Passion and persistence: Aussie band The Faim on first US tour

Jonah Goldberg | Contributing Writer

“It’s gonna get heavy / if you’re gonna be with me / Be ready, you can’t close your eyes when it comes.”

So begins the chorus of “When It Comes,” the closing song in The Faim’s debut EP, “Summer is a Curse.” For the four band members, who since 2014 have evolved from jamming together in high school to performing for audiences worldwide, these lines have always been a mantra.

Members of The Faim, from left to right: Sean Tighe (drums and percussion), Stephen Beerkens (keyboard and bass), Josh Raven (lead vocals) and Sam Tye (guitar).Courtesy of Jonathan Weiner

Members of The Faim, from left to right: Sean Tighe (drums and percussion), Stephen Beerkens (keyboard and bass), Josh Raven (lead vocals) and Sam Tye (guitar).

The Faim began under the name Small Town Heroes in the relatively isolated city of Perth, Australia, and were constantly hard at work to make a name for themselves. This work ethic paid off in 2016, when John Feldmann, the legendary musician and producer, put out a call for unsigned bands and responded to The Faim’s letter by personally inviting them out to Los Angeles to work with him.

This break was only the start of the band’s hustle, however. The Faim wrote 31 song ideas before arriving in Los Angeles in late 2017, then began a season of 15-hour studio days, writing and recording two songs each day. Feldmann brought in several talented colleagues to help out: The Faim’s first single, “Saints of the Sinners,” released in February 2018, was co-written by Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz. The band has since released two more singles and the “Summer is a Curse” EP, inspiring millions of listeners with their high energy and messages of self-expression and creating your own luck.

The Faim is coming to Fubar in St. Louis this Saturday, Nov. 17, performing with Hands like Houses, Emarosa, Devour the Day and Arlington. In advance of this show, I caught up with keyboard/bassist Stephen Beerkens as the band was preparing to play in Salt Lake City.

This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.

Jonah Goldberg: You’ve gotten to work with a lot of amazing people in the music industry. John Feldmann was quoted saying, “I have to do stuff I love and feel passionate about. And I love The Faim.” And he’s neither the first nor the last to rave about you. Are you still feeling starstruck, or can you see yourselves among other famous artists?

Stephen Beerkens: You always have a little bit of that starstruck feeling when you first work with someone, but soon you find that they’re just people who love music as much as you do. We’re always inspired by the work that they’ve done, but now it’s been great to be on the same page. We’re all working as a team, working together for one cause.

JG: What’s your daily life like on tour? How do you occupy the time driving from one place to the next?

SB: Yeah, we spend lots of time in a van, which is joyful. We’re planning shows, which involves a lot of setup, and practicing and reaching out to and meeting up with fans.

JG: I personally loved the vlogs from when you first arrived in LA last year. Do you still manage your own social media? How do you like to stay connected to your fans?

SB: Yes, we handle it all. A lot of it’s just by responding to people and looking at what they tag. We see a lot of fan art as well, and we’re always updating our story, and people will post covers of our songs. Staying connected is what we try and do, and we really stand by it.

JG: Your story alone is a testament to working hard toward your passions and breaking out of the boxes others want to put you in. Is this also the message you try to get across in your songs? What else do you want to inspire people to do?

SB: Be yourself. All of our songs come from very personal experiences; with us, it’s very much what you see is what you get, and that’s how we express ourselves to the people out there. We want people not to be afraid to express yourself in whatever way you see fit, whatever way is most right for you.

JG: You changed your name from Small Town Heroes; both that and The Faim are pretty powerful. What was the reason for the switch?

SB: The name change was a big coming of age for us as a band. Back then, we were pop punk, but weren’t really unique. When we started working with John Feldmann, we started to figure out who we are. We had to ask ourselves what made us unique, why people would listen to us out of anyone else in the world. We found that changing our name, as a part of that, helped redefine us. “Faim” means hunger. Our message in that was that the hunger should succeed; hunger should push yourself out of your comfort zone.

JG: At what point did you all decide that you were committing fully to being musicians?

SB: There wasn’t one specific time. It sort of came with our growth and development. We started in high school. Josh and I were in same music class, and it started off as saying, “We just love playing music.” It grew and evolved from there.

JG: Has performing and making music videos changed the way you relate to or listen to music?

SB: Yeah. Performing is such a big part of what we do now. We have 80 shows this year. It completely changes the way you look at music. I’m always listening for ideas. And when you’re writing, you take into account how it’s going to translate live.

JG: What’s the songwriting process for the band?

SB: We take it very seriously now. We delve into big parts of ourselves and try to find areas to write about that we find inspiration from. It’s always some personal event. When we start writing, we’ll use just piano or acoustic guitar…we like to form out the song acoustically, and make sure that when it you strip it down, without production effects, you know the concept itself is strong.

JG: If the four of you were doing something together besides music, what would it be?

SB: I don’t know. I couldn’t tell you. Even before we started the band, I was going to be studying classical composition, so music was always going to be my focus.

JG: What are your plans for after this tour?

SB: My plan is to sleep. We’re going to be going home for Christmas and catch up with friends and family. I’m going to go to the gym, which I’m very excited about. And then we start preparing for our headline tour.

JG: Is there a particular moment that’s stood out from the stage, studio, or set?

SB: Each show has different memorable moments. You’re meeting new people, you’re in a different part of the world and playing for different people, and so you’re creating completely new memories in every city you’re in.

JG: Is there anything else you’d like people to know—either upcoming events or a message to take away?

SB: If you’re in a town and you see that we’re playing, just come down, because all you’re going to see is just four dudes who love playing music. We love meeting everyone that comes to the shows and hanging out with everyone, and it’s just a great time.

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