Jimi Hocking, The Screaming Jet
In the early 90s, five unlikely blokes from Newcastle took the Aussie music scene by storm. Thirty years later, The Screaming Jets are ready to perform their debut album “All For One” in its entirety for the very first time.
This album has a sense of fun and energy that takes you back to the days when rock music was used as an excuse to get out, dance, and run a-muck!
The Screaming Jets epitomize everything there is to love about Aussie pub rock. Singer Dave Gleeson knows how to work a crowd and is known for his zany facial expressions and playfulness. The love these rockers have for each other is evident in their joyful stage strut.
Up-close and personal with Jimi Hocking
what first inspired you to become a musician?
I grew up in a musical household, both parents working in music, so it was the family business. I started on piano as that was my Dad’s instrument, but after watching “A Hard Days Night,” I soon wanted a guitar. There was no single point that I ‘decided to be a musician. I just evolved into the role. I was always obsessed with guitars and it took up most of my time, so I guess it was always ‘going to be’.
Do you have a particular method for writing songs?
I think most songwriters have a variety of methods, I have a notebook that I’m always scratching lyric ideas into, and a recorder/phone that has hundreds of brief musical ideas on it. Every now and then they come out cohesively and I’ll have a musical and lyrical idea that instantly work together… but more often I’ll sift through my book and use the lyrics… or a musical idea as a springboard to start developing a song. Sometimes I’ll just write down the title of a fictitious song… and start composing ideas based on the images the title suggests.
What or who’s new music are you currently into?
I don’t listen to music as much as I used to for relaxation… but I should. I still listen to T-Bone Walker and BB King, but also recently discovered Samantha Fish and Jared James Nichols, both doing some great high energy blues-rock.
What would you do differently career-wise, if you had a time machine?
I’m not sure there is any one thing that I would change, a career is an elastic experience, what appears to be a mistake may lead you through another door that becomes a positive. If you change something, you may not arrive at the same place. However, there may have been one or two relationships that I should have run far away from… that might be worth a time machine. 😉
What has been the standout highlight of your career so far?
I have a number of moments that would fit that bill. I played in a band in the ’80s that was musically ahead of its time but had very little commercial appeal. Then I was called upon to join The Angels for their national Live Line tour, it was my ‘big break’, and a remarkable experience. After that I had a band Jimi the Human & Spectre 7, we had a top 20 album and it was the first time I’d had a taste of success performing my own material.
Then I joined the Screaming Jets (1993), it’s the band I’ve been part of the longest. I’ve had the pleasure of playing to big crowds and hearing myself on radio/TV and all that… the music industry is a cruel beast, but it’s nice to break through and arrive in people’s record collections. But I suppose my most talked about experiences are probably winning the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, and touring the USA. But for me, seeing Les Paul perform in NYC, and hanging out with BB King for a couple of hours … was simply unforgettable.
How did you come to join The Screaming Jets?
The band was having some problems after an early tour in the USA… it was a tumultuous time. Ritchie, the original guitarist wanted to take some time off and I was asked to step in to replace him for a three-week tour. It turned out that Ritchie had no love for the band and simply never came back. I stayed on for a few years and Dave and I grew very close, and even though I left the band for a time to pursue my blues ‘career’ I was always in the loop with Dave and returned when the time was right.
What have been the greatest challenges that you’ve faced as a band?
Well, that would be a book in the making right there. We have had many ups and downs… but in some ways, it’s like any relationship, there will be constant challenges… it comes down to who has the moxy to keep pushing on and make it work. Certainly these past two years of lockdowns and canceled tours have been a bad time, but we managed to undertake two recording projects as a band that has had a great outcome.
Has the dynamic of the band changed over time?
Oh sure, we have been around for thirty years now, we’ve had line-up changes and we’ve also evolved as human beings. I also think we are a group of people with a lot of idiosyncrasies. I feel it could be hard for new people to break into the inner circle with us. But we still love to create and perform music as we always have, we are not trying to be influencers… we just love the process… and we still love to rock out.
What is coming up for you in 2022?
Well, we’ve been trying to get our thirtieth-anniversary tour off the ground, but we have been scuttled by restrictions… all going well, we hope to embark on a major tour from July to October. In the meantime, I will do some solo shows and I have some festivals coming up… Bruthen, Port Fairy, and Blues on Broadbeach.
What’s your favourite Dad joke?
I’m a nightmare… my poor kids. I constantly make ridiculous ‘back in my day’ remarks… “Back in my day, there were no lamingtons, we had to paint blocks of polystyrene and chew on those.” My kids yell/moan …. “Daaaaaddy … stop it !”
This album has a sense of fun and energy that takes you back to the days when rock music was used as an excuse to get out, dance, and run a-muck!
