Airbourne: new song available for streaming
"No Way But The Hard Way", the new single from Australian hard rockers Airbourne, is available for streaming on the band's MySpace page. The song comes off the group's sophomore album, "No Guts. No Glory.", which is scheduled for release on March 8 via Roadrunner Records.Airbourne recently filmed a video for "No Way But The Hard Way" with director (and Sum 41 drummer) Stephen Martin "Steve" Jocz (Bowling For Soup).
Inspired by the likes of Judas Priest, Thin Lizzy, Angel City, Rose Tattoo, Ac/Dc, and Motörhead, Airbourne have been waving the rock and roll flag for Australia since 2003, and in the process, winning fans and awards (including Metal Hammer's "Best Debut Album" and Classic Rock's "Best Newcomer"). They hail from Warrnambool, a small drinking town on the southwestern coast of Victoria, and they've steadily gained an immense following among fans of infectious, high-energy, whiskey-soaked, whiplash-inducing working man's rock.
"Basically, we've never been about having a specific message; we don't talk about politics or social injustices in our songs. There are other bands out there to take care of that," says guitarist/vocalist Joel O'Keeffe, who, like brother and Airbourne drummer Ryan O'Keeffe, has been playing guitar since he could walk. "With us, it's not like that. It's just rock and roll. We want people to have a good time, no matter what. Have a drink, play it really loud, and kick back."
Airbourne traveled to the Windy City to record "No Guts. No Glory." with producer Johnny K, live and straight to analog tape. Like debut album "Runnin' Wild", "No Guts. No Glory." continues that good time vibe, but ultimately, according to Ryan, the record is about "standing up and going for it, and being a man. There's a tougher element to the album, so to speak." Instead of sleeping every night in a comfortable hotel room bed on the label's dime, the band actually slept in the studio, taking inspiration from Bruce Springsteen and his E Street Band, who were known to live in the studio until an album was completed.
"We found out that they used to do that for the first bunch of records they did," Joel explains, "so, the drums were set up in a big room with the guitars and [rhythm guitarist David Roads], he slept behind the amps; I slept behind a bunch of amps; Ryan slept behind his drum kit and [bassist Justin Street] slept behind this pool table, and we were all in the studio. It was really fun, because you'd just get up and go, 'Fuck,' and start recording. That's how your day was. You just sort of woke up, had some food, and started recording. Maybe you'd have a shower; maybe not. Just sort of walk around in your shorts all day, just rocking away."
The album's a virtual rock and roll buffet, boasting tracks like "No Way But The Hard Way" and "Blonde, Bad, and Beautiful". When the band lived together for three years on welfare in a Melbourne suburb, surviving on a steady diet of booze and barbecue, things were tough, and the band nearly burned their home to the ground - literally. "Nothing came easy, and we'd say to each other, 'Ain't no way but the hard way,'" recalls Ryan.
"No Guts. No Glory." also features a song called "Steel Town", which was inspired by the band's time on the road - including the U.K.'s Sheffield - and some of the people they had encountered. "Every time we went through a town that was a steel town, there was something about the crowd themselves," recalls Joel O'Keeffe. "They seemed to be a little bit wilder, and they'd always drink the pub dry, and we'd have to get more beer from other pubs. There was always a massive fight, always a crazy crowd. So we wanted to give them a song that gives them a chance to raise their flag and pump their fists in the air, and drink a beer to it. I guess it's like throwing gasoline on the fire."
