Although Hannah Macklin & The Maxwells was only formed at the beginning of 2010, I understand that all your members are well seasoned performers in the Brisbane music scene - how did your group get together? What other outfits were you in previously?  

I started The Maxwells in February of this year as a 4-piece - I was playing keys as well as singing, Steele Chabau (bass) is someone I'd worked with a lot in previous projects, and Myka Wallace (drums) and Lachy Mitchell (guitar) are musos I'd heard play in a bunch of my favourite Brisbane bands - most prominently in Laneous & The Family-Yah. I was ecstatic that they were keen to make music with me! Over the course of the year the band has grown to an 8-piece with some close and old friends Parmis Rose (keys) and Joe Roberts (bari sax/flute) joining the crew, as well as Megan Crocombe and Astrid Jorgensen ("The Maxettes") on backing vocals. We all play in various other bands and have other musical projects on the go. I am really, really happy with the current line-up and excited about how the band is sounding at the moment!

For readers unfamiliar with your music, how would you describe your outfit's sound?

Our sound is groovy, funky and soulful, and very much a product of 'old meets new' - I might borrow a chunk from our bio to explain this... "think 50s-flavoured rockabilly, 60s-flavoured soul, 70s-flavoured funk, 80s-inspired hair and 90s-flavoured groove. You’ll feel like you’ve been zapped into the past to a rowdy blues bar hotspot, or an underground

funk club surrounded by a cloudy haze, or a 50s-style diner doing the lindy-hop on checkered floorboards. Then snap! Mod turns to ultra-modern, and you’re thrust into the future. Unique songwriting, wacky riffs and clever, poetic lyrics are all hip to the music of today, and beyond." I like writing music that has a certain nostalgic aspect to it, like something you think you might have heard before... but change it up, add a twist with something a little obscure and more modern. 

Which musicians got you into music and which ones are you still inspired by?

I couldn't put my finger on which musicians got me into music... I have been into music since I was old enough to speak though, so I guess a lot of it came from listening to whatever my parents and grandparents were listening to. One of my earliest music-inspired memories is dancing with my Grandpa to "Cheek to Cheek" sung by Nat King Cole - Pa used to pick me up and squish my cheek to his cheek. I'm probably too big to do that now... I love the memory though! My dad used to listen to a lot of country, which I guess is why I still have a massive soft spot for Patsy Cline. As I got older and found my own tastes in music I developed a love for music from the 60s and 70s - particularly Motown and soul, Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Martha Reeves, The Temptations, all those awesome artists with all those awesome tunes! As for more modern stuff, Lauryn Hill, Bjork, Radiohead, Rufus Wainwright, Cornelius, and the list goes on... at the moment I'm really into Janelle Monae and Little Dragon. My friend showed me a Youtube clip of Judee Sill's "Jesus Was A Crossmaker" yesterday and I've watched it about a million times since. Everything...!

What was the vision behind new single "The Remedy"? Is there a story to the tune?

There is a story! A simple story, my best friend was going through a crappy breakup, and we had one of those conversations that was basically me saying "the best thing you can do right now is to think about the fact that in six months time, this won't hurt anywhere near as much... and won't even be a big deal. And you know that time is coming, it's just the waiting that really blows...". Hence the chorus lyrics "Time is the remedy, but in the meantime you'd better be by my side".

“The Remedy” also recently won the final of YouBloom.com’s international song writing competition, judged by Sir Bob Geldof - how did it feel winning this accolade? What was Bob like?

We were really happy to win our final in the Youbloom competition, and we used the prize money to track our debut album, which was a great help indeed. I didn't actually get to meet Bob in person, though we were sent a video of the judging panel listening to the song, and got to see them give feedback on it. Actually, Bob seemed kinda grumpy in the video. Maybe he was just having a bad day... maybe the judging took place on a Monday... 

I understand you have recently recorded your debut album - when can we expect a release?

Yes! We have tracked the whole album and are now settling in to editing and mixing stages. The release is still a while off... we don't want to launch it too close to all the chaos of Christmas so as a tentative date, you can expect it out in early March next year! 

You're set to headline  show at Sydney's "Raval" with support from Elana Stone Band and Ray Mann in November - what can audiences expect from the performance?

We are so psyched for this show. Elana Stone and Ray Mann are two of my favourite Australian artists - the kind I like to stalk on Myspace - so it's really fantastic that we get to play a show with them both. Audiences can expect a night of stellar musicianship and truly original sounds from all three acts... providing I don't die of excitement before our set. 

Have you any other plans to tour over the summer months?

We will definitely be touring to launch our album next year, and fans can keep abreast of this news at our myspace (http://www.myspace.com/themaxwellsmusic) and facebook (http://www.facebook.com/hannahmacklinmusic). There might be a sneaky Melbourne trip early next year also - watch this (or those) space/s! Ugh, I'm such a nerd. I could have just said stay tuned. Stay tuned!