The release of the HTA-album is finally knocking at the door and singer Phoebe is almost stressed out doing the last prearrangements for the magic day. So Autona scheduled the interview to talk about the excitement and the plans to rock Down Under and the Upper World. 

Autona: Finally, the first album will be released September 18th. How excited are you guys?

Phoebe: Hey Dennis - we are excited but you know I have to catch myself and have moments of "Hey - this is what you wanted" because the reality of the situation is it is non stop work. It is every day lists and lists of things to do and the good thing is, the boys are all a great team to have to be working on the different elements of being in a band. But women are multi-taskers so generally Im working my guts out with publicity etc and when its gig time they are go go go lugging gear and I wander in with my make up bag. Im undergoing a Saturn transit in my 6th house tho (the house traditionally associated with illness) so Im being extra careful with my health in preparation for the launch in one of Melbournes biggest and greatest venues The Palace. You know those monkeys in Bali that eat coffee beans and poo them and they consider the monkey poo coffee beans a delicacy? Well someone could bottle my shit and sell it as vitamins. We also have regional Victorian shows in Ballarat and Geelong Sept 30th, then we are supporting Crashdiet from Sweden and being the main support for Rose Tattoo. It doesn’t end at this point for Heaven The Axe and the best thing I can do it make sure to get enough sleep! We have a fantastic production team - costume designer, sound team, stage tech, alternative health practitioners and film production. We are very well supported by our close community with their skills. We are nothing without the support of others with skills we don't have and their dedication to the art of creating whatever it is Heaven The Axe is. Just cos my face is on the front doesn't mean anything about me, there’s a whole team of people working hard to give this creative group the best chance to be noticed and heard and their talents are equally as important. Cos without the whole group you just cant do it all yourself. And that’s the greatest lesson in success.

Autona: We already talked about a touring Germany ... do you already have some precise plans for Europe. Maybe you should support AC/DC!

Phoebe: Haha, well that would be awesome! Our conversations are based around planning for getting over there next year. Its something we are aiming towards but we have no concrete plans at this point.

Autona: I like the new photo shoots of you and the band. How does it feel to be the Femme Fatale?

Phoebe: Thank you Dennis - the photo taken in the strip club was decided upon because we want to be as raw and honest about who we are/were as possible. I was in fact a stripper for a period of my life and now I am able to draw on having lived in the night life of the underground and translate that energy into what it is to conjure up hard rock performances. When people see a Heaven The Axe show, Im not necessarily dressed that way, but I want them to connect to a darker side of themselves, an animalistic side, a side where they cease to be an employee, a business person, a mother, a husband, a daughter, a trades man or whatever it is they might be responsible for. I want them to connect to being free and have the music and the show take them to a place where they feel daring, sexy and tough. Where there are no apologies just pure living and enjoyment. Where they can be wild. It feels good but its also a lot of hard work. In fact, I might just be the person at the supermarket in my pyjamas because when you look strict on the internet you don't have to try so hard in real life yeah?

Phoebe: I believe the greatest challenge being a musician in Australia is that there is a limited audience into heavy music. Simply put theres not a great deal of people here and the distance to travel to other regions of the world is quite considerable. Also because Australia is such a big country it takes ten hours or more to drive from Melbourne to Sydney!!! So when we tour we generally do a show in Canberra or another big town on the way driving up to Sydney. Sydney is so far from Melbourne and then Brisbane is the same again. In Sydney the light is brighter and the air is more humid. Its really sunny sunshine up there. Melbourne is greyer and more inspiring for hard rock and metal we've found. You need more coffee and alcohol down here. In Brisbane its all prawns and mangoes. We'll be heading up to Queensland in October! I hope to get some serious beach action then. Another challenge I imagine coming from Australia is that it is an entity of its own and we are untainted by other cultures in the mainstream. Steve, the guitarist and I, come from Wagga Wagga (yes - thats its real name) in country New South Wales. Culturally it is as stereotypical an Australian town as you could get! It was a culture shock moving to the city here in Melbourne - the food, the languages and the customs of other races so easliy accessible. I look forward to expanding my cultural horizons in future. What Im working on culturally in my every day at the moment is what Ive been taught about religion and God. I love to connect to the one true relationship we all have, which is to our spirtual "whatever-you-want-to-call-it". And I love drawing inspiration from the interpretations of whats made up from that when it comes to religion. With the music of Heaven The Axe you're listening to songs which are about creating your own relationship to the God energies however you may feel it is, despite what has been written by someone else you never met. Its totally rock n roll to strengthen your own personal relationship to God and to devlop your own culture based around what it is you believe which I know gives me a greater appreciation in respecting others beliefs.

Autona: Have you ever played some shows in South-America?

Phoebe: No we have never played there. We do hear the situation is dire. We have focussed some fund raising for other parts of the world, supporting and raising money and awareness for child sex slavery survivors in Nepal. We haven't worked on any spotlight for the situations there tho at this stage.

Autona: How are your expectations concerning the album release?

Phoebe: The release is based on my whole lifes work and experiences culminating in a band which functions and produces. Its a great effort for me, my entire team and everyone in my life. We have created a world class product. As we are an unsigned band there is only so much we can do to promote it without the money a major label may invest to recoup through more sales. We are amazed at how many items we sell off the website so thats very encouraging and really if we keep having a demand for our music through our very own website its too easy. Its just a matter of people wanting to purchase the CD or a T-Shirt and getting on and ordering it. We've just sent out the very first 100 ordered CDs this week. I can't wait to hear what people think! No ones heard it before! This is very exciting times for us here.