Q&A: The Lazys Actively Keep Rock n’ Roll Alive
Canadian Music Week, as you would expect, is the perfect event to be introduced to overseas acts that you wouldn’t have known about 
otherwise. Case in point for Riffyou.com would be the hard rocking Australia quintet, The Lazys.
Comprised of – Leon Harrison (vocals), Mat Morris (guitar), Glenn Williams (bass), Liam Shearer (guitar), and Jay Braslin (drums) – The Lazys stormed onto the stage at the Legendary Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto for an early afternoon set that felt like a late night blistering attack of heavy guitars, pounding rhythm, and a vocalist not concerned about potentially losing his voice before lunch.
After exiting the stage, we were fortunate enough to learn that Harrison’s voice was still intact. Thus we opted to catch up with him to learn about this thunder from down under.
RY: You’ve entered Canada this week to make this nation more aware of your band. What should people know about you guys?
Leon: “Well, man, we just put on a good show…it’s rock n’ roll and no bullshit. If you suck, well, people aren’t going to watch. If you rock, people are going to come out – that’s the best part about rock n’ roll. We like to rock…there’s no act. It’s our way of life.”
RY: One of the automatic assumptions people have about bands from Australia is that they were influenced by AC/DC. How crucial of an impact have they had on you?
Leon: “The Bon Scott AC/DC days for me are absolutely brilliant. I remember once when I was absolutely fucked up and a friend introduced me to “Beating Around the Bush” from Highway to Hell, and oh man, I just loved it! You just have to discover things…that’s my philosophy. I like to allow a lot of friends in my life to push things upon me.”
RY: When it comes to your own music, what type of direction do you try to take?
Leon: “For the album we’re about to release (date and title TBA), we had a vision. With this album, we made a classic rock album that represents us as Australians…and it just worked! Fuck man, it was a year ago that we recorded the album and we’re putting all the pieces together to get it out. But since then, the live shows have just been so much more fun. [The music’s] a little less dark and it’s now more about fun. I’m definitely enjoying it, and noticing the crowd enjoy what we do.”
RY: Why did it evolve out of such a dark feel to more of a positive one?
Leon: “It’s still not all positive…there are things that we want to say. We don’t just sing about chicks and getting fucking drunk. No way. But, I guess that’s why you work with producers. The music industry isn’t just about a band doing whatever the fuck they want, it’s about a good band and the people around that band guiding it. I may be a fucking idiot for saying that, but it works for us.”
RY: That’s interesting because you have that one side of bands that say ‘fuck the business side of it’ and want to do everything themselves. Then there are those who may have those feelings, but decide to take the industry’s help. What side are you guys on?
Leon: “Ah mate, through my early 20s I was definitely like ‘fuck you, I don’t care what you say.’ Everything that goes into being a young kid comes out in your music. Look at AC/DC. There’s the band that’s really passionate about the music, and then there’s the shit that surrounds it. I’m on the fence about it. I love my band and the team we work with. But, my band is the first priority.”
RY: You’ve been around now for about seven years now. What keeps you guys interested in slugging it out?
Leon: “You can’t let it die. Rock n’ roll has to stay. I can’t explain it, but it’s in me, and all I want to do is rock out and release more music…just put it out there. Maybe someone else will listen to it and say ‘fuck, I want to do that!’ I guess it’s our responsibility to keep rock n’ roll alive.”
-Adam Grant
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