AMO is all about celebrating Aussie music. Can you tell us who one or two of your favourite local songwriters/artists are, and what it is about them you love? What were some of the first Australian records you remember really getting into?
Well, the Easybeats, Died Pretty, Ed Kuepper. Some of the newer ones include the Sun Blindness, Black Cab and the Brunettes, they're from New Zealand but that's Australasia. The first cd I ever bought was Dave Graney's Night of the Wolverine which is still an incredible record. We were lucky to make his acquaintance early in our career. He was one of the first, if not the first, to see that we had something to offer. He did the lyrics for "Natalie" on this new record.

Can you tell AMO readers a few details about where & when you began working on your latest release? How long did recording take - what was one of the highlights?
Atlantis Regrets Nothing was started and finished in 2005. We recorded it at our keyboardist Murray Ono's studio, the Moonlab in St. Kilda. It took about six months to pull together. But it was an intense six months. In the end Murray flipped out, had a nervous breakdown and ended up in Scandinavia. Ben and I went to Sydney to master the record and we got a call from him. He was like, "I'm in Norway."
"Norway? Wow, what about the show on Saturday night?"
"I don't think I'm going to be able to make it."
Our first guitarist also had a full meltdown. But we're not taking it personally.

Were there any specific ideas, musically speaking, you particularly wanted to capture with this recording? Anything you were determined to avoid?
There was a feeling things weren't going to last, that the five of us weren't going to be playing together forever, so it was a matter of capturing the way the five of us play as best we could, as fast as we could, before something gave out.
There were other things pulling at us - I got married, Ben and Piet had babies, Tanner struggled to stay sane and Ono ended up flipping out. Now that we've played those songs off Atlantis live around town I'd love to go back and record them again. But I'm sure every band goes through that feeling. That's why I'm glad we're putting out a bonus live disc with Atlantis. There are great versions of 'Black Sun Ensemble' and 'Big Left', songs off Ghost Transmissions, recorded live. They were taped when we were peaking on those songs after having played them for ages.

Who's been a big musical influence on your life - whether it be an album you've loved, a songwriter who's inspired you, or just someone you know who's compelled you to write?
When Ben and I first started Sand Pebbles, the Velvet Underground was our biggest influence. But Luna was the band that we listened to most. We've followed Dean Wareham through each of his bands - Galaxie 500, Luna and Dean & Britta - and loved them all. I just find his music really beautiful, subtle and emotional. He's been incredibly generous to us too. My favourite release so far has been Sonic Souvenirs, a Dean & Britta EP as mixed by Sonic Boom from Spacemen 3. They have a new album coming out soon and I can't wait to hear it.

If you could have written any classic Aussie song in history - either widely popular or relatively unknown - what track would you love to be responsible for? Why do you like it?
I really like the Saints' 'Know Your Product'. It's like 'Satisfaction' but a 'Satisfaction' that you haven't heard a million times over. I wish I had the ability to write 'Night of the Wolverine'. Graney did a French version of it which is great too. Of course, there's many others - the Easybeats' 'Funny Feelin', the Loved Ones' 'Sad Dark Eyes', Died Pretty's 'Mirror Blues', the Divinyls' 'Science Fiction', the Flowers' 'Can't Help Myself', Rick Springfield 'Jessie's Girl', Barry Gibb 'Emotions'.

What's some of the biggest challenges a local artist such as yourself faces when it comes to the day-to-day reality of making music for a living?
Justifying the time that you put into it. At this point of our career we're mostly working on strength training.

If you could only take one specific instrument to a desert island with you, it would have to be?
A tamboura. I love the sound of it - a beautiful drone. Perfect for a desert island. It sounds incredible on Alice Coltrane's 'Journey in Satchidananda', a song and album I recommend to anyone. You can also hear it on things like Canned Heat's 'On the Road Again' and our own 'The Day Summer Fell' off Ghost Transmissions.

If asked, what advice would you give to a young band or emerging artist who's starting out? What's something to avoid, or to keep in mind?
You'll have more luck reading your stars than anything I can say.

Lastly, what do you get out of making music that makes is so special to you? What do you really love about it?
Just the joy of playing. When it all comes together it's exhilarating.