From learning his trade as a guitarist in the pub scene after leaving high school and building amplifiers with Dave Ulbrick, to making equipment and doing tech work for the likes of Ian Moss and Diesel, Shaun Klinger has been around.
He is currently a member of iconic Aussie band the Badloves and also plays guitar with rising star Bill Barber and the Holding Cell, all the while making custom guitar pedals for musicians across the country.
“I’m just a creative that really enjoys music, but I realised with music you’ve got to branch out,” Klinger said.
“You can’t just play guitar in Australia, you’ve got to be able to do a few things. But as long as it’s to do with music, I’m happy.”
This week he brings his own band, Shaun Klinger and the Heavy Kicks, to Geelong’s Medusa Bar.
Joined by drummer Mark Degiorgio and bassist Chris Rourke, the band does a mix of covers and originals that are largely blues and rock based, with a heavy dose of prog, psych and alternative influences.
Klinger said the most important aspect of a band was the chemistry between the musicians.
“I’ve got a bit of a thing; if you can’t hang with the guys without your instruments, then it’s going to be a little bit more difficult when you’ve got instruments in your hand,” he said.
“As humans… we allow each other space, the time to say things, we try not to step on each other’s toes. And that’s what happens musically as well.
“The more we get to play together, the more the unspoken things start to happen. Every now and then you go down a musical rabbit hole and you wake up at the end and you’re like, what did we just do?
“And that’s what we strive for with improvisational music, where you can just let go for that little bit of time. And doing it with people that you can trust and that you enjoy being around, that’s sort of the goal, isn’t it? I feel really grateful to be in a band with both Chris and Mark.”
Shaun Klinger and the Heavy Kicks are at Medusa Bar on Saturday, July 18.
