Adrian Beltrame does not taste like cinnamon, as far as we can ascertain, nor is his band’s name a euphemism for the size of his penis. Research is still ongoing.
We catch up with Adrian at his luxurious villa on the Melbourne peninsula, surrounded by beautiful women of dubious provenance. He seems far too relaxed, considering the band is currently working on their second studio album. Is this all you do to prepare for touring and recording?
“We’ve spent a lot of time preparing for our second album, making demos, practising and arranging things.”
No calisthenics or yoga?
“Nah, no running or cycling or anything like that. We do a bit of fishing and we do some work on the beach but that’s about it. We do more mental exercise. It’s surprising how much the body can take.” He takes another sip of his cocaine mojito.
You guys have been labelled a lot: white boy funk, RnB etc. Where does the funk come from?
Adrian tilts his feathered blue-felt fedora back on his head and thinks. “We listen to all sorts of music. We still love our motown but we listen to anything that sounds good. Maybe we have a retro tag, that’s ok, but our second album will shake that tag, we think.”
So when you guys go on tour is it a free-for-all? You’re not all spoken for?
“Definitely a free-for-all. We’re really looking forward to hitting Sydney on Friday for the Big British Sound show. It’s sold out, of course, so it should be a big one. Even our mixer has told me he’s looking forward to partying in Sydney. Down here on the peninsula there’s not much to do, you know?” Adrian beckons a bikini-clad beauty to top up his intoxicating cocktail.
Do girls get put off by the band name?
Adrian looks angrily through his gold-plated monocle. “You implying something about the size of our penises? No, girls don’t get put off. I don’t think they even make that connection. What is wrong with you? It’s a catchy name, a racy little name. We got from, I think, The Rolling Stones song, Little Red Rooster, which is a classic blues track.”
“We’re originally from the suburbs and we used to graffiti Little Red everywhere round our streets so when we had to come up with a name it was the logical choice”
We head for safer topics: Have you been to Sydney often?
“Yeah we’ve been there heaps of times, we love it there. There’s always something going on. All cities are great for us though, we love travelling, getting out to different places.”
How does it compare to Melbourne?
“Well we grew up here so, you know, wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. Melbourne is a beautiful city – the more time you spend there you more you get to know all the little places. You can find great shops and cafes, real gems, down every alley. There’s lots of culture. It’s a beautiful place.” Adrian leans back in his hand-woven hammock and glances idly towards two topless lovelies playing volleyball in the heart-shaped pool. “Yeah… A beautiful place.”
So how long do we have to wait for the new album?
“It’s going to be a while yet, we’re still in the preliminary stages. We don’t have a name for it yet, that will come after, once we hear the full sound. We think it’s really different, really unique. An important album. We’ll be playing lots of new songs at our upcoming shows but we’re really just taking our time with the album.”
What about partying? Does that require as much forethought and planning? As much time to prepare?
“Man, they’re two different things. There’s always time for partying. Excuse me, I have business to attend to.” Adrian slips off his fur-lined robe and heads towards the pool, his ladies await.
