Without Parachutes

Speed Date With Michael Cooper From Without Parachutes - See more at:

1. Growing Up
Growing up I spent a lot of time at my grandparents’. Pop played the cello and piano and had all these kooky ’50s rock’n’roll remix albums. Imagine ‘Rock Around The Clock’ redone on a Casio keyboard. As a four-year-old that was pretty badass. My old man was a big ’70s heavy metal and Aussie pub rock fan. I remember the first time he got his Led Zeppelin IV record out to show me. The riff in ‘Black Dog’ made me want to shit my pants. I think that early introduction into loud guitars and drums with big riffs is something that still sticks with me today.

2. Inspirations
My favourite musicians have to be Drew Goddard and the rest of the cats from Karnivool. The first time I saw them was at an afternoon matinee show in 2006 just after they had dropped Themata. There were about 40 people in Manning Bar and I remember leaving that wondering why they weren’t the biggest band in the world. They’re just so tight and so huge live. You’d struggle to find that level of musicianship anywhere.

3. Your Band
Without Parachutes is a three-piece made up of Bob Stewart (drums), Will Cruger (guitar, vox) and me, Michael Cooper, on bass. Rob and I met in high school and have been playing together for about ten years. Will found us about five years ago through mutual friends and we have floated around lineups and bands in the Wollongong/Sydney area together since. Our tastes can sometimes clash massively. Robbie loves everything from The Paper Kites to Korn. Will loves anything English from Coldplay and London Grammar to Muse. I like my music dirty – Future Of The Left, The Bronx and QOTSA are up there as my favourites.

4. The Music You Make
Our music is a combination of heavy rock and electronic sounds. You can never have too many riffs in our book, so there is a lot of in-between-song jamming on riffs and general chaos. Will has a pretty versatile, clean-hitting voice. Most of the songs revolve around his vocal melodies. They can be anywhere from epic ten-minute-long Aussie prog rock-influenced songs to snappy three-minute synthpop tunes. We have been recording with Nick DiDia at Studios 301 in Byron Bay. Our EP was recently finished and should be out in the coming months. Working with an absolute legend and master like Nick was out of control.

5. Music, Right Here, Right Now
I was lucky enough to study in Melbourne last year. Now that’s how live music should be. Sydney in comparison is obviously is in a bit of trough with the closure of venues, lockouts and all that. All I can say is that when you hit the bottom you can only go up, and while the scene is small it’s dedicated and good things are happening.

Catch Without Parachutes at Frankie's Pizza on Wednesday August 27. - The Brag

Without Parachutes hit the Sydney scene hard in January 2013 with an indie rock, 90’s grunge sound. Their self-titled EP Without Parachutes is composed of a three-piece powerhouse: lead vocals, guitar and synths William Cruger, bass Michael Cooper, and Bob Stewart on drums. The group entirely self recorded, mixed, and mastered in their living room. It’s a strong and clean recording, that living room must have excellent sound. Without Parachutes holds down the underground scene by playing local shows and were even featured at the Raw Emerging Art Festival. They bridge the gap between the Australian music scene’s euphoric indie pop and the heavier alternative sound.

Without Parachutes begins with a breathy, a cappella intro in “It’s Time Again” before the driving rock guitar riff kicks in. The song alternates between Snow Patrol soft vocals and heavier pop rock riffs. The rhythm section provides stops and starts to make the listener eager for the next phrase. Anticipatory pauses foment the building excitement in “It’s Time Again.”

A Michael Jackson style drumbeat sets off “Lights Out,” accompanied by tender keyboards before breaking into the grungier chorus. The guitar solo echoes the chorus melody with a 90’s punk grunge edge. This solo is excellent, it’s not a guitar egomaniac that goes on for minutes, and it compositionally accompanies the rest of the song while adding nuance and complexity.

The third track, “Tip Toe” jumps right into a metal guitar intro that sets the track up a darker vibe than the rest. Halfway through the song, the rhythm pulls back and the vocals “tip toe” through a long, anxious bridge before breaking into the repeated declaration “sing what you love.”

