We caught up with Charles Rowell, one half of San Diego two piece Crocodiles. He and band mate Brandon Welchez had just returned from their tour in Mexico. We spoke of summer, idols and making music.

WHL: So are you a Crocodile Dundee fan? What made you call yourselves ‘Crocodiles'?

CR:Well number one, I love his work, I'm a big fan [laughs] and number two, we originally wanted to call the band crocodile tears.

WHL: When did you start making music together?

CR: We've been in loads of bands before this together - maybe 10 or 11 years ago.

WHL: You seem like you're both close friends, so is it a jamming process that develops your sound, or does one of you lead things more strongly than the other?

CR: We both add in bits equally I'll bring a guitar line, or he'll bring a melody. It's just whoever can contribute to the song, so we do it collaboratively.

WHL: What sort of influences would you choose to describe your sound?

CR: Reverb, delay, distortion.

WHL: So you've just been touring through Mexico. How did you find it?

CR: How did we find it? Well the airplane took us there [laughs]. It was great, Mexico City was amazing. Probably the best shows we've played this year have been in Mexico City and Rome.

WHL: I really liked the way you described the need to leave your hometown San Diego. "If you live there, then you slowly die." Is that what propels you to tour?

CR: Yeah , well it's not a reaction to leave San Diego per se, it's more a chance to travel to other places and friends around the world. If we lived in Chicago or NY we'd still want to get out and see the world I'm sure.

WHL: Is there anything in particular you think about when you're playing?

CR: I don't think so, I just kind of shut off when I go on stage rather than thinking about anything. I guess I'm more locked in the moment as a performer, thinking about which pedal I'm using and the sounds I'm making.

WHL: It's great you're coming out to the Meredith Music Festival, have you been to Australia before and do you like playing big outdoor festivals?

CR:Yeah we've  both been to Australia before. We love playing festivals, we're definitely excited about it.

WHL: What's your favourite summer activity?

CR: It doesn't necessarily need to be done during the summer, but it feels really good to walk through the park of the San Diego Museum or San Diego Balboa Park is really nice.

WHL: What do you remember about being seventeen?

CR: I think that's around the time that Brandon (Welchez) and I started to play music - yeah, we met around then, so I guess that'd be the thing that stands out most.

By Anaya Latter

The Crocodile's blisteringly sweet album Summer of Hate is out now on Fat Possum records. Crocodiles hit Australia this December. For full tour details check here.