By Luke Voogt
Guitarist Zach Stephenson is yet to rake in the big bucks but says touring Europe, the US and Australia easily beats “a nine to fiver”.
Stephenson, one half of NSW surf rock duo Hockey Dad, spoke to the Indy this week while recovering from a show in Perth the night before.
“I think I’m still drunk, actually,” the 22-year-old said. “We fly to Europe tonight.”
Stephenson formed the duo with childhood mate Billy Fleming, 20, in 2013 after their high school band “fizzled out” and they had nothing better to do.
“We just started playing pretty much out of boredom at home,” he said.
“Dad had a drum kit – so Billy just jumped on them because there were no other instruments left.”
The Wollongong pair named their new band after a video game in a Simpsons episode, where two dads brutally bash each other at a hockey match.
“We couldn’t think of anything else,” Stephenson said, “now we’re stuck with it.”
They burst onto the scene in 2014 through Triple J’s Unearthed competition after finishing their first five-track EP in 2013.
“Unearthed gave us a good shot,” Stephenson said.
“We got a bit of good play on Triple J for that.”
The boys have since released an album and toured nationally and internationally.
“I wouldn’t call it a rise to fame,” Stephenson said.
“I still live at home – we both have full-time jobs (in the band) but we don’t get paid. It doesn’t get embarrassing for another few years.”
But he said it was worth “living off mi goreng” and with the folks to play in front of live crowds across the world.
“They get pretty wild. Most of time it’s a lot of crowd-surfing, dancing and general horseplay.”
The duo are almost living the dream, they just hope one day to be able “to pay the bills” with it.
“If everybody likes it we’ll keep doing it,” Stephenson said.
“We’ll keep the dream alive as long as we can and then go back and start laying bricks – that’s pretty much it.”
Hockey Dad will return to the Barwon Club on 2 March after its first performance there in 2015.
“We’re looking forward to coming over,” he said.
“It’s going to be nice to be back.”
And, of course, the boys will hit the waves at 13th Beach, Bells or one of Geelong’s many breaks if they get the chance.
“We surf as much as we can,” Stephenson said.
“If we have some time and someone can get us a board we’ll definitely get out.”
