Let's Talk Punk with KTO/Kathleen Turner Overdrive.
Interview By Lisa-PunkrPrincess
Punk Globe: Hi and thanks for chatting with us, can you tell us a little about the band and the current lineup? and also who is Kathleen Turner 🙂
KTO: We’re thrilled for a chat! Thanks heaps for the opportunity, Lisa. You’re a big supporter of the global punk community and we are all super grateful!
So KTO was a 4 piece from 2019 – 2022, then we dabbled with a couple of 5 piece line-ups before going back to 4. We’ve had a member depart recently though, which has opened up the opportunity for a past band mate to return…so with all that being said the 2025 line-up is Mark and Adzilla on guitars, Ry on bass, Ollie on drums and Lizzie on lead vox. This lineup lets Adz move from bass to guitar so he can show off his mad finger skills. Lizzie is the primary song-writer, so we’ll still be howling about social justice issues, observations about people /things and popular culture.
Three of the KTO crew live in Toowoomba which is a regional city about 110 minutes from Brisbane, where the others reside. Brisbane is the capital city of Queensland, Australia.
Kathleen Turner is Chandler Bing’s dad. Confused? She was a well-known actress back in the 80’s 90’s. ‘Bachmann-Turner Overdrive’ was a band from our parents’ time. Mark came up with the band name over some beers in 1992. Then Jack Black used it in the movie ‘High Fidelity’ in 2000. Now there’s a bunch of ‘False Ones’ using the name. Gen Xers get the name straight up lol.
Punk Globe: Describe your music making process.
KTO: Most of the time Lizzie will take lyrics and melodies for a verse and chorus to Mark. He develops guitar lines from there which he shares with the rest of the band. Sometimes live, sometimes recorded on GarageBand. The song grows from there as everybody adds their parts and ideas. Other times one of the (usually) strings will bring a riff to the band and we’ll jam on it, with Lizzie weaving lyrics from her stash of songs into the mix.
Punk Globe: How many total releases have you had, and which are your favs?
KTO: We did a demo back in 2019 which was meant to be the one and only recording but then we got the bug. Our catalog is 3 EPs strong now. ‘27’ (demo) released in 2019. ‘Autosomal released in 2022. ‘CTRL ALT DELETE’ released in 2023. We recently dropped the first single (‘I Want to Believe’) from our upcoming (2025) album ‘A Safe Space for Cryptids’. That’s a total of 16 tunes!
Lizzie – Stalker
Ry – Corpse Tree
Mark – Unseen
Ollie – Corpse Tree
Adzilla – Bingpot-19
Punk Globe: Describe your local music scene.
KTO: The Brisbane punk scene is lit! It’s a supportive community with lots of gigs shared around. The small venues look after the bands for the most part. There’s a small, or not-too-small depending on the profile of the band, loyal bunch of punters that show up to gigs. Bands that have lineups other than all-male members are being included on bills more and more. So inclusiveness is growing as a consideration when shows are being put together.
Punk Globe: Where are some of your favorite venues to play shows?
KTO: Anywhere with a good PA, sound tech and a stage that’s bigger than a postage stamp lol. But…we do love Banshees Bar & Art Space (in Ipswich), PFR Lounge (Fortitude Valley) , Tribe Clubhouse (Redcliffe) & Mouse Proof Brewery (Toowoomba). All are intimate spaces with a warm, friendly vibe & supportive publicans.
Punk Globe: How do you describe your music to people?
KTO:“Melodic Punk.” “What’s that?” “Think Blondie, X-Ray Spex, The Pretenders.”
“Ohhhhhh, yeah!”
Punk Globe: Strangest venue or gig you’ve ever played?
KTO: We once drove to another town and played on a sloping industrial delivery bay on a mat of fake grass. It was stinking hot and the roller doors had to be closed to protect the neighbors from the noise. The room was packed with peeps sweating buckets. Lizzie had to keep pushing the kit back towards the drummer as it slid down the slope of the driveway on a mission to crush her, before a live audience.
Punk Globe: What are your hopes for the near future?
