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| L to R: Jared, Alex, Tim & Budo - Photo by Claudia Lewis |
They've been super productive since their formation in 2015, and guitarist Budo has given MusicMinded some insight into the genre-defying world of DOKO.
Okay, let’s ask the obvious… Where did ‘Doko’ come from? Is there a meaning to it, or is it something you just liked the sound of and picked at random?
DOKO was really just us putting together two syllables which sounded cool together. It kind of just stuck after awhile. It ended up having few different meanings, one being the word for “where” in Japanese. I have to say its an improvement from “Love Club”.
What roles do you take on within the band? Who writes the lyrics, melodies etc?
It’s a tricky one to answer because a lot of it is really collaborative. I write a few song ideas with melodies and maybe a chorus and then give to Jared to write some lyrics over it. I feel when I write lyrics for someone else it loses a bit of it’s authenticity, and some words sound different coming out of another person’s mouth. Jared has recently been sending me heaps of demos for stuff which I’m really excited by. One of the demos he’s sent me is probably my favourite song at the moment - I even put it on and listen to it in the car.
So usually we bring a song idea into rehearsals and let it loose. Alex finds a groove which sits nicely and he really takes control of the dynamics. He also has structural ideas and works out transitions between parts. Alex has also been really creative in the studio recently, using more percussive elements. He recorded this floor tom in a stairwell while we were recording with our producer Chris Rollans. It has this really cool Hans Zimmer vibe. I think I even have footage of it somewhere. Tim as usual drops some delicious bass lines. He’s really got a great ear, just picks up on chord progressions pretty quickly. He’s also recently been experimenting with effects and sounds which are going to appear on the upcoming E.P.
Where did the band form and what brought you together? What did you have in common?
We all formed at Uni, we seemed to have similar tastes in music. We shared a strong appreciation for Aussie music. It was during 2014 when all these new bands started appearing and blowing up into the mainstream. So that was something we were all in to. Then inevitably we all formed a band. Only a few months into our first handful of gigs we had a three-piece horn section. Tom from The Kava Kings had played trumpet for us on the last night of the residency gigs we had at the Captain Cook hotel. Then one rehearsal he brought along our soon to be Trombone player Mitch and Sax player Cypress. Every time we have the full ensemble on the stage it really takes us and the crowd to a new level. Having a three-piece horn section was something I never expected this early in our careers but its made our sound what it is today. Adds a whole new musical dimension to the songs we write.
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| L to R: Budo, Tim (obscured), Jared, Mitch, Tom (obscured) & Cypress - Photo by Matt Viesis |
The arguments only really seem to happen when we are writing, but its all a part of the process. We pull each other back into the centre if we drift too far out. We are all pretty experimental. It can be difficult but we always end up being really proud of the end product. I feel like if it wasn’t difficult, the music would be pretty bland and might lack focus.
Who would be the main influences for your sound and image? Are there any artists you look up to and take inspiration from?
Our influences have changed over the year since we’ve been playing gigs together. For me at least they were, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Police and a band with particularly sticky appendages. The horns have definitely played a huge part in the evolution of our sound and our influences. People at shows say they get a Fat Freddy’s Drop vibe when the horns go off in some songs. So we’ve recently broadened our horizons and I feel like we’ve established an individual sound, which sounds like DOKO (I hope).
Do you have any pre-show rituals or routines?
We always seem to jam during the line check/ sound check. Gets us moving a bit and seems to draw the crowd in a bit before we kick off.
What really stood out to you about the best crowd you have ever played to?
Recently we played a small festival in Braidwood called Subpar, put on by the good people at Dinosaur Records. A lot of the punters were from South Sydney like Sutho and Cronulla. They seem to have a really strong appreciation for live music down there, and they get pretty f***ing rowdy. I remember we were playing around 11:30pm. There were people falling on the stage knocking cables, and kicking up a bit of a dust cloud. People were also singing the words to our single Indigo which was a great feeling. We got to do an encore and we whipped out a cover of The Police’s, ‘Walking on the Moon’. Jared’s guitar cut out mid-song and he just went, f*** it, took it off and went full Super Saiyan rock star. He got down into the crowd with the mic and came out covered in dust still managing to belt out the words in unison with the crowd. Everyone felt this wave of excitement, for no real discernible reason. It was like we had this swaggering front-man fall out of a 1970s time machine and land on stage. It was a great moment for us, gave us a bit of inspiration to keep aiming for bigger and greater things.
The next day we had a gig in Wollongong late Sunday afternoon. We played to this massive courtyard with probably only around 30 people. It was definitely a contrast to the night before, brought us back into reality a bit. I also remember getting an incredible chicken schnitzel and chips off the band’s bar tab. Best decision I made the whole trip.
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| L to R: Budo, Jared, Tim, Mitch, Tom & Cypress - Photo by Matt Viesis |
What is your favourite venue to play at and why?
Not sure yet, I feel like every time we’ve played at the Brass Monkey in Cronulla the sound and lights have been good and there’s always a crowd.
If you could headline alongside any band or artist, dead or alive, who would it be?
Cold Chisel ;)
What are the best and worst things about being in a band?
The best thing about it is having to collaborate with other people, and the worst thing about it is also, having to collaborate with other people.
What’s the reception of your last single, ‘Indigo’, been like?
It was really just meant to be a song to have out there which represents what we’re about. Its about five and a half minutes long so we didn’t think it would get any airtime, but it did end up getting a spin on FBi radio. On Soundcloud it has racked up around 1,300 plays and we have a few hundred downloads from Bandcamp and JJJ Unearthed. So its good to know people are listening. We also notice people are singing the words at our gigs, particularly in the pre-chorus. Its always a good feeling when that happens.
What can your fans and new listeners alike expect from your upcoming releases?
We are looking to put out a 5 track EP which is pretty much 90% recorded. So you can expect that pretty soon. What I like about it is that no two songs are the same, they all have their own personalities. I still feel like songs also sound like they belong together on a record, despite their range of influences. As a small detail which I’m excited about, is that on two of the songs we whacked on some 12 string guitar, which is a new flavour for us. Sounds like The Church, circa 1980s.
When and will recording of the new material start, and when are you aiming to release it?
We recorded the majority of it a few weeks before New Years, hoping to have it out the first half of this year.
Do you have any upcoming shows we should know about?
We have a handful of smaller gigs opening for a few bands coming up. 13th Jan at Oxford Art Factory with Swamp to Sahara, 23rd Jan playing at Newtown Social Club for Greyscale’s E.P. launch, and on the 8th of Feb we are hitting up Frankie’s Pizza playing for Florentine’s EP launch. There are a few more shows in the pipeline for February.
Thank you to Budo and the other members of DOKO for their time!
Keep your eyes and ears peeled for these guys - boy have they got some potential.
Find DOKO on Facebook here
Find links to DOKO's listening platforms and upcoming gigs in the above interview
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