INXS
This August INXS, the Australian rock group, celebrates 20 years together without any personnel changes. Once pub rockers who played the pubs and clubs along with the rough places out in the Australian outback, INXS today are recognized as bone fide international rock stars.
They garnered numerous hit singles, earned both crtical acclaim as well as industry awards, sold well over 20 million albums and continue to tour the globe playing to capacity crowds.
INXS new album titled “Elegantly Wasted”
According to INXS bassist Garry Gary Beers, when they first started out, it was a love of funk music and disco that lead the band members Andrew Farriss (keyboards, guitar), Jon Farriss (drums), Tim Farriss (guitar), Michael Hutchence (vocals), Kirk Pengilly (guitar,saxophone) and Beers, to career in rock & roll. “It was rather strange that we didn’t become a punk band when we started out,” Beers said,” because punk was huge in the UK and elsewhere. However being Australian, we really were exposed to a lot of funk and,especially when we were first playing the pubs, disco. Disco is still huge in Australia today.
Groups like Barry White, Chic and ABBA, still are really popular in Australia, and I feel our music carries some of that influence on our latest recordings. As a bass player, I really enjoy the fact that disco is making a comeback here in the US. That strong bass line is something I as a musician have worked at for over two decades.” According to Beers there was a Cleveland based recording artist whose work was in part responsible for his own unique, white funk, playing style. “Bootsy Collins was one of my biggest influences ,”Beers said. “His albums from the ’70’s were records that I listened to and his style of funky bass playing was highly influential for me as a bass player. I’ve noticed that Bootsy’s music has made strong inroads once again into pop, rock and funk music and that’s wonderful.”
Beers points out that many of the current pop and rock acts are once again relying on talented bass players in the recording studio for sessions instead if the computerized, bass tracks and the syncopated dance beats. “It’s a really exciting time for me as a bass player,” he said. “INXS has always featured my bass work at the forefront of the rhythm section of the band. And now I can look around and notice that other bass players are finding their work featured more prominently on hit singles. It wasn’t always that way, for quite some time in the ’80’s, there was a lot of computers and drums machines with the New Wave music. So it’s interesting to see the way things are changing.” Very few rock acts stay together 20 years. INXS has done that feat one better and has maintained the original lineup.
Beers feels their sense of camaraderie has helped the group to stay together even when they were not selling millions of records.
“We’ve been through so much together,”Beers aaid,”that we all feel a strong sense of being part of a brotherhood. (Three members Andrew, Tim and Jon are brothers). We come from a generation of which there aren’t many survivors left. We were wedged between punk and disco and all these years later, we’re still doing what we all love. Making music and performing. In our travels we’ve been through many different experiences together. That’s probably why we’re still all on the best of terms with each other and why we still have fans who appreciate that aspect of our career. Even though there’s six of us pulling in different directions, we still have our music and INXS as a band. That’s something you develop over time.”