The fourth and final track wins my heart as best track. It has drum breakdowns characteristic of The Runaways, harmonizing yet eerie vocals, “the end is near / it’s clear / it’s closer as the years go by.” The singer’s anxiety about death haunts the listener; it’s as though the time running out on the EP parallels the time running out in our lives. These tragic sentiments, topped off with a killer guitar solo that just builds and builds shine a spotlight on this track.

The guitar riffs and solos along with the creative drum fills and resonant vocals drive this powerhouse EP. Rhythmically the bass is strong but I definitely wanted to hear more bass features. Catch them in Sydney if you can! - The Equal Ground

“Impassioned vocal histrionics, and a sound that is equal parts modern electronic euphoria and big rock power, make Without Parachutes an absolutely irresistible mix. These guys are definitely on their way somewhere." - Rod Whitfield (Beat Magazine, SF Media, The Aussie Alternative)

Without Parachutes on repeat. Captivated by this wonderful new jam from Wollongong indie rock trio.. ‘When We Fall’ opens with beautiful, angelic Temper Trap-esque falsettos and then the song just soars!

Kick back, close your eyes and turn volume levels up to 10 ❤ - Hot & Delicious

A bit past 8 Without Parachutes kicks off their set. This trio from Wollongong is new to me, and I didn’t quite know what to expect. I must say that they impressed me from the get-go. William Cruger’s vocals caught my attention straight away, and it seems to be something all the bands tonight have in common; really good vocalists. The trio is very energetic on stage and on a few occasions a three person mosh pit emerges in the middle of the floor. The turnout is actually pretty decent from the very beginning. The room is about half filled a little bit into Without Parachutes’ set. I was thinking to myself, they seemed like a heavier version of Muse, and this is exactly how I would describe Without Parachutes after having seen their set last night.

After a particularly heavy song, a new song is introduced as “as far from the last song you can get”, whereas a guy in the crowd yells out, “I WANT TO MOSH!” which he did, or at least tried to.

A heavy and groovy 5 minute-or-so long instrumental concludes Without Parachutes’ set this evening, and someone in the crowd tells the band just what I felt – “THAT WAS AWESOME!”. - Metal Obsession

Without Parachutes' sonic waves of wah-wah guitars and heavily rhythm-driven tracks make for a massively atmospheric opening. Confident and undeterred by technical difficulties, the trio retained a clear sound, combining indie-rock leanings with more progressive tones. Select cuts include epic finisher, Why Should I Care. - TheMusic.com.au

There's a big, menacing vibe to this with Soundgarden-sized riffs and stadium ambitions. - Dave Ruby Howe - Triple J Unearthed: Dave Ruby Howe

Triple J Unearthed darlings Without Parachutes spent the beginning of 2013 in their living room recording and mixing some potent tracks to lace their self-titled EP with. This three-piece indie rock outfit comprising of William Cruger, (Lead vocals and Guitar) Michael Cooper, (Bass and Vocals) and Bob Stewart (Drums and Backing Vocals) debuted an impressive self-produced sound of soft vocals and grungy guitar riffs.

Without Parachutes first effort of 2014 demonstrates their talent to musically inclined folk in the form of fresh single ‘When We Fall’. This thudding musical composition layers Cruger’s soft voice with deep bass notes and brazen drumming, creating a heavy piece of music imbued with punk rock drum and bass. Initially, the tune is doled out to us via Cruger’s delicate falsetto voice before launching into the real heart of the track: full bodied grunge rock that builds momentum through the chorus amid jostling instrumentals and soft lyrics.

These boys from Wollongong have produced a tune that manages to span genres and creates a symposium between grunge, pop and alternative rock. The mature sound and catchy anthem that characterizes this tune makes it worth a listen, and hopefully 2014 will see the start of a big year for the Aussie trio. - Casual Band Blogger