Here's part II of the blog series from The Old Bar Fitzroy gig in May. I spoke with Lucas Perlind, lead guitarist for Squid Inc. Putting a band together is challenging, however Squid Inc. had to overcome more challenges than most given the timing of their formation in 2019/20. The name Squid Inc. is a parody on the corporate world as their Instagram states...“Squid inc. Independent Melbourne/Naarm based stock market professionals. Your finances are safe in our tentacles.”
Lead singer and songwriter Bethany Whitmore put out a Facebook post looking for musicians to form a band. Her friends and connections from High School responded with Esten Narun (Keyboards) and Lucas Perlind (Lead Guitar) putting up their hands to join. The only thing was that many of the band members were on exchange and scattered around the world with Lucas in Sweden, Esten in Norway and Sidonie in Germany. Distance didn’t deter them and they made a commitment to each other to reunite and form Squid Inc. when they all returned back home. That was early 2020 and we all know what happened in the first few months of that year! With the rolling lock downs experienced in their hometown of Melbourne, the project would take time to get off the ground. While face-to-face rehearsals were limited, the band had time to write some original songs with Bethany and Esten leading the charge and supported by Lucas.
Squid Inc.’s current line-up consists of:
- Bethany Whitmore: Vocals
- Lucas Perlind: Lead guitar
- Sidonie de la Coeur: Bass guitar
- Alex Hodge: Drums
- Esten Narum: Keyboards
How would you describe your music and who inspires you?
“We are a little bit of everything – from folk to rock to jazzy blues. Bethany and Esten tend to write songs that are more folksy and jazzy while I like to write more rock based tunes.”
“I love The Killers and The Strokes. They have had a big influence on my playing style and the songs I write. Some of my band mates love Australian psychedelic rock band King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard.”
When did you pick up the guitar and what was your first guitar?
“I was 19 and in my first year at Uni when I decided to play the guitar for real. A friend of mine and I loved playing the video game Guitar Hero but I wanted the challenge of learning to play the guitar for real. My first guitar was a Fender Squire.”
What does your guitar rig consist of?
“I still have my Fender Squire and recently bought an Ibanez Artcore hollow body electric. The Ibanez is my go-to guitar for live gigs. I use a Marshall DSL 20 amp and Roland GT100 multi-effects unit. It’s a straightforward convenient set up for live gigs. I have a few pedals at home including a Keeley Darkside fuzz/modulation pedals, Boss CF3 compressor and Blackstar LT Dual overdrive pedal.”
If you were stranded on a deserted Island, which gear would you make sure you had with you?
“I’d stick with what I have now and use at live gigs. I know it works.”
What do you love most about gigging live?“Being able to crank up the volume. Our rehearsals are very quite because we rehearse one of our band members house. Gigging is just fun.”
You can catch Squid Inc. around down. To find out more and where they’re playing, check them out at squid.inc_band.
#SquidIncBand #LiveMusic #MelbourneLive #TheOldBarFitzroy