Into The Wild band to release its debut EP this week

“We are hoping this EP is going to put us ‘out there’, guitarist David McIntyre told the Gazette.

Mr McIntyre - a teacher at Colo High School - is in the band with his two brothers, Kris (vocals) and Joel (bass), along with their friends Leroy Jellicoe (guitar) and Alex Marr (drums).

The first single from the EP, also called Skin, was released in June, and has already garnered a “big response” from the band’s fanbase. “We are super stoked!” said Mr McIntyre.

Into The Wild’s five members range in age from 20 to 28 years old, and four of them grew up in the Hawkesbury.

“This area has been a pretty influential part of our lives and has shaped who we are and the experiences we've had, all of which is told through our music,” said Mr McIntyre.

The 28-year-old lives in Bligh Park with brother Joel (25), while Kris (21) lives in Freemans Reach, Leroy (23) in Kurrajong, and Alex (20) in the Hills district.

Mr McIntyre began playing guitar when he was in year 8 at Bede Polding College, which is where the McIntyre brothers met Leeroy: “He was a couple of years below my brother Joel and he was a fantastic guitar player,” he said.  

The band has been together for just over two years, however music was a big part of all of their upbringings.

“Mum and dad played guitar, and there was always a lot of music going on at home. We were all really encouraged to go on with it,” said Mr McIntyre.

“The three of us had a really wide range of music as a kid. Dad loved The Rolling Stones, Mental as Anything, The Angels. Mum was really big on The Beatles, and myself and Joel are massive Beatles fans.

“Most of us listen to all kinds of music but that’s not necessarily what we play. We have a lot of influences that we draw on to get that sound we’re working on.”

The band cites some of its musical influences as You Me At Six, Anberlin, Foo Fighters, Silverchair, and 30 Seconds To Mars - some of the music they listened to while growing up.

“None of us three [brothers] had any music tuition - we’ve just worked it out by feel,” said Mr McIntyre.

Into The Wild’s debut EP consists of five tracks, some of which are the first songs they made together as a band.

“It’s not a one-paced record and we’re not one-paced with our songwriting. There’s a little something for everybody, and that’s the response we’ve had from our performances so far,” said Mr McIntyre.

This includes a recent performance at Colo High - where Mr McIntyre is a long-term temporary teacher - as part of the school’s Spirit Week celebrations.

“We got a massive response - we were blown away. Kids are definitely a target audience for us, but not having had a lot of exposure for our stuff and then having 200 students swamp us was incredible - we didn’t expect that sort of response,” Mr McIntyre said.

Each of the songs on the EP tells a story, from Skin, which tackles the topic of skin cancer, to Ruin, which touches on Mr McIntyre’s feelings while his parents were splitting up.

“I know as a teacher many kids come from broken homes so it’s by no means a unique thing,” he said.

A song called I Wish is about people who put themselves before others, and the final song on the EP is about shaking-off the troubles of the week and leaving them all behind.

“My brother Chris and I are probably the biggest driving forces when it comes to songwriting,” said Mr McIntyre.

“We grew up with songs that were about something that happened to people, so they have emotional connections. We wanted to tell some stories, so other people can latch onto them and say ‘so I’m not the only one who goes through it’.

“We like having diversity - putting feelings and emotions into the stuff we’re putting out there, rather than being repetitive.  

“As musicians and writers we sometimes look at multi platinum artists and listen to their music and think, what substance is there?

“We want to strike a chord with people, put some good tunes out there and have some good fun.”

Each of the band members works a full-time job, so the EP was recorded during weekends throughout the month of March.

“That was a really positive experience. We learnt heaps about what makes a record and what goes into it. We’re more than happy with the way it came out,” said Mr McIntyre.

They recorded at Dash Productions in Alexandria, however they also make regular use of the rehearsal space at Studio Bleus in South Windsor - run by local lad, Dave Bleus.

“The music industry is tough so we’ll try to work with other Hawkesbury people as much as possible,” said Mr McIntyre.

“Dave Bleus is a top bloke and he’s been really good to us. He’s working really hard to get his business and his name out there, too. We’re all for working with the people in our community.”

The band also regularly plays at the Fitzroy Hotel in Windsor, and chose this venue for both their single and EP launch.

“The Fitzroy is kind of our spiritual home,” said Mr McIntyre.

“There’s not that many venues that put on original stuff anymore - locally or elsewhere. But local venues have been as supportive as they possibly can be.

“You want to support those that support you, so this EP launch was always going to be in the Hawkesbury - that’s our home. And it was always going to be at The Fitz.

“Even if we outgrew the venue we’d still want to come back here and play.  We’ve played at The Fitz three or four times and it’s been great.”

Mr McIntyre said the band is trying to find an all-ages venue either in the Hawkesbury or Penrith so under-18s can go to their gigs.

“Under-18s are about half of our fanbase, so we’d like to do a second EP launch at an all-ages venue” he said.

For details about the new single and EP, check out the Into The Wild Facebook page at www.facebook.com/intothewildband.