Bernard Fanning launches his production career by gatecrashing the recording of Waax’s debut album
Former Powderfinger frontman Bernard Fanning has taken a new career path that started with gatecrashing a punk rock band’s recording session.
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Waax frontwoman Maz DaVita and her bandmates were blown away when they received an unexpected email from Bernard Fanning.
The former Powderfinger frontman and award-winning solo artist dropped them a note to tell them how excited he was they were going to record their album at the La Cueva Studios in Byron Bay he co-owns with respected producer Nick DiDia.
“Bernie sent us an email saying he was so excited about us coming to the studio and he really liked the band. Oh cool, Bernard Fanning. We’d never met him before … wow, this is happening. What does this all mean?” frontwoman Maz DeVita says.
“We joked about it, saying ‘how funny would it be if he co-produced the record?’”
The punk quintet had been in discussions with DiDia to produce their single Labrador as an experiment with a view to booking him to helm their record.
But when they got to the studio, there was Fanning sitting in the corner.
“We did ask him to stick around. It ended up being the first co-producing thing Bernie and Nick did and we did feel really special.
“He made it so fun too. The first day we started making the album he goes to me ‘Come on Maz we’re going to the shops’. I’d known him for 10 minutes, I was terrified. I’m buying cold meats and baked goods at the local Woolies with Bernard Fanning, what the hell is going on? I thought that was so trippy.”
One of the most eagerly anticipated debut records to be released in Australia this year, Big Grief peaked at No. 11 on the ARIA album charts, a significant achievement for an independent punk band in a streaming era dominated by r&b and pop.
DeVita said Fanning proved pivotal in helping her record her vocals, finding new melodic colours in her powerful classic rock voice which can send fans into a frenzy with its visceral growl.
He also helped her finesse her lyrics composition, breaking the “rules” she had subconsciously forced on her writing.
Fanning said DeVita’s singing and the rock muscle of her bandmates was evident in the demos he and DiDia listened to before singing onto the project.
That power was a compelling reason behind him “gatecrashing” their first studio session in Byron Bay.
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“Obviously you can hear the power in the band and in her voice,” he says. “I haven’t heard anyone really scream like that probably ever. It’s not metal and it’s too melodic to be punk. She has got her own thing but she also has all the attributes of Chrissie Hynde, overt and tough and sassy.
“And I’m a sucker for a melodic rock band.”
The synergies between Fanning and Waax extend beyond their shared love of rock music. Both are signed to Dew Process, the independent label established by Powderfinger manager and Splendour In The Grass cofounder Paul Piticco.
And Fanning and DeVita share a passion for music with a message, with Big Grief’s songs addressing everything from her personal battle with body image to dealing with anxiety.
“Maz has got something to say,” Fanning says.
“She’s very eloquent and has this confidence with a bit of a fragile skeleton around it.”
DeVita’s vulnerability, even as she screams out her pain on stage, has connected with thousands of rock fans around Australia and word-of-mouth about them continues to bubble overseas.
She has been a vocal campaigner for safe spaces at gigs and creating an environment in venues where female fans and members of the LGBTQ community can confidently enjoy a position in the front rows.
So she and her bandmates — and many of Waax fans — were shocked and appalled when she was “aggressively groped” while singing from the front row barricade at the Cambridge Hotel in Newcastle in April.
DeVita and the band called out the inappropriate behaviour in a passionate social media post.
“You wouldn’t grope someone in the grocery store, on the bus or in your workplace. So what makes this situation any different? What am I to you? Last I checked I’m a f**king human who deserves the right to her own body and the right to work in a safe environment,” she posted.
The hotel examined security camera footage and identified the man responsible and he has been banned from the venue for life.
DeVita said they have also instituted other measures to educate punters on respecting artists and other fans at gigs and, along with cameras from the stage aimed at the audience, she would encourage other venues to follow suit.
“Our tour manager briefs everyone about what we expect from the venue and security and there has been a change in the behaviour at our shows,” she says.
“On this tour, we haven’t had to stop a gig but the last tour 19 months ago, we had two incidents where we had to stop the show and kick someone out.
“I think now it’s really important that venues work towards being more inclusive. We made serious change with the Cambridge Hotel and now they do videos with artists coming through saying what they expect from their crowd, they have put a lot of great things in place since what happened with me. And other venues should follow what they are doing.”
Waax performs at the Triffid, Brisbane on Sunday, Yours and Owls Festival, Wollongong on October 5 and 6, and Out Of Bounds festival, Sydney on January 18.
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Originally published as Bernard Fanning launches his production career by gatecrashing the recording of Waax’s debut album