It's been a while since we've heard from Perth indie supremos JEBEDIAH; years, in fact. After their Tenth Anniversary Tour in mid-2005, the band essentially disappeared but for the odd show here and there. As bassist Vanessa Thornton explains though, Jebediah never intended to stay away for that long - it was simply a break that stretched on a little longer than expected.
"Kevin's wife was in Geneva and I was playing in End of Fashion at the time," Vanessa recalls. "We'd been touring non-stop for ten years. Jebs took priority over everything. We decided to take six months off so everyone could go and do what they wanted to do. There was never any doubt that we would get back together."
But it wasn't too long into the hiatus before those incorrigible Jebs fell back into music: singer and guitarist Kevin Mitchell adopted his Bob Evans moniker, while drummer Brett Mitchell filled in for The Fuzz and Vanessa joined Perth singer/songwriter Felicity Groom's backing band, The Black Black Smoke. The downtime also allowed members to go back to uni, as the band's burgeoning success in the mid-'90s had forced them to put their academic pursuits on hold. Vanessa is currently juggling a nutrition degree between band commitments.
"I spent two years in a forest picking fruit and whatnot," Vanessa explains. "Having so much time to think while I was doing that, I came to the decision that I would like to use my brain 'cause I had been doing my best to destroy my brain for the previous ten years."
In spite of this, she instantly perks up when talking about the band's 2007 comeback shows after a year and a half off the road. "Pure excitement!" she exclaims. "Obviously we were all feeling refreshed. We did a run up north in WA - we were thinking that the crowds might not be so discerning, they might just be quite drunk and ready to hear whatever band was playing. Once we got through half of the first song we were right."
Soon after, in early 2008, the band began recording sessions for their fifth album, taking the same relaxed approach that has become the band's new ethic. Vanessa expects the album to be done by the year's end, though nothing is certain. "We started it about a year ago and this is the first time we've gotten back in the studio, so that's an indication of our quite casual approach to the band at this point," Vanessa says. "We don't even know when we're going to have it finished - it's up to us. We don't have any obligation to do anything for anyone, but it seems to be working well for us at the moment. I'm thoroughly enjoying what we're doing!"
Jebediah play the brand new Blueprint Festival in Ararat, VIC from Friday September 18 to Monday September 21, alongside The Panics, Blue King Brown, The Beautiful Girls, Tim Rogers and many more. For tickets and further information, visit www.blueprintfestival.com.