KTO: We’ve been offered a spot to play a festival in Iowa USA in 2025. The festival (Punk in the Corn organized by Tim from the band E:W:L) is donation dependent. The two headliners are Dead Kennedys and Black Flag. We really hope it takes off! If it does it will be a two day showcase of international underground punk bands, like none other!!
In 2025 we’re looking forward to recording the next 5 songs on our album and releasing it!
Punk Globe: Do you all have any other hobbies besides, obviously, making music?
KTO:
Ollie – chess
Ry – learning languages, philosophy, esoteric history
Lizzie – gardening, True Crime, rescued animal husbandry, mid-century modern everything, cemetery photography
Mark – cleaning antique screws and nails
Adz – gaming on his Commodore64 Console
Punk Globe: Describe your show, visual and musically
KTO: They are a dynamic expression of our music and our beliefs. Lizzie moves about the stage like a cat stalking its prey, eyes wide and full of danger. Adz uses a wireless setup and often gets down and amongst it with the punters. We have a new drummer whose style is pretty blast-beat oriented so he is always moving. Only our guitarist Mark is more static, statuesqe in a graceless way! 😉
Punk Globe: What do you think about downloading music online?
KTO: It would be better if people paid for it on a platform that genuinely looks after artists. Spotify is the industry standard apparently for being heard and getting on playlists etc but it is a joke with regards to royalties. We are of course in the herd but the main thing for us is having our music out in the ether, being heard, writing, recording and performing our music and establishing relationships. As far as our music being downloaded, if that is happening at least it has connected with someone.
Punk Globe: What’s your outlook on the record industry today?
KTO: Much like the previous question, we are mainly interested in connections. The industry is on the one hand more democratic and more accessible to millions more people than it was pre-digital platform era, but on the other hand the opportunities to rise to the top are spread out over a much bigger market. And for good or for bad, part of popularizing yourself seems to be through being very, very active in the social media ‘influencer’/content creator space. So we do that, but it is a lot of work, for little reward, again depending on the sort of reward you’re looking for. Now it’s all about metrics which is a bit soul-sapping.
Punk Globe: What are the biggest obstacles for bands?
KTO: Probably covered in the last two questions. Also the costs associated with all the digital infrastructure, recording, low returns from gigs to pay for all of the above. Like all art, musicians suffer for it!
Punk Globe: What advice would you give to a new band starting out?
KTO: For original bands, be true to your values, see what you do as art, think about the art and craft of songwriting AND performing ie, stagecraft, presence, dynamics, a sense of theater, engaging the audience, save your pennies, have fun! Fun! Fun! Do the boring stuff for sure (and share it around) but remember it’s not about metrics or likes and shares, it’s about having fun.
Punk Globe: What’s the best and worst thing about playing clubs?
KTO: We love the vibe of any sized room if people are getting off on the music. But sound is always an issue. A good system and a quality sound engineer makes for a great night, a crappy system and/or engineer definitely impacts on the enjoyment of the gig. Also pre-sale tickets can stress everyone out. We would rather just sell at the door. Some venues and promoters require a minimum sales target prior to the gig, sometimes too far out from the gig date, but often people don’t know what they want to do until they are heading out the door!
Punk Globe: Where can we find you and your music?
KTO: We are on all the digital platforms, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok etc etc. Also check out SoundCloud for some old demos. Here are some links! 🙂
https://facebook.com/musicalrelics/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/3AIRjVDNZeo7rxYwiWSzhd?si=EympnrnPSMSf6-K36Bljvw
Punk Globe: Do you have any upcoming events we should know about?
KTO: We are doing a single release on 25 and 26 October here in South East Queensland at Banshees Bar in Ipswich and PFR Lounge Bar in Fortitude Valley Brisbane, respectively.
Punk Globe: Any shout-outs?
KTO: Always our dear friends Al and Tim who host us at Banshees and Rob who hosts us at PFR, and Ryno who has hosted us numerous times at Tribe Clubhouse in Redcliffe. So many bands in the Aussie punk scene but particularly our good mates in the Square Tugs, Punktilious and Plan Zed who are supporting us this weekend.
Punk Globe: Thanks for chatting with us and thanks to all the readers.
KTO: It was awesome chatting with you, Lisa. Thank you!!! You asked fun questions. Now we know each other better, lol. Stay punk, everybody!