Honora Crosbie recently had a chance to chat with one half of the San Diego duo Crocodiles, Brandon Welchez, who opened up about his past, his influences, and how journalists don't seem to know as much about the band as they often claim they do.

H: Your band name, Crocodiles, make’s reference to the 1980’s Echo and the Bunny men album. Would you say they are one of your biggest influences or is it just a name?

B: That’s actually not where we got the name from, someone from Rolling Stone said that. I don’t know where they got that from. People just always make that assumption.

H: In that case, where did the idea for the name come from?

B: Um, we just wanted something that was 60’s sounding but also like you know, a bit punk. The name just sounded like that, like some weird band you’d see on a pebbles comp.

H: You guys released your debut album, Summer of Hate, earlier this year what was the production experience like?

B: We recorded it in our friends bedroom. Our friend Jon Green, the three of us recorded it. It was a tight squeeze.

H: Did you enjoy the experience?

B: Yeh it was fun. I mean we just did it, we didn’t know we were making an album because we didn’t have like a lable so we were just writing songs as we’d write them. There was no pressure, no deadlines, no business people to tell us anything.

H: Any tracks on ’Summer of Hate’ that you particularly prefer over the others?

B: Yeh, I mean I think that the stand out tracks apparent. You know, I think ‘Summer of Hate’, ‘I Wanna Kill’, the last song.

H: Yeh, ‘I Wanna Kill’ is a great track

B: Thank you, a lot of people seem to like.

H: You were both members of Garage/Punk collective Plot to Blow up the Eiffel Tower, how do you think the music Crocodiles produce compare or contrast to that of Plot to Blow up the Eiffel Tower?

B: If you listen to them they’re super different. The reason why Plot broke up was because we weren’t dimensional I guess. We kind of reached our artistic dead end. The vocabulary we had at the time; we ran out of ways to express ourselves. We took along time, like two years to start this band, during that time we learnt how to write the kind of songs that we wanted to hear and learn how to write melodies and things like that. We took the stuff we liked from our old band which was some of the guitar stuff that Chuck does and a lot of melodic stuff.

H: It’s been noted by some of your reviewers that there are similarities between you guys and Jesus and Mary Chain, how do you feel about this comparison?

B: I just think it’s lazy, yeh, it just seems lazy. If someone listened to the whole album and they believe that then either deaf or stupid you know? I mean they’re one of our influences but they’re one of a million influences. We not trying to be like anybody but ourselves. They’re a great band, it’s not an insult at all, it’s just false.

H: Coming over for Meredith Music Festival, have you checked out the line-up? Are there any bands you’re particularly keen to catch?

B: Ah, you know I looked at the line-up a few months ago but it wasn’t complete yet. I haven’t done it since then, I should do that.

H: It’s looking good. Jarvis Cocker, Animal Collective, Eddy Current Suppression Ring

B: Yeh, I saw that. That’s incredible, I love Jarvis Cocker! He’s cool.

H: What can be expected from your shows?

B: I think it’s going to be a lot different. I mean the festival and the club shows are a lot different. Festival shows for the most part are kind of weird to play cause it’s day time and your outdoors and the stage is really really big. I think the club shows will be more fun.

H: Have you got anything special planned for the Northcote Social Club gig?

B: Nah, nothing outside of our normal thing it’ll be good I guess.

H: Well, that’s all I got. Good luck with the tour! I hope to catch you in Melbourne

B: Ah cool, well if you come to a show come and say hi. Thanks, Bye.

In addition to Meredith, Sydneysiders can catch Crocodiles when they hit up the Oxford Art Factory for Speak n' Spell on Wednesday, December 9th. Tickets available now through moshtix!