follow their careers and see them grow.

I got the first glimpse of it when Peak Park contacted me in May 2020. They pitched their single “Please Don’t Be So Hard on Yourself” for coverage on the blog then. Little did they know how fitting it would be for that pandemic time. The song talks about mental health struggles.

I wrote about our chat here on the blog and posted the video footage on my YouTube channel. Funnily, reviewing that coverage now, I can see how much I have learned about pretty much everything since, like interviewing people, producing content and packaging it.

Interestingly, Peak Park’s members also think they’ve grown heaps since our first online encounter: musically, as bandmates and people. I’ve been on some parts of that journey with them. And it’s been a great and inspiring thing to watch.

One of the reasons is the band’s professionalism. They might not have Tame Impala‘s following (yet!). But judging by their website and socials, they treat their digital presence equally seriously as their Aussie psychedelic synth-pop/rock inspiration.

They’re probably already fed up with hearing it from me again. But I always give them as an example for emerging bands to follow. I dare you, other aspiring musos – try to match the feel of their website and the quality of their EPK (electronic press kit).

Apart from regular updates about the indie rockers’ new releases, we caught up for a longer convo again virtually in May 2022. That catch-up formed part of season 2 of my ‘Silly Talks Music’ podcast.

The chat was focused on looking for identity as a band. And I can’t even begin to tell you how insightful and profound it got in the end. We also talked about creating content for TikTok, braving an EP release in the pandemic, and how they needed to change the whole band mindset when they couldn’t play gigs for a while.

Our most recent collaboration was yet another entertaining chat. This time, I invited the gents to farewell one of my other side hustles. Until October 2023, I produced monthly episodes for Cultural Popcorn, a show that airs every Sunday on Radio 614 from Columbus, Ohio.

That project had a different format from the rest of my channels. I finally got to play some music in the two hours instead of just talking about it! Within my (just over a year) tenure at the show, I produced 13 episodes. And I’m super stoked to have finished with the Peak Park interview.

The gents chose all the songs for the show, including the ones they see as milestones in their repertoire. It was another occasion to dig into the band’s inspirations, influences, and guilty pleasures. Hence, the nearly 20 tracks by artists representing a diverse spectrum of genres: from Bon Iver and Radiohead to Guns N’ Roses and Parcels – the Aussie outfit based in Berlin.

Some stories they told were super hilarious, too. For instance, how they “almost” met a fellow Aussie artist, Stella Donnelly. The part that surprised me the most, though, was a fateful evening at Tom’s parents’ place when the band was (unofficially) formed. I can’t believe they’d never mentioned that in our convos before!

Listening to this episode, you’ll surely notice the infectious banter between all three members of Peak Park. They finish each other’s sentences (quite literally). If it’s not what makes a great band, then I don’t know what else is.

In all fairness, putting that fun episode together made me question my decision to step back from the Cultural Popcorn show. So, I’m not saying goodbye to it forever.

And I’d like to take this opportunity to shout out my Cultural Popcorn co-hosts: English Bob, Doc Noodle and Steve from the Old Man Soul Club, and the radio staff, who are all volunteers. Because of you, I got to tick off another item from my music industry bucket list. Keep up the good work at the station!

Last but not least, a huge “thank you” to Peak Park for having become good mates as well. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for all your future adventures in the Aussie (and beyond, I hope!) music industry.

P.S. The band dropped me this super sweet email. So again, to all aspiring musos – that’s how you build lasting relationships in this tricky creative world.

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