Mark: Hi, Austin, how are you going?

Austin: Hi, good. I’m just leaving Reno, Nevada, we are on tour over here at the minute.

Mark: Cool. It’s great to see you coming back to Australia. We have seen you here before but it’s about time you got back. Next year you hit Soundwave, what can we expect to see from you live?

Austin: Yeah, well we always try and have the same energy, whether we are playing to forty thousand of forty people in the crowd. If you like us then check us out, if not throw something at me, and go and watch another band!!

Mark: The new album was supposed to be out in July. Have you got another date for release?

Austin: We had a re release of ‘The Flood’ with about 3 or 4 songs added to it.

Its here the call drops out for the first time before being reconnected…

Mark: What’s the reaction been like to the new single ‘The Depths’?

Austin: Oh, man, it’s been huge! We didn’t expect that song to go over that well – we are all really proud of it.

Mark: I guess it’s a great introduction to the new sound of the band. It has changed slightly over the years, as you have been in and out of the band yourself.

There is a distinct pause before the line drops out again before being restored by the organisers…

Mark: The UK tour seems to have pretty much sold out, so obviously the word is spreading globally, not just in the US.

Austin: Yeah, we just got a phone call tonight that our last show, our headliner show is sold out, so we are really excited about that.

Mark: You have a unique style and sound, you must have an amazing pair of lungs because some of those notes that you can hold are great. Did you have any formal training, and who are your influences?

Austin: It’s something about four years ago, I just wanted to try! I just tried it and kind of went for it! I never had any formal training up until about four months ago.

At this point the call drops out again and Austin apologises when I get him back, travelling in a car between shows even in the US where there is pretty much universal coverage for cell-phones isn’t ideal!

Mark: It (your voice) sounds great, and I think that’s part of what is attracting people to the band at the moment. We did a poll three weeks ago about the Soundwave line up, and as well as the big names your name kept coming up, so you were the band here that people wanted us to interview.

Austin: That’s cool we’ll try not to disappoint you!

Mark: We had a few people write to us with questions. If it’s cool I’ll read out a few for you: Are you all from Costa Mesa, Orange County, California?

Austin: Yeah, we are all from the Southern California area.

Mark: Someone asked us if you ever got chance to hang out at the OC fair?

Austin: Yeah, we all have, it’s something you just go to if you live there!