Mountain Sounds: Gernz
Get to know Gernz: a punk-fuelled, Aus-rock band born from Mount Gambier’s DIY scene. They lift the lid on why their hometown is emerging as music’s must-visit destination…
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Introduce yourself! How did Gernz start?
We had played in different metal bands for over a decade and wanted a change. We all love punk and Aus-rock, so we took Gernz in that direction. We don’t take the music as seriously as we did in the other bands, so we keep it ‘dumb and fun’, which helps present us in the most authentic way. We grew up on a volcano, breathing in mountain gas, so we’re a bit loose, and that’s reflected in what we write about. emerging as music’s must-visit destination…
What’s the reality of being a band in Mount Gambier?
Being in a band down here is kind of magic. We’re roughly four-and-a-half hours away from two capital cities (Adelaide and Melbourne) and live on the coast, so travelling for gigs between the two states is easy. However, we don’t have a recording studio here, and until recently, we didn’t really have promoters either. [Because of that], a lot of bands here are very DIY, which is cool. But it also means there’s a lot of extra work for artists to run a show or record a single.
What do you wish people knew about your local music scene?
The communication and support between the different bands is better here than we’ve seen anywhere around Australia. Everyone gets along, everyone looks out for each other and the competition here is more of an inspirational one, like, ‘These guys did this thing and it was cool. We’re going to do something just as cool, if not cooler’. It’s the art driving us, not the ego.
What sounds are dominating Mount Gambier right now?
The music scene in Mount Gambier dips and changes. In the 2000s, it was vibrant and dominated by metalcore. By the late 2010s, it’d changed to soft-pop and country. Now, in the 2020s, we’ve got everything from alt-pop to deathcore, with a growing number of bands. A lot of the younger outfits are coming out with some alt-rock and psych sounds, which we can see dominating the music scene for the next few years.
What do you hope for the future of music in Mount Gambier?
The future of music in Mount Gambier has never been more interesting. The Australian music scene is in serious trouble – everything costs twice as much and support for new bands is dwindling. Artists need to approach things differently and we’re seeing that here. It’s very DIY. For example, we’re running a four-band line-up where we’ve paid for everything. That’ll continue to happen alongside promoters, who bring bigger artists to the region. Music is always evolving, and so are we!
Keep up to date with everything Gernz by following them here.
