Episode 6: Kav Temperley – Eskimo Joe
Eskimo Joe.
Listen to the Trusty Chords podcast via your preferred platform of choice here.
The Western Australian city of Perth is one of the most isolated cities in the world, yet if you were to take a look at all of the amazing musicians that have come out of there, it feels like there’s a disproportionate level of creativity within the City of Light. I mean, there’s names like Little Birdy, Tame Impala, The Triffids, The Victims, Pendulum, Gyroscope, and Jebediah, whose frontman Kevin Mitchell might be familiar to you if you’ve listened to episode two. If you haven’t, you know where to go next!
But another band worth your time is Eskimo Joe. Comprising Stuart Macleod on guitar, Joel Quartmain on drums, and Kav Temperley on bass and vocals, the band first kicked off back in 1997, emerging from the ashes of Freud's Pillow.
By 1998, they'd released their Sweater EP, which featured the popular title track, and then their self-titled EP in 1999, which contained fan favourites like 'Ruby Wednesday' and 'Turn Up Your Stereo'. In 2001, they released their debut album, Girl. Charting at #29, it was a big moment for the group, and showcased a large element of growth thanks to songs like 'Wake Up', 'Who Sold Her Out', and 'Planet Earth'. The growth continued with 2004's A Song Is A City and songs like 'From The Sea', but it was 2006's Black Fingernails, Red Wine that made them household names.
Peaking at #1 on the national charts, it featured five massive singles, including the title track (which won Single Of The Year at the ARIAs). It also featured 'Sarah', 'New York', 'Breaking Up', and 'London Bombs'. If you listened to Australian radio in 2006, Eskimo Joe weren't too far from your ears.
The group continued with 2009’s Inshalla album, 2011’s Ghosts Of The Past, and 2013’s Wastelands. Since then, the band members have been a little bit busy away from Eskimo Joe, including solo material from Kav, and some new singles in recent years, including ‘The First Time’, which arrived back in March.
Recently, the band have been out on the road again, and in May, June, and July, they’re hitting up regional areas as part of a new run of shows.
Ahead of these dates, I was lucky enough to be joined by the lovely Kav Temperley, who’s an absolute pleasure to chat to. I will admit, since this one was done over Zoom, there’s a few audio issues from time to time. It’s also worth pointing out that just before our chat, Kav noticed I had black nail polish on my fingernails – something I’d completely overlooked ahead of my discussion with the bloke who wrote ‘Black Fingernails, Red Wine’. He didn’t have any red wine on hand, so I couldn’t return with a snappy quip.
At one point as well, you’ll also hear me talking about how Trusty Chords is the most visual audio podcast on the scene. That’s because, dear listener, I unzipped my jacket to show Kav my Eskimo Joe T-shirt. No, not the band shirt, but rather the shirt that inspired their name. There’s not much else to add here, but it sounds a bit baffling if you weren’t in the room, and y’know, context matters.
Anyway, check out Eskimo Joe’s latest single, ‘The First Time’, and once you’re done giving that a spin, have a listen to our chat, and I’ll see you at the end of the episode for some general housekeeping.
Kav Temperley’s Trusty Chords
Kav’s One Influential Artist
John Lennon
Kav’s Three Impactful Albums
Dusty Springfield – Dusty In Memphis (1969)
Pixies – Doolittle (1989)
Paul Simon – Graceland (1986)
Kav’s Five Trusty Songs
Paul Simon – ‘Graceland’ (1986)
Otis Redding – ‘(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay’ (1967)
Kyuss – ‘Thong Song’ (1992)
The Beatles – ‘Happiness Is A Warm Gun’ (1968)
Wilco – ‘Jesus, Etc.’ (2002)
