Rhythm and Alps: 10 Questions with Wax Mustang

By day he’s Dunedin’s Hamish Calder. By night he’s Wax Mustang, the self-proclaimed “six-foot stallion”. We catch up with him ahead of his Rhythm & Alps festival gig.

1 Tell us who you are and where you're from.

Wax Mustang from Dunedin.

2 Describe your sound in one sentence.

Barry Gibb decides he can rap after a few cans.

3 What have the events of 2020 taught you about life and music?

You can't rollerskate in a buffalo herd. Friends are essential and great music is impossible to make without the simple things in life.

4 Which of your songs is your favourite to perform live and why?

I would have to say Bones. It's usually at the end of my set so the petrol tank is near empty at this point. I have to give it hell and the crowd usually reciprocate that back at me.

5 What can the Rhythm & Alps audience expect from your performance at the festival?

A window into what the new-age Mustang looks like. Refined and polished, without leaving the mayhem behind.

6 Which other acts on the festival bill do you most want to see?

I haven't had a chance for to see Fat Freddy's Drop live yet! That's a must and excited to hear what Benee performs from the new album.

7 What does success as a musician mean to you?

I think it comes in many forms but the ability to create as my 'fulltime job' means the world to me. It changes with time also - I remember the first verse I wrote and recorded (awful stuff) was incredibly fulfilling and exciting. It's a combination of small victories I think. 8 What would you tell a young person wanting to be a successful musician?

Make your own formula and do it for the love of the art!

9 Who or what excites you most about music right now?

I've headed back in time recently. There's something special about finding a gem via vinyl or just digging through YouTube that gets me incredibly excited. Right in this very moment Chuck E's in Love by Rickie Lee Jones has me in a headlock.

10 You can only fit one album by another artist on your device - what is it?

Reasonable Doubt by Jay-Z and What You Won't Do For Love from Bobby Caldwell burned on to the same CD. There's always a loophole.

• Wax Mustang will perform on December 30, day two of Rhythm & Alps at Cardrona Valley. The festival is sold out, with registration for tickets for Rhythm & Alps 2021 opening January 7.