The project of Sydney-based musician and poet Mike Stephens, The Chamberlains fuse loud and abrasive rock tones with darkly comic lyricism exploring the absurd and grotesque corners of modern society. Born in Sydney, Australia on December 7, 1995, Mike Stephens grew up a younger brother in a musical household, taking piano, guitar and clarinet lessons throughout his early childhood. Socially reclusive during his early teens, he found himself inspired by the music and lyrical content of artists such as Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits and Nick Cave. After dropping out of high school, he studied music at Sydney TAFE during his late teens, playing and writing songs with the intention of establishing his own band.
By Kamil Bobin
Discovered via Musosoup
What strengths do you have that you believe make you a great musician?
I’ve always had an ambiguous relationship with the title of ‘musician’, and I’m not sure of the extent to which I feel comfortable describing myself as one. After leaving high school I studied music at TAFE where I learned the basics of production, business and so-on, and while I’ve always been comfortable putting words and chords to paper, I’ve long felt that my attitude and approach to songwriting is somewhat external to that of the others around me. I’ve reconciled these contradictory opinions by coming to think of myself as a songwriter rather than a musician, because I believe the practice itself is where my greatest strengths lie.
Who inspired you to make music?
I was fortunate to grow up in a household where I had access to various instruments, so a fascination with music developed from a young age. My older brother was definitely the ‘real musician’ in our family, with six-year-old me just climbing the stool to the piano and abusing the thing until someone told me to stop (a creative approach I’ve carried through to the present day). My “Three Horsemen” as a teenager were Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits and Nick Cave, each of whom has written songs ranging from the transcendently pure to the obscene and downright pornographic. It was inspiring to me that the same writer who described “a secret chord" was also partial to “crack and anal sex”.
Your latest track is ‘Last Night in Norwich'. Can you share with us the background of its creation and did any unusual things happen during its creation?
Last Night in Norwich originated as a few lines of verse I wrote some time back in a Blue Mountains motel room during semester break, shortly after watching a particularly grim documentary for the purpose of a history assignment. Like most of my songs, it lay stuffed in a drawer for a length of time before I eventually tried pairing it with a 30 second demo I’d recorded in Logic Pro and found that the two complimented each other quite nicely. From there, it just gradually morphed into the three and a half minutes which have now been released. The process was relatively straightforward, but unhurried and somewhat serendipitous.
What is your creative process like?
As a solo artist, my creative process is solitary and sometimes very slow. My ideal scenario is to laze around, write a few lines, strum a few chords and let a song take shape of its own volition. In reality it rarely pans out this way. I get overly-analytic once something cohesive emerges, so most songs drag behind them several hundred decisions and revisions. There’s usually a lot of procrastination involved too, but I think that’s a necessary part of the process also - allowing the voices of belief and doubt to fight it out as I pair my socks for the hundredth time.
What is the biggest decision you’ve had to make?
Embarking on an independent music project is a big decision in itself, because it involves investing a huge amount of time, effort and money into something which is almost guaranteed not to see a return (at least financially). This is, however, the drive of creativity. The rest is just a long series of little decisions, made nonetheless difficult by the fact that I’m usually working alone. Fortunately, I’m aided in the studio by the fantastic Ben Worsey (producer/engineer at Everland Studios) and some extremely talented session musicians who’ve been able to lend their skills to my project.
What makes you different from others?
My songwriting process is probably where I differ most from other musicians. When writing a song, my aim is to first capture the underlying mood/tone/atmosphere of whatever narrative the lyrics are attempting to convey. From there, I build upward. I’m not overly ambitious with things like riffs or licks, although I’m fairly free-spirited when it comes to song structure itself. The same thinking extends to vocals. I’m under no illusion as to the quality of my voice, so when singing I try to focus mainly on imbuing lines with as much lyrical context as possible. All these are just further examples of me playing to my strengths as a songwriter first and a musician second.
What is one message you would give to your fans?
I’ve found that people tend to describe some of the themes within my music as ‘off-putting’, and some even more cynically ask if this is my intention. While the areas I explore in my songwriting are dark, the fact is that I’m always searching for humour. Even the name of my project itself was intended as a slightly morbid joke relating to trial by media attitudes, which is what my first release back in 2020 was about. That said, I admit I enjoy a mixed reaction. Ideally, I’d like for one third of listeners to be totally appalled, one third to point and stare, and one third to be genuinely interested.
How do you feel the Internet has impacted the music business?
As a listener, I think the impact has been primarily positive, with such an overwhelming abundance of music now accessible through digital platforms. As an artist it’s more complicated, because while the internet and technology in general have revolutionised accessibility for creators, the pressure of trying to stand out in such a crowded field can be very overwhelming, especially for newer artists. However, as the pandemic has shown, artists possess infinite capacity to adapting and innovate.
What is the first thing you think of when you wake up?
I keep a busy schedule these days, so each morning is spent figuring out how to organise my day as productively as possible. I’m currently training as a teacher at The University of Sydney, so most of my time not spent sleeping is consumed by lectures, seminars and assignments. This means that my creative time is ever more valuable to me, and I try to dedicate as much of my non-study time as possible to songwriting.
What are your plans for the future?
I’m currently working on several creative projects, including poetry and fiction. I’m gradually expanding my website to include more of this stuff, so I invite everyone to check it out (www.toranarecords.com). I also have two more singles I’m currently working on, which I’m hoping to release by the end of the year, so with that said - stay tuned for more in the not-too-distant future.