Intercooler: Schools Out.

Intercooler launch Old School Is The New School at The Zoo on Saturday.

Local rock stalwarts Intercooler are set to launch their new along player Old School Is he New School in a post Marketday rock bonanza. The new disc has already spawned the single Goodness Of The Girl, and the band follow up their launch show with a national stint on the road with Rollerball and the Giants Of Science as part of the Caravan Of Courage tour. Bassist Joel and drummer Damon took some time to answer some questions about their new disc.

Can you tell us about the recording the new album? When was it pout together, and how do you think the past Intercooler releases stack up against the newie?

“There isn’t really a comparison to anything we have done before, the line up has changed and so have we, really this the first release from the band as it currently stands. It is made up of about five sessions in different studios over a long period; the bulk was done at the end of last year in Byron at Rocking horse. It wasn’t the perfect way to make a record by any stretch of the imagination we just did what we could when we got enough money to do so, we are happy we managed to drag ourselves over the finish line and get it out at last.”

When are we going to see the clip for Goodness Of The Girl? Can you tell us a bit about it?

“Goodness of the girl is much in the same theme as a lot of the album .Phil (vox) had just gone through a pretty heavy break up with his wife at the time when a lot of the material was being written. So the loss of that family life that he had is a subject that comes up on the record a lot. We shot it (the video) at the pink palace in Herston which is an old building being used by artists etc. the video isn’t related to the them of the song its just the band performing in a live style.”

What’s the story with the Caravan Of Courage tour?

“It should be a colourful affair to say the least, it’s three bands; Us the Giants and Rollerball all putting out albums and getting a few mini busses and going to play some music all the way up and down the East coast, I dare say we may also sample some regional beer and wine on the way? We've recently found out that Triple J and Kerrang magazine are presenting the tour so that is a big plus.”

Ho would you most like to share your back stage rider with?

“Our friends of course, anyone but musicians… ha!”

Which track on the album came out better than you expected? Do you know how things are going to work out before you start recording?

“I think leaflet. The Wurlitzer organ in the chorus just gave the song such an extra twist like going from dirty basement rock to a happy carnival sound. Leaflet was another working title story, the first line says something about noticing depression of motivation… we thought that sounded like an information leaflet you might get from your GP or something, so that’s what the song was named. It's all a bit tongue in cheek.”

What’s doing it for you on the stereo at the moment?

“We all listen to so many different styles of music. Some recent highlights include the latest …Trail Of Dead record, The Soundtrack Of Our Lives, The (International) Noise Conspiracy, we've also been revisiting albums by Supergrass, Elliott Smith and Nick Drake. The new Giants Of Science record is also very happening.”

How hard does Brisbane rock at the moment? Are we up to scratch compared to the rest of the country?

“Brisbane is definitely producing some awesome bands at the moment, plenty of crap ones too, but as far as rock music goes I think it's pretty safe to say that Brisbane’s got more going on than most bands coming out of Sydney. Melbourne is always a tough act to follow, there are so many amazing bands in that God damn town.”

If Old School Is The New School, what now becomes old school, and will it become new school again in the near future?

“The title of our album is just an observation really. It cracked us up that everyone was always talking about what was old school or what was new school. To us, if something is good, it is good. It's just a comment on the resurgence of traditional rock music and all things retro.”

Any famous last words?

“We don't tip our hats to Motley Crue, but hey, like they say opinions are like arseholes; everyone has one and most of them stink…”