Described as a monster hybrid of Xavier Rudd, Tom Waits and Ash Grunwald, Brisbane-based Jimmy Watts and his band are kicking off a national tour in support of a new five-track EP February’s Drought.
Lead track ‘Grid’ is a hard-hitting gritty induction to the paranoid world of survivalists prepping for the end of the world, and features a healthy dose of grade school political activism, some benign anti-corporate jargon, and enough fuzzed-out screaming guitars to thoroughly drive home the Mad Max mood.
Its tag line “You’ll need to wear a gas mask in our bunker because all we have to eat is beans.” gives some insight into the tongue-in-cheek nature of the song.
Shot with a three hundred dollar budget, the clip is a testament to Watts’ DIY approach to his music. Says Watts:
“We’ve always shot and edited our own clips, it’s a bit of fun for us, but also a bit of a challenge to see what we can make for next to nothing. Our underwater clip for ‘January’ off the last album took four days to shoot in a friend’s salt water pool. I couldn’t see for a day afterwards because the salt balance wasn’t right.”
“The clip for ‘Grid’ was inspired by the trashy TV shows that depict ‘prepper’ families in the US. I thought they were hilarious, and I also secretly wanted to dress up and play army.”
The ‘Hiding Off Grid’ national tour takes Jimmy Watts around Australia from February to May.
Hiding Off Grid Tour Dates
Friday 26 February – Royal Mail Hotel, Goodna, QLD
Sunday 28 February – Black Bunny Kitchen, Alexandra Headlands, QLD
Friday 4 March – Magnums, Airlie Beach, QLD
Saturday 5 March – Langfords Hotel, Mackay, QLD
Friday 1 April – The Milk Factory, Brisbane, QLD
Wednesday 6 April – Caves House Hotel, Margaret River, WA
Thursday 7 April – Beaufort Street Songwriters Club, Perth, WA
Saturday 9 April – The Provincial Hotel, Geraldton, WA
Thursday 14 April – The Republic Hotel, Hobart, TAS
Friday 15 April – The Apple Shed, Grove, TAS
Saturday 16 April – The Marakoopa Café, Mayberry, TAS
Thursday 28 April – Frankies Pizza, Sydney, NSW
Friday 29 April – The Stag and Hunter Hotel, Newcastle, NSW
Saturday 30 April – Lakes And Ocean Hotel, Forster, NSW
Saturday 7 May – Heads Shed, Wolvi, QLD
Friday 13 May – The Catfish, Fitzroy, VIC
Saturday 14 May – The Loft, Warnambool, VIC
Sunday 15 May – Apollo Bay Hotel, Apollo Bay, VIC