So who are Between The Wars?We are a Celtic folk punk band from Melbourne, Australia. Jason (uke) and I started this thing in 2009 so we’re coming up on four years old this year. Our lineup is myself (Jay Stevens) on vocals and guitar, Jason Hatcher on uke and vocals, Aaron V. Allen on mandolin, electric guitar and vocals, Paul Trevorrow on bass and vocals, Hayley Anderson on the violin and Dan Scalpelli on the tubs.

What inspired the formation of the band?Just a wish to write stories and to push ourselves in a different creative direction than what we’d been used to in the past. We’ve all been in a bunch of bands before so this just seemed like a good option moving forward. Most of the band members have their own side-projects (or BTW is their side-project) so we make sure that we get ourselves creatively fulfilled.Describe your sound?The main musical and lyrical influences on this band have remained storytellers like Billy Bragg, Bruce Springsteen, the Wolfe Tones, the Dubliners, Christy Moore and Frank Turner. We try to write stories instead of just songs – giving each protagonist a back story and perhaps involving them slightly in other songs. I’m a big fan of the Decemberists as well. We basically put all of those influences together and see what comes out the other side. Many of our members are huge fans of punk rock bands as well, so we maintain a bit of that aesthetic as well.What going on with the band right now ?We’re just preparing to release our new album “Won’t Go Quietly” on St Patrick’s Day 2013. The pre-order will have begun by the time you read this (11/2/2013) so head over and pre-order your copy now! Currently, we’re playing a heap of shows around Melbourne and branching out into the rest of Australia over the rest of the year. I’m also heading over to the UK to play some dates in mid-October with the Lagan and the Roughneck Riot, which should be a blast!

What song in you catalog best defines your sound?Between The Wars is a constantly evolving unit – so we consistently try to change up our sound a little bit from album to album. Currently, I’d say “The Tail of the Rats” from 2010’s “The Rats” EP or “Goodnight Sweetheart” from our new album fits into the best over-arching idea of what we try to do.Soapbox – anything you’d like to say? Thanks to everyone that’s supported us over the past four years. Can’t wait for you all to hear this new record, we’re so psyched for it and hope you enjoy it as much as we do!!https://www.facebook.com/betweenthewars