On the back of the release of their new album, The Art Is All We Need, BMA caught up with kind-of heavy, kind-of prog, strongly melodic Canberra three-piece Blissphorus to see what makes them tick.

Group members:

Jeannie Cotterell – vocals, keys 

Pete Bosak – guitar, bass

Dave Williams – drums, vocals

Where did your band name come from?

From the subconscious, allegedly inspired by a certain Turkish cymbal company.

Describe your sound:

Kind of heavy, kind of progressive, and strongly melodic. Long songs with extremes of dynamic and complexity.

Who/What are your influences, musical or otherwise?

Ambience and brutality. Tension and release. Soul and aggression.

What’s the most memorable experience you’ve had as an artist?

It’s not so much about a memorable moment; it’s the great satisfaction we get from the entire process of making music.

Tell us about one of your proudest moments? 

That we were able to make an album completely independently – and we’re really proud of it!

What are your plans for the future? 

New music. Another album. More gigs.

What makes you laugh? 

Rehearsal room banter between songs. 

What pisses you off? 

The morning after the night before.

What about the Canberra scene/the music scene in general would you change? 

A longer set every now and then would be nice; 40-45 mins ideally. And longer change-overs between sets. Small things really. The Canberra music scene is pretty great – cool venues and people. 

What would you like to plug?

Our new album The Art Is All We Need. Available from all normal digital distributors. 

And, the Dragons Abreast Social & Corporate Regatta fundraiser! Gather your mates for a dragon boat race! Funds raised go to supporting breast cancer survivors and their supporters. 

Email dragonsabreastregatta@gmail.com for more info.