Starting a high school band is the classic teen dream, but few
plucky kids manage to make their rock star goals reality. Even
fewer transition their music from the annual school talent show to
real-world stages post-graduation. But for Approachable Members
of Your Local Community, “it was always inevitable” – at least,
according to bass player Michael Fisher.
The seven-piece began its life as jazz act The Coconuts at Bialik
College, a Jewish school in Melbourne’s south-eastern suburbs.
After completing their exams, the guys took diverging paths – some
dove headfirst into university studies; others took time off to go
travelling. It appeared as if their musical collaboration had come
to an end, until early 2017, when they all found themselves back
on familiar soil. Asked to perform at a local family’s get-together,
the group reformed – only this time, they became Approachable
Members of Your Local Community.
“I was trying to think what a politician walking into a lawn bowls
club would say when he greeted people there” Michael explains.
“He would start by saying, ‘It’s so great to be here today with
approachable members of our local community.’ On one hand, it’s
an incredibly vague, vacuous name – it means shit all. But at the
same time, it has some kind of meaning to it.” The moniker also pays
homage to the community formed by the band’s Eastern European
ancestors when they arrived in Australia as wartime refugees.Acknowledging their history is important to the musical gents, as is
their colourful, tongue-in-cheek aesthetic. Their press shots show
them gathered together in bizarre formations, expressions deadpan,
and you’ll often catch them performing in Wes Anderson-style
matching outfits. “There’s definitely an element of satire to it, like a
self-awareness of creating a brand and uniform that all seven of us
wear,” guitar player Josh Blashki says. “It’s ridiculous, because we’re
all totally different people. But we’ve made the band its own entity.”
As for their sound, you might imagine a poppier version of Tame
Impala or OK Go – but with trumpets and saxophones and seven
dudes on stage, dressed identically and all grooving in unison.
Josh points out that their jazz origins and big-band structure have
evolved into their new sound, which fits more closely into the realm
of pop music. “I think pop has always been seen as, not necessarily
lame, but really passé – a bit dumb. But there’s something
awesome about pop music, because it can actually touch so many
people. It’s incredibly powerful.”
Indeed, despite their silliness, the group aspires to use their
platform for the greater good. Recent releases “Millennium
Queen” and “Velcro” show off this two-pronged approach. The
first celebrates their close friend – a trans woman named Shula- and her experience negotiating identity within their sometimes-
conservative Jewish community. Conversely, “Velcro” sees the
band mucking about with slinkies and frisbees, before dancing in
formation with velcro-clad feet.
As they continue to tour their EP, If There’s Anything You Need,
Please Don’t Hesitate To Contact Us, the band is revelling in their
success – success they didn’t quite expect. “A lot of the time we just
laugh at how ridiculous what we’re doing is; we’re making it up as
we go,” Michael says. “We’re not sure if we’re serious or totally silly,
and have to work out where the band fits into our lives.” Josh adds:
“There’ve been a lot of things that have hit us and made us realise
we’re actually, probably a band now. There’s much more thought
going into the demos, and the tracks are just better. Maybe we
should start focusing on our music a bit more! It’s amazing.”
music and madness
MEET MELBOURNE SEPTET
APPROACHABLE MEMBERS OFYOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY.
Wor d s Rebecca Varcoemusic talks