Musical melting pot

Sally Poehland
GEELONG punters can sample a musical melting pot of jazz, gypsy, reggae and rock when Melbourne group Symbiosis comes to town.
Lead singer and guitarist Mick Etheridge says the self described party band is guaranteed to “get bums off seats and dancing”.
“We like to see people have a good time,” he says.
Symbiosis has spent three years strengthening its line up and honing its sound and skills.
The hard work is paying off, with the band developing a following among music fans and industry figures and garnering a groundswell of support at live shows across the country.
The band has been hand-picked to support some of Australia’s top acts, including Blue King Brown, The Resin Dogs and The Cat Empire.
“Cat Empire is definitely an inspiration for us,” Etheridge says.
“It’s great playing with them as there’s always a packed room of people full of smiles and good vibes.”
Symbiosis also includes Fraser Montgomery on guitar, Brendan Donahoo on keys and squeeze, Brook Quinn on bass and Ryan Berg on drums.
“We’ve had our line up for about 12 months but formed the band in concept about three years ago,” Etheridge explains.
“We started as a three piece and grew to eight before cutting back to five members again after taking away the horn section.”
The band’s debut EP, Wishing Well, scored plenty of airplay when it was released in 2006.
Symbiosis has now released a new single, Rise Up.
“Rise up represents a slightly new direction for us,” Etheridge says.
“It helps to open the doors for what has been predominately a party band.
“This track is more song based, a little more radio friendly and allows us to reflect rather than going full bore all the time.”
Etheridge says Symbiosis songs are usually created while jamming on the road.
“Our songs are often created around our lifestyle.
“We come from a surfer, skater type background, so most of the songs are written on the road while jamming.
“We’ve even been known to write songs in the sand dunes while waiting for a wave.”
Symbiosis plays at the Barwon Club tonight.