Australian band, Children Collide, played Silverlake’s Spaceland club on June 11, 2009 promoting their debut album, The Long Now, during their North American tour.
Children Collide is Johnny Mackay (vocals/guitars), Heath Crawley (bass), and Ryan Caesar (drums). Children Collide’s influence comes from bands in the early to mid 90’s.
“We all meet in the middle with Sonic Youth and early The Cure. People throw Nirvana at us a bit,” says Mackay.
The members of the band have traveled far from where they started to get to where they are now. Literally.
“I met Johnny a number of years ago in a coastal town called Lismore. We hitchhiked to Melbourne, which is about twenty something hours. We hitchhiked after not knowing each other very long. Played some shows and then a couple of years later we found [Caesar (drums)] playing on some upside down bins down the street,” say Mackay and Crawley about forming the band.
In 2005, Children Collide released “We Three, Brave And True”, a six-track EP. The following year, they released their second six-track EP, “Glass Mountain Liars”. In 2007, they played Austin’s South by Southwest (SXSW) festival. In 2008, the band returned to North America to record their debut album, The Long Now, which was released in Australia through Universal. The band later teamed up with Filter Records US for the US digital release on May 26.
When comparing fans in Australia to the finds they find in North America, Caesar says, “Americans are far more enthusiastic.”
The three members of Children Collide realized at different points in their lives that making music is the thing for them.
“I wasn’t that young when I picked it up, I was in high school. As soon as I picked it up, I sort of had a knack for it,” says Mackay.
“I started playing [music] when I was five and all I’ve ever wanted to do was be in a band. And I’m still doing it,” says Caesar.
“I grew up in a town where everyone either plays football or you surf. From an early age, you start to, you know, (raises his middle finger) to everyone and some of your favorite people start to become artists or musicians. You relate to people and you find yourself,” says Crawley.
After touring North America, Children Collide still have a lot planned for the year.
“We do a festival and a tour with Jane’s Addiction. And then we do our own tour and somewhere in the late half of this year we have to fit in one more little demo and then an album, a second album,” says Mackay.
When asked if Children Collide would play at CSUN’s Performing Arts if crowds would show, Caesar jokes, “Absolutely. We play places crowds don’t show.”
