Brooke Kymberley Interview | Homebrew
Craving variety, mentally cataloguing and keeping a close ear to the ground
One of the great shows on the PBS grid is Homebrew which is known for being the one stop shop for local and independent music from AU / NZ. Today is a special occasion for the host Brooke Kymberley who is celebrating the 150th episode (3 years) of doing the show and joins Tempo to look back on highlights, radio insights and share her own musical ventures in Fairtrade Narcotics.
Hi Brooke, I would love to know what drew you to community radio at PBS and how did you first get involved?
Hi Noah. I love that PBS is a progressive, forward thinking and music centric station.
My motivation for presenting on community radio is driven by a desire to reflect our diverse live & independent music scene on the airwaves.
I’d previously spent some time volunteering on 3RRR reception and answering phones for their Radiothon, but it wasn’t until I struck up conversation with a friendly punter at Golden Plains in 2019, where I first heard about PBS and their announcer training.
We went into covid-19 lockdowns not long after I made my expression of interest, so my radio dreams went on the backburner for a number of years. In 2022, when I heard from Mara that training was back on, I jumped at the opportunity to get started!
My first show on PBS was a fortnightly 2-6am insomnia program Melancholics Anonymous, which ran for about 8 episodes. I also sat in with Claire on Firewater and Kurt when he hosted Homebrew, jumping on a handful of fills for both.
I later took over for Kurt hosting Homebrew in May of 2023…and it’s now been 3 years of presenting this wonderful program, every Monday!
I think it’s a pretty big responsibility to cover local and independent music from AU and NZ for your show. How do you stay on top of all the releases and what’s cool right now?
I keep a close ear to the ground for what’s going on locally, going out often to see live bands, chatting with scene heads, keeping an eye on new releases through the independent label grapevine and of course, listening to other programs all across the wider community radio network.
I try not to think about it as this big looming responsibility, instead my priority for Homebrew is to deliver an interesting and engaging show consistently, week to week. It’s all about doing what you can, when you can!
Homebrew slides between rock, psych, post-punk, funk, jazz, fusion, soul, and all the in-between. It’s a pretty big range to cover but I appreciate how open it is for all the makers out there. Is there a genre that you particularly have a soft spot for?
Personally, I have a soft spot for mutations of psych, rock, fusion and jazz crossovers.
Lately I’ve been more into trip-hop, house and dance music as well…it’s difficult to narrow down, since I crave a lot of variety.
For the show, I’m aiming to present a blend of upbeat, restorative energies for the Monday drive slot, with a balance of voices, styles and mixed instrumentations to create an interesting contour for the listener.
Out of curiosity, how long does it usually take to prepare for the show? Also are you someone who plans meticulously or are you more intuitive in your approach?
There’s no hard and fast rule, because it really varies from week to week.
I used to plan Homebrew down to the minute; however, this didn’t always allow space for music and conversations to flow as organically, and going off feedback from friends, it’s more enjoyable for the listener when it sounds like I’m not under a time crunch.
These days I come to Homebrew with some points and places of where I’d like to take the program sonically, and I’ve found the most enjoyment when I allow space for intuitive choices to connect the more carefully planned brackets of music, so the show can still venture into unexpected terrain as needed.
I’ve taken more of a free-flowing approach to radio this year, but even when I’m not actively piecing it together, in the background I’m mentally cataloguing how I want next Monday to sound. No two episodes have ever been quite the same!
What advice can you give bands and solo artists who are dying to get played on your show? Is it chocolates in your pigeonhole or a cool story about the music that gives them a better chance?
It’s the music first for me, always. I think for the artist, their primary concern should be making art that’s genuine, and then radio airplay, when and if it happens, is a happy by-product of doing the thing you’re most passionate about!
When I’m programming Homebrew, I’m thinking about scope and variety to paint a bigger picture of what music in so-called Australia can sound like.
To give a general sentiment,
I’m seeking out music for Homebrew that is in its own way, unique, innovative, outside the box, musically driven, artistically inclined.
A major consideration for Homebrew is platforming projects that are actively releasing music and also performing on a regular basis, whether it be locally or touring.
Outside of radio you also play in the band Fairtrade Narcotics which is a 6-piece pop ensemble blending elements of psychedelia, jazz and rock. Not only do you sing and play guitar you also bring out the trumpet and flugelhorn as well! Can you tell us about your musical journey and interest in those more obscure instruments?
Trumpet was the first instrument I ever learned, so it doesn’t feel that obscure to me!
I moved from the country to Melbourne in 2017 to study music at Uni and got totally immersed in the live scene.
I became obsessed with gig-hopping throughout the week, determined to find the most original, out there, interesting bands to get inspired by…and I think in a lot of ways, that treasure hunt has continued with Homebrew.
I got my start in the gigging circuit playing trumpet in punk, funk, and slacker rock bands, but it wasn’t until I assembled my own project (Fairtrade) that I picked up guitar, began writing songs and singing them in venues. Running the band has been a direct catalyst for my growth as a musician/artist and continues to serve as a creative conduit for experimentation and collaboration. I’ve found my closest friendships in my bandmates and within our community through many, many gigs over the years.
Our music has taken on many forms, but lately, especially with the six of us, I feel we’re locking into our niche and sound as a group!
Do you have something exciting coming up that you are working on at the moment that you can share with us?
In Fairtrade we just released our second album Recession Pop, and something I’m excited for is our unreleased remix album. We gave our song stems from Recession Pop to a handful of local producer-DJs to mess with, and what we got back is so different from what we create in the band. I love how our songs have been flipped into a variety of hooky, dance house, DnB & lo fi beat tape soundscapes.
We also recorded an EP at Savanna Sun (Studio) in Clunes last December, which has more of an instrumental, psychedelic jazz flavour.
So, there’s plenty more organic band music releases and shows on the horizon, TBA!
What do you put your energy into outside of music if there is actually such a concept that life exists outside of it?
That is a loaded question! My life is very much intertwined with music & related activities, so this has given me pause to wonder…who am I outside of music?
I typically spend my solo downtime with yoga, reading, journaling, taking long meditative walks without music (to give the ears a rest) and frequenting the steam/spa/sauna.
I’m obsessed with whisking up the perfect iced matcha at home and I love combing through secondhand shops for my next fashion find. Occasionally I’ll bounce out to a waterfall or cosy beach spot to decompress.
Finally, who are your favourite local Melbourne bands at the moment and who would you like to see interviewed for Tempo?
I’m a huge fan of Steady Weather at the moment! They came into PBS for a Studio 5 Live recently, which was simply sensational. Their music exudes joy.
I’ve been enjoying everything I’m hearing from Tony Soprano Band and Dumbhead; two bands on my watchlist.
Some of my favourite acts in the local gig circuit include (but aren’t limited to) Dakini Cuddle, Heavy Amber, In Xira, Ebi Nori and The Phantom Fingers, Dopplerhaus, Frons, Echo Social Club, Fan Girl, Private Mountain and Dog Door (pictured below).
These are special bands that need to be experienced live in person to fully appreciate!
If the stars align, I would love to see any/all of them interviewed for Tempo.
Homebrew is your one stop shop for local and independent music from AU / NZ.
Genre-hopping through rock, psych, post-punk, funk, jazz, fusion, soul, and all the in-betweens. Tune in with Brooke Kymberley every Monday 3-5pm for the best local independent music and band/artist interviews.
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