Shifting Transmission With JJ McCANN

Interview by Kris Peters
JJ McCann is a musician well-travelled, negotiating over 30 years
in the Australian music industry with his soul and integrity
intact.
Better known as one of the founding members of Nunchukka Superfly
and his work with The Drones, McCann has busied himself with other
just as talented bands over the years, with the one common
denominator being McCann's driven approach to his craft and his
humble and unassuming nature.
Last year McCann released his first album under the monicker of JJ
McCann Transmission called Hit With Love, collaborating with
legendary producer Rob Younger of Radio Birdman and the New Christs
who produced every second great Australian rock record in the 80s
and 90s (Died Pretty, Hard-Ons, Lime Spiders, Celibate Rifles,
Hoodoo Gurus). It proved a masterstroke for McCann, who reached a
much wider audience with the album and created enough quality
material to still be drawing singles from the album almost 12
months later.
But talk to McCann and you get the impression his days of caring
about status or success in music are long behind him - if in fact
they were ever there. Instead, you get an artist who creates music
for the thrill and love of the final result and the opportunity to
share a common love with friends.
Just the way it should be.
With Nunchukka Superfly finally releasing their debut album
recently and about to go on tour, McCann is understandably busy
these days, but not too busy to be down for a chat with
HEAVY.
"It was officially released last year," he said of the new solo
album. "It was kind of a staggered thing that was followed by a
couple of film clips, with the last one coming out in March called
Amphibious Skin. It's been going well. It's been released here in
Melbourne on CheerSquad Records and co-released with French label
Beast Records. It's the first record I've released in Australia in
14 years. Everything else I've released in Spain or France,
generally because there wasn't a lot of independent labels around
15 years ago, believe it or not. It's picked up a bit since then in
Australia."
In the full interview, JJ talks more about Hit With Love and the
writing and recording process, working with Rob Younger, what sorts
of things Younger contributed to the overall sound of the album,
the changing tides of music and the importance of sticking to your
own path, the release of Nunchukka Superfly's debut album and
upcoming shows, future plans and more.


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