Anthony Forrest
Over time we all develop new interests, passions & tastes. For musician Anthony Forrest his tastes in music have developed so much that he has now decided to strike out on his own with a new solo project.
Most people would know Forrest from his time as the frontman for the band Kingfisha, a 5-piece reggae band from Brisbane that developed quite the following around Australia. Whilst Forrest says he is still incredibly close with other members of the band the transition into becoming a solo artist was something he needed to do.
"I've been really upfront with the band the entire time," Forrest told Pario. "I gave my all to Kingfisha when we were all rocking, so they get that this is where I'm at at the moment. It's not like Kingfisha is over, this is just something that I need to do."
As we continued to speak with Forrest we came to learn that this move was certainly not a spur-of-the-moment decision.
"I've been writing tunes for the last 4-5 years that I didn't really think would fit with Kingfisha... I wasn't really sure what direction I wanted to go in but I knew I didn't want to play reggae & that I just wanted to do something fresh."
Forrest told Pario that the reason for the lengthy creative process before unveiling this solo project was simple, "Good shit takes time!"
Fans of Kingfisha might be asking why couldn't Forrest work on both projects simultaneously? For Forrest, it was simply a matter of personal bandwidth.
"I've always been someone who is all or nothing with groups/projects because I'm not good at being in multiple bands & just giving a bit of myself to each at the same time," said Forrest. "I'm pretty consumed by songs & music, perhaps even too much. I find I'm always thinking about music, so it's good for me to just have one project at a time."
Now as the world begins to return to some normality Forrest says he is "really looking forward to getting out & playing these songs live."
Although this new project is a 'solo' one for the live shows he will be performing as a 3-piece, which is again exciting for Forrest.
"I'm excited to play in a 3-piece live because I've always played in really big bands. So it's going to be great to only have to call 2 dudes & ask if they are free instead of 5-6 others."
Once the 3-piece does hit the live stage Forrest revealed that they will be well prepared to tackle anything after 2 years of rehearsing. A move that could prove vital given the complexity of the live performance.
"It's pretty much an electronic project, but I've tried to keep the live band feel as much as I can with live bass, drums, vocals & guitar over the top of samples. "I've been rehearsing as a 3-piece with the drummer from Kingfisha & a bass player who pays synth bass, samples & synthesiser as well. So it is complex & I'm sure things can go wrong. In fact, I'm sure they will but it's still really fun.
"Essentially if anything does come up this new show is going to have the live band feel to fall back on. As long as I can play guitar & sings there's still drums & bass to make music that will sound cool."
Keep up with Anthony on social media at: @AnthonyForrestMusic
Support Pario Magazine
Become A Publisher
$5 / Month
- Name Added To Publisher List
- Physical Print Issue
- Early Access
