By Paul Cashmere
We've already told you about Peter Stuart coming to Australia for the Matchbox Twenty gigs, now Irwin Thomas has also been added to the tour.
What is the connection with Irwin Thomas and Matchbox Twenty you ask? The answer is the Zappa family. When Jack Jones (Irwin) was living in America, he stayed with the Zappas. Here's how the story goes. "We just recently went to America to do some showcase gigs in LA and New York. Anytime I go to LA I try and hook up with friends and I hooked with up with Moon Unit, Armet Zappa and I saw Gail (Frank's wife)" Jack tells Undercover News. "Moon is married to Paul Doucette, the drummer in Matchbox Twenty. We hung out and had a cup of tea and we gave them a CD and heard that they had requested us for the Australian tour. I'm still coming to terms that it has actually happened. The band asked us to do it and it is very flattering and some great news at a time we were about to hit the studio again".
Jack thanks Moon Unit for helping him score the gig. "These things keep following you around. I have a real soft spot for the Zappa's" he says. "They have been very good to me. I love seeing them and catching up with them. It was really nice of Moon to go hard for us. They came down to the gig and it is great to be part of the community. Here I am in Melbourne in a newsagent and pick up a magazine and there is Dweezil on the front of it. It is funny. I know they are friends and it is cool but it just reminds you of another time".
Irwin Thomas have a real opportunity about to happen with their first Indie release planned for later this year. "Here is my opportunity to thank HMV because they have been amazing. Stuart Fraser has been an unstoppable force behind Irwin Thomas" Jack says. "His tenacity is second to none. He has just been such a great influence on us. On a commerce level they have been extremely supportive and if it wasn't for them we wouldn't be able to afford to do this. We have been talking to them about putting out an EP with a live DVD by the end of the year. We are very keen to get that started. As soon as we finish the Matchbox tour, that's what we'll be doing".
The current Irwin Thomas new music is still a work in progress. "There's a few new songs. There's probably 10 ideas and it is just a matter of gluing them together" he says. "We probably have 5 or 6 things that are two thirds of the way assembled. I like to leave a bit of room to wait until we get into the studio and see what happens".
So what is the Irwin Thomas set-list looking like for the Matchbox Twenty tour? "I think we will do the EMO set" he says. "I'm assuming that part of the appeal of Irwin Thomas is that dimension of what we do. We will probably do 'Away From You', 'She's Come Undone', 'Everybody In Blue'. There is a guy call Pete Stuart who is opening. He'll be acoustic. Then there is us, then Matchbox. We don't want to go too rock, because that's their gig, man".
Undercover presents Matchbox Twenty in Australia. The first show is Friday July 25 in Melbourne.
Irwin Thomas will also play the Evelyn in Melbourne next Wednesday July 23. The website is www.irwinthomas.com
The Irwin Thomas album 'The Evolution of Irwin Thomas' is available online from HMV.