With a new compilation album, 'A Thousand Wild Flowers', gaining favourable reviews overseas, Melbourne’s The Sand Pebbles may well realise their world domination dreams. PATRICK EMERY throws a bunch of hypotheticals at bass player, former AFL player and sometimes 'Neighbours' scriptwriter Chris Hollow.

Here’s a stupid trivia question: which is the only act to both play on the same bill as the legendary Arthur Lee and (unfortunately, not on the same occasion) on the hallowed suburban turf of VFL Park in Waverley? While it’s possible that Brian Cadd might have stumbled past a dazed and confused Lee during his career as a LA songwriter in the 1970s, a few years after downing a few luke-warm VBs at a Saturday afternoon game at VFL Park, the answer is Melbourne’s Sand Pebbles.

The Sand Pebbles were conceived in 1999 by Ben Michael, Chris Hollow and original drummer Piet Collins in between scriptwriting duties for Neighbours. Andrew Tanner (formerly of Adelaide band Seven Stories) was enlisted as second guitarist and The Sand Pebbles (named after the 1966 Steve McQueen film) released its debut album, Eastern Terrace, in 2002. The album featured a cover of Julian Cope’s ‘Out of My Mind on Dope and Speed’, with the film clip shot at VFL Park, shortly before the ground was dug up in preparation for its metamorphosis into a suburban housing estate.

In 2004 the Sand Pebbles released their critically acclaimed follow-up album, Ghost Transmissions, followed by Atlantis Regrets Nothing (featuring guest performances by Dave Graney and Clare Moore) in 2006. In early 2008 the Pebbles (now with Sun Blindness guitarist Tor Larsen) retreated to the sandy dunes of regional South Australia to record the band’s fourth album, Ceduna.

This year, they’re going global. New album A Thousand Wild Flowers – a compilation of their three most recent releases – is already garnering rave reviews in the usually patronising English music press and the cult-obsessive US blogging community. It may yet see the Sand Pebbles become the first band to play both VFL Park and Yankee Stadium in New York City.

Your compilation album A Thousand Wild Flowers is being released in the United States, courtesy of Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips from Luna. How did you first meet Dean and Britta?
I was a Luna fan and liked Galaxie 500 too and I got the CD they did with Sonic Boom, Sonic Souvenirs. I loved that CD but I hadn’t seen any articles or reviews for it so I got in contact to do an interview and help spread the word. Afterwards, I sent Dean Ghost Transmissions and he liked it. I’ve been hounding him ever since.

Was there any particular thematic order or structure to the songs included on A Thousand Wild Flowers?
We just wanted to put together a cracking album. Here’s it’s a compilation, overseas it’s like our debut so we pulled out all stops. It’s been nice to hear people asking about certain songs that didn’t make it: things like ‘Genius’, ‘Altered Images’, ‘Speed & Intensity’. Even early tracks like ‘My Sensation’ and ‘Moving Too Fast’.

The response overseas to the compilation seems to have been positive. What has been your perception of the reviews received so far?
I’m just glad the UK ones haven’t had the usual bad jokes about convicts and kangaroos that they feel compelled to put into reviews of Australian bands.

By rough estimates, the Sand Pebbles have played a handful of gigs outside of Victoria. What are the odds of the Sand Pebbles playing either interstate or overseas in the future?
We’re keen to play New York City. I had a dream about it once and it went well.

It was great to see Murray [Ono, former Sand Pebbles keyboardist] back on stage with you guys last year for the launch of Ceduna. Have you heard much from him recently?
He was actually in town recently when we played a big RRR live show. He was going to play but then as the event got bigger and bigger he freaked out.

Speaking of Ceduna, it was described as your “pot-smoking album”. What musical territory and aesthetic do you expect your next album to explore?
The next record is going to be more acoustic. Or at least have one of the guitarists playing acoustic, which have been banned in the past. Tor has more lead vocals on it.

“The next record is going to be more acoustic. Or at least have one of the guitarists playing acoustic, which have been banned in the past.”

You’ve recently acquired your fourth drummer, Westley Holland. Can you tell me a bit about the latest addition to the Sand Pebbles family?
We did a show at Basement Discs in the city [in Melbourne]. Our drummer didn’t turn up. We were outside in Block Arcade wondering what the hell we were going to do. Along comes this kid holding a tambourine. We convinced him to do it and he was incredible. He had blood on his hands at the end of the set.

Is it true that Westley is causing you guys to rock out more?
He’s 19 years old. He wants to do everything fast, including music.

What impact do you expect that to have on The Sand Pebbles next musical direction?
It’s electrifying for the live shows. He’s the type of drummer you can watch for the whole show: part Keith Moon, part-Stephen Morris. For the recordings, I wouldn’t be surprised if we went less rock, just to see him get angry and fire up on some acoustic ballads.

Progressive rock is arguably the bastard child of psychedelic music. Is there any danger that The Sand Pebbles could mutate into a prog-rock band?
You have to be a good musician to do prog. I don’t listen to it either.

Michael Jackson died on the same day (give or take a few hours) as Sky Saxon from The Seeds. Whose death was the most significant event, and why?
There’s just been bad joke after bad joke about Michael Jackson. It’s just been relentless. Good News Week and Rove couldn’t stop. It was like they weren’t talking about a human being anymore. Imagine going on Rove and doing a routine about Belinda Emmett two days after she died. They’d lynch you. But with Michael Jackson, it’s a free-for-all.

I love The Seeds. I can remember reading in the notes to one of their records that Daryl Hooper’s idea for a solo is to play one thing and then play that exact same thing an octave up. That’s how Ben and I play too.

Which is the better song: ‘Pushin’ Too Hard’ or ‘Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough’?
They’re both unreal. My favourite Seeds song is ‘Can’t Seem to Make You Mine’. ‘Don’t Stop’ is my favourite Michael Jackson [song]. And ‘I Want You Back’.

If The Sand Pebbles were asked to curate All Tomorrow’s Parties, which bands (current and reformed) would you try and get on the bill?
Yo La Tengo. Primal Scream. LCD Soundsystem. Brightblack Morning Light. I’d ask Jonathan Richman to re-form the original Modern Lovers. Get Spacemen 3 back together. And Destiny’s Child too for the big Saturday night.

What albums would you want to feature as part of a “Don’t Look Back” series?
Blondie doing The Best of Blondie.

The Thousand Wild Flowers compilation features a cover of the Thirteenth Floor Elevators’ ‘I Don’t Ever Want to Come Down’. If you met Roky Erickson, what question would you ask him?
I’d ask him all about Stacy Sutherland. He wrote all my favourite 13th Floor Elevator songs. He was the dark knight of the band. Ended up getting shot and killed by his wife.

You’ve been given the task of putting together a band comprised of rock’n’roll survivors. Ignoring Iggy Pop and Keith Richards, who would you have in the band?
Sly and the Family Stone. All members.

If the Sand Pebbles was asked to curate the pre-match entertainment for the AFL Grand Final, what would it involve?
Oh god, saying no.

Your old club St Kilda remains undefeated on the AFL ladder. Can they go all the way and win the club’s first premiership in 43 years?
Absolutely. I love the way they’re playing. When St Kilda was in the grand final in 1997 I was jealous I wasn’t there. I had mixed emotions. Then when they lost I was shattered. I’m all for a win this year and good luck to them.

If the Sand Pebbles was a sportsperson from any era, who would it be?
[Retired squash player] Geoff Hunt.

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A Thousand Wild Flowers will be launched on Saturday, August 15, at The Toff In Town, Melbourne, with special guests Beaches